Words by Alex, Pics by Pete & Bern
Crew: El Pres, Butty, Bern, Slim, Coley, Mr Inc, Stunt
Campfire: Croxy, Dunc, Doog
Route: BL, Zig Zags, Charity, Narnia, Hardingland, Smithy, Witches Cottage, Charity, Campfire.
Conditions: Fine and dry, cool later.
Notes: The grey clouds of June gloom part for us (only just) as a fine sunny evening graces us with its presence!
At BL large packpacks are in evidence..El Pres and Stunt predictably with matching osprey esapists…one filled with clothes, the other with dry wood!
Mr Inc comes on hardtail for lots of climbing ..triggering a debate on which bike for C2C..and ending with route choice that would indeed have lots of climbing!
Slim arrives with Butty tradtionally a little late…this weeks excuse being “I now live in Bolly!”
Lots to look at on the zig zags, from the tall flower spikes of Foxgloves at the edges of the tracks to the calls of the swallows above our heads, and the patterns in the fields. It does finally feel like summer!
One benefit of regular rain is that it clears the air, and the Wrekin clearly visible from the start of Charity, and a question about how many counties we can see…(a quick googling would suggest 8.. Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Flintshire & Denbigshire)
After a quick chat with some members of the NW IT mafia, and past the boys pushing the big downhill rigs to the trails in the trees, its time for our own downhilling!
Charity running suprisingly dry and loose, some muddy patches on Narnia, and the usual skittish Hardingland.
No scouts or cubs to avoid this week, but time to spot the V1 crater 🙂
Bern plays a new game of which are the two best words in the english language…to which the answer is apparently “Cheeky Pint”…and we have time to pop into the Leathers for a Black Sheep. Girls on ponies clop to the front door to tell dad about their jumping, Country music is playing from car radios, and joggers are doing laps of the ressies.
We could stay longer, but the rendevouz with Croxy (but even more importantly the pizza and beer!) will not wait.
Grumblings from knees on the drag up and up and up..
Stunt supplies a full starter fire, Pizza provides nourishment, the boxes then seating, and brewdog the beers. Wood scavenging provides drier supplies than we feared, with Bern winning the prize for the most delivered 🙂
The snap and crackle of the fire, smell of woodsmoke, light still in the skies, a lack of midges, and the cameraderie of friends makes for a special kind of relaxing.
Dunc and Doog join us later, both prepared..Dunc with a lightweight folding stool, Doog with an upturned sheeplick bucket he found on the way!
Mirth and Ribaldry flow until the beer runs out, and its finally time for home, we remind Pete where he is going to avoid a “turning up a the wrong house drunk” scenario..and after the clearing is cleared..we provide an unwelcome surprise for the couple in the car parked at the start of charity!!
It’s been so much fun we have collectively forgotten to settle up with El Pres! oops
Good riding and good weather for the Mayhem’ers and the Trans Cambrian team!