Upper Littondale

A grand day out

Well, that was the best day out I've had in quite a while. The weather was as near perfect as you could really hope for in November. There was not a breath of wind, and lots of sunshine, which made for great cycling conditions. Being a bit cooler than of late it was actually easier to get the layers right and stay comfortable on the bike.

I went up the valley, turning left just past Kilnsey to head up Littondale to Halton Gill and then climbed over the top besides the flanks of Penyghent. I would normally turn first left to Malham but I was enjoying the ride so much (and felt like I had some excess energy to burn!} that I carried on to Stainforth and detoured around via the steep climb out of Langcliffe. From there it was a brisk return via Airton, Rylstone and Embsay, maintaining the pace in order to stay warm as it clouded over in the afternoon. About 70 miles and the legs felt good all the way around. I quite surprised myself with how strong I felt. A very pleasant surprise indeed!

The Dales were exquisitely beautiful this morning. I think I owe a few special people a colour shot - although I have a number of mono ones I really like! This is the upper end of Littondale, between the hamlets of Litton and Halton Gill, looking up towards Fountains Fell.