Crew: Both days Eric, Pete, Butty, TJ, Dunc, Stunt, Mr I
Saturday riders Coley & Team Croxy (Crox + Joe & Greg)
Support: Carol, Enid & Ruth (guest appearance from Kate) + Sophie the well behaved spaniel.
Conditions: Changeable with a bit of breeze.
Routes: Both sides of Kentmere into Stavely on Sat, bigger loop to Garburn pass on Sunday.
Stats: 2 Offs (Eric & Pete), 3 Chain breaks (1 El Pres’s bike (under Greg), 2 for Mr I)
Day 1 33 miles & 3,300 ft climb, Day 2, 20 miles and 2,500 (ish)?
Notes:
Two big weekends in one month…why yes…no stopping the TNR boys when they are on a roll!
Action moves to the Lakeland fells, an excuse to celebrate big birthdays (Stunt), visit Eric’s country estate, and get gnarly with the big tyres again!
Friday – fine weather for those arriving early, (Stunt has a 4×4 day in short wheelbase defender with wide tyres – much “off road” fun!). The lanes are quite narrow to Dewhirst towers, and the “lane” to the house is actually a tarmac’d bridleway! Sheep have only recently departed from the upper field, so the Tent is pitched on the upper Lawn instead, next to the garden “bothy”, and very conveniently a rare bit of flattishness amongst the sloping geography 🙂
Carol has excelled in preparation – think Five star “Famous Five High Tea” and you will get a sense of the lashings of cake, tea, nibbles, main course, cheeses & coffee all being produced seemingly effortlessly from the welcoming kitchen.
Car parking planning (the TJ’s Motorhome to the drive, 4×4 capables in the lower field, and others through the gate into the upper field (just).
Many a house tour, admiring of the views (and the ornithological optics), and chatting
By 9ish all the arrivers are seated around the kitchen table for a trio of curries, a selection of wines, and homemade flatbreads. Conversation flows along with the wine, continues into the lounge with cheeses & port, coffee and cake and lakeland whisky!
Saturday morning dawns, a breakfast spread fit for kings, and the bikefaffing begins…
The new arrivals in some cases ready before those the night before!
Eventually by 10:20 we are heading up the steep bridleway for the “morning loop”.
Skies are grey, the clouds are low, rain spits and stops then starts again. Eric leads us along the lanes, through wet woods flooded with bluebells, past pungent wild garlic, and onto the fells. Much on and off with the outer layers, and we start to climb the east side of the Kentmere fells along grassy doubletrack with boggy bits and rocky bits.
The clouds begin to lighten and lift, layers are shed, we stop regularly at gates to count our number.
Finally we top out – wide bumpy descending – plenty of lines, long runs between gates…and the first of the mechanicals…Greg has borrowed El Pres’s venerable five, still running 9 speed! We find plenty of 9 speed quick links between us (some slightly embarrased to find they don’t actually have the 10 speed they should have!!)
A chance to snack on the provisions provided by the ever thoughtful Carol 🙂
More descending into Kentmere itself, and by now we have worked out the gate protocol that keeps us moving smartly down and only each stopping at the odd gate.
A hint of sunshine by the bottom, enterprising farm kids are selling snacks at the bottom, other riders are starting out having parked up.
A bearded bikepacker is slightly lost, we manage to help despite clear language difficulties, past Kentmere Hall (very old and starting major renovation) and up t’other side of the valley, a steep but doable climb (which apparently is great the other way). More bike packers are in evidence (#Jennride South lakes 100) many of whom are faster than we are!
Nice track up and down along the top, and just as we start to head down along some great singletrack, Mr I breaks his chain…and experienced eyes despair at the state of his drivechain (he also has badly worn rear triangle…)
After a long faff we do get our rewards, a brilliant descent, two stream splashes, and down into Stavely for lunch.
A bikeshop, a brewery, lots of Cafe’s and a bakery…Heaven!
