Meeting Details
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Time | |
| Duration | |
| Location | Various |
| Coordinators | Colin Sutherland Peter Davenport |
What we do
At our first meeting held at 10.30 a.m. on Friday 21st September 2007 we agreed the name ‘Social Cycling’. We decided that we don’t just want to put our heads down and get the miles in. Instead we want to cycle in a leisurely way, stopping at places of interest, enjoying the countryside and the companionship.
Seven people attended the first meeting with 3 apologies. Initially we plan to have one ride per month from April to October.
Our first ride is on Monday 15th October when we will be cycling from Kendal to Staveley having coffee and lunch at Wilf’s Café with visits to the furniture workshop and a Pottery in between. Then returning to Kendal via Crook and Burneside.
Over the winter the six rides for 2008 will be planned. They will be varied in terms of distance and difficulty.
Reports
November 2009
A great year. We were so lucky with the weather that, despite the terrible summer, we only got slightly wet on one occasion. And we have grown in numbers to the point we are getting too many. So, at a meeting attended by 17 U3A cyclists we decided next year to continue with the Monday rides but to repeat the same ride on Wednesday of the following week. It is rides every week in 2010 essentially having two groups. To back up this strategy we now have a second co-ordinator in Peter Davenport and a total of 5 ride leaders.
Colin Sutherland
June 2009
April is the start of our cycling season and to date we have had rides from Lancaster to Leighton Moss; Kendal to Killington Reservoir; Underbarrow to Grange via the Winster Valley and back via Meathop Fell and the Lythe Valley; Kendal – Arnside – Kendal on a circular route; and Caton to Glasson Dock and Back. Most rides have had about 10 U3A members.
We have rides planned for the Dent Valley, the area around Cartmel, the Longsleddale Valley, Staveley and Kentmere, and the area around Ings, Windermere and Crook with the rides are led by Lance Goodman, myself, Peter Davenport and Gwen Tordorf respectively.
On 30th May we had a stall at the Cyclefest on Abbott Hall Park, an event which some of us were involved in organising. This proved to be a great success with the Park being packed most of the day and really promoted cycling in the area. The U3A ride from Kendal to Arnside was one of the official Cyclefest rides.
Colin Sutherland
March 2009
We ended the year with a social get together at Peter and Angela Davenport’s home in Skelsmergh where they provided us with a wonderful lunch. We had to earn it of course by cycling there.
The cycling will start again in April and there will be two rides each month until October, an easy one and one a bit more taxing.
On 30th May to 6th June there is a Cycle Festival in Kendal organised by South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC) and Transition South Lakes (TSL) and we are involved in this. On Saturday 30th May we will have a U3A Social Cycling Stall at the main CycleFest on Abbott Hall Park and we will be holding our CycleFest ride on Tuesday 2nd June.
Colin Sutherland