A Grand Départ!

Watch Andy Eatch's Video of the ride on YouTube here 

On a foggy and frosty morning, 18 stalwarts met at the Spenborough Swimming Pool for  Grand departof the Spen and Calder Valley Greenways.

A bridleway took us onto the Spen Valley Greenway which we followed for three miles to Wyke Lane. About turn onto a very muddy bridleway crossing the busy A58 and up into Scholes.  The sun breaking through at this point.  Welland Lane took us back down into Cleckheaton to pick up the Greenway and back to the Swimming Pool.  We crossed to the other side of the Spen Valley to pick up another old railway line - the Spen Ringway - a deep cutting spanned by numerous brick arched bridges which took us into Heckmondwike for a busy road crossing to pick up the Spen Greenway which took us into Ravensthorpe.  Leaving the Greenway we followed the cycle track along side the River Calder into Dewsbury amazed at the height the river rose to in the recent flooding.  The Dewsbury Marina cafe was full of Huddersfield CTC cyclists when we arrived.  Luckily they were just about to leave so we took over from them.  The cafe staff did a good job of looking after the needs of 18 hungry cyclists.

After lunch we followed the Canal and River Calder back into Mirfield where we picked up the Calder Valley Greenway eventually linking up with the Spen Valley Greenway once again and back to our starting point at the Swimming Pool.

18 Guys and Dolls - 20 plus miles - dry with lots of sunshine (And smiles!).

What more could we wish for.  Everyone agreed - A Grand Départ!

Sol Lomas

 Photos by Mick Ely

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