Crew: El Pres, Stunt, Troll
Route: BL, zig zags, saddlers way, langley resssies, smithy, witches cottages, charity, extension, standing stone, nessit, trail monkeys LHS, smithy.
Conditions: Breezy & mild with biblical rain later
Notes:
Torrential rain during the day, and a radar picture showing little let up puts off all but the bravest this week.
However arriving at BL the rain had stopped, and after a quick comms to get a late running troll to go direct to the smithy, the climb in wet weather gear got hot quite quickly!
Mud and huge puddles have returned, but we don’t complain as the lack of precipitation is a win (as long as it lasts).
Plan A (which was to go straight up to charity then down narnia and hardingland to the smithy) is modified get there sooner to meet up with Phil, so we head to saddlers way. Car park is empty apart from 3 police cars..with some very friendly officers “who you haven’t seen right!” there are on an operation to stamp down on rural crime.
Rapid(ish) decent along the lower teggs track and up to the smithy to order food…a troll mobile, but no troll. He’s been too quick for us and has got to witches cottage already..he comes back down by an different route to that which we expected, by which time we’ve headed up to look for him..gratuitous wasted uphill for all!!
Finally quorate we head back up into the darkness and the first spots of rain. Amphibian avoidance needed as it’s obviously good weather for frogs!
We are rewarded for our determination to ride by a helping hand of a tailwind all the way up to the start of charity. Weirdly this years weather has resulted in a generous tinge of green grass on much of the upper downhill, so as well as the water running down – the dry bits are also a bit slippy!
Extension is grass free, but the earlier rain has randomly placed “baby’s head” rocks all over the place..tricky!
More frog dodging on the climb out, a possible deer sighting on the road (but it might have been shadows).
From standing stone we debate route, as we have turned into wind (and rain). We opt for trail monkeys over ferriser. After following a very big rabbit (or maybe a small hare?) we stop in the lee of the trees just before the top of Nessit for a quick snifter of winters gold, pat Dan’s bench on the way past and hit the trail!
Phil immediately almost loses it at the start…and its a very different ride from the dusty dry summer conditions!! Slidey mud and slippy roots are back!! some sections are walked, lower down past the cleared trees we almost get lost as new trails head right but then suddenly end!
We find our way out, but now have to arrive pronto for the pre arranged food.
Not surprisingly we are the only clientele..but our fancy food (charcoal infused burger bun anyone) and selection of marvellous ales dizzy blonde, duchars and two bays made choosing difficult..some went for all of them 😉
Conversation stayed out of the ribaldry zone due to a lack of Dunc (too wet to walk to the car!!)
We smugly chided our mates until we opened the door to face the inside of a washing machine, and have a log flume experience on the way down…foot high gushers coming out of the manhole covers by the kings head! Bollin a grey seething mass with ammoniacal aromas! Clean bike and very wet kit on arrival home.
it’s autumn!