Words & Photos by Pete
Crew: El Pres, Troll, Croxy, TJ, Pete, Coley
Pub: Dunc (the bringer of the ribaldry zone)
Route : BL , Canal, Gurnet, Leathers, left hand side ascent, charity – woods bit – charity & extension- standing stone – Nessit – lower bit of downhill track – Nature R track – track to Ranger Centre – rezzies The leathers.
Conditions : Cooling down , no wind, mud the in woods and damp Charity.
Cool leaving the pub.
Notes:
I was,feeling a bit jaded at the BL rendezvous, but the instant camaraderie of meeting the TNR crew lifted my spirits. Langley Joe, our very own caped crusader, made a customary appearance on his commute home to wish us Bon voyage.
Chris had fixed his ailing derailleur with a piece of coat-hanger wire – a fine example of the art of “bush engineering”
At Croxy’s suggestion we went out via the canal. Nice and flat, and a good light as well refecting from the water . The canal towpath took my mind back to earlier times , as did having Croxy and Coley with us.
Riding up to Langley is even more pleasant as the road is shut to through traffic.
Up to the leathers to order chicken and ham pie. Which was delicious later.
We bettered a group of younger lads on the tarmac ascent to charity. As we re-grouped at the start of charity and took in the view of the imminent sunset, I caught sight of a kestrel hovering over a nearby field ….alas I only had true 22mm f2 prime …but its an excuse for one of my better library shots to be included here 🙂
The ride felt easier and more fun from this point. Tyre pressures adjusted . We ride the green strip to the side of charity and hop the fence. The pump track is actually muddy in bits and lights are needed in the gloom of the trees. But it is still great fun.
A bit damp on the descent to end of charity for the first time in a long while- but noticeably grippier as a result.
The light fades but the skies seem to get more dramatic – at Nessit benches we glimpse an owl passing below. The lights of the Leathers entice us down .
Excellent Deuchars IPA , friendly service …and good nosh. John looks after us well.
Dunc arrives and the banter improves ,
A mini axis of evil …
Its noticeably cooler and a bit damp on exiting the pub
Autumn cometh