21st June 2012 - Mid-summer ride from Ribblehead

Top O' Craven Wold (500m)

River Dee was very fast flowing

 4 turned up on this mid-summer day, Joel, Grant, Matt and CT, so we had 2 hardtails, a 29er and a 69er. The weather looked promising, i.e. not actually raining at the start, so we thought we would set out on the usual route under the viaduct and up the bridleway and over into Dentdale to see what that would bring. Matt could not remember coming this way before and Joel had not been on this route but had nightmares about the Horton ride a few summers ago, best not mention steep tarmac climbs then :) So head west under Ribblehead viaduct, try to avoid using the newly surfaced footpath as this looks very tempting...head north along the railway along Little Dale nice riverbed crossing over rocks along here (should be able to float over these with a 29er!), turn left over an aqueduct and head north up Slack Head, nice little testing climb, now the rain starts nearly time for Goretex. Up a little way and there is a sign to 'Dent Head' made some of us think about Grant :), best not as the Dr's were on strike today :( So next pause along the way is Seavey Bottom for a re-group, not sure if this is the muddy puddle with Matt's name on, even with 29er wheel he went wheel in and head over bars! Try and enjoy the run along the tops, great views if you've not been this way before...and down the Craven Way to Dentdale, just watch out for the last turn as the braking surface is tricky, eh Joel just burn those brakes. Now turn right and head east along the lanes and check out the amount of water flowing in the river Dee, at one point there was a waterfall a good 6' deep, (see photo) very impressive as usually you can just see limestone and a trickle of water. Due to weather conditions and still being a few miles to get back we head back on the lanes and were back at the cars just before 10pm, maybe save the other offroad for a better evening. Get out of wet clothes, dream of chips and a bath and off home. Next ride is Walna Scar, meet at Hummer lane pull in by the forest entrance. Actualy it changed due to storms making roads flooded, so we went to Staveley and did Garburn.