Words by Alex, Photos by Pete
Crew: El Pres, Slim, Butty, Bern, Stunt
Pub: Croxy, Dunc
Route: BL, New Road, Tea rooms, Cat, Danebower Hollow, Cumberland Clough, Standing Stone, Lower Ressie loop, Sutton Hall
Conditions: Mild, Dry, some puddles
Notes:
Finally a day after the spring equipnox, and the super worm moon, a TNR of no wind, no rain and not cold!!
Time to reconnect with the wider environs of our territory and aim for 3 Shires!
Butty has a brakes faff and arranges to RV with us en route, the rest of us gather at BL and head off uphill in the last of the light.
Birds are singing, the odd insect buzzes towards our lights, and the first star is bright low in the South East (Arcturus?), and there is chat and philosophical conversation about the third age!
A check of live location at Bull Hill shows we are still ahead of Butty, so we press on and assume he will catch us up. Passing Charity lane we start hearing curlews and skylarks, and coming up the hill to the Lamaload turn we catch sight of a super bright shooting star going directly away from us..so it looked like something falling fast straight down.
Butty catches us well before the tea rooms, where we pause before doing the off road climb. A windproof is needed by the Cat, but that’s all, as its not cold.
Danebower is puddly but surprisingly dry considering the rain we’ve had this month! Its fast and loose from the gate to the end, where new fencing is keeping out the motos (for now).
Butty has a hissing rear tyre..which he says should seal (it has the last three ride)..but is promptly let down on the road, and bails into the layby for a tube..as the hole is now way to big for the sealant to deal with. Stunt supplies a patent inner tube protector (another milk container will need to be butchered this week 😉 ).
The faffing means there is not now time for 3 shires, and we carry straight onto Chumby , where some of the wall by the gate is in need of rebuilding.
Trail is again dry (with a hint of greasiness on the edges to keep you on your toes!) but chunky!!
A toast to spring at the gate with some Winters Gold, before braving the cold waters of the brook section..Butty decides to take the dry but perilous high side (aka the sphincter line), whilst others take the watery route.
No bails on the ford at the bottom we are pleased to report.
Slightly tired legs on the climb to standing stone, a quick call to Sutton Hall to ensure we will get food, then a blast down the road and quick divert left round past Bob’s bench to the Smithy. A new game called frog-zag is to be played here as the amphibians are out again for spawning. Butty rescues one cute couple on the way up, we try our hardest to avoid them all going down!
Mild shock at a Croxy at the Bar moment when we arrive, left over from the Golf AGM apparently, but good to see him all the same. A choice of session ales, with the blonde being a good first pint.
Dunc joins us before the food arrives, and is definitely the cause of ribaldry this week..we’ll never think of Karaoke the same way again!! …and apparently there are repeats of the professionals on TV ..for when you are being less than when WFH 😉
Winter season formally closed ..but still cold on the way home…and Dunc loses his chain at a critical moment by Tescos, and cleverly used the cast iron railings to catch himself as he goes over his handlebars in low speed full comedy (wish I’d caught it on a headcam) moment! Thankfully railings and bike both fine..there could be some bruises in the morning though??