Crew: El Pres, Butty, Croxy, Stunt
Route: BL, New Road, Charity & Extension, Cat, Danebower Hollow, Cumberland Clough, Standing Stone, New Campfire spot & descent, Reservoir, Sutton Hall
Conditions: Cloudy, Warm, Hint of Breeze, Dry trails
Notes:
A very small crew – boosted by the welcome sight of Croxy!
Tutting at the start as El Pres notes wear on front fork stanchion (despite recent seal replacement)…
Stunt on the Five (with full drivetrain and bearing replacement)…and bemoans tubeless tubby tyre trickiness having put the marin out of action.
Aspirations of Three Shires..but plenty of options.
We decide it would be rude not to do Charity, it’s very dry and loose! Croxy’s tyre throws up an Asteroid! (well large rock that hung in the air a long time and nearly took out Butty)
Extension similarly so, at the bottom El Pres adjusts his saddle and we discover he has a dent in the seat tube level with the clamp..my word he is sweating that asset!
He does admit to now “thinking about” replacing it…
The climb to the tea rooms has distractions in the form of paragliders – and the cloudy sky perhaps fooling the senses..there seem to be plenty of thermals and ridge lift on offer.
We also get a view from below of the main road wall “roadworks” – traffic lights still there, and the Manchester Wheelers time trialists must be stopping there, as a couple appear then peel off into the tea rooms car park for a sit down.
Cat has cardboard and polystyrene in the windows of the old restaurant – something going on..or just early winterisation??
We also see tractor tracks over much of the moors…but its not at all clear what has been going on…some form of spraying? certainly not muck (phew!)
A puddle at the start of Danebower hollow is almost a shock – with everything else so dry, its a long fast thrash to the other end 🙂
Not quite enough time for 3 Shires tonight, so off to Chumby – with new gate & fence now joining the sturdy gateposts seen a couple of months back.
Almost no water in the splash by the “normal” gate, and just a trickle on the upper part of the “brook” section, and pick your line in the ford at the bottom 🙂
There is cargo on board tonight, and we head to the new campfire spot to imbibe.
The “Red One” a “Gran Gran’s” 3 year old Rasberry Eau de Vie made by Croxy’s French Madam of Maintenance – it’s not bad…quite like a sloe gin.
Croxy has done a Troll and brought a fine selection of Antipasti, sliced meat, cheese and olives to wash it down…very civilised 🙂
The “Yellow one” is dessert..a sweet almost sherberty Limoncello.
We may have had more than one of each…
Despite which we survive the descent and find the right exit!
The clouds have cleared enough for some late evening sunlight and sunset 🙂
It would have been a perfect finish other than a near miss on the singletrack with a very late dog walking couple, and clouds of midges at the bottom of the ressie to the Smithy…mouth and nostrils closed!!
Sutton hall garden empty..but pretty full inside, although our table was vacant 🙂
Following the fruity theme of the evening, there is an Elderflower ale…but a quick taste is enough to switch to Lakeland gold.
Ribaldry disaster as Dunc informs we won’t make the pub.
Serious conversation ensues until we fortunately get onto the topic of Wimbledon..and then lady players…:-)
Still nice and warm as we exit the pub…but then it rains!
Luckily it doesn’t last long, and Butty gets back to Poynton only mildly moist!!