Words by Eric
Crew;
A Team; El Pres, Butty, Slim, TJ, Coley, Eric.
B Team; Dunc, Big Nick
Route; BL, Zig Zags, Salters, Hardingland, Witches Cottage, Narnia, Charity, Dentist’s descent, diagonal ally, boardwalk, Standing Stone, RHS, LHS, Bob’s, Leathers, extra loop around the reservoir with variations, Sutton Hall.
Conditions; Warm, muggy and midgey, and dark later !
Stats; None declared
Offs; Non declared, although a number were suspected on Dentist’s?
Laid back “summer recess” logistics saw an Eric friendly size peloton assemble with Slim claiming to be first to arrive; yes that laid back.
With the Poynton posse on route down the Middlewood way the Macc Lads set off for Teggs and a rendezvous at the Witches cottage. The descent of Salters Way was still bone dry so it was another brakes off, knees out charge to the bottom. Enjoy it while you can gentleman for it will soon become as slippery and slimy as a bank executive in a documentary.
The ascent of Hardingland was next with the loose, dry and dusty surface testing legs, lungs and technique to the limit. But for a dab at the beginning El Pres would have been king, but a dab is a dab wherever the foot touches, and sadly he was plunged from first to last! We arrived at the Witches Cottage to find…… nothing……no Poynton boys and no witch. Then we heard noises from afar, then a rustling in the trees, then expletives and then the dynamic duo appeared from Narnia, slightly shaken from a high speed discovery that the track had been substantially washed away. I hope that bikers won’t be accused of eroding this trail, God can do in a night what they have been accused of doing for years.
It’s that time of year when we’ve got lights on but still got shorts on. Most people were exhibiting some sort of new season lighting bling, from bar extensions, and Mayhem lightweight bargains to TJ’s red rear light as bright as something atop an NYPD cruiser. Back to Charity and then on to a rare return to the Dentist’s descent which has lain fallow for some time – not sure why. There was a lot of whoopin’ an gigglin’ on the way down, a surefire sign that the skill level didn’t match the terrain but the fun is what matters.
There was more walking on the diagonal back to the boardwalks up to Standing Stone. The RHS was just perfect with the roots dry enough for a bit of commitment. The humidity had brought out the midges for what hopefully was their last supper of the season so the forest was no place for hanging about – but we’d made good time with zero faffing so it was all down to one last loop around the reservoir. The track down the side of the road has been built to keep walkers safe from the cars – sod the cyclists then. We finished with a climb back to the exit of Nessit and an option on the way back to the Leathers.
All agreed that the impromptu route was a welcome variation on a theme even though some walking was required.