Archive for April, 2011
Mankinholes
Leaving work early in Barnsley to cycle to Mankinholes Youth Hostel for a day’s cycling with Martin and John was a good idea. Leaving at 4pm was not such a good idea. Very rapidly the headwind dispensed with the idea of arriving at seven with a bottle of wine in hand for a relaxing evening, to be replaced with a reality of getting lost, fading daylight and panic. Thankfully Natalie’s curry warmed up very nicely and within an hour of arriving I was fast asleep in a YHA dorm (which I had sole use of, and very comfortable it was too).
The next day we set off in bright sunlight. The intention was to do a loop with lunch at Townley Hall, just outside of Burnley. Descending from Makinholes we turned right towards Hebden Bridge a sharp left then took us up, and up, and up, 257 metres of double chevroned climbing onto the Long Causeway.
Once there we had a fabulous view over the Calder Valley and a pretty flat ride all the way to Burnley.
A sharp descent to Townley and it was lunch outside for the first time this year. The return to Todmorden was a wind assisted pootle and pretty soon we were climbing up to Mankinholes. A climb which had appeared fearsome when we left in the morning had become tame in comparison. A great day.