Words by Alex, Photos by Pete
Crew: PTD, El Pres, Butty, Mr Inc, Bern, Slim, Stunt
Pub: 3 Sheds, Dunc & Joe
Route: BL, New Road, Chazza, Narnia, Hardingland, Kings Head
Conditions: Cool & cloudy lower down, Raging winds higher up.
Notes:
A dull cloudy kind of day, but forecast is dry, and assembling at BL it’s an innocuous kinda evening.
Bern arrives in full winter gear wondering if he’s overdressed, as the rest of us a showing some (very pasty) leg flesh between three quarters and socks.
PTD arrives on freshly maintained kermit five, also looking equipped for winterness…what ho & why Que?
…well i rode up to charity last night and there was this nasty wind…eyes to the skies..seems ok here we think.
Route choice is debated even longer than usual, due to the state of the forest, the state of the trails, the desire to do something a bit different, and the fact that much of the field had ridden all weekend.
By the time Slim is off the phone El Pres has taken charge and suggested Cat then Goyt…off we set.
Bern shoots off the front like a man possessed, the rest of us settle in for the long grind.
Rounding the corner at Bull Hill, the conditions seem much gloomier than normal, with atmospheric backdrops of the lower hills in mist and cloud…Hmm maybe going high is not such a good plan. Stunt and Butty debate trying to catch Bern before Charity to give us a plan B option, but the bolt is now a speck closing in on the chazza turn whist they are only just onto the straight before walker barn..
Sensibly Bern has stopped (as he is hot) at the layby not long afterward, by which time the wind is really biting, and he then needs to put it back on again. We catch up, a council of war decides that A PTD was right, B many of us are not wearing enough clothes, and C Chazza it is, we turn back.
A large group of other MTB’ers is ascending into the cloud ahead of us, and we briefly overlap as they regroup at the start of the offroad. There is much bleating (of sheep!) by this point, and the wind is now raging in the trees and we are in cold nasty cloud.
Outerlayers, buffs and the like are hastily donned, but some are less prepared than others, we set off to keep warm as soon as we can.
A split camp at the top, Butty and PTD lead the majority through the sneaky singletrack to Narnia, whilst Stunt and Slim take route one down chazza and across (wetter but faster!)
Spooky mist = great photos as the rest eventually emerge…wind damage making the route “interesting”
Tricky light until Witches cottage – lights needed to see in the gloom, but anything remotely bright causing glare in the mist!
Butty drops a clanger at the gate onto hacked way lane…as a mere 7inch spanner slips from his bag (no relying on multi tools for this man!)
Hardingland dry and loose, we get overtaken by the other team at end past the stream, Mr Inc despairs of cheap light fittings, and El Pres discovers a puncture as we are about to set off for the pub.
Early at the Kings Head, although glad of the warmth. IPA and Speckled hen are the answer, Burger envy, 4 puddings (top crumble!!) shows how many needed extra calories to replenish the reserves used to keep warm.
Great to see 3 sheds, Ribaldry had already broken out by the time Dunc appears, and Joe joins us in the Pub this week having threatened for several!
Winter is not finished with us yet! …but things could all change for next week???
