Day 16 : High Melton to Hope Valley, 32 miles, brilliant sunshine and warm

What a great day's weather I had and most of the route (even though it was fairly short) was traffic free. There was much to remind me of Yorkshire's mining and industrial past as well as a lot related to its flourishing industrial present. I followed in 62, 67 and 6 routes that brought me to Sheffield City Centre and then followed the main road out to Castleton and then took the spur off to Grindleford.

Breakfast and the overnight at The Stables was as good quality and value as it was advertised and  the clear blue sky was a very welcome change from the previous few days!

I haven't looked to see what the areas were like previously but for much of the way to Sheffield the surrouding areas looks like they had been reclaimed from previous industrial use.

Approaching the Elsecar Heritage Centre - home to many interesting industrials artifacts include a Newcomen beam engine used to pump water out of Elsecar New Colliery from 1795 until 1923, when is was replaced by electric pump. 

The cycle route up the quite steep 'Inclined Plane' whcih as the plaque explains was lain from Milton Ironworks to Elsecar Canal Basin - built c1840 and dismantled c1930 it transported 500 wagons a day. I assume it worked a little like a funicular railway with some wagons going up whilst other went down.

Old weir and bridges on the approach into the heart of the Sheffield City. Many of the industrial units in this area were very much alive and working.

The top - looking over Eyam Moor towards the South

Another view from the top - showing the patchwork of field boundaries stretching far into the distance

Cycle routes abound in the Peak District and some traffic free ones in particular were drawn to my attention by my brother and family. The High Peak Trail from near Buxton to Cromford looks great if your going downhill and The Monsal Trail which from next year should enable people to travel the whole way along this disused rail line including the tunnelled sections. I did pass by the Monsal Viaduct last night once I had arrived in Hope Valley (although not by bike) and it looks like a fantastic route to take - on another visit! 
My brother also pointed out that there is a lot of potential for renewable energy sources, particularly small scale hydro, in the peak district. There is good advice and examples of investment made at the friends of the peak website. In particular I thought these publications of theirs were useful

• Peak Power - Quick Guide to Micro Hydro  
• Peak Power: developing micro hydro power in the Peak District (full technical report including Appendix A listings of the sites covered)

Day 11: Tweedsmuir to Hexham : 98 miles, sunshine all day, cool

Cycle route alongside Talla Reservoir

I decided to leave at 07.30 today - I was a little concerned about the distance and total height I'd have to climb. There was a light frost on the ground by the reservoir and the temperature was 1degC and so I felt quite pleased I had bought the new gloves. By the way, for those who have asked me the frost damage I suffered from my trip across to Tongue has now all but disappeared.
The change in temperature had in part been as a result of the clear blue sky overnight and this continued all day. In fact this was the first day I haven't needed to put on my waterproof trousers at any stage - so unfortunately people were subjected to my raw cycling tights!

Talla reservoir constructed 1897-1905 to provide drinking water for Edinburgh. The Talla railway along the Tweed valley from Broughton mentioned yesterday was used in its construction.

I have to confess that for the first 5 miles of this journey I only had to transport myself and the bike up to the Megget Stone as my parents kindly offered to take the panniers up by car. As you may see from the photo there is a fairly steep climb away from Talla.
My route then took me past Megget and St Mary's Loch which was a fantastic early morning ride and the miles just seemed to disappear.

B711 to Hawick

Taking the B709 south, I took up riding along with a professional cricketer from Nottingham. I must admit to forgetting his name but it was great to meet up. He retires next year and was taking 10 days to cycle from John O'Groats to Land's End - an average of 100 miles a day. He did admit to have a companion with him taking the bulk of his gear and also practising for her massage exams in the evenings to make sure he was ready for his next ride. We parted at Tushielaw as he was heading for Carlisle via Langholm (the 'Lonely Planet' route) and I set off towards Hawick along the B711. The B711 is a another fabulous and easy ride and I make great progress along here arriving in Hawick in good time to enjoy a piece of fruitcake near the centre of this.
Hawick is a pleasant place with its sandstone houses and I am familiar with it from the Melrose Sevens rugby where it always seems to do very well. The town also styles itself as the home of cashmere and the knitting capital of the Scottish Borders.
The landscapes opened up as I continued to head south-east towards the border country with England.

South-east of Hawick on A6088

Crossing into England near Keilder

Still not quite halfway I was making good time as I was a little ahead of 10mph target by this stage. The border came just have a hearty lunch of ham, mustard and tomato filled rolls and with it the sky had become more overcast but still pleasant.
The area around Keilder Forest and Water has changed dramatically since I last visited c 1979 with the completion and opening of the Dam in 1982. There are now all sorts of water sports, cycle routes, walks and a Youth Hostel around the vast area.

