Five riders started out on this ride in good sunny weather - albeit with the shock of an early climb over Skipton Old Rd to get the legs going. A rapid descent to Lothersdale and then panaromic views of the Aire valley were reward for the hard work. The centre of Skipton was reasonably quiet and after a photo op at the castle we were soon on the gentler territory around Embsay to descend to Bolton Abbey for a coffee (and for some, cake stop.) A steep climb out of the valley passing (apparently) the oldest tree in Yorkshire (The Laund Oak - pictured) brought us into the gorgeous valleys around Appletreewick and lunch at Burnsall. Our route home was via Linton, (no one was persuaded to cycle through the ford!) Cracoe and Gargrave.
47 miles with some notable hill climbing left us tired but satisfied with a day's challenging ride."