I gave in and just got up,i went downstairs and sat drinking tea whilst flicking through the news channels,didn't take me long to get bored of that and i was just about to switch it off when the weather report came on and said it was going to be a half decent day until around midday then it was going to turn crappy,so i made a split second decision and decided to take the bike out to kill a few hours.
I wheeled it out the garage,it was gleaming due to having a thorough clean after the last time it was out which was my snow run up to Hartside Cafe.
I had no idea where i was going but i wasn't bothered,i made a flask of tea up and stuck it in the pannier,i connected my bluetooth headset up to spotify and with the legend Neil Diamond massaging my ear canals,i was off,1st stop....cashpoint.
As usual i headed west from Consett and out into the Pennines,i thought id cross over the moors and maybe explore a bit of Teasdale on this fine crisp fresh morning,however only 20 mins into my ride the conditions up in the hills were not as welcoming,i was suddenly freezing,damp and unable to see very far ahead,what a contrast from the conditions only a few miles away.
I proceeded very carefully for the rest of my journey over the moors,every so often sheep and new born lambs would just suddenly emerge from the fog and be standing in the middle of the road and their are also some huge potholes dotted around following the long spell of bad weather we've had recently.I tiptoed down off the Pennines and came into Barnard Castle via the B6278,the weather cleared up and the temps had risen to normal again,i stopped for a cuppa at the wonderful and imposing Bowes Museum what a magnificent piece of architecture that is.
After taking a few pics i popped my flask away and headed off,trundling along with no particular destination in mind,i was pleased to come across this lovely old suspension bridge erected in 1831,its still in use today and comes complete with toll booth and prices,luckily the tolls no longer apply.
It was mid morning now and i was starting to feel tired again,so i decided id start heading in the direction of home,i rigged google maps up to headset and set my postcode,off i went,id only traveled a few miles from the suspension bridge and the tea id drank at Bowes Museum was now wanting to depart company,i found another scenic bridge but this time it was of the more traditional stone construction and i decided that this would be a nice place to leave my mark,i rolled up,pulled out and emptied the golden wine goblet.Penny spent and bushes fertilised i took the oppurtunity to take a pic of this little areoplane sculpture thingy on the parapet of the bridge,this worked up a raging thirst and another cuppa was despatched immediately to quench it.
Well i was fading and fading fast,i decided i was going straight to bed when i got in,it was 11.30am now and it was starting to feel like i had jet lag,i knew i had about 40 miles to go to get home and so i just took my time on the journey,the weather got out really nice on the way back and the last shot i took that day was this one of Derwent Reservoir,what a dam photo.
Cheers Boggs
