Words by Alex, Photos by Butty and Pete
Crew: Butty, El Pres, Mr Inc, Slim, Stunt
Vinehop: TJ, Dunc, Bern
Route: BL, Tearooms, Stakeside, road climb to Pyms Chair, Wingather rocks, Taxal Edge, Road from Kettleshulme, Bakestonedale road, Pott Shrigley, Back lanes to Poynton, Vinehop, chez Butty.
Conditions: Perfect
Notes:
Butty has a crafty plan to celebrate his 9th anniverary of TNRing.
A big ride to finally “do” Taxal, end up at the craft beer bar Vinehop, then onto his for Chilli…and for once the TNR’s get to ride back from Poynton to Macc!
A good plan it is, Mr Inc arranges sleepover rights and starts at Butty o’clock (5:50 from Poynton)
Train home talk is trashed on the whatsapp chat just in case anyone was thinking of not riding back!!
Cometh the hour, cometh the faff….Stunt has finally sorted his tubeless woes, but discovers that uppy downy posts are no good when they won’t stay down and won’t stay up!
Rendevous arranged at Bull Hill lane/Buxton Road junction which suit Poynton end riders and Macc Riders.
Stunt arrives only seconds behind, having gone for plan B..the backup hardtail!
Motorbikes are at a minimum (perhaps avoiding the recently surface dressed road), rooks are at a noisy maximum in the wind stunted trees just before the Lamaload turn, little lambs show that the hill sheep are a month behind their plain cousins!
No paragliding off shining tor, maybe the wind (what there is of it) is in the wrong direction?
Arm warmers donned at the tea rooms, and dusty dry trail in good light is a joy…an unusual hazard is the lowish sun which is coming sideways on the descent into the Goyt, solved by hunching a little lower than normal 🙂
Grippy dry grass, and loose fireroad surface mean its spanish riding style required! loose spaniel avoided by the car park at the bottom.
Butty promises that there are fine trails on the other side of Erwood reservoir..for another night, as we watch some paddlers canoeing back to the sailing club.
No rest if we are to make Taxal, the sun is still shining behind the ridge on the long drag up to Pyms chair.
Pete and Chris are lucky enough to get a glimpse of an owl flying low to our left in the low evening light as we winch are way up the tarmac.
Across the moor is magic..but there are still the odd very boggy bit to catch you out!
Climbers on Wingather, great views, blue sky, sliver of moon (deathstar appears!)
Big storm damage in the plantation to the right of the woods climb to Taxa ridge.
More amazing views from Taxal, and not a bad ride either.
Rear blinkies winking tired legs set out for the road ride back through Kettleshulme (spotting aston martins as we go).
Revving engines behind us on the climb the other side has us smiling as the noise is not matched by the little aygo that struggles past eventually 🙂
It feels wrong to pass by the gritstone trail, and miss out an “easy up” to a great “down”, but time is against us…and the beer is calling!
Getting chilly as we descend at speed, front lights on, and past Shrigley Hall and into the back lanes to Poynton.
We collect Dunky who has beaten us there by a few mins, and lock up outside the Vinehop.
What a set of delights inside! Juniper infused pale ales, summer stouts, lager for Bern (there’s always one!). Mr Inc brings artisan snackage – is mocked, then applauded as we taste them!!
We all agree that Earl Grey IPA is a step too far though 🙂
Hunger wins after 2 rounds, Stunt heads to the shelves to buy tins with the remaining kitty…and is true to his work in buying the shiny pretty cans! (luckily they taste good too)
Butty feeds us most excellent chilli, rice and tear/share bread, our tins are gently consumed, we muck about with spotify, and within a flash it’s past midnight!!
Team Tythy make a break for it, sucking in Team Macc too.
Dunc leads us out, but only Stunt manages to stay on his skinny wheel for any length of time.
The local fuzz show a kindly side checking Slim is ok when having a crafty whizz!
Team Poynton slip into a severe Axis of Evil into the wee hours….
Strangely there seem to be internet connectivity issues in the general area the following morning.
Amazing night, tired bodies the following day.