Enjoying the videos Gordon. A Lancashire lad now living in southern Alberta enjoying these glimpses from afar. Keep up the great content and inspiring 50 yr + to get out there🙌🇨🇦
Great comment, thanks. I try to keep things fairly simple, relatable, and accessible with a O-50 slant so it's really nice to read that. I'm a bit short of time & opportunities at present which means most of the rides will be in and around the Pennines so there'll hopefully be lots of East Lancs landscapes for you.
Thanks, Lisa. There's a wealth of history and social upheaval on our doorsteps. My dad's pet subjects were Roman history and Georgian architecture.... I know very little about those topics but I think it created a curiosity in me from an early age.
Another cracking ride Gordon. Thanks for sharing - we really are blessed with some grand countryside up here and l love the term "balcony roads". Parts of your route feature in the old B&W film "A Boy, a Girl and a Bike" (1949). It's available on RUclips and I recommend it for folk who like to spot local locations!
Thanks, Rob. I'll track down that old film - I never knew it was filmed in and around Hebden Bridge. I borrowed the 'balcony' term from my mountaineering days. It's inspired by 'Le Grand Balcon' and 'Le Petit Balcon' which traverse at 2000-2500m, just on the edge of the summer snowline and sandwiched between Mont Blanc and the Chamonix valley.
Another cracking vlog Gordon, and thanks for highlighting some of the wonderful routes which as you know are very local to me 👍🏻 Maybe one to look at for a future ride out is if you bear left just before Baitings (Blue Ball Rd) and follow your nose there’s a myriad of quality surfaced Lanes which take you all the way back to Sowerby Village or Triangle via SoylandTown, Cottonstones, Mill Bank and Hubberton. It’s peaceful, hardly any vehicles and the scenery is stunning. Many thanks again for the great viewing 👌🏻
Thanks, Mick. Good call, I can put a couple of rides together in that area - ideal for the next couple of months when I'm time-limited to 3-4 Hrs. There's a cracking climb out of Triangle to connect with that network of roads, I haven't been up there since 2013-ish. I used Blue Ball Rd a few months ago on the MTB returning from Slate Delfs to Rooley La. & Sowerby.
@@clippingin1593 there’s the climb up to The Beehive from Ripponden which is a brute Gordon, or else the other climb I’m thinking of is the one out of Triangle up thru Mill Bank and then going past The Alme PH in Cottonstones. Stay safe my friend 👍🏻
Bit envious at the moment. Had the man flu since the weekend. No work, no cycling and as you say we had some sun as well today! Took delivery of a new Garmin Explore 2 and began planning my first 100 mile ride. Bradford to Richmond (102 return trip) Managed 92 miles back in November not long after purchasing my road bike. Previous year and a half I rode a decathlon Est100 bike. The electric helped me build my fitness back up until I was eager for more miles than the battery could give me and more speed. What a joy the road bike is in comparison! My average rides now are around 40-60 miles around Yorkshire dales two to three times a week You miss it when it becomes a routine. Cycling also helped me shed some weight.... Started at 88kg and now at 82 and feel much better for it. Stronger with more energy. Anyway..... Loved the scenery of your ride today Looking forward to your next one
Don't rush it and you'll be back stronger than ever. That weight loss will make a tremendous difference to your riding. Simplistically, you'd have to spend £5k to save 2kg on bike weight, and you've dropped three times that, and body weight is far more interactive than mere ballast.
Love it Glad for u Gordon , Summer is making a guest appearance, We've had good summer here some bad days etc but Make hay while sun shines 🎉🚴🌅love Railway Bridge so old ++
Thanks, Brian. There's another railway viaduct not on this video with castellated support towers which I'll have to include on the channel - it was designed by George Stephenson in 1840.
Thanks Again some Utubers don't bother replying to anyone I see it in comments none back so I'm not selective the viewers time is precious too ! Cheers
@@hiworldstephensonultranate290 I think the comments exchanges are interesting and I always try to reply. Occasionally RUclips will 'hold back' comments so I don't see them until much later.
There really is some infrastructure over there in terms of phylons, wind turbines etc. It's a strange set up, and one I'm not entirely happy with. From our area around Macclesfield, Buxton, Lyme Park, we can look over to Scout Moor, Delph, and all the hills around that north east Manchester area, to see nothing but this infrastructure. Yet there is none of this where we are. It would be so interesting to know what the politics was behind the planning permissions. Anyway, that aside, a cracking ride with lots of places and information of interest.
