words by Stunt, Pics by Pete
Crew: El Pres, Slim, Butty, Stunt
Route: Rainbow Bridge, Middlewood way, Clarke Lane, Oak Lane, Endon House climb, Lidgetts Lane, Back of Kerridge, Ingersley Vale, Poachers Snicket, Pott Shrigley, Bakestonedale road to the Layby, Sponds Hill, RH side decent from stile, Chapel descent, Pott Shrigley, Poachers
Conditions: Dry, Sub zero, ground freezing as the skies cleared.
Stats: 2 Frozen drivechain faffs (El Pres & Stunt)
Notes:
Rather weird weather – 24 hours of below zero, but cloudy and windy meant no ice or frozen ground!?
Small crew assemble well layered up – Stunt with new subtle but funky reflective dots on black overtrousers, Butty with his “normal” purple and yellow variety…the disco trouser night was born 🙂
Some delayering (or opening of zips) needed after the endon house climb, trails dryish, but no sign of frost.
All change round the back of kerridge – frosty grass, and frozen mud – fast and clean!!…well almost, as we progress further the deeper sections are only partly frozen, and the deepest still wet! Still its sooo much better than the silly slitheryness of our last visit.
A pause by the poachers for a couple of cars to pass…and the jokes about a swift half have an edge to them, we need to get going fast!!
Eerie single bell tolling at Pott Shrigley church seems to match the mood as we slog upwards, the odd patch of glassy ice as the last wet patches freeze solid.
Van and corsa parked at the layby…occupants of the corsa keeping warm through body warmth and movement!!!
Getting increasingly cold, and wind picking up. Still mostly frozen with the odd soft bit..which leads to some frozen mud issues…El Pres has it preventing his front mech moving, then Stunt finds his jockey wheels frozen solid with muck!
Re grouping at the top – but sheltering in a bomb hole to stay out of the wind, all available layers are deployed and Stunts flask of coffee is exceedingly welcome (Mountain Rescue approved – ie no alchohol is present)
Virtually blown over the fence, Butty leads us down the tamest of the descents to the lane, then the Chapel descent – with a few mega ice puddles to negotiate (Butty is skidded into the rough by the first one!)
Time is on our side, but our extremities are voting for the pub, it’s time to chain gang back to the Poachers for warmth! One badger seen scampering across the road.
Buxton Weather is consulted for some stats, -2.9 with wind chill of -6 and a bit (suspect both were lower on the top of Sponds!).
Dark side of the Moose (best beer name of the year so far?) and Pegasus the ales of choice, hearty meals all round, and then a mini axis of evil decends as we progress into a Leffe vortex and a Scotch finish (token Burns gesture).
Disco trousers on again for the ride home!