Report of Cannon Hall Trip 28th June 2008

This was a very enjoyable day out. The cyclists were: Andy, Joe & Tom Lowery, Malcolm Kyle, Chris Graham, Martin Dearnley, Dominic Barnes.

When we set off it was clear that one of our number was feeling under-the-weather. Malcolm had been taken too much advantage of Martin's hospitality in the Parish Centre the previous night and was feeling very Southern unComfortable. Still - he carried on like a brave little soldier but at some points during the day he wished he'd stayed in bed!

Our route took us up through Coxley Valley and then to Midgley. The path from Little London to Midgley was very muddy necessitating frequent dismounts & short distances of actually carrying the bike on your shoulder.

We then headed into Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Normally there is a series of exhibitions in the Underground Gallery which change each year. We went along to investigate but it was clear that this was a work-in-progress as contractors & diggers were present.


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The next part of the route was a long, steady climb on a bridle path to High Hoyland. This was quite tough but pleasant cycling in the parkland with cows & sheep for company.

The ride into Cannon Hall car park was uneventful where we met Anne-Marie, Catriona (sp?) & Rebecca Barnes & Frances Lowery. Packed lunch at a picnic table in the parkland -

Here the newest member of the St Ignatius Team Velo demonstrated her latest skills -

The part of the ride enjoyed by most of the riders was the long (+2 miles) downhill stretch from High Hoyland Church to the junction with Denby Dale Road. Illustrating the increased level of fitness of the riders there were parts of the ride (uphill) which on previous rides we dismounted & walked but which we were able to cycle up un this occasion. On reaching Storrs Hill, even at the end of a 20 mile run there were some very brave attempts, with varying success, to scale it on bikes.
Courtesy of Malcolm's onboard computer we have the following stats of the ride:
Distance: 19.3 miles
Riding time: 2:34 (some pushing!)
Average speed: 7.4 mph
Maximum speed: 37 mph

Cannon Hall

See post below regarding Saturday 28th June ride.
I'll just add that there are lots of birds (ducks & geese etc.). I recommend that the children bring some old bread with them as the birds are tame (but hungry!).
Is anyone going by car? If so it would save on weight if they could take the lunches. Let me know.
10:00 28/6/08 Weather not too bad so ride will go ahead!!!

22nd June - Planned Easy Sunday Ride

Sunday 22nd June a relatively easy flattish ride is planned along the canal side & then along the Spen Valley Greenway. In some places there will be nettles & mud!
A decision will be made at 12:30 and posted HERE if there is a problem with the weather so please check at or after 12:30 if the weather looks "iffy".
(12:50 I WILL be riding today but it is VERY windy!)

Meet at 1:30 on the church drive. The pace will depend who is on the ride. We will go at the speed of the slowest rider. All welcome!

Report:
The weather was not suitable for cycling. Gale force winds made it VERY hard work. I went down Queens Drive, up Spring Mill Lane past the golf course. along Park Mill Lane past Low Laithes Golf Course to Kirkhamgate. Then back to Gawthorpe via Gawthorpe Lane then into Ossett via Church Street.

Saturday 28th June - Cawthorne Park (planned)

This will be a full day out with a stop of about an hour at Cannon Hall & Country Park. Good weather is guaranteed.

http://www.barnsley.gov.uk/bguk/Leisure_Culture/Other%20Attractions/Cannon%20Hall%20Museum,%20Park%20and%20Gardens/Cannon_Hall_Museum_Park_and_Gardens

We will meet at at 10:30 on the church drive. A packed lunch will be had at about 1:00 pm at Cannon Hall. We will spend about an hour here so if any non-cycling friends & relatives want to come it is a nice place to visit. There is a cafe & toilets. There is no charge to visit but there is a charge for car parking.
There will be a mixture of on-road & off-road riding on this trip. The route to Cannon Hall is a long uphill climb but we will have plenty of stops & it is all downhill heading home!!
A decision will be made at 9:30 and posted HERE if there is a problem with the weather so please check at or after 9:30 if the weather looks "iffy".

Meet Saturday 28th June at 10:30 on the church drive with a packed lunch & drink. Helmets are advisable. All welcome!

