Tim's Touring Two-Day


Last October as a coup de grass to his best season of racing young Tim Norton organised a touring weekend just to break us in gently to the non competitive, social season !!

The North East area of the country was chosen as the venue and after many hours of reading brochures a quaint guest house in St. Johns Chapel was picked with the aid of a pin. At the time there seemed to be a strange connection between this area and the '92 National Hill Climb Championship but these thoughts concerning hills were suppressed as we all arranged to meet at the B&B on the Friday night at 7pm. prompt. Having gone up on my own earlier in the day to do some sneaky training in and around the Tan Hill Inn, I was first to arrive shortly after six. What seemed (and was) hours later the rest of the party arrived, in various cars, having been delayed somewhat by the narrow roads and poor visibility as they crested the last hill before dropping down into Weardale. (Hills! What hills?)

After the formalities of organising sleeping accommodation etc. we all repaired off to the local hostelry to make plans for the morning. Expecting to loose plenty of moisture in sweat over the weekend we all manfully set about replacing fluid in advance. At ten O'clock our enquiries as to where the nearest chip shop could be found was met with some merriment from the locals but mine host, sensing some quick money, volunteered to put the chip pan on so several plates of greasy carbohydrate were consumed before we returned to the B&B for a sound nights sleep.

The next morning just as we finished a filling breakfast the other four members of the party arrived, bringing the group up to twelve, and Matthew set about clearing up what toast and tea remained from our meal.

Eventually bikes and bodies were sorted out into some sort of order and the party set off UP Weardale. After a couple of damp undulating miles we turned off the A689 onto the B6295 that would eventually take us to Haydon Bridge but first there was the small matter of Burtree Fell rising into the mist to over 1800 feet. This soon sorted the men from the boys and so soon after breakfast we all felt very young !. Over the top it was mainly down but with a few ups following the River Allen downstream to Haydon Bridge with only two brief stops to repair a puncture and to regroup at Allendale Town.

Haydon Bridge is a strange sort of town split in two by the bridge over the South Tyne. Unfortunatly we also got split into two by the bridge with Andy and Noel going to a cafe on the south side while the rest of us went to a strange sort of cafe in keeping with the town on the north side. The cafe was in the back room of a newsagents and the proprietor was most concerned that there was ten of us and he only had nine seats, nine mugs and nine plates. All was sorted when he found another mug from somewhere and we settled down to tea and coffee while he was kept busy in the back defrosting scones two at a time in the microwave.

We regrouped on the pavement outside then set off again for another couple of uphill miles taking us north into Hadrians Wall country. The highlight before we reached the "wall" was Kirsty showing us all how "green" (ecologically) she is by examining the grass verge at very close quarters.Those that knew the Roman Wall was there could see traces on the skyline and see remains of the vallum alongside the road that we now followed to Collerford prior to a grand sweeping decent into Hexam for lunch in a self service cafe in the middle of the main shopping street.

With the afternoon came the rain in earnest and after a brief call to the local bike shop for Andy to have a new tyre fitted we again set off uphill on the B6306, destination Derwent reservoir and Blanchland. I had a puncture (rear wheel, raining, typical!!) just over a mile ouside Hexam but we were all together again by Blanchland and the rain had stopped. Chocolate and drinks were consumed before we set off on the last major uphill section of the day the six miles to Edmonbyers Common and Horseshoe Hill taking us a further 700 feet up to 1640. An all too soon over descent, in torrential rain for the tailenders, brought us back into Weardale at Stanhope with only a slightly rising six miles up the dale back to St. Johns Chapel. The fast men up at the front were back, showered and changed and out in thier cars checking up on us stragglers by the time we were entering the village but they had very kindly left us a little hot hot water for our baths!!

After we had all recovered and drunk several cups of tea/coffee it was off to the pub again for our evening meal and further liquid refreshment. The meal was rapidly demolished but for most of us the liquids were not going down so freely and we were glad to be retracing the 100 yards back up the road to watch TV in front of the fire, surrounded by gently steaming cycling shoes and clothes, while we pondered how hard sixty odd hilly miles could be.

Due to shortage of beds the Gilding's had to be farmed out in one of the local pubs overnight but we all met up in the car park behind the B&B after breakfast on the Sunday. Bikes needed oiling and fettling after yesterdays ride and we all watched as Tim gave Andy a detailed lecture in the right way to repair a puncture (while Andy kept his hands spotlessly clean).

Much thought and not a bit of psychology (perhaps prompted by three of the party being psychiatric nurses) had gone into the planning of todays route which was to be a large circuit starting and finishing at Melmerby with the major hill and a beautiful descent just before the the end. We all piled into the cars laden with bikes and drove the twenty or so miles to Melmerby via Alston and Hartside, two places we would visit later on.

We left Melmerby in bright sunshine and with the aid of some smart map reading (and a good dollop of luck) we followed quite undulating lanes northwards untill we reached the equally quite "B" road that took us to Brampton for lunch passing through odd sounding villages like Gamblesby, Unthank and Croglin. Not much notice was paid to place names though as the last ten miles to Brampton developed into a bit of a race and we arrived spread over about ten minutes.

Brampton on a Sunday is not exactly a hive of activity and with not a cafe in sight we reluctantly repaired to a public house for dinner and in the main soft drinks. Refreshed, Brampton was left with a steady climb up the A689 to Lambley where we turned to ride up the South Tyne valley to Alston, at just short of 1000 feet the highest market town in England. Here further refreshments were taken on board before we started the serious business of the day. The five mile 900 feet climb of Hartside. A line out developed on the early slopes with people gradually being shelled out of the back untill the "Preem" was taken in fine style by Tim. Our club hill climb champion, Matthew, riding for the weekend on his mountain bike graciously stayed back encouraging the tail enders untill the final few hundered metres and he finished well back. We all waited at the top and set off en masse for the final downhill sweep down to Melmerby. By unanimous decision this was the best five miles of the day and the fastest descender (or most reckless depending how you look at it) was Noel Armstrong who led out the line to the awaiting cars.

So that was it. 120 miles over the two days. Good company, good food and good beer. What more could we ask for except next time can we go somewhere less hilly like East Anglia for example. Joking apart though, I think everyone who went on Tim's Touring Two-day thoroughly enjoyed themselves and we all agreed we must do it again. Soon.

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