Four seasons in one day

Well we’ve certainly had a mix of weather in this last week. The flowers are blooming as they always have done but the winds blew hard and we had cherry blossom filled potholes. Unfortunately, I didn’t stop to photograph them and when I went back , the wind had blown them all away.

It’s good to see the cowslips have popped out especially along the river side.

Cowslips from above

Near the river Tees

We’ve been out and about but just locally. So there were a few trips using g the river path and getting shopping and getting sleet falling. On Friday we rode to pick up a prescription before going to Redcar. Even through it was mostly sunny we did get mizzled on. It was also chilly but in some ways it was an advantage as it kept the crowds away from the promenade.

View of the cliffs down the coast from Saltburn.

So we rode along through Marske by the Sea and up to Saltburn. We called at a bakery and got sandwiches and sat in the sunshine overlooking the Valley gardens. It was interesting to talk with a chap who is backpacking the Cleveland way. He asked directions to a cafe so he could find something to eat and stock up on food.

From there we visited a couple of friends who lead very restricted lives due to ill health. The ride home took us back through Marske and then along cycle way to Eston and on to home. We were aiming to be home fairly early as the forecast was for more rain and we were pleased to get home before it came.

On Saturday, we had a ride over to Yarm. I had offered to give my friend C a lesson in how to use Komoot. She is off to the Netherlands soon taking a group of ladies on a cycle tour. She would rather camp but these ladies need creature comforts so it is hostels and hotels and not too far please.

So by using Komoot she can vary the distance from short to a more convoluted route. I really like it and use it all the time both for planning and route direction.

It started to rain just as we were finishing up so we donned rain gear for the ride home. It soon fared up but we kept the waterproofs on and were glad we did as 2 miles from home. The rain came down heavily with a bit of sleet thrown in for good measure.

So this week we managed to ride 86 miles which has pleased me.