Over the Top of the Nick O'Pendle

The tandem rides have continued (no, it's not just sitting in the garage!) and we've been getting out on it 2-4 times a week. This is training for our bicycling trip to Brittany in September where we'll spend about 10 days covering 500 miles. The rides each day run about 45 miles with the big day at 63 miles. Training for those of us who have sat in front of a computer for the past 3-6 years is a must!

"It's surprising that the Northwest produces so many good riders," Steve said sarcastically as we gasped our way up yet another hill. The Northwest of England is littered with hills. Seems like every place you look, there's another one. Makes for beautiful scenery and very tired legs on a bike! And our house is at the top of a steep hill so the ride home is always uphill!

But we are (I am) getting used to it. I was always put off bike riding because of the hills, but now in some instances I even enjoy going up hill - great way to get warm fast! My 'sit bones' are starting to toughen up and the legs are getting stronger.

We've done 8-9 good sized rides now including a 30 mile jaunt around the Ribble Valley and the loop around Hoghton Tower a couple of times. We've made it up the 3.5 mile Pleasington Hill and the 6 mile mostly uphill climb back from Long Ridge.

The two really big hills in the area are Pendle Hill and Waddington Fell. Yesterday we tackled Pendle Hill for the first time (for me and for the first time in a really long time for Steve). We started out by doing a quick climb up Revidge (no sweat now!) and dropped down through the outskirts of Blackburn into Langho. We stopped at Kath and Jack's in Langho to say hello as we hadn't seen them since we've been back. Then it was up 'over the top' through York and down into Whalley with gorgeous views of the Ribble Valley to our left the whole way. Right at the roundabout in Whalley to head for Sabden. Jack had recommended an antique shop and cafe in Sabden as a good 'tea break' spot so we stopped in there. The cafe wasn't open, but the antique shop was so we had a good rummage around all three floors.

Sabden is at the foot of Pendle Hill so as we turned left out of town we were confronted with the upward climb. The bike has 27 gears, but we dropped quickly down into the lowest one and then it was just peddle, peddle, peddle from there on up. The grade climb on Pendle Hill is 1 in 5 or a climb of one foot for every five feet you traverse. The sheep may have been walking faster than us, but we kept going. At one point, Steve offered to stop (giving me an 'out clause'), but I wanted to see how far we could get. We finally and slowly peddled over the crest and up the remaining hill to the top. WOW, what a view and WOW, look how far up we are!

The top of Pendle was a great place for a picnic and after the climb we enjoyed every bite. After lunch we zoooommmmmmeeeddd down the hill and turned the corner into Pendleton. From there we took a tiny road to Whiswell and then dropped back down into Whalley intending to treat ourselves to a celebratory tea and cake - but the Toby Jug Tea Shop was closed! Oh, no! We had been planning on stopping in at Steve's Uncle John and Auntie Margaret's after Whalley so we just headed off there instead for our cup of tea and a chat. Then it was the long peddle back up Revidge hill and Billinge hill to the house where we got off on very shakey legs!

Steve says even in his cycling days the Nick O'Pendle wasn't something he undertook lightly. It's a good sized hill. The tandem is really proving to be a great bike and it's great to be able to talk (when we aren't gasping uphill, that is!). We're also pretty pleased that we made it over the Nick without stopping!