Words by Alex, Photos by Pete, BBQ Logistics by The Doog
Crew: PTD, G, El Pres, Coley, Butty, TJ, Dr S, Mark, Bern, Slim, Troll, Stunt
BBQ: Doog, Croxy
Route: BL, New Road, Charity to the Snicket, Dentist Bomholes x2, Chazza & Extension from Narnia Gate, Standing stone, boardwalks, forest chapel, up to Narnia Gate, new exploring to BBQ.
Conditions: Cloudy, muggy, midgy.
Stats: One tubeless faff (Stunt)
Notes:
All hail the Doog for another expertly delivered annual ritual bringing a big turnout from the irregulars 🙂
Dr S congratulated for his Iron Man at the weekend, G for his crankworks video clips, and Coley for his socks of searing brightness!!
Much catching up on the grind up to charity, in cooler conditions  (our scorchio heatwave having broken the night before) however humidity still high, and riding uphill was warm work!
Eying the skies as we regroup at the start of Charity, some debate on whether there is rain on it’s way or not..maybe?
Into the snicket and PTD has come armed with secateurs for some tactical trimming here and there, and they are deployed within minutes to ease the passage around a very boggy bit. All done and off down “Dentists Bombholes” , Butty learns to his cost to hang back a bit as a whippy branch bent back by the rider in front thwacks his arm sharply (minor flesh wound!)
It gets better the more you know it (this trail) so G suggests we reverse it and do it again! Well it must be steeper than it looks as a lot of pushing ensures, the odd rock feature is improved, and we do it all again 🙂
A quick explore South of Narnia turns out to be a dead end (or a right turn to virgin territory which needs a trail to be created), more pushing back up!
Time is running out, the decent from the New BBQ spot is proposed, but with a tyre burp on chazza extension, delay causes rethink and a shorter loop back is required, boardwalks it is (but don’t turn left Pete!)
Mostly regrouped back at Forest Chapel more exloring North of Narina to get to the BBQ….discovers highly impressive stone BBQ a stone’s throw from our favored spot…one for using next time!
Doog greets us with beers and  3 big BBQ’s fired and ready! He has wisely gone for the under the trees option as the very long grass is still wet from earlier drizzle. We rapidly scavenge fire wood and get a campfire going.
Croxy moves from online banter to actual presence – tis good to have so many familiar faces back 🙂
We are fed a feast of burgers, sausages, lamb, chicken & baked potatoes (plus coleslaw), which despite looking almost overwhelming, we almost completely demolish (yum)
Beers flow (hidden unfinished beers from a few weeks ago are recovered – bonus!) and the conversations do too.
As ever on BBQ nights time flies, in what seems almost no time, the last beer is being consumed, the rubbish collected and the fire ceremonially extinguished.
Here’s to Doog, Thursday nights, absent friends, and doing it again soon 🙂
