Words by Alex, Pics by Pete
Crew: El Pres, Slim, Butty, Bernard, Stunt
Pub: Nic & Dunc
Route: Rainbow Bridge, Endon House climb, Push up by the quarry, Kerridge ridge top back towards Lidgetts lane. Lower Kerridge to Cow lane (onto the Rainow road). Robin Hood, Oakenbank, Poachers snicket, Ingersley Vale, Woody Snicket back up to Lower “Back of Kerridge”, back to Cow lane, back to Robin Hood.
Conditions: Mild, Dry, Very wet and Muddy trails
Stats: One Off (Bern)
Notes:
A Northern Rebellion week with Rainbow Bridge declared unilaterally.
El Pres brings Bern from BL but carelessly loses him at the last…watch that slippy wooden edge of the path (should have been the warning!)
Butty teases on whatsapp – but the old friend turns out to be impressively squeaky brakes on the singlespeed.
A wet grass and wet mud = could be interesting kind of night, and the trudge up the steps by the quarry is tricky in places unless you have grippy boots.
Pause at the top to play – “what’s that light?” of the nearer to home kind. Bern wondering about the sporting pitch lights, strange orange strips (Tythy Shell garage), and not a single mention of Winter hill 🙂
Butty takes us along the ridge a bit to get into the fields, and El Pres’s rear end suffers from some severe wobble before we get there…tyres will the a theme..El pres needs a less worn one in these conditions.
The slitherin begins, dew glistening and turning the grass a ghostly grey. Rabbits are startled as are we when a new fence blocks the gap in the wall, and is now christened the Limbo fence (as its only a top bar). First pushing of the night as not everyone has the traction (or legs) for the really steep slope. Stunt with his chubby tyres has both, and so begins the Stunt opens every gate for the rest of the evening theme.
Another pause to savour the views from the trig point, Rainow chocolate box pretty with its twinking lights (many of which are blue this year). More slithery fun going down…and we haven’t even got to the really muddy bit yet!
True to form the steep snicket after the gate before hitting the cow lane track is majorly slippy. Butty goes first and many an accursed cry is heard (but he stays upright). Bern plows down with total commitment, even tubby tyres drift a little, but its good mucky fun 🙂
Robin Hood are delighted with our food order (even if they are out of steak).
55 minutes to do a loop, thoughts of Sponds are dashed by cold reality, but another Butty bright idea takes us back down Oakenbank, down the Poachers snicket to the welcoming strains of Bolly Brass fittngly bashing out “O come all ye faithful”, over the last of the autumn leaves and past the skeletal bones of Ingersley Mill and up the double track to the old mill pond.
Stunt brags about his ability to clean the slippery snicket (then promptly runs out of legs half way). Through the wonderful bespoke white nancy push gate ironmongery, and on the Back of Kerridge track. Super muddy in places (again chubby tyres are king!).
Wainright, Black Sheep and Hobgoblin on draught. Gammon or Pies – all are good (although el Pres has Pie envy)
Good to see Nic out, and yet more joshing on Dunc’s catalytic impact, and some rather good value Jura to finish with.
Oakenbank post pub!