Chris Otter's classic T5 ride - 30/8/22

Well did it rain then?  Well sort of but more like showers on and off, anyway that was part of the classic nature of this ride.
There were 6 of us who started off after a detailed briefing from Chris about the route, don't think it was actually raining as we turned right out of Squires a bit later than 10am, there was so much chat that the ten minute warning for you know who, was late anyway, oh yes, I hear you cry.
Anyway as has been mentioned before, there aren't many ways from that caf to anywhere, so up Sir John's Lane (who was he anyway?) and round to Towton, where apparently there was an important battle once over (2 male egos no doubt) and on to Tadcaster, Wighill, Cattal and Whixley.
So what was so special about the route so far?  Well apart from the classic bends we know and love the next bit provided the mud, horses, dogs etc. as we negotiated Thorpe Underwood, Ouseburn and the Dunsworths to slide into Boroughbridge via the ancient village of Aldborough as it was built on the site of a major Romano-British town, Isurium Brigantum, very pretty, wonderfully huge village green.
Out of Boroughbridge heading North East crossing the railway line near Pilmor at a point known as Jobbing Cross (amazing fact) and riding through Dalton, of Cedric's favoured Diner fame, and across to less cheap Old Barn caf in the hamlet of Balk; nice grub though.  Anybody who has ridden across on this route will know it is just a delight of bends and worth riding any day.
The next part of the route was to the Roots farm shop and caf near East Rounton and was started by climbing up the side of steep hill North East of Sutton Bank via Felixkirk, Boltby and Hawnby past the stores that also serves as the Post Office and a caf, wonderful view down to the river Rye.  Ever steeper right over Osmotherley Moor, huge variation in elevations plunging down to valleys and back up to the very tops.
A good many years ago one of our number had a bit of an oopsicle coming down to Osmotherley itself from whence we crossed the A19 and via a series of even narrower lanes rumbled into the cafe car park, it was packed!  Luckily most of the diners were inside the caf whereas there was a large gazebo type tent where the team lunched most scrumptiously.  Chris had warned us that the staff at the counter would try and upsell on each dish, interestingly several sides of chips turned up (how much!).
Guess wot we totally failed to take any pics there either, DOH!  This was getting a bit grievous.
So had the adventure completed?  Certainly not, we just had to go to Fimber for the final T&P of the day! so hopping over the A19 via a small bridge we headed for Hutton Rudby, now I really like this road, quite a bit wider than many hitherto that day and with a splendid variety of sharp bends and sweepers and just before the village itself we hung a right toward a village called Sexhow bizarre to us now but the name of the hamlet derives from Old Norse of either Sexhow or Sekkshaughr, which means the hill of Sekk, a personal name, good old Sekk.....some say.
Anyway the narrow great bendy lanes resumed and we zig zagged across the A172 heading to Carlton in Cleveland and climbed steeply again (some brilliant views over the valleys) to start the plunge down to Chop Yat on the Stokesley to Helmsley TT, past the new version of Lordstones, it used to be a little caf in the hillside welcoming walkers, cyclist and bikers alike, and now bikers are not encouraged at all :-(   Well what happened next? You guessed it; we gleefully romped down the TT to Helmsley, a road you can never tire of :-) 
A quick burst up the A172 to hang a left onto the B1257 through Sproxton, Oswaldkirk and Stonegrave, passing through Hovingham to Slingsby (where yours truly lived and worked the land more than 50 years ago) then turning right towards Castle Howard and left towards the Southern side of Malton to avoid the chaos in the town centre, finally whizzing down the B1248 all the way to Fimber Cabin Tearoom.  Was it still open?  Oh yas and not only that but Margaret, who ran the place for years, baking the unique savouries and puds, arrived!
Well we finally got a piccy and with Margaret too.
So that was all part of the classic T5 ride so imaginatively led by Chris and so ably rounded up by Chris Hoare.  Thanks very much to you both, brill!

Here's the route: