September 2015 – Tour de France lives on in Oughtibridge

Fourteen months after the Tour raced out of Yorkshire and back into France, there is no shortage of Tour legacies across the county. There’s ever more cyclists out there, hopefully a few more bellringers and loads of bunting and yellow bikes.

Here is a selection of photos I took last weekend on my way back from Barnsley to Sheffield via the Cote d’Oughtibridge and Worrall.

Now just wait for my book. You’ll love the photos in there!

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Ripe blackberries grow through yellow bike above Grenoside.20150902_154805

A tough climb, packed with fans last July.

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Bunting makes a shopfront

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#Drink

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Wherever I go, Le Tour goes

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Bike wheel sculpture in Worrall

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This way to the Cote d’Oughtibridge

Cross fields to bells

Whitchurch Canonicorum is a beautiful old church down steep lanes just inland from Charmouth in Dorset. It has a really friendly band of local ringers and is supplemented by The Five Bells pub up the road and eight* bells up the tower. (Eight for ringing in the recently renovated frame and one for chiming in the old frame). Having rung at nearby Chideock a few times and been kindly invited to pop over, it seemed a great place for a bit of bells and bikes cross country cycling action!20150811_193554

Here, we see the route from Chideock to Whitchurch Canonicorum, via Butt Lane which in turn means via a corn field.

The Five Bells serves a goodly pint of Palmers, the Bridport brewery just a few miles away.

Bellringing practice night is Tuesday 8pm. Recommended.

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A great set of bells. A beautiful church. A wonderful friendly welcoming band. And a good pint.

That’s what I call a bike ride 😉

Yorkshire Bells a Year Ago

Yorkshire church bells dominated the airwaves a year ago. You can still listen to some of it on iPlayer.

Sunday 6 July 2014. York Minster bells rang a quarter peal as the Tour de France peloton rode past. The Minster bells also featured on BBC Radio 4  Bells on Sunday that weekend.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b048j433

Chapel Allerton bells featured on Bells on Sunday the weekend before, 29 June. They were also filmed by ITV Calendar for inclusion in bellringing on the big screen at Leeds FD Arena in front of 10,000 fans and the world media in the 2014 Tour de France Opening Ceremony. They also rang on race day, Saturday 5 July as the riders processed from Leeds city centre to the formal start and Royal send off at Harewood House.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b047w8jz

Meanwhile, Otley church bells featured on BBC Songs of Praise Tour de France edition on Sunday 29 June.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p021rbk5

Have a listen. In fact why not have a go at bellringing. Wherever you live, you know where we are. It’s that great big tower over there…

Cycle to Church Sunday – 14 June 2015 – All Saints, Ecclesall

On 14 June, All Saints Ecclesall invites everyone and their bike to join us for the return of our hugely successful Cycle to Church Sunday.

Last year, we linked up with Marie Curie Cancer Care, the charity partner of Le Tour de France Grand Depart in Yorkshire. 209 people came along on bikes and we raised over £1,100 for Marie Curie.

This year we are supporting The Sheffield Children’s Hospital, the charity partner of Le Tour de Yorkshire 2015.

Please do come along. Please arrive by 10.30am and wear your very brightest Yorkshire cycling kit.

Here’s our story in The Sheffield Telegraph in 2014…

http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/local/a-wheely-large-flock-at-church-cycle-event-1-6668583

Here’s how we looked! Join us and get in the frame for 2015. Supporting The Children’s Hospital on the way!

Dave T - Group Photo 3

Le Tour Yorkshire – Ringing Update

The bells did indeed ring out for Stage 1 of the Tour de Yorkshire. Ringing that I am aware of which has been done or will be done is as follows. Other towers are ringing too, but exact confirmations awaited still.  Thanks especially to the Beverley & District Ringing Society for leading the way.

Stage 1 (Bridlington to Scarborough)

Bridlington, Flamborough, Middleton, Pickering

Stage 2 (Selby to York)

Selby Abbey, Nunburnholme, Bubwith, Holme on Spalding Moor, Market Weighton, Walkington, Beverley Minster, Beverley St Mary’s, Norton on Derwent

Stage 3 (Wakefield to Leeds)

Sandal, Barnsley, Cawthorne, New Mill, Meltham, Otley

If you visit http://www.yacr.org.uk (the website of The Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers) you can find full details of all churches with bells for change ringing in Yorkshire. It will include details of practice nights and you would typically be most welcome to come along and have a go.

“Bellringers Herald Cyclists” is a formal event in the Yorkshire Festival this year, following on from its inclusion as a headline event in the 2014 Festival ahead of Le Tour de France in Yorkshire.

Follow me @Bellsandbikes on Twitter for regular updates.