Words by Alex, Photos by Pete
Crew: El Pres, PTD, Slim, Butty, TJ, Mr Inc, G, Coley, Stunt
Pub: Adrian, Dunc
Route: BL, New Road, Charity & extension, Cat, Danebower Hollow, Farm into 3 Shires, Cut-thorne out, Cutting the corner into Wildboarclough, Standing stone, RHS descent, Bobs Bench, Sutton Hall.
Conditions: almost perfect, cool later.
Notes:
Excellent pre ride planning (including pre order of food) from Austin Solutions, and a long overdue target of 3 Shires head brings a very welcome return of G!
A big ride requires a prompt start, and it shall be recorded that Slim was first at BL, that G actually arrived (no fish pie for Syd tonight) and that we were riding out a 6:37pm!!
Plenty of time to catch up on the ride up to Charity, where G has a customary faff (although no time lost as he was first)..this time being blamed on “some’s been riding my bike!”
Superb views across the hills, some added hazard on the Chazza descent with a couple of dogs being walked, but more dangerous were the four loose sheep on the top of the extension! PTD leading herded them to the drop off, where they headed for a gate before trying a couple of times to run back up the track into the following riders! Luckily for all no collisions reported 🙂
About 40 head of deer being farmed on the LHS field on the drag up from Bottom of the Oven, and a couple of low and slow light aircraft to watch too.
It is a rare evening when stopped at the Cat and its not blowing and its not cold!! Danebower fast and loose in the last of the good light.
A54 being rebuilt on the section at the end of Danebower! decision time on quarries or Farm into 3 Shires, but the promise of Troll provisions pushes us to the farm. Dry fields = fast and at 8:10 we are assembled on the bridge 🙂
Packages are unwrapped and pork & hoi sin rolls are created – yum…although there is some grumbling about a lack of liquid refreshment, and mutterings about the dirt bikes which come past (more for creating loose rock, as they were very polite)
Time to head up and out, and the climb is looser than we recall – a combination of dry summer and said motorbikes – even with bigger tyres there are sections which have to be walked.
Still we have made good time, and do the corner cut into Wildboarclough. The boardwalks seem to have risen out of the ground more than normal (or maybe the ground has shrunk?). Driest we have ever seen it!
Dark now along the valley, and tired legs on the standing stone ascent, but still time for the RHS – which was Amazing!!, a cheeky Bobs Bench thrash and down Sutton Hall.
Not a dark beer in sight, and after initial pints the Hair of the Dog wins hands down.
Food demolished, Adrian joins us with neck brace, crutches and dog, and Funky manages to drop in later too.
A disturbing trend of leaving before last orders led by the President!! A few reprobates stayed for a cheeky whisky to keep up appearances.