06/11/2009 by Simeon Orme.

If you member of the CTC and live in Lancaster or the South Lakes Area, you may like to know that the CTC’s Lancaster and South Lakes Group will holding its Annual General Meeting  on Tuesday 10th November at the Hala Centre, Scotforth, Lancaster starting at 7.30 pm. After the AGM there will a quiz and something to eat.

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09/11/2008 by Simeon Orme.

The Annual General Meeting of Lancaster CTC will be held this coming Tuesday, November 11th, at the Hala Centre in Lancaster starting at 7.30 pm.

One of the CTC North West Councillors, David Butler, will be in attendance.

Tuesday’s meeting should be the first step in creating CTC Lancaster (or CTC Lancaster & South Lakes ?) as a CTC Main Member Group - subject to the approval firstly of this meeting and then by CTC Council which meets later this month. This will mirror what has happened to the other group within the DA: the Eden Section has opted to become the Eden Valley Cumbria main member group.

Also, Tuesday evening will be the first opportunity to see the new digital display equipment in action with photos taken during Lancaster CTC May week in the Isle of Man.

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10/12/2007 by Simeon Orme.

Tuesday 11th December 2007

David Allison, who last season gave us a splendid illustrated talk on the Settle to Carlisle Railway, is our quest speaker again at tomorrow evening’s social at the Hala Centre starting at 7.30 pm.

This time he will be presenting a programme entitled ” Transport delights of the Isle of Man”. This should be well worth attending. Those of us who walked the entire length of Isle of Man coastal route a few years ago will remember the amazing variety of forms of public transport available in the island. We sampled many of these as we traveled from and back to Ramsey each day to do different sections of the walk.

Everyone welcome tomorrow night.

The talk will be accompanied by our Christmas Jacob’s Join.

Mike Hutchinson

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07/11/2007 by Simeon Orme.

After about two years of not being updated Lancaster CTC Section website has finally been updated with new look and new webmaster. My congratulations go to Anne Hutchinson the new webmaster of the site for well design site and I am looking forward to seeing a lot more photos of Lancaster CTC in action.

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01/06/2007 by Simeon Orme.

June

Sunday 3rd: 9am start from Beaumont College - with coffee stop at Farleton View Tea room - destination Sedbergh. Ride led by Peter Kenner (So there must be some Rough-Stuff on the ride, I wonder where!) ride will about 60 miles.

Sunday 10th: 9.15am start from Beaumont College - coffee at Ingleton - destination Sulber Nick (again some Rough-Stuff on the ride and the South Lakes Group will heading in the same direction but starting at 10.00am from Denny beck car park at Halton if you fancy sleep in!) the ride will be 50 miles long.

Saturday 16th: 9.30am start from Slaidburn Car park - Part of Lancashire Led Ride Series Slaidburn - Bowland Knotts - High Bentham - Cross o’ Greet - Slaidburn. A shorter scenic ride led by Mike Hutchinson, the ride about 30 miles long.

Sunday 17th: 9.00am start from Beaumont  College - coffee stop at Beetham Nurseries  Tearoom - destination Grange over Sands. Ride led by Mike Hutchinson, the ride will be about 55 miles long.

Tuesday 19th: Midsummer meal at Bridge House Farm Tearooms, Wray [meal at 7.00pm - ride from Beaumont College starts at 6pm - Booking to Anne Hutchinson on 01524-36061 by Monday 11th June please]

Sunday 24th: 9am start from Beaumont College - coffee stop at the Tearoom at Leighton Moss - destination Kirkby Lonsdale. Ride led by Richard Trevitt.

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01/06/2007 by Simeon Orme.

North Lancashire Cycleway & Bowland Forest Populaire

On the first weekend of July Lancaster CTC Section will once again be organising the North Lancashire Way & Bowland Forest Audax event from Bull Beck car park, near Caton. Starting at 9.00am the route will be same as that used last year: Bull Beck - Millennium Way to Halton, the Kellets, Capernway, Docker Park, Arkholme, Gressingham, Hornby, Wray, Low Gill, Slaiburn, Dunsop Bridge, Chipping, Oakenclough, Harrisend Fell, Quermore and back to Caton.

Total distance 109km (68 miles) with generous time limits allowing riders to finish between 14:27 and 17:43 - requiring an average speed of between 12.5 kph and 20 kph overall.

Free Lancashire Cycleway teeshirts to all who finish this event!

Also this year’s Northern Dales tourist trails [202km & 110km] from Arnside will be held on Sunday 2nd September

This will be 15th year that these events have been held and last year there was total of over 100 entries for these events. Last year’s weather was poor but this year Mike Hutchinson hope for little less rain!

Entries for any of these three tourist trails should be sent to: Mike Hutchinson, Heatherdene, 9 Whinfell Drive, Lancaster LA1 4NY Phone (01524) 36061 E-mail: mikehutchinson@fastmail.fm

Further details and entry forms * available from Mike or from the Audax website at www.audax.net

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02/04/2007 by Simeon Orme.

Below is full version of 1,000 and counting by Mike Hutchinson. Edited version of this article is in the April/May issue of Cycle.

The Lune & Lakes DA [renamed Lancaster & Cumbria DA in Jan.2003] was formed in 1984 having separated from the old North West D.A. which covered the whole of the geographical area stretching from Southport to the Scottish Borders – 117 miles in length. Initially the Lune & Lakes DA and the Lancaster Section were virtually synonymous. The committee at that time embarked upon a drive to encourage the formation of new sections to the north of the Lancaster area and in the year ending September 1997 the Eden (Cumbria) Section was created to serve an area in the north of the region.

