Crew: El Pres, Slim, Butty, TJ, Mr Inc, Bern, Stunt
Pub: Funky
Route: Bl, Zig-zags, Cat, Danebower, Cumberland Clough, Standing Stone, RHS former boardwalks, Ressies, Sutton Hall
Conditions: Cold, damp, puddly on firm trails
Stats: 1 Puncture (TJ)
Notes:
Team TNR assemble at BL in winter gear, with evidence of Slim being early!!
To no use, as Butty is a late starter, we are to meet Bern at his due to swift turnround from late train, and TJ promptly arrives at BL then discovers a flat tyre!
Bern wins the race of the latecomers, bravely attired in T shirt, shorts and gloves (in contrast to El Pres and Stunt in matching disco overtrousers and thick softshells!)
Butty arrives soon after and we take the zig zags to give TJ more time to catch us up…he does eventually at the layby beyond Walker Barn.
Tis a cold and grim evening for May, and the breeze is stiffer higher up, making the slighly downhill sections of the bends hard work, before gaining a boost on the long drag.
Bern leads the pack (presumably to keep warm?), and we are glad he has donned a jumper by the time we regroup.
No loitering tonight, straight up the tea room climb, over to the Cat, and onto Danebower.
Lots of puddles to give us wet boots (and cold toes), and El Pres struggles with the big gate, only to find the next rider goes straight round it where the fence is now down!
Fast and furious to the main road, then on towards Chumby.
El Pres again leading…this time being nearly taken out by two lambs darting in front of him.
Newish gate at Chumby entrance in strange contrast to an almost collapsed wall.
Chunky descent to the waterfall, and gnarly and wet on the lower section.
Wildboarclough still beautiful despite the dreary weather, and 8 red deer nonchalantly muching grass in one of the fields opposite the standing stone lane.
Phone call to Sutton hall was a good plan as it secures food that might not otherwise have been!
El Pres showing even more leadership takes us down via the old boardwalks for a good change, and not to waste the height on tarmac :-).
Sutton Hall ushers us into the back room (why don’t use it more often?), and folk go light with Titanic Steerage, or Dark with Dark Magic. Food follows and is devoured with particularly strong mustard!
A lack of ribaldry is detected as garden centres are mentioned!
A bag audit, determines Osprey and the current standard, and 14/15 Litre as the right size…El Pres’s 32 litre monster causes some raising of eyebrows (especially as the chest strap mounted phone pocket is not big enough for his device!!)
Blame Danny Baker for a lengthy and empassioned diversion to debate the merits of language in denoting boundaries and social acceptability (and in particular to ban or not) . Fortunately we veer back to TNR norms without offence, as the news breaks that Freddie Star has passed. Nostalgic silly headlines take us to sunnier places, and we even have lighting repairs to discuss 🙂
BIG BERN NEWS…Bern is planning to follow in the footsteps of an intrepid 1930’s adventurer who walked from the Hook of Holland to Instanbul.
Bern will attempt this on two wheels this summer..and deliciously has asked for what bike advice…does an evening get better than this!!
Eventually we are the last customers left, but Whisky is still negotiated to steel us for the inevitably cold ride home