Thornhill Hall, Whitley & Steep Hills

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The ride today was quite a challenging one. The riders were: Andy, Tom, Matthew & Joe Lowery, Dominic Barnes, Joe McCarthy & Martin Dearnley.
Our route took us down Storrs Hill, along the path to Healey, through the woo-woo tunnels to Figure-of-Three Locks, up past Thornhill Colliery site into Thornhill Park.
Here we paused to look at the remains of Thornhill Hall which was destroyed in 1648 following a siege by the Parliamentarian forces who attacked it with cannon fire from Runtlings (a long way). We were engaged in conversation by an extremely “odd” couple who insisted that there was a “feeling” about the place and he walked around the back of the ruin & announced that there was some improvement to the “aura” since last time.

We then climbed through Thornhill Edge and into Whitely. Here I was introduced to “Charlottes”. A farm which has diversified into a tea room, ice cream sales, crazy golf & some nice animals to be tormented. There was a long-haired goat who pretended he wanted to see where we were going but then tried to eat the map!



The goat is the one in the middle.

Following some dodgy navigation by Martin we eventually found ourselves on a gated road clearly marked “PRIVATE”. We were somewhere near Denby Grange when a nail went right through Joe McCarthy’s tyre, putting 2 holes in it. This was the first time we’ve had to fix a puncture “in the field” using some teamwork & a variety of tools we got the job done OK. Andy said it reminded him of being in the S.A.S.!!!

Then following some minor paths, lanes & bridleways we made our way to Middlestown & Overton. From there we took Smithy Lane up to Chapel Hill. Here there were some stunning fields which were scarlet with poppies. We all decided that we’d never seen so many poppies in previous years and were undecided what was the purpose.

This path took us into Coxley Valley were we followed the beckside path down the valley towards Horbury Bridge. Conditions were mixed with lengthy dry sections interspersed with slippery muddy bits. Martin was the first to fall, others either fell or came close.
Typically – Joe Lowery saw a patch of mud & decided to try to cycle through it but it was MUCH deeper than it looked & he sank down & stuck completely waiting for a rescue from Dom.

The final stretch was the dreaded Storrs Hill. After a certain amount of joshes & challenges we had two riders who made it to the top without getting off (albeit with a couple of stops) they were Matthew Lowery & Dominic Barnes. Well done to them!

We all agreed it was an enjoyable ride but very hilly.

Sunday after lunch!

This is a re-run of the cancelled 1st June ride. Next planned ride will be Sunday 15th June. This will be a mixture of on road & off road riding. It is rather a hilly course but pleasant if the weather holds up.As this will be an afternoon ride there will be no lunch required. This will not be such a long ride as last Monday. It will be much shorter but quite demanding due to number of inclines! I anticipate a 2.5 hour ride at a "brisk" pace. Meet at 1:30 on the church drive. All welcome!
A decision will be made at 12:30 and posted HERE if there is a problem with the weather so please check at or after 12:30 if the weather looks "iffy".
12:30 1st June weather looks OK so we are going ahead!

Spen Valley Swans & Cygnets

Sunday June 8th, with Martin away and several others busy, it was decided to have a brisk cycle ride following the canal from Horbury Bridge up to the Spen Valley Greenway. Andy, Thomas, Matthew and Joe Lowrey and Dominic Barnes set out from Garden Close at 2.10pm on a hot, sunny afternoon, following the route taken on the first ride in May. The weeds and nestles have certainly grown in the last month, so those wearing shorts had to be careful. Conditions were dry, except when we crossed to the west side of the canal for a short stretch - we had to cycle through some big puddles that looked like they might have been from flooding rather than just recent rain fall. Anyway, the younger members were delighted to find some mud!! On the return, we stayed on the dry side of the canal though. Lots of interesting sights along the way, including a fishing match with every other peg occupied and the long roach poles in use; we did not see any catches though. The nesting swans we saw on the first trip have now got 3 surviving cygnets - a walker passing by told us that there had been 5 originally, but apparently any more than two surviving is considered very good. There were quite a few narrow boats in evidence as well. As we all knew the route, we cycled at a fair pace for an hour with just short stops for drinks, and made it beyond Heckmondwicke, almost as far as Cleckheaton before turning round. On the return, we went up Second Avenue as far as Jenkins Lane, where we gate-crashed Sarah-Louise and Simon's to scrounge cold drinks, arriving about 4.15pm. After this short break, we headed up through Matty Marsden Lane to return to Garden Close; unfortunately it was Matty Misfortune Lane for our own Matty as his bike got damaged here and he had to run home pushing it, impressively keeping pace with everyone else. Altogether, it was an excellent cycle ride in great weather, doing by my reckoning about 18 miles in just over 2 hours cycling.
Report courtesy of Dominic Barnes.