To Skipton

June 25, 2024

Premier Inns aren’t the most exciting, characterful spots; but every now and then they’re just right for our needs. This one was perfect, since it was the base for our train journey up to Yorkshire. Our train (the first of three today) departs at 8:44, so it worked well having a breakfast service that starts at 6:30 and a short three block distance to the station, close enough that we walked most of it on the sidewalk. We arrived there at eight, planning to allow plenty of time to pick up our tickets and bike passes and find our gate. It was excessive s it turned out because I got in to see an agent almost immediately after we arrived, and we could have stayed ant the hotel for another half hour. The most time consuming step was waiting for our book of tickets to print out: one for the complete journey, one for our reserved seats on the second train, and two for the bike (one to go on the bike, one to keep with you) for both of the first two trains. Per person.

A train journey with two connections leaves plenty of room for something to go south and for things to descend into chaos, but I’m happy to report that nothing of the kind happened. All three train services (Transport for Wales to Crewe, Avanti West Coast to Preston, Northern to Colne) treated us and our bicycles well, and we were met with courtesy and consideration all along the way. We were very impressed.

And I can report that it helps the experience considerably and to keep the cost down if you get on the correct train instead of speeding off toward London or some other unwanted destination. We aced all three boardings, picking the correct train without fail.

I love the look of the Crewe station, with that long A-frame roof and colorful brick wall.

In Crewe, waiting for our train. This isn’t it.

Impressive. Cretwe’s station is very bike friendly and even has pumps and repair stands.

On the Avanti train to Preston. This one is interesting. An agent met us on the platform and escorted us to the bike storage area. After we were done the gates locked behind us until we departed - it’s right behind the engine.

A clean, modern train and a fast, smooth ride to Preston.

The Preston station is elegant also, similar to the one at Crewe.

They could do with a few benches on the platform though.

Yes, this is definitely the bicycle car.

The longest leg of the journey timewise was the Preston-Crewe connection. It’s not the longest in distance, but it’s a milk run on an older train. We must have pulled into a dozen small stations, most no more than four or five minutes apart. Time went fast though when we enjoyed an extended chat with a railway employee riding as a passenger on her way home at the end of her shift.

We arrived in Colne right on schedule at 12:33. Because Colne isn’t our final destination - it’s Skipton, a hilly 12 miles east of here - we start biking. We’re booked in Skipton because it’s at the end of a train line on the margin of the Yorkshire Dales. It looked like the perfect spot to train to when planning this tour, but when I started shopping for tickets about a month ago I couldn’t find any to Skipton that had reservable bike space except at really unreasonable hours; and, tickets were surprisingly expensive. The problem isn’t Skipton though, it’s the transfer spot, Leeds. Something must be happening now in Leeds because tickets are about twice their normal rate.

So I studied the map for alternatives and came up with this plan which looked fine enough. Plenty of trains with bike space, at half the price. And the ride to Skipton from Colne looks attractive if hilly. Particularly since the train journey went so well and the weather is decent today we’re quite pleased with the plan.

We’re happy that is until we start biking out of Colne. It begins with a super-steed descent down a brick street, one steep and uneven enough that we walk it.

Too steep and rough to bike safely, so we walk. Fortunately it’s only about a long block until we bottom out.

And then a block later we turn the corner and find ourselves climbing back up the same slope but on the next street over. At least this one’s paved, but it’s three times s long and even steeper - 17%, our Garmins tell us.

Still trying to leave Colne. I’m surprised she didn’t turn her face around and stick her tongue out at me again.

Finally all that nonsense is behind us, we’re out of town, and climbing into the Dales. Weather conditions are dry but unusual - we’re at the tail end of a dry spell that’s unseasonably warm, but today it feels like it wouldn’t take much to find ourselves in a thunderstorm. It’s hot and humid but there’s enough of a breeze to keep it from feeling oppressive.

Once we’ve left town we’re reminded immediately of why we wanted to come back to Yorkshire - fantastic open views, stone walls, and the golden brown stone structures inspire us and ease the pain of the occasional Welsh-grade hill. Which reminds me that more than once on the train Rachael looked at all the attractive but perfectly flat countr6 we were crossing and wanted to know why we weren’t biking here instead of where the hills are.

We generally climb for the first six miles, generally descend for the last six. We’ll just include a few photos because it’s a short ride and we’ll be seeing many scenes like this in the weeks ahead.

It’s nearly 75 degrees out but doesn’t feel like it. It’s overcast and we have a refreshing tailwind boosting us up the first miles.

The view ahead. What an exceptional place to bike, especially once you’re up on top!

The visibility isn’t the best today, but it’s nothing that the next storm front won’t cure. Which could be soon. The temperature is supposed to drop ten degrees any day now.

It’s a day that feels like thunderstorms could break out on us.

Nearing the lip of the final descent into town - a fast four miles that drops at around 10%. We’ll be seeing a lot of those gradient warnings in the weeks ahead.

Video sound track: Adrift, by Yasmin Williams

We’re staying at the Railway, a restaurant hotel we like a lot - not to be confused with the scary Railroad Inn back in Forden that we were lucky enough to escape alive. We liked the staff, liked our meals, but we were neutral about Skipton itself because we never went out to look around. A lost opportunity, but we’ll get a second chance when we return in six weeks to take the train to Lincoln for the last section of the tour.

A local pale ale that’s new to me, from Skipton. Brewed out in the country a few miles from here.

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Today's ride: 12 miles (19 km)
Total: 2,370 miles (3,814 km)

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