York Cycle Show

foxy mars · #1 (**permalink**) 18-06-2011, 08:05 PM

The York Cycle Show York Cycle Show is being held next week on the 25th/26th and a great week-end for all. There is plenty going on, there is a small fee for the trade show etc, but most of it is free. There is camping facilities from Friday 4pm onwards to Monday am with folk music, beer tent

and scran, esq fish and chips with some scraps.

It is a fun week-end and if you have a bike, it's even better with guided rides. There is plenty of things to keep the bairns or (kiddies to the southerner's) happy. I will be cycling there and back from Teesside, making it a nice short break before my Coast to Coast walk in August. I will be taking the camera and hope to get some nice photos.

Farplace · #2 (**permalink**) 18-06-2011, 08:37 PM

Sounds good. cant wait to see the photos.

foxy mars · #3 (**permalink**) 18-06-2011, 08:55 PM

It is a good day or week-end out, I've been going every year now for the last ten years. Although, it's about four years since I've camped there on the Knavesmire, so really looking forward to the show and the ride there and back. Yes, of cause, I will post the photos on here.

foxy mars · #4 (**permalink**) 23-06-2011, 09:52 PM

Well, the time has come, Friday I'll be on the train southbound into York. Get the tent up and simply enjoy myself amongst 100's and 100's of cyclist's. The camera is packed and hoping to get a video too. See my blog for full story and photo's.

foxy mars · #5 (**permalink**) 26-06-2011, 09:17 PM

Just got back from the York Cycle Show week-end and hey, a great week-end too.

On the Friday morning, I got up about 9:00am, knew, I should never to the local social club on the night before, lesson never learned. Anyway, waking up and getting the stuff ready was the order of the day. I managed to get all the camping stuff into the small pair of Ortilieb panniers, really front front panniers, but converted into rear panniers. Then stuffed the the 2-man tent into the Carradice 'Camper Longflap' which worked out pretty well. About 10-15am, checked the flat and loaded up the bike with gear and off I went to Thornaby railway station for the Transpennine Express to York. It felt good to have the gear on the bike, feeling like a touring cyclist, but really would of liked to have the front pannier's on the front, not to worry, it will do for the week-end.

At the station, I had pre-train ride nerves about getting the bike on the train and had the waiting of about 20 minutes, which did not help me. But, i settled down and once the train arrived on the time, bike on train, I settled down to a hour long journey. I watched the scenery go back and noticed the North Yorkshire Moors on lovely there are. After station to station, I arrived at York Station, which is quite big. After a coffee and hanging around, I decided to head into the City Centre. Once, into the main centre, I thought it would be best to push the bike. I spotted a Yorkshire Pasty Shop, I thought, will do and got two steak bakes and headed to the King's Court in York and believe it or not, Pigeons, eyeing me steaks up. These Pigeons are quite tame and not surprising at all. So, about half an hour watch the local act and getting pretty bored and wanting a drink, I spotted a typical York pub just on the inner city limit, thinking it will do. I ordered a lager and sat outside watching the world go by, looking at the watch, I decided to move on and picked up the riverside path, which will take me the Knavesmire, then I was fairly early, to think I had another half an hour to wait to register for the camp site. So, waiting and waiting, then the mad rush for the non-bookers, including me. Anyway, paid the £16, got the programme for another quid, slapped the waistband on and headed to the light-weight camp site.

Farplace · #6 (**permalink**) 26-06-2011, 09:21 PM

Sounds good so far.... tell me more!

foxy mars · #7 (**permalink**) 26-06-2011, 09:39 PM

Friday evening, decided to go on the pub ride to Acaster Malbis, Naburn and Bishopthorpe, with the CTC cycling group. The cycle ride was about 20 miles, circular and included three pubs. that was the Ship Inn, Acaster Malbis, Blacksmith Arm's, Naburn Lock and The Ebor, Bishopthorpe. A grand evening, with a really good company of cyclists and met two cyclist's of Dad & Son co, who kept me company throughout the week-end, nice one lads. But, these pubs rides, need bike lights, for it does get dusk pretty quickly and can get caught out if left behind, which never happens anyway.

So, a good start to the week-end and once settled in, I slept like wooden log on the rapids, lesson learned about too much beer.

Farplace · #8 (**permalink**) 26-06-2011, 09:42 PM

I wish I had time to do these things. Sounds great!

foxy mars · #9 (**permalink**) 26-06-2011, 10:22 PM

Saturday. Awoken up after a terrible night of heavy rain or it heavy, not sure. But the tent, I had was a cheapish thing called the Gelert Nakina Plus and despite the erecting the the tent for the first time and after sussing it out, I finally had it straight. But, it did keep out the overnight rain and pretty pleased with that. The only trouble was the fibreglass single-pole which kept bending, but probably my fault being a bit heavy handed to the over-doing the guy-lines, but It was corrected in the morning .

So, awaken, feeling like S**t and having to get to the toilet, guts not functioning well at all, I did recover to get back to the camp site and met up with Dad & Son. We got chatting and decided to head the Punchbowl near Micklegate in York Centre for a breakfast and a very large brakfast at that, the works. I needed something to put me back together and this did the trick with a pint of lager and still orange juice+ice to put me right. This was 9:00am in the morning and the show does not start until 10:30am, so plenty of time for that.

With a good breakfast, we headed to the Knavesmire and the crowds were drawing in fast and I was back on the toilet again, was it a bug I had caught, I don't know, I was eating anything and drinking that awful sachet coffee called Maxwell House 3-in-1 and I can't really blame that or could I.

Through-out the day, I more or less, did the course of the stalls, getting the odd item, but there was no real bargains like from past year and decided to head for the beer tent for a lager to refresh my guts.

There was one one thing, I got and that was a map or series of pocket map called the Moor to Sea route, thinking I may do that.

So, a good day out and again went on another pub ride, but just the one pub called The Ferry Boat Inn, Thorganby, where Robert Redford had called in for a swift pint, at another time ofcause

Nice one, Robert.

The evening weather was most delightful and arrived back at the Knavesmire about 10:30pm, just in time for last pint of lager and later on, watched the last 20 minutes of Dirty Dancing on the big screen via fm radio.