Mountain bike ride to Embsay Crag, North Yorkshire, England

Sub-zero but sunny morning; Claire and I had a baby sitter so the perfect opportunity to explore some local trails.  I'd scoped a local route and today was perfect to ride it because all the bogs were frozen solid and easily rideable rather than the usual muddy slog.  The first 2 miles were on road before heading up a farm track then joining the trail.  Steep uphill grassy climb, across a little stone bridge and over a little frozen stream running across the trail.

Through one of the many gates that dot the countryside to keep the sheep where they're meant to be and onto the bogland.  I find one of the few patches of unfrozen mud to put my feet into while trying to show off my gnarly mtb skills to Claire.  This amuses her as she picks her way through daintily, keeping her feet dry.  Then the rocky climb to the summit where we sit soaking in the silence and the view.

And then a fun little ride back down with a stop in Downtown Skipton for coffee and cheesecake.

Here's a picture of my new mtb, a Boardman Pro.  Bought from Halfords (for Canadian viewers, imagine a slightly upmarket Crappy Tire which is making an effort to sell decent bikes), it is a superb bike with unbelievably good components at a very reasonable price.  IMO, this is what a mountain bike should look like - basically, a road bike with fat tyres...