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| From TNR 09-01-2014 Hunting for Northern Lights-PL |
Crew: PTD, Stunt, Slim, Coley, Dan, Butty, El Pres, 3 Sheds
Extended commute for a bit: Joe
Pub: Dunc
Route: BL, Old Road, Brideway to Windyways, Chazza & extension, Standing stone, Nessit, Hanging Gate, Higher up the Hanging gate road post pub.
Conditions: Clear skies, some breeze, cold, wet & muddy trails
Stats: 1 puncture for 3 sheds
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| From TNR 09-01-2014 Hunting for Northern Lights-PL |
Notes:
Big solar flare = predictions of aurora borealis visible across much of the UK, clear skies forecast, SLR & tripod ready…what could possibly go wrong!
An unusual ride-pub-ride plan hatched – to be at the highest pub, then climb up a bit more late for best chance of a spectacular display 🙂
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| From TNR 09-01-2014 Hunting for Northern Lights-PL |
Dan leading by example with a 100% 2014 attendance record, Coley & 3 Sheds also get their priorities right 🙂
Some things though never seem to change – its a long wait for Slim at BL (pre ride puncture excuse) fortunately we have been distracted our very own caped crusader in the form of Joe on his commute home. Next time we expect full on bat symbol on the back 🙂
Avoiding the slop on the zig zags, we see the skies above us clear as predicted, and the stars are super clear!
Orion’s sword (some debate as to if that is really what the ancients had in mind!) clearly visible
Some SLR faff at the start of chazza to practice on a shot of orion above the treeline – but the moon is too bright, and the setting too fiddly, so a setup in the pub will be the best plan then 😉
29er rigid whippets race past – but not for long as a turbo powered PTD demolishes them on the descent.
3 Sheds fed up with waiting for the rest of us, tells us of the motocrossers rules – they wait for no man! he then has to man up and head home alone as he has not spotted the ironic rear puncture before we set off 🙂 (later he tells of snapped tyre lever , and blown seal on pump..and much choice swearing!!!)
Cheeky smooth single malt snifter provided by Coley in the trees at Nessit before fun descent, and final climb to the Hanging Gate.
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| From TNR 09-01-2014 Hunting for Northern Lights-PL |
We have been away too long, it is snug, welcoming, parody of parodies, Hydes Mill flows, wifi connected and aurora forecast imagery loads to great expectation…..and it’s doing NOWT! visible line hovering just off the northern scottish coast, those darn Finns have sold us a pup! Ah well, the food is fabulous (she is keen to offload the rabbit & pheasant) the conversation is good, 2014 ideas are kicked around (Britains highest 10 pubs & yorkshire for the TDF ). Dan’s geekery knows no bounds as he shows he knows all things SLR as well! Dunc arrives after a very late start, and we get a cheeky call from G asking if we have seen it yet! Puddings temp too many, but eventually we must settle up, layer up, and depart. Despite the certainty of a auroral no show we still head up high (coaxed by a very assertive PTD) and enjoy cracking views, our own green novelty – Chartreuse from shot gun hip flasks, with more whisky chasers! Butty does his best to excite the atmosphere with charged particles of his own (we felt they should be green and visible!) and thus its a final rapid descent homewards. No “once in a lifetime” event, but definitely a “once in a season” set of views, and we can always ask Eric for his pics of the real thing 🙂
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| From TNR 09-01-2014 Hunting for Northern Lights-PL |
Post event comment from Aurora-Service.eu
“The much anticipated CME appears to have been more of a glancing blow to Earth than computer models suggested. As such there is no significant geomagnetic activity expected”
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| From TNR 09-01-2014 Hunting for Northern Lights-PL |