The weather forecast was dire for my ride to Princetown; light rain till 10 o'clock, heavy rain for the rest of the day. Just Julie and George at the start, sheltering under the shop awnings. We set off doubting our sanity; as far as Wrangaton I suggested, we'll decide there. The café was quite full, many of them cyclists, all looking rather wry at our collective decision to ride today. The rain was definitely lessening as decision time approached. Somehow by a majority vote we opted to carry on, stick with the plan and go onto the moor. George's only proviso was that we must stop at Holne for some tea, which we did, at lunchtime. The cloud base was definitely lifting, we could see the tops of the tors and the rain was easing.
The climb from Holne was aided by a SE tailwind, very welcome, but hunger was getting the better of us. Most places were too windy to stop so we pushed on to Hexworthy Bridge where the wind didn't penetrate. We had the place to ourselves, sat on the picturesque river bank to eat lunch, accompanied by millions of midges! The ride to Princetown was idyllic; wide open moor, expansive views, big sweeps to cross rivers, little traffic and the sun beginning to light distant hills. We couldn't believe our
luck.
More tea at Fox Tor Café then the long exhilarating descent to Yelverton and beyond. 48 miles and 1220 m of cumulative ascent. I even got to see the peregrine falcon chicks sitting independently on the rock face.
The climb from Holne was aided by a SE tailwind, very welcome, but hunger was getting the better of us. Most places were too windy to stop so we pushed on to Hexworthy Bridge where the wind didn't penetrate. We had the place to ourselves, sat on the picturesque river bank to eat lunch, accompanied by millions of midges! The ride to Princetown was idyllic; wide open moor, expansive views, big sweeps to cross rivers, little traffic and the sun beginning to light distant hills. We couldn't believe our
luck.
More tea at Fox Tor Café then the long exhilarating descent to Yelverton and beyond. 48 miles and 1220 m of cumulative ascent. I even got to see the peregrine falcon chicks sitting independently on the rock face.
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