DRONFIELD CLARION WEEKEND TO HARROGATE

Only officially running since January 2022 we held our first weekend hotel event in May and attracted twenty-seven bookings. Not all were Clarion cyclists (not yet anyway) but around half were Dronfield Clarion members, the other participants had to have third party insurance to take part.

We had three departure points and groups for the ride north, Meadowhead (five miles south of Sheffield), Meadowhall (between Sheffield and Rotherham) and Doncaster Station, allowing those not wanting to ride the full distance to train assist part way.

The Meadowhead group, entirely made up of Clarion members, had the longest ride, around 70 miles so had an additional breakfast stop at the Old Moor Wetlands Centre. All three groups stopped at the Lakeside cafe, Askern and Lotherton Hall. All groups had safely arrived at the Travelodge in the centre of Harrogate by 6pm. We had prior permission to take our

20-22 MAY 2022

bikes into the bedrooms for security and storage which is a huge benefit.

Friday night was very ‘do as you please’ I was part of a group that found an excellent fish and chip restaurant within ten minutes’ walk from the hotel. Others went to Wetherspoons around the corner, some found other pubs in the town centre.

Saturday came and three rides were on offer, the shortest ride was led by John to Ripley Castle but entirely on surfaced trails. Jonathan’s ride went a bit further to Brimham rocks and Fountains Abbey, my ride was slightly further to York stopping at Benningbrough on the way back. York being packed with race goers, we didn’t stop there longer than necessary.

Saturday evening saw us all booked in for an Italian meal at Vivido’s restaurant. All menu choices were made before the event so the establishment could deal with our large number. Very enjoyable and highly recommendable.

Sunday saw the same three groups all leave Harrogate between 09:00 and 09:20. Apart from a couple of punctures, the ride home was enjoyable and uneventful. The same cafes were used on the way home, the accelerated group got the train back to Sheffield from Doncaster. The weather for the whole weekend was dry apart from a short shower on the way up near Pontefract, other than that we had sunshine and fluffy clouds.

Thanks to everyone came, especially those who led rides and helped out, I can confirm that next year’s event will be to Spalding, Lincolnshire 1921 May 2023. Details will be placed on the Dronfield Clarion website.

– Barry Raynor