Words By Pete, Photos by Pete & Butty
Crew : Chris, Troll, TJ, Butty, Kersh, Pete
Route : Ranger Centre Car Park (Muster point) , Standing Stone, Yoove’s Singletrack , Ferriser , Nessit , downhill course descent to the Ranger Centre
Conditions: Damp & Blowy
Notes:
The muster point gets even further away from the Presidential Palace each week…there was absolutely no chance of us being rumbled as we eventually gathered in a deserted forest car park.
I misjudged my route to the gathering – coming from Bolly via Oakenbank, Bull Hill and the tarmac approach to Charity is a sizeable climb. I was a good 30 minutes late and glad to dump my payload of cans of Hobgoblin IPA in Butty’s car , to make any further climbing a bit easier.
Despite the intermittent rain it still feels good to be riding in the forest , though it is wet and blowy. We wind our way up the tarmac to Standing Stone – as El pud used to say “Climb on tarmac, descend off road” .
Descent ? Butty had a new one to sample …..it seems that Bern’s taste for the off beat paths in the forest has now rubbed off onto Butty.
A week or so ago he had spied a band of intrepid youths disappearing into the woods on the right as you take the main track from Standing Stone towards Shutlingsloe .
Now, I have no doubt that these bold and talented youths had a ball riding this track in dusty dry conditions ….but add a few days of damp and it is as greasy as f££k…and we are a good 25 to 30 years their senior .
So much slipping , some grinning, some giggling , some cussing, a degree of walking and I believe a wee Troll tumble (allegedly , your honour..) ..
And I now have a strange respect for these bold young men …
A wee ride/push up to Ferriser and we descend via Nessit and the bottom half of the traditional downhill course ..
Time for dining Al fresco
When Phil does bangers ….he goes the whole hog (arff..arff) . Home made , home skinned and delivered to us still quite warm :
Exhibit A : “kitchen sink drama” (as in everything but the…) : pork, pudding of colour, smoked bacon, smoked paprika, Jack Daniels.
Exhibit B : “Zorba Jones the Greek”, (linking the two nations that have strong associations with sheep) . ingredients : lamb, mint, halloumi
Delicious and quite filling, especially when washed down with a beer ….
Its dark, damp and getting chilly …time for home …well before midnight.
Whatever happened to the A of E ?