Calderdale doesn't have National Park or AONB protection so an alliance of landowners, private investors, government subsidy quangos resulted in wind farms being squeezed onto almost every hilltop during the 2000s until a halt was called in 2015. That's now being lifted and onshore windfarms will be springing up again. When I was training around here in the late 90s & early 00s the hilltops were bare - dear old Stoodley Pike stood alone. In Cumbria the Lake District was protected but the companies peppered the area just north of Cockermouth running to the Solway Coast. I haven't been up there for a decade or so but I remember an enormous close-to-shore development being built near Silloth - that'll be up and running now.
I knew I wouldn't be happy about it now that you've explained it. To scar the British countryside like that is sacrilege. I don't care what the argument is in terms of we as a nation need a sustainable green alternative energy source, we need green unspoilt countryside. That had to gave been another way. Anyway, thanks for explaining that. When I'm in Lyme park, or the top of Sponds Hill, or Pym Chair, I've always looked over to the wind farms with anguish and dismay. I will now do so even more.
Great video! It was a good day to go out today - fine and dry,but not too hot. I think I had covid a week or two back, but decided to have a crack at my Norwood Edge route today. I made it, a bit slower than usual, but I must have recovered to do it at all!
Nor'ud (as the old boys used to call it) is a test and a half and that'll give you confidence. You've given me an idea ... There's a training circuit I used to do in the old days that I might revisit soon for the channel which takes in Norwood, Fewston, Snowden, Cow & Calf - should be some good viewing there.
It's one of those things that I can only eat after a couple of hours on a bike, probably because our taste buds change with exertion. I used it back in my climbing days too - it's been to many an Alp with me! Cheers, Euan.
I've almost forgotten what it's like to ride in summer conditions! A few weeks of these conditions would be a real treat after all the stuff we've had to endure, but a few days is more likely. Thanks, Claire.
Cheers, Andrew. Amazing weather, especially after some of the stuff we've had to put up with. I missed out a few historical snippets to keep the running time down but I'll be out there again before too long.
Ey up, new here. Watched a few vids and can't help wondering. Are you the voice of the RUclips channel Cycling Highlights? The one that hilariously mocks modern professional cycling.
Ahhh, I get asked this from time to time. I think they're using AI, some kind of hybrid voice model. I hear similarities, especially in the vocal texture, but it's very hyper and less overtly 'Yorkshire'. I've seen comments asking CH if it's AI but they say it's not. Oddly enough, they have a French language channel which also sounds a bit like me but spits out the script at 100mph. There's another cycling channel, called 'Watts' claiming to be from Slovenia, that sounds as if they've cloned Carlton Kirby from Eurosport - so who knows?
Yes, it's a well thought out route using lots of very quiet lanes. I think that section heads over to Cottonstones and Baitings then up & over towards Boothwood & Ringstone reservoirs. Btw I once broke my collarbone on the balcony road in this video! Back lanes & ice ...what a combo.
Always keep the weather deities onside. Todmorden has a lot of interesting architecture and with the sunlight I thought I'd leave the camera running. There's an amazing unitarian church in Tod' which is worth a feature on its own - I'll have a potter out there one day.
It sometimes happens on the shared bike paths in the valleys and it's never a pleasant experience! Those things can run faster than I can pedal nowadays!!
Enjoying the videos Gordon. A Lancashire lad now living in southern Alberta enjoying these glimpses from afar. Keep up the great content and inspiring 50 yr + to get out there🙌🇨🇦
Great comment, thanks. I try to keep things fairly simple, relatable, and accessible with a O-50 slant so it's really nice to read that.
I'm a bit short of time & opportunities at present which means most of the rides will be in and around the Pennines so there'll hopefully be lots of East Lancs landscapes for you.
Another great ride, and interesting local history, thanks
Thanks, Lisa. There's a wealth of history and social upheaval on our doorsteps. My dad's pet subjects were Roman history and Georgian architecture.... I know very little about those topics but I think it created a curiosity in me from an early age.
