Day 5: Wednesday 23 July - Lion Inn, Blakey Howe to Robin Hood's Bay

Oh dear, why did we have all that beer? We still had 27 miles to cover, some of which was over difficult terrain, and for the first time we had a deadline (we had to be in Robin Hood's Bay by 3pm to meet the Packhorse minibus!).

We started on road, with our mate Ben (aka Greengrass), who had joined us on his road bike to cover some parts of our final day.

Off we go! On road at the start of the last day
Ben catching up on his road bike

After the road section we followed a great bridleway contouring around Great Fryup Dale and headed downhill to Glaisdale.

Ed on the Great Fryup Dale bridleway

The team head downhill towards Glaisdale

From Glaisdale we followed the road before a tough offroad climb, which at least had a fun ford at the bottom! This was unfortunately only rewarded with an onroad descent to Egton Bridge and Grosmount.

Ad flying through the Glaisdale Beck ford

Grosmount seemed like the town that time forgot, with steam engines and an ol' skool co-op which at least allowed us to stock up on energy drinks!

Steam engines in the centre of Grosmount

The road climb out of Grosmount was absolutely brutal. The only crumb of comfort on the way up was our first view of the sea. The climb was relentless though and we really needed a break when we reached the A169 at the top. We followed the A169 for a while before heading off on a bridleway towards Fylingdales Moor. We were all disappointed that the giant golf balls have been replaced with a strange pyramid shape.

Ed and Stu on Fylingdales Moor

Matt, Ad and Nev on Fylingdales Moor

After initially making good progress on clear tracks, things got a bit trickier as we turned North. Things started well with a fun descent, but as the trail flattened it became less obvious.

Ed one of Fylingdales Moor's trickier sections

We ploughed on and eventually found some sweet moorland singletrack which dropped us down to the A171 - it was 2pm and we were very close now!

Nev enjoying some moorland singletrack

The final road section passed quickly, especially the steep drop into Robin Hood's Bay! We headed straight for the beach for the obligatory photos.

Made it! On the beach in Robin Hood's Bay

We met up with Ben, who'd arrived an hour or so earlier after a cut-down road ride. By the time we pushed back up to the meeting point, our trusty Packhorse minibus was waiting for us. Although it was 3pm, our driver was happy for us to go and celebrate with a beer prior to the bus ride back to Kirkby Stephen, our cars and normal life. It had been a proper adventure!

A triumphant beer overlooking Robin Hood's Bay