A challenging but accessible city break was the plan. A chance to unwind on
winding roads, see all, hear all, say now, escape into the far reaches of the
Orchardales. We were nervous, as back to basics as this short tour was it
differed from a typical Paneer outing. Normally we'd pour over maps seeking out
the roads and tracks less traveled but this time we'd done zero prep, zero
planning. We were leaving it all up to mapping up
Komoot to show us around, with the freedom and flexibility that bike
packing with all our own shelter and supplies on adventure-ready steel bikes
provides and with bikes lent against the wall outside ready to go, decided that
the highest pub in Britain, the 17th century Tanhill Inn, would be the first
point to aim for. According to Komoot it was 90 kilometres away through
Swaledale, easy.
That is what we're faced with on Epic, Epic Adventures.
So I set about this smashed it up and there's one of these pianos that play
itself as well. So once it was all smashed up and that was set in there for
somebody to come and give me a hand to carry it out because that's a three-man lift.
We looked it up and googled it. Fully worth twelve and a half grand do it was.
After our cosy night in around the fire with local beers, colonial books and
landlord piano stories, we awoke to clear skies in what felt like the middle of
nowhere. Amongst the moorland grouse, Tanhill chickens, haggling snowmobiles
and other taurers like Jack, who was on his way further north across the border
into Scotland. After a quick route planning session sheltered out of the
howling winds, we were to head back south over buttocks past the whores,
fuelled on a load of cocoa pops and toads. No doubt left from the last time
they were snowed in.
As we left the bounds of the National Park through Winsiedale, the landscape
tamed around us. No more high-expansive moorlands, passes or sheet bun. In
morning we took some time out and in true pannier style brew the coffee on a tree stump.
With Bernie Stovon, Winsiedale cheeses across the table with chutney and crackers we'd
kept safe stuffed in sleeping bag and slowed in. We were set for the rest of the evening.