In effect the DA still covers a very large geographical area and the two sections, now well established, operate separately but in tandem with each other. For example we alternate the venues of the DA annual general meetings between the two sections: in November 2006 the AGM was held in Lancaster; in October 2007 it will be held in Dufton. There are over 1,000 CTC members within the DA. As a consequence of obvious geographical distinctions it has agreed to divide responsibility at the local level on a postcode basis: CA for the Eden (Cumbria) Section; LA for Lancaster (and South Cumbria). However, only a relatively small proportion of the CTC membership is involved in the specific activities of these two sections. The area has a large number of other thriving cycling clubs with whom CTC members play an active part.  CTC members are prominent in both the Tandem Club and the Rough Stuff Fellowship.

Both CTC sections have full programmes of club runs throughout the year and both have organised short holiday breaks. Southern Scotland and the Lleyn Peninsula in North Wales will be the venues during the Easter and May Bank Holidays.York is within easy reach and members of the DA are in evidence at the York Rally each year. Similarly they are usually well represented at the CTC Birthday Rides and in 1996 these were hosted by Lancaster. Quite a number of members also participate in Audax/DATC style tourist trials.  The Northern Dales Audax trials, starting from and finishing at Arnside Youth Hostel, were first held in 1990. These two rides, of 202km and 110km respectively, are now well established and normally attract over 100 participants between them. The 17^th edition is being held on September 3^rd 2007.  In addition the North Lancs Way and Bowland Forest Populaire from Caton, near Lancaster, will be held this year for the fifth consecutive year at the beginning of July. All three events count towards the CTC’s DATC competition.

Lancaster has been chosen as one of the six English Cycling Demonstration Towns. Members’ involvement with the project has helped to promote a better understanding of cycling within Lancaster itself and has helped bridge some of the barriers between the various interest groups locally. Also Lancashire County Council’s Environmental Directorate coordinate a “led rides” scheme in which experienced club riders lead rides throughout the summer months in a programme underwritten by the County Council. This scheme has been valuable as a means of helping provide an introduction to group riding.

Cumbria and North Lancashire are superb areas for cycle touring with a vast network of quiet lanes crisscrossing beautiful countryside which includes the Lake District National Park, the Forest of Bowland, the Pennine hills and the valleys of the rivers Eden and Lune. SUSTRANS Route 6 runs along much of the length of the district and both Lancashire and Cumbria have their own way marked cycleways. CTC members make full use of the merits of the area and also tour way beyond its bounds. Overseas tours recently undertaken include much of Europe, North America, parts of Asia and the Antipodes. Last year DA members both participated in and led CTC tours one of which went as far a field as the Yunnan Province in South China.

Further details of the DA activities are available from the DA Secretary, Mike Hutchinson: e-mail: mikehutchinson@fatsmail.fm

Mike Hutchinson

Secretary: CTC Lancaster & Cumbria DA

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26/03/2007 by Simeon Orme.

The promise of a bright spring day was enough to encourage a dozen or so riders to join social secretaries Anne and Pauline on their ride to the Helm near Kendal. A leisurely start along the canal took the riders north of Carnforth where they joined the tarmac roads again to travel along quiet country lanes to Tewitfield. A short stretch up the slightly busier A6070 followed before turning off on the newly reopened lane to Cinderbarrow and then across the A6 to Yealand Redmayne. Passing Leighton Moss the group turned towards Lindeth Tower before reaching their coffee destination in Silverdale. Numbers of riders grew here to include some from Bentham, Wray, Warton and those from Lancaster who had forgotten to change their clocks and therefore taken the direct route from home!

Suitably refreshed the enlarged group cycled via Far Arnside, past Arnside Tower before dropping down into the village itself. The ride along the shoreline afforded excellent views of the Lake District but was into the teeth of a strong head wind which made progress rather difficult. It was even more exposed travelling along the marsh road in order to reach Levens Hall and the little used section of the A6 which would give access to the walkway under the A590 trunk road and from there into Sedgwick, Natland and finally to the lunchtime refreshment stop at the Helm where an alfresco lunch was eaten in warm spring sunshine.

The riders hoping for a back wind for the return journey were initially
disappointed as the route took them towards Old Hutton before turning off for a good run down through Gatebeck and Goose Green to the A65 near Crooklands. Technical problems concerning the angle of a saddle had to be addressed before enjoying the benefits of the back wind and only a very short spell on the main road gave way to the tranquil lanes leading to Farleton View, Woodhouse and Ackenthwaite. From this point onwards riders began to leave the group, some to shop in Beetham, others to make their way back home to Bentham or Wray, but the nucleus of the group cycling on through Holme, Holme Mills and to the final destination of the day – a welcome tea stop at Deerslet.

The traditional route through the Kellets and down to Carus Park brought the riders back to Lancaster where they all made their individual ways home after over sixty miles of pleasant cycling on a beautiful day.

Next Sunday Mike Hutchinson, the club secretary, will lead the first club run on the spring programme, starting at The Boot and Shoe at 9.15am. Coffee will be at Bell Farm Pilling, the destination being Wrea Green.

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12/03/2007 by Simeon Orme.

Please accept my apologies if you have already received this information
from me but I would like to remind members that our next runs’ meeting
will be tomorrow night (Tuesday 13thMarch) at our house starting 7.30pm

This meeting will be to compile the programme of club runs 1st April
until the end of July.

Please come along to discuss our next few rides. If you are unable to
come but have suggestions/offers to lead during this period please let
me know. Dave’s e-mail may not be available at present so e-mails
should be send to me please for this particular meeting.

Best wishes,

Mike Hutchinson

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04/02/2007 by Simeon Orme.

Mike Hutchinson has just e-mail me to remind you all that on Tuesday February 6th Dennis & Sylvia are giving a slide presentation on their Chinese cycle tour at the Hala Centre at 7.30pm.

This should be really interesting - there aren’t many cyclists who have  been on a CTC tour in South China.

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