Crew: PTD, El Pres, Bern, Stunt
Pub: Butty, Dunc
Route: BL, New Road, Charity, Narnia, Hardingland, Smithy, Reverse Ressies, Road to Meg Lane, Pott Lords, Smithy.
Conditions: Cloudy & Damp, Very Wet trails
Notes:
Rain Rain go away as most of the TNR’ers won’t come and play…well the rain finally petered out around 6-6:30, but only the hard crew assembled at BL!
Full wets were de rigeur, with Paul showing off a natty new dark blue and orange (whisper it..almost roadie) waterproof, Stunt and Chris in matching disco trousers, and Bern in Ninja black!
Route target Pott Lords, with a forest loop to take us past the Smithy for food orders on the way..time would be fairly tight so we ditch the zig zags and head up the road..PTD’s training for the upcoming welsh tandem epic shows, as you can keep up with him whilst chatting..but it makes you realise that big tyres might not be the right answer for the coast to coast!
By the start of charity (after a huge puddle at the sandy bit on the road!) we can see the edge of the weather, as the low grey ragged edges of the cloud start to release their grip on the trees, and whiter higher cloud is visible.
A buzzard decides its good enough for flight, and cruises across for the hill lift and then uses it to hover (like a kestrel in slow motion) as we watch (sheep probably less impressed!)
A debate on what’s the best colour to be seen has been going since BL, (Bern presumably realising that black is not it!) We have proffered alternatives to the traditional day glo yellow, with bright blue a definite possibility, a contrasting combo with a bright helmet is also seen as a good thing. Pauls new garb though takes from nature with a “Baboons Bum” in orange!
Lots of downhill to some, and we splash down chazza, slide through the narnia mud, and then skittle down the loose stuff on Hardingland.
We pass some exitable cubs on the entry to the lower teggs tracks (who we think are impressed by our bikes), lots of traffic out with the light nights and we catch up a pick up lower down, who pulls over to let us past (but probably more because the dog in the back was going crazy!)
Paul does a quick dash home for victualls, as the rest of us order the food, and head across to meet him on Meg lane, and with perfect timing we all arrive seconds apart.
We get the full tour of Pott Lords, and a fascinating place it is! All stone, but with lots of original timber inside. Definitely a doer upper though!!
Views from the garden are gorgeous, and we can confirm to El Pres that the white things on the opposite hillside are definitely sheep! 😉
A quick splash of Whisky Mac in the only glasses he could find at short notice, and a blast back to the Smithy for food.
Butty has arrived also, and the fire is on! Freewheel or Duchars, lovely grub, and lots of geeky (and mostly conflicting) advice to Bern on his bike and equipment for his trans europe trip! Dunc mends his puncture inside, and we chat on.
Time flies and all too soon its time to head home, its cool for June, and keeping up with skinny tyred boys on a mission is not easy!!