Kielder Water is a large artificial reservoir in Northumberland in North East England. It is the largest artificial lake in the United Kingdom by capacity and it is surrounded by Kielder Forest, the largest human-made woodland in Europe. It was planned in the late 1960s to satisfy an expected rise in demand for water to support a booming UK industrial economy. It was constructed between 1975 and 1981 by an AMEC/Balfour Beatty joint venture and was opened in 1982. It took two years for the valley to fill with water completely once construction was completed. (Wikipedia info)

Kielder Water is also the site of England's largest hydro electric plant. In December 2005, RWE Npower Renewables bought the rights to operate the plant and sell the electricity generated by it, with a contract lasting until 2025. Following the takeover, the turbines were refurbished in 2005–2006, which increased the efficiency of the electricity generation. Controls were also updated, meaning that the plant can be operated from Dolgarrog in Wales.

The plant generates electricity using dual turbines which produce 6 megawatts (MW) of electricity. It also uses a 5.5 MW Kaplan turbine, which generates electricity when water release takes place. A 500 kilowatt (kW) Francis turbine also generates constantly from the compensation flow of water from the reservoir into the North Tyne. This gives the reservoir a total generating capacity of 12 MW, and an average production of 20,000 MWh of electricity per year, a saving of 8,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year compared to fossil fuel based methods of generation. (Wikipedia info)

After Keilder I mainly followed the River North Tyne down to Hexham and although I'd had originally thought this would be the easiest part of the day it turned out to be the toughest. Whether this was the switch back effect of the up and down hills, because it was the end of a long day or because the wind had picked I don't know. However, I was relieved to be made very welcome at my brother's family house in Hexham. Thank you.
I've had a number of requests to mention the food I'm eating more often. Therefore I thought you might be interesting to know that I stocked up recently with some snacks to have when I'm feeling a little peckish.

Mum's home made fruitcake bagged and placed handily in a front pannier!

If you're looking for more detail on what to do with the fruit you see in hedgerows etc. - I'm not the person to write much about there. However, fortunately I have a good friend who writes a popular and interesting blog, The Knit-Nurse Chronicles. In a recent article she covers the recipe for making the most of your sloes into gin.  

Pictures from the Knit-Nurse Chronicles - read for yourself at

http://theknitnursechronicles.blogspot.com/2010/09/sloe-gin.html

Day 8 : Pitlochry to nr Aberdour : 60 miles, heavy rain and overcast

Another very wet day, I have to confess that I didn't stop very much, nor did I look at much of the countryside around me as I followed the River Tummel and then the Tay, after their confluence at Balmacneil, down towards Perth. Arriving at my destination at 17.30 meant I was averaging only circa 8mph; this perhaps reflected the fairly steep climbs in central and southern Fife and my general tiredness.

Angus Anderson Fulton

Pitlochry is a lovely little town and has many attractions including a repertory in the form of the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. My favourite though, from my childhood, is the hydro dam and fish ladder. I recall my maternal grandfather, Angus Fulton, being particularly proud of the design and solution for this last link in Tummel Valley hydro scheme and its associated fish ladder.  
Angus Anderson Fulton (1900-1983) was the General Manager of the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board and actively involved in most of the hydro schemes in Scotland. He was the 105th President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (1969-70).

The Pitlochry dam with fish ladder in foreground. The 310m long fish ladder was constructed as a result of a 1943 Act of Parliament which laid a duty of care on the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board to preserve fish stocks in the waterways encompassing its power schemes. The fish ladder consists of 34 separate pools, each 1.6 feet (50 cm) higher than the last and covering a distance of 339 yards (310 m).[2] Each pool has a 3.3 feet (1 m) opening below the water level to allow the fish to pass to the next pool; a continuous flow of water maintains the water level in the pools. The power rating of this station is only 15MW but it is part of the wider scheme from Loch Ericht, Garry and Rannoch.

To cross over from the main town to the dam and festival site by foot or bicycle there is an beautiful nearly 100 year old suspension bridge. 

The Clunie suspension footbridge was built at a cost of £850; was funded by public subscription as well as a grant of £250 from the council of the day. It opened on Empire Day, 1913 and can be extremely wobbly. It was a very wet day when I walked over this.

 Although I did get a glimpse of the sun I saw it some way off streaming through the clouds.

Loch Leven with a glimpse of sunshine through the clouds!