Thirst is first quenched at Hawkshead brewery….where the ladies are sipping Tiramisu Stout after a nice walk over. We opt for more traditional ales (except Dunc!). Then we nip next door for the best sausage, bacon and egg baps ever! (well since those at Loch Lomond a fortnight ago). A large mug of tea, the odd nip to the bikeshop, and it’s time to head off again.
The Skies have darkened again…rain is in the air, and within minutes Mr I has snapped his chain again!!! Luckily the darkness moves on, and we start climing into sunshine again. Steep road initally then flat along “between the fields” type tracks, Eric consults the map at a footpathy junction, and decides it’s not this left, and off we go on rocky trails through puddles and moor. Tis a lovely track (shame it’s not the one he was aiming for), anyway the plan evolves and we are going to get to go down the famous descent into Kentmere Hall! It is fast, wide, sweeping corners, and absolutely brilliant…although easy to get caught out on the last few corners!!!
Time marches on, and we need to say goodbye to team Croxy who have to get back for another Birthday :-). Dunc is feeling not quite right (we blame the 10% ABV stout), and Mr I decides he can’t risk another loop and want’s to buy a new chain.
Garburn pass is mooted, the sun is out, a smaller group start the road climb (to the beginning of the off road climb)…reality dawns that our legs are actually quite tired, and that a big loop is probably not going to work today. There are no mutterings as we turn into a little loop and swoop back down into Stavely to pick up the others and head (uphill!) back to camp for showers, beers and BBQ.
Tea and cake is first on the agenda, rapid shower rotation, a fitting of chain cassette, and borrowing of chainrings for Mr I’s drivechain, the inauguration of the hanging fire pit, the tranferring of firey coals to the bbq’s, and eventually beers, snacks and the sizzling of burgers.
A fine evening for sitting out (albeit well wrapped up) and soaking it all in, and then making a big dent in big Nic’s Highland Park (thanks!!) and demolishing the Club Haigh (as Carol rather fancied the blue bottle as a vase…it would have been rude to leave anything in it!)
The ladies retire inside for warmth and cheeseboards, we stay out longer, eventually coming in for coffee, cheese and in Pete’s case ZZZZds on the sofa 🙂
Sunday morning
Most have slept well (despite the Curlews and Pheasant making quite the racket at silly o’clock), tea is brewed early, Coley heads off, and breakfast is taken as rain falls steadily.
Weather apps are studied and despite the leaden skies, the front is almost through and should improve soon.
Less faffing this morning, but we are ready no earlier than yesterday.
Today we will finally reach the Garburn pass!
A long road descent, followed by a flat thrash, and then a long road ascent…and inevitably a long chain faff by Mr I!!! Lucklily it seems to be the new chain jumping on the old jockey wheels…some debate on whether the rear mech is also “a well sweated asset” and much counting of the bikepackers mostly going the other way.
Eventually we start the first off road section, with great views down into Troutbeck, along fireroad style road.
Stopping at the end for Carol’s fruit cake, we regroup, and head up the track proper – it’s steep and rocky, but doable (if you had the legs and lungs on the steeper bits), the odd fell runners show that two feet are often faster than two wheels. On and on it goes, but finally we top out, and luckily the clouds caressing the tops of the bigger peaks are still well above us.
It’s cool, so windproofs are needed for the decent….and what a decent…Eric does warn us of big rocks…and he’s not wrong! Tis big, but there are good lines there even on the big drop offs, it separates the goats from the lambs! The second section (after the inevitable gate) is just as challenging, we all survive, out of our comfort zones some of us were!
The Kentmere church hoves into view once again, legs are weary, and there is little appetite for the Kentmere Hall climb, pootling back into Stavely on the lanes we opt for Wilf’s cafe, admire the bikes on view, and press Mr I to buy a new one! Portions are impressive (which is good as we have earned it). A swift half in the brewery and then time to face the not insignifcant ride back to base camp.
The sun is now firmly shining, and showers tea and even more cake await us. Packing up, goodbyes and thank you’s all said before heading home on a thankfully trouble free M6.
Eric weekenders should be a new feature of our calendar 🙂