Another cracking ride Gordon. Thanks for sharing - we really are blessed with some grand countryside up here and l love the term "balcony roads". Parts of your route feature in the old B&W film "A Boy, a Girl and a Bike" (1949). It's available on RUclips and I recommend it for folk who like to spot local locations!
Thanks, Rob. I'll track down that old film - I never knew it was filmed in and around Hebden Bridge.
I borrowed the 'balcony' term from my mountaineering days. It's inspired by 'Le Grand Balcon' and 'Le Petit Balcon' which traverse at 2000-2500m, just on the edge of the summer snowline and sandwiched between Mont Blanc and the Chamonix valley.
@@clippingin1593 Then there's The Balcony on K2 but I'm going to need a bigger cassette to get up there 😂.
Another cracking vlog Gordon, and thanks for highlighting some of the wonderful routes which as you know are very local to me 👍🏻
Maybe one to look at for a future ride out is if you bear left just before Baitings (Blue Ball Rd) and follow your nose there’s a myriad of quality surfaced Lanes which take you all the way back to Sowerby Village or Triangle via SoylandTown, Cottonstones, Mill Bank and Hubberton. It’s peaceful, hardly any vehicles and the scenery is stunning.
Many thanks again for the great viewing 👌🏻
Thanks, Mick. Good call, I can put a couple of rides together in that area - ideal for the next couple of months when I'm time-limited to 3-4 Hrs. There's a cracking climb out of Triangle to connect with that network of roads, I haven't been up there since 2013-ish.
I used Blue Ball Rd a few months ago on the MTB returning from Slate Delfs to Rooley La. & Sowerby.
@@clippingin1593 there’s the climb up to The Beehive from Ripponden which is a brute Gordon, or else the other climb I’m thinking of is the one out of Triangle up thru Mill Bank and then going past The Alme PH in Cottonstones. Stay safe my friend 👍🏻
Bit envious at the moment. Had the man flu since the weekend.
No work, no cycling and as you say we had some sun as well today!
Took delivery of a new Garmin Explore 2 and began planning my first 100 mile ride.
Bradford to Richmond (102 return trip)
Managed 92 miles back in November not long after purchasing my road bike. Previous year and a half I rode a decathlon Est100 bike.
The electric helped me build my fitness back up until I was eager for more miles than the battery could give me and more speed.
What a joy the road bike is in comparison!
My average rides now are around 40-60 miles around Yorkshire dales two to three times a week
You miss it when it becomes a routine.
Cycling also helped me shed some weight.... Started at 88kg and now at 82 and feel much better for it.
Stronger with more energy.
Anyway..... Loved the scenery of your ride today
Looking forward to your next one
Don't rush it and you'll be back stronger than ever.
That weight loss will make a tremendous difference to your riding. Simplistically, you'd have to spend £5k to save 2kg on bike weight, and you've dropped three times that, and body weight is far more interactive than mere ballast.
I was out on Wednesday I was mesmerised by a shiny thing in a blue sky. Another enjoyable video cheers 👍
Let's hope the summer is finally here and we have a chance to get used to these conditions.
Love it Glad for u Gordon , Summer is making a guest appearance, We've had good summer here some bad days etc but Make hay while sun shines 🎉🚴🌅love Railway Bridge so old ++
Thanks, Brian. There's another railway viaduct not on this video with castellated support towers which I'll have to include on the channel - it was designed by George Stephenson in 1840.
Thanks Again some Utubers don't bother replying to anyone I see it in comments none back so I'm not selective the viewers time is precious too ! Cheers
@@hiworldstephensonultranate290 I think the comments exchanges are interesting and I always try to reply. Occasionally RUclips will 'hold back' comments so I don't see them until much later.
Tks shud HV read I'm selective
Thanks Highlighter ✋
There really is some infrastructure over there in terms of phylons, wind turbines etc. It's a strange set up, and one I'm not entirely happy with. From our area around Macclesfield, Buxton, Lyme Park, we can look over to Scout Moor, Delph, and all the hills around that north east Manchester area, to see nothing but this infrastructure. Yet there is none of this where we are. It would be so interesting to know what the politics was behind the planning permissions. Anyway, that aside, a cracking ride with lots of places and information of interest.
Calderdale doesn't have National Park or AONB protection so an alliance of landowners, private investors, government subsidy quangos resulted in wind farms being squeezed onto almost every hilltop during the 2000s until a halt was called in 2015. That's now being lifted and onshore windfarms will be springing up again.
