Well I had decided on a shorter loop today leaving from Frosterley then taking the back country lane to Stanhope. From there it is steep climb out of the village on the right and across the moor to come out near the cattle grid. Then up again taking the off road track up Crawleyside to the cafe. From the cafe it was across the road to pick up the off road section of the C2C from Rookhope. The moor was not too soft or wet on the first half before picking up the gravel road all the way to Rookhope. A short road section through the village to take a left then up another big climb followed by a very fast descent to the caravan park just outside of Stanhope. Once through Stanhope turned right to pick up the back country land back towards Frosterley. By now all of the riding was done with overcast skies, wind and around 17 degrees. By the time I hit the road / bridge at Frosterley the sun had come out and I was still feeling fresh so turned right then left and up the never ending climb to the Weardale Way / Elephant tress. By now the Garmin was reading 25 degrees. The section across the top of the moor is well corroded now and still very sandy in places. Once out on to the road I turned left and down the hill into Wolsingham. By now I was wanting some speed so hit the main road back to Frosterely. All in just under 28 miles with an ave of 11mph and climbed 2600ft which does not seem much!
Below are a few photos from the ride and a short video clip at the bottom. Enjoy and hopefully more soon-
