words and photos by Pete
Crew: Butty, Pete, 3 sheds, Bern, El Presidente
Weather: Cloudy, cool & windy on the tops . Rain in the distance.
Route: BL – Buxton Rd – Tea Rooms – Stakeside – Down to the road – shooters clough Car Park – Yoof downhill track – The Street – Pym’s Chair – Dead Man’s Hill – The Vale
Notes:
I was tempted to title this TNR “Bleeding Reverb “ ?.
I spent a good hour or so of the afternoon carefully bleeding my reverb seatpost remote release…only to find at the end of this procedure that it would not work!
So I quickly commissioned “old faithful “ , my trusty Cotic Soul. 26 ain’t dead yet.
Last weeks massive turnout of 10 had dwindled to a reliable crew of five. 3sheds and Bern are now statistically significant again. It’s official.
And El Presidente was once again in full ops leader mode. We were blessed.
He decreed Goyt as our destination so up we went on the long climb to the Tea rooms.
Bern took the lead and sped off up Buxton Rd, but it was Chris who won the sprint.
The wind was cool enough on the tops to warrant an extra layer. It feels like a while since we have been in the Goyt.
The boys were waiting for me on the turn into Shooters Clough. Descending on the Cotic is a distinctly slower affair than on my Five, but it still makes me grin.
Thankfully we take the more direct route to the right and down. By the bottom my brakes are complaining
Butty has suggested we do a loop on the mini downhill circuit close to the Errwood Dam.
Here we encountered a van-full of yoof – apparently having driven here to just ride this little downhill circuit. No lights, no backpacks, no uphill grind from Macc for them …but I am sure they had fun.
After the downhill loop we climb The Street with lights on now. At Pym’s Chair Chris Palmer is in Operations Leader mode again – food order for the Vale sorted, with a promise of “we will be there in 15 minutes”
Swoopy route from Pym’s chair down but especially so from Dead Mans Hill (Erwin Lane )
Food arrives on the table as we come through the door – service with a smile . A to K IPA is tasty but not cheap , Dortmunder Lager , Eastern Nights ….excellent choices of ale .
Bern is up for pudding but alas the chef has gone home …
a mini AOE of Glenmorangie and “I’ll have half” from Bernard
Poor barman has to be on a 6:30 am train to London !