A mixed terrain ride on lower / sheltered ground from the wind.

 

Another day and another ride. After yesterdays wind battering ride I wanted to stick to low level ground / sheltered tracks as the wind was still very strong. I hoped onto the cycle track down to Chester Le Street then out to South Pelaw to pick the C2C at the Lambton Worm. From there I dropped down to Cox Green. The sun was in and out but it felt a lot warmer with the Garmin climbing to just under 20 degrees. At Cox Green I crossed the river and headed back towards Lambton Estate then Bournmoor, Woodlea, Lumley, Finchale Priory then a small loop before heading back home. There was quite a few others out n about here and there. My legs were feeling rather empty today so the climb out of Finchale Priory to Frankland was a killer on the return leg. All in just over 23 miles in 1hr 50mins with 1100ft of climbing. Below are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

A wild and windy ride into the hills/fells of Co Durham

 

Back out of the bike again today to try and get some more miles in. I looked at three different forecasts and all three were different. I was just looking out my gear and the heavens opened with the heavy rain lasting about an hour. The sun then come out so I decided to go out and see what it was like. I fitted my rear mudgaurd just in case. I hoped onto the old railway line at Langley Park and headed straight up hill to Consett. At the crossroads I turned left and over Hownsgill viaduct. This is where I felt the full force of the wind. I was nearly blown sideways off the bike. The next section up the Waskerely was very hard work into the headwind. I never seen a sole after crossing the A68. Once I reached Waskerley Park that was enough for me. At this point I opted to go through the side gate, through the carpark and down the singletrack road and onto the main / side road back to Whitehall. I also did a second road section from Consett on the back country lanes to Lanchester before picking the line back up again. It started off with sunny spells and around 14 degrees with very little wind to cloudy/overcast, 12 degrees and wind so strong you could hardly stand up. Below are a few snaps and a short video clip from the 30 miles loop in 2hrs 15mins with 1700ft of climbing. Enjoy and hopefully more soon-