Words by Alex, Pics by Butty & Pete
Crew: El Pres, Butty, Croxy, Lee, G, Mr I, Stunt.
Campfire: Dunc, Salad Dodger
Route: BL, old road, zigs, Teggs, reservoir climb, white rabbit climb, cheeky singletracks, reverse path to the car park, trail parallel to road (both sides) to standing stone, boardwalks, up charity, camp.
Conditions: Super dry, warm, windy later.
A faff free night
Notes:
Almost perfect weather forecast prompts near perfect planning & logistics for a campfire curry, and tempts out Croxy and Lee 🙂
With a lady in less than perfect temper attempting to spoil the evening we cheerfully and politely refuse our mood brought down to her level! and set off..
Route chosen to avoid duplicating last weeks forest classic, although it does require the same start, and the regga regga sheep still need shearing in the field above the houses on the zig!
Fast dry and loose = smoking rotors and a near miss on leg art for Mr I.
Long climb to nessit, but there is a nice tranquility about riding between the trees on a gorgeous summers evening.
Views admired thoughts of shutlingsloe are abandoned for a long overdue return to the cheeky track to the right of the DH. Its a very very good choice – dry pine needles over firm loam is damn near perfect. We even manage to arrive at the bottom with only having briefly lost Lee.
Staffs Moorland summer series fell run in operation means a reverse climb up the “middle” where we bump into Steve & mates.
It does seem as if we have done the whole ride uphill the wrong way, but no one is complaining.
Stunt does peel off early to be the fire starter and is rewarded with a Deer duo encounter.
Camp established, bug spray applied and dead on time the wonderful Charlotte delivers the Butty ordered curry and El Pres procured beers!
Dunc and Slim arrive in the nick of time for their curry portions as the cans deplete at a rapid pace.
International Space Station (or to use the technical term – “the big red flashy thing on my app”) is sighted on both the 10:15 and 11:50 passes.
Fire is poked, talk is talked, temperature falls, group huddles closer to the fire.
The responsible camping “Human hosepipe” award of the evening is won by a country mile by Croxy!
We depart to allow the deer to reclaim the glade
Next time Mr I will provide a sushi chef (or was that the beer talking??)