There's something very special about the first bright days of Spring. We've written previously about Fool's Spring (and the many iterations that follow before late-March most years), but in 2021 we had the perfect storm of great weather, quiet roads (we're still in COVID lockdown) and a brilliant event to hit out at.
#thesociallydistanced is brought to us by the good people at The Distance/Advtr and is in its second year as the COVID19 restrictions limit their ability to run their flagship social event The Distance. (They are hoping to run the event in Yorkshire in July and if what follows here sparks your interest you should definitely check it out!)
This restricted, self-supported, event is a mixed-surface ride with a Blockbusters style brevet card designed to get global participants looking around them whilst they ride responsibly from their doorstep. The avalanche of social media yesterday suggests they've hit on a winning formula!
It was brilliant fun. The combination of the route (the ROUTE!) that we planned, the perfect weather and the sense of release after a winter of cursing Zwift made this a really special experience. Kudos to Advtr for the concept and the inspiration.
The Route
We're blessed with some stunning scenery and premium gravel tracks on the fringes of the Forest of Bowland, but we think this might be one of the best routes we've planned so far.
A 50km loop from the village of Borwick - it takes in 8km of gravel trails and over 1,000m of climbing. You can find it and download it on Komoot here: https://www.komoot.com/tour/321510597
The Views
We'll let the photos speak for themselves.
From Borwick through the rolling lanes to the Lune and then climbing steeply up from Caton to Caton Moor Windfarm and then beyond to glorious empty Roeburndale and a taste of the Hornby Road at High Salter.
Turning for home, the route climbs back up to views of Ingleborough and the Dales before a very fast and fun descent to the village of Hornby. In normal times, we can recommend a couple of cafs in Hornby before crossing the Lune at the Loyn and then climbing up to Locka Lane. After a few miles of dirst tracks you'll reach the log piles at Capernwray with an optional extra loop around the villages of Priest Hutton and Borwick at the finish.
Banger. Straight Up. (Oh and we got all the Blockbuster tiles except Hot Flask. Why? Well just look at it. Why would you?)