So this was a ride Ben did with his cycling club Seacroft Wheelers on Sunday 10th July 2011 to celebrate Malc's 70th birthday. (yes Malc was riding ! :) )

The plan was to drive out to near Barnard Castle and do a route of around 60 miles out to a cafe in Middleton in Teesdale up Bollihope, Crawleyside and over Chapel Fell and back to the "Barnyard"

The 19 riders that day were Malcolm Davidson, Alan Bodell, Fred Lynn, Ian Wood, Paul Kirk, Rich Barker, Ben Forwood, Jude Taylor, Dave Smith, Nick Hanson, Lynne Hanson, Antony Brumby,John Jones, Roy Cannon, John Smithies, Dave Broadbent, Andy Shearman, John Jones and John Richmond.

I will include some notes from the planning below and add pictures of the comments that were made by Ben and others on our club forum (the forum will likely not last as long as this web page)
I only found a couple of pictures, a group shot (Big Ben far left in orange for those that don't know him) and one from the meal at the end of the ride (half of Ben in yellow).

Barnyard Bash 2011 – overview

This isn’t a race – it’s a club ride out to celebrate Mal’s birthday. We’ll ride it together like a club. It won’t cost you a penny ............ and it’s fully supported!

Barnyard Bash 2011 – route to the Barnyard

1. Meet at Skyliner at 7.00 on Sunday 10th July
2. Travel to Barnyard Castle up A1 and across A66
3. Turn off A66 right at first signs for Barnyard Castle and Bowes Museum – about a mile on from the A66 motel
4. Left at junction signposted to the Barnyard & Bowes Museum
5. Past Bowes Museum on the right
6. At Beauty Therapy Clinic (on right) turn right into long stay car park

The ride (initial mileages are approx from the Barnyard)

1. Turn right out of car park and then right at Buttercross
2. Continue straight on the A67 and then left on B6278 to Eggleston
3. At garage (after approx 6 miles) turn right onto B6278 signed to Stanhope and Blackton
4. Watch for sharp downhill left hand bend over stone bridge and for sheep on road
5. Continue over cattle grid at 8 miles to start 5 mile climb to Bollihope Common. Support car will be at summit for gilets/jackets/bottles etc – in the layby on the left after Weardale sign
6. Take care when descending off Bollihope – twisty 50 mph in places. Tight left hand hairpin at 14 miles. Watch for cross winds
7. At 17 miles cattle grid diagonally across road – take care and straighten bike before crossing
8. Descend to top of Unthank Bank – watch for sheep
9. Take care on descent of Unthank Bank – tight and steep hairpins: right, then left and right again. Take very great care after the 17%sign & watch for potholes
10. At 17 miles and white farm house watch for old railway lines across road
11. Go past Stanhope Ford turning right over narrow stone bridge. STOP AT LAYBY ON RIGHT TO REGROUP AND REFUEL. After 18 miles
12. Turn right on A689 to Wolsingham
13. Turn left at the Grey Bull after just short of 19 miles onto B6278 to Edmundbyers and begin steep climb to Crawleyside
14. Cattle grid at 21 miles
15. Steady climb up – le Maitre advises fixing eye on road three yards in front of the bike and not looking up ahead to where you’re going
16. After 22 miles – and this is before the summit – turn left to Blanchland and a steady descent
17. Watch for 12% descent with hairpins, cattle grid after 25 miles, 13% descent and cattle grid each about 1 mile apart – road surface deteriorates. Watch for stone bridge parapet wall at 25 miles
18. Turn sharp left after last cattle grid at 26 miles for Hunstanworth and Townfield – go very slowly before turn
19. After 27 miles turn sharp right to Hunstanworth and Blanchland (no thru road to left)
20. In under another mile turn sharp left for Rookhope at T junction
21. Three cattle grids at 28, 29 and 30 miles, lead to a 16% descent after 31 miles
22. A little further on at T junction at 32 turn right towards the stone arch and then turn left after another half mile over stone bridge for Westgate
23. At 34 miles at Scarsike Head go straight on (don’t turn left for Westgate)
24. Sharp descents and climbs for 3 miles to an 18% sign at High Barn Cottage – take care here: quick descent, then sharp left followed by steep short climb at 37 miles. Take very great care turning left – poor surface and gravel
25. Straight on ignoring left turn to Side Head and then right between two farm buildings down single track to ford – ford sign 20 yards down this lane (footbridge if too much water). Ford was 9” deep at most in February & 4” deep in May
26. Turn right at chapel/school with green doors to STOP in front of St John’s Chapel Co-operative at 38 miles. Public toilets at this junction. REGROUP AND GET FRESH BOTTLES
27. On leaving Co-op turn immediately left up Harthope Road signposted to Langdon Beck and begin climb to Chapel Fell
28. Summit after about 2.5 miles after cattle grid at 40 miles
29. Drop down to B6277 and turn left at 44 miles at signpost for Langdon Beck and Middleton-in-Teesdale
30. STOP at cafe in M-in-T – Conduit Tea Rooms – turn right down Bridge Street just after ironmongers at 51 miles
31. ENJOY WELL EARNED FEED AT THE CAFE – upstairs room reserved for Seacroft Wheelers. Hot nourishing free food available!
32. Leave cafe and follow the gently rolling B6282 and then B6278 for 10 miles back to the Barnyard.

Total ride length 61 miles.

edit:-Just a final tweak - we've decided to start and end the ride in Middleton in Teesdale. This is to save us from an agonising ride back to the Barnyard with bellies full of curry.
We'll still have all the big climbs and we'll reduce the total mileage to just above 50. Hooray!! Double Hooray!!

To give you an idea of the route
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/98208341

Ben wrote on the forum afterwards that it was
"the most enjoyable 8 miles I have ridden on a bike".
The rest were presumably hell ! ;) I have attached his full comments as a picture.

Ride In Peace Ben :)

Craig Lyons