Yellow Card

So what was I thinking, two days on the trot?

Maybe it was the thought of a different way back to the cafe where we’ve just got our new yellow loyalty cards. Or the fact that for longer than I can remember, my glutes, leg muscles and lower back have no knots. I didn’t feel tired after yesterday’s ride though and perhaps I just fancied a change; it's two years since I've been here.

However, I think I’ll plump for blaming it on the football.  Rich was keen to watch it which meant I was relieved of Little Dog duties for the day. You have to make the most of a holiday day.

So I did.  

After a not insignificant day yesterday, my route was a mighty hilly one over to Pateley Bridge, looping round to Kettlewell and home.

There were options and I decided if I hadn’t had a puncture by Pateley, I’d continue the longer loop. Shortly after that deciding moment (with no puncture), I met a guy who asked me where I was going. We had a little chat about the hill ahead with him checking (I think) I knew what I was letting myself in for! He headed off by saying, “Oh, good, well at least you know how hard it is.”

Yeah, thanks!   

At the bottom, my head wasn’t quite in the right place as I heard a little voice telling me I could always walk. 

What? 
That sorted me out!

Brain in gear and off we trundled.  Over the hill and down this glorious blipped road into Wensleydale.

Hungry by Jervaulx Abbey, I arrived 20minutes before hot food serving time. Containing myself just about, I ordered a carrot cake, coffee and picked up three glasses of water. I wasn’t sure that would suffice but remembered one of the guys in Provence saying it’s amazing how your body copes when there’s no choice.

Anyway, off I went up the delights of Coverdale which was, thankfully, mostly cloud covered. 

The roads and cafes have been so quiet and I only met a tractor coming my way carrying an upside down rigor mortised cow in its digger. I wonder whether it got too hot. Feeling a little like that myself, I was overjoyed to arrive at Kettlewell to an empty cafe, with my Yellow Card and the best cheese toastie in the whole of England.

I actually put my foot down on the way home and made up a little bit for my super slow first two thirds. 

What a joyful (and a little tiring) day out! And it seems the rest of England might now be thinking the same.