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The York CTC Rally - by Tandem
Stuart & Janette Hamilton
For several years we had thought of attending the CTC rally – the premier event
for all types of cyclist held in York which is probably the most cycle friendly
city in the UK. We were put off by the 1000 mile round trip car journey for a
two day event. At the beginning of this year whilst thinking about what to do
for a holiday we had the idea of cycle touring around the North of England
incorporating two days at York for the CTC Rally. This would still involve a lot
of driving and the touring would be limited to day rides from a number of fixed
bases - not really ideal. Then the penny dropped - why not cycle down to York,
attend the Rally then cycle back. So, with that decision made we set to, to plan
the route and prepare a schedule to cover the 500 or so miles to York, spend two
whole days there then return home all within a 16 day period.
We broke the route down into segments which would allow us to build up the daily
mileage over the first few days and subsequently taper down over the last few
days on the way home. The final schedule was as follows:
· Day 1 Thurso to Helmsdale approximately 50 miles
· Day 2 Helmsdale to Inverness approximately 70 miles
· Day 3 Inverness to Newtonmore approximately 60 miles
· Day 4 Newtonmore to Perth approximately 70 miles
· Day 5 Perth to Melrose approximately 90 miles
· Day 6 Melrose to Consett approximately 95 miles
· Day 7 Consett to York approximately 95 miles
· Days 8 & 9 In York
· Days 10 - 16 as days 7 to 1
Our aim was to follow minor roads and dedicated cycle ways as much as possible
which added extra miles but made the journey more enjoyable.
The first leg of the journey was easy to plan - just down the "Strath" to
Helmsdale - good cycling by any standards.
The second leg to Inverness was also easy to plan. There was no option than to
take the A9 to Tain after which there was a choice of either making a detour via
Alness and Evanton or sticking to the A9. We chose the latter since it was the
weekend and the traffic was fairly light. This section of the route turned out
to be most enjoyable - even terrain, good roads, Capaldi's ice cream and a very
helpful tail wind.
The sections between Inverness and Perth were surprisingly pleasant. There is
now no need to cycle on the A9 at all. From Inverness a slight detour via
Culloden and minor roads to Tomatin takes you on to the Sustrans Cycle Way over
Slochd summit. The Sustrans cycle way is a mix of newly created cycle path and
sections of the old A9 accessible only to cyclists. Once over Slochd the route
follows minor roads through the lovely little village of Carrbridge where, apart
from the historic bridge, you will find the Old Bakery Tea Room (purveyors of
generous portions of home made cakes and pastries). The route continues through
Boat of Garten, Inshriach Forest to Kingussie and Newtonmore where we spent our
third night in the lovely Glenquoich Guest House.
The fourth day took us over the draughty Drumochter pass on the newly
constructed Sustrans / Scottish Office cycle path to Calvine then on minor roads
through Blair Athol, Killiecrankie and Pitlochry. This section gently undulates
to provide varied cycling against the spectacular back drop of the Grampian
Mountains. The busy tourist town of Pitlochry provides a good choice of eating
places and has a well stocked bike shop. The section between Pitlochry and Perth
was slightly more demanding but nonetheless enjoyable due to the dedicated cycle
way and minor roads through Dunkeld, Bankfoot and Almondbank to Perth.
From Perth our daily mileage increased substantially from an average of 65 to an
average of 95. Perth to Melrose was a combination of pleasant cycling on quiet
roads, nerve wracking confrontations with buses trucks and taxis on atrocious
road surfaces through Edinburgh, and fast riding on the roller coaster of the
A68. The reward for this was a fulfilling bar supper and a couple of drams in
the delightful George and Abbotsford Hotel in Melrose.
The Borders region, Northumberland and the Yorkshire dales are undoubtedly
picturesque which makes for some challenging but rewarding cycling. The two days
cycling between Melrose and York took in Kielder forest, the Cleveland hills and
the North Yorkshire Moors national park. The toughest climbs of the entire tour
were between Hexham/Castleside and Helmsley/York. However, once into the Vale
of York cycling was again easier and we were able to push along nicely at 20 mph
through the 540 mile mark to clock a total of 545 mils on arrival at our B&B in
York.
York is a lovely city and is very cycle friendly. It has been the venue for the
CTC National Rally since 1954. The rally has something for all types of cyclist
including demonstrations of some of the latest cycling developments, trade
stands, arena events (such as track racing, cyclo-cross, trike racing, tandem
racing, etc) and day rides for all abilities. On Sunday morning York Minster is
the venue for a service for cyclists followed by a mass ride through the streets
of York to the rally site at the race course. This is an awesome sight and a
unique experience to be part of a gathering of hundreds of cyclists of all ages
taking precedence over motorists. On Sunday afternoon the CTC awards are
presented by the CTC president, Phil Liggett. Special awards are given to the
clubs and members of CTC who cycle the furthest distance to the Rally. This year
the male and female individual awards went to? us.
After spending two great days in York with lovely weather we headed for home
looking forward to the downhill sections that we had battled up on the way to
York and feeling strong enough to cope with the up-hills. However, the ride from
York to Consett proved to be more tiring than we had expected due mainly to the
heat. The remainder of the journey was in weather more suited to cycling, with
the exception of the section through Kielder forest where we cycled through
heavy rain into a fierce thunder storm. We were fortunate enough to be close to
the Kielder Castle Tea Room where we took refuge until the worst of the storm
had past.
On the whole the tour went very well and we clocked 1095 miles during a very
memorable two week holiday. The route was easy to navigate and 100% cycleable on
a fully loaded tandem (ie no need to dismount on any of the hills). The
accommodation we booked was generally of a very good standard and all B&B's were
able to provide secure storage for the Tandem. Details of the route and
accommodation are available to anyone interested.
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