Tour de Parsley!

This time last week, we just did our 2nd Tour de Sketch. The last one was declared by all to be a roaring success, so we squeezed another in quick, before the summer was a distant memory!

We went from Parsley Hay, riding into the High Peak, mostly on the Tissington Trail.  The day was devised and led by the guys at Pedal Ready, which was nice for me: I could just turn up and not have to take responsibility for all the location scouting and organisation. 

I'm a complete novice, so was a bit wobbly to start with, on my 'new' bike - a loan from a friend (thanks David!) - but soon got the hang of it, especially as it was all downhill (yeehah!). And, despite it being a bit of a gamble, so late in the season, the weather was absolutely glorious: we couldn't have picked a better day for it!

Our 1st Sketchpoint was only 5 minutes down the track. We stopped at this dramatic cutting from the now defunct railway:

1.5 miles further on, we sketched the old, restored Hartington signal house:

We cycled down the hill into the village of Hartington for our lunch stop. It's a lovely, pretty village with a duck pond at the centre, so we sat around the pond to eat sandwiches and sketch. Even Barry and Howard, our Pedal Ready guides had a go. Pat, who was an art teacher, gave them lots of tips (thanks Pat). They are the 3 people in my painting below:

It was pretty much all uphill on the way back. It was very gentle, but I am a complete wimp when it comes to cycling. I was glad of the final sketch stop in the Long Dale, for a rest between the limestone hills:

The last leg, up the hill back into Parsley Hay, was even harder for me (pretty pathetic, as it was hardly steep), but Barry from Pedal Ready rode beside me all the way up, giving me encouragement while I wobbled and panted, like the athlete I am.

Then we had an ice cream as a reward. A lovely day. 

Wendy and Tom were also with us, but had to shoot off before this photo. 

Thanks so much to Barry and Howard who not only guided us (and kept us safe on the road sections), but also gave everyone a free bike service! Thanks too to David Bocking for the planning and for my new steed.