The weather forecast said "wintery showers" which, if this includes snow, sleet, rain, winds and an average temperature below zero C for the whole ride was spot-on, but did I mention the ice on the road? ADV on my Boardman stands for Adventure so today the Bianchi stayed snug and warm. A trip north to Bolton Abbey-Embsay-Skipton was chilly and noticably short of fellow riders but farmers were hard at work so why should I weaken?
From Skipton turning south the rain came down in sheets and the roads turned into lakes where the drains couldn't cope. There might be some activty more miserable than being drenched in cold filthy water by a lorry passing a few feet away but rather than reflect on that I decided to move to the canal bank for a few miles back to Kildwick. There might be something ironic about being dryer (in relative terms)a few feet from a billion gallons of water on a canal bank than on a cambered metalled road, but never mind.
At this time of year nobody cruises on canals so all the boat yards are full, if not fuller than full. Quite an array of colour.
Anyway 1200 feet in 26 miles - most of them grim but all of them character building.
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