When I was training around here in the late 90s & early 00s the hilltops were bare - dear old Stoodley Pike stood alone.
In Cumbria the Lake District was protected but the companies peppered the area just north of Cockermouth running to the Solway Coast. I haven't been up there for a decade or so but I remember an enormous close-to-shore development being built near Silloth - that'll be up and running now.
I knew I wouldn't be happy about it now that you've explained it. To scar the British countryside like that is sacrilege. I don't care what the argument is in terms of we as a nation need a sustainable green alternative energy source, we need green unspoilt countryside. That had to gave been another way. Anyway, thanks for explaining that. When I'm in Lyme park, or the top of Sponds Hill, or Pym Chair, I've always looked over to the wind farms with anguish and dismay. I will now do so even more.
Great video! It was a good day to go out today - fine and dry,but not too hot. I think I had covid a week or two back, but decided to have a crack at my Norwood Edge route today. I made it, a bit slower than usual, but I must have recovered to do it at all!
Nor'ud (as the old boys used to call it) is a test and a half and that'll give you confidence. You've given me an idea ...
There's a training circuit I used to do in the old days that I might revisit soon for the channel which takes in Norwood, Fewston, Snowden, Cow & Calf - should be some good viewing there.
kendal mint cake ,didnt like it as a kid ,but now love it !
It's one of those things that I can only eat after a couple of hours on a bike, probably because our taste buds change with exertion.
I used it back in my climbing days too - it's been to many an Alp with me!
Cheers, Euan.
That looks like a fantastic route Gordon, I do love riding toward Hebden Bridge and finally a sunny day! Love your local history facts too 🙌
There are some great roads on our doorstep, Mark. Even if we do need a few extra-large sprockets on the back!
Definitely a big improvement to Sunday's weather and some nice scenery. Bet it felt great to be finally cycling in the sun 🙂
I've almost forgotten what it's like to ride in summer conditions! A few weeks of these conditions would be a real treat after all the stuff we've had to endure, but a few days is more likely. Thanks, Claire.
Thanks for the scenery.
Terrific vifeo.
Cheers, Frank. Crossing my fingers for a few weeks of this kind of weather.
Thanks Gordon. Loved the commentary, most interesting insight to the days of old. Awesome weather and no winter kit required.
Cheers, Andrew. Amazing weather, especially after some of the stuff we've had to put up with.
I missed out a few historical snippets to keep the running time down but I'll be out there again before too long.
Another great video, Gordon. Thanks for uploading.
Thanks, Paul. It was a great day to be outside and clipped-in.
Viva la downhill!!
Thanks
Loving the historic descriptions.
Thanks, Chris. You'll know the area like the back of your hand. I see a lot of Sadd. Clarion when I'm out and about.
Ey up, new here. Watched a few vids and can't help wondering. Are you the voice of the RUclips channel Cycling Highlights? The one that hilariously mocks modern professional cycling.
Ahhh, I get asked this from time to time. I think they're using AI, some kind of hybrid voice model. I hear similarities, especially in the vocal texture, but it's very hyper and less overtly 'Yorkshire'. I've seen comments asking CH if it's AI but they say it's not. Oddly enough, they have a French language channel which also sounds a bit like me but spits out the script at 100mph.
There's another cycling channel, called 'Watts' claiming to be from Slovenia, that sounds as if they've cloned Carlton Kirby from Eurosport - so who knows?
I think you followed part of the fantastic West Yorkshire Cycle Route on the balcony road.
Yes, it's a well thought out route using lots of very quiet lanes. I think that section heads over to Cottonstones and Baitings then up & over towards Boothwood & Ringstone reservoirs.
Btw I once broke my collarbone on the balcony road in this video! Back lanes & ice ...what a combo.
My tactic worked, summer all the way home tonight. I do like the shots through the town.
Always keep the weather deities onside. Todmorden has a lot of interesting architecture and with the sunlight I thought I'd leave the camera running. There's an amazing unitarian church in Tod' which is worth a feature on its own - I'll have a potter out there one day.
Did u ever get chased by a dog with all teeth showing. Idid pedalled like crazy
It sometimes happens on the shared bike paths in the valleys and it's never a pleasant experience! Those things can run faster than I can pedal nowadays!!