Rainy bike ride

Despite the leaden sky, we decided to go on a bike ride and abandon the option of trying to sail on a swollen, fast flowing river. As we cycled down the solar system towards Bishopthorpe we met a steady stream of serious cyclists (lycra, luminous waterproofs, heavy duty water bottles), and then the rain – fortunately deciding to tip down on us just as we reached the old railway bridge so that we could shelter for long enough to put on our waterproofs. But we didn’t really need them for long, and despite it always felt like it was spitting, we never got properly wet and because it was so humid we stayed nice and warm.

The river - not flooded here, but moving pretty quickly

After a quick look at the river over the sailing club, we ventured south towards Acaster Malbis where we found Stepford! Beyond the village, away from the pub and the post office, when you think that you are into countryside again, an eighties red brick arch covers the entrance to “Lakeside”. We never saw the lake, but we did see a crop of giant detached houses all with perfectly manicured lawns and expensive cars outside the double garages. It was perfectly silent, there was no sign of any actual people, and we had assumed that children were outlawed by the residents association until we saw a couple quietly loading a buggy into their car. Maybe they were leaving.

Ian with The Crown and gatehouse (behind the trees)

We poddled through Appleton Roebuck and appreciated the choice of pubs (three in a village of 600 people), and pressed on to Bolton Percy, as the rain seemed to be passing us by. In Bolton Percy we found a very fine marsh, a superbly picturesquew church (with box pews and a stained glass window on the theme of “waters”), a tea room, a fifteenth century gatehouse and a brilliant Sam Smiths pub. After the compulsory chat with the man at the tiny bar (was it really just a converted cupboard?) we sat in the garden of The Crown with our pint and a half of Sam Smith bitter (£1.94 in total!), and looked at the marsh and watched all the other cyclists arrive and tuck into big plates of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

We cycled back to York through Colton where we identified an old roman road about half an hour before we actually arrived at it, and then appearing back in Copmanthorpe in no time at all took a circuitous route home via the many caravan parks of Acaster (does a village of this size really need three?), the parish church (with fine wooden spire) and again to the river to check if it had risen.

A mighty fine adventure!