Words by Pete, Photos by Butty & Pete
Crew A : Lee, Bern, El Pres
Crew B : Pete, Butty, TJ and Troll
Route A: Macc to Kidsgrove by Northern Rail – The Banjo Loop – The midnight trail back to Macc
Route B : TJ Mystery Machine delivery to Hot Lane – Descent to rendezvous at Kidsgrove – The Banjo Loop
Banjo Loop : Canals section – Road climb to Mow Cop – Fun descent including “the wood which was not dry” , and grassy sections – the another tarmac ascent before a great section along Congleton Edge and then back to the homestead
Conditions : The short version was “improving” .
Notes:
A southern trip to do a Biddulph Banjo Loop thing was floated a week or two back …thanks to Bern’s and Mr Troll’s planning it finally came to pass.
Crew B arrived chez Troll and Ruth in heavy rain showers , and the cloud seemed to be hugging the ridge. Atrocious weather would be an appropriate description.
We descended towards Kidsgrove in slightly lighter rain, but waterproofed up as best we could. By the time we got to the station it had abated . Phew.
The route to Kidsgrove station was via quiet lanes and former railway lines with bits of industrial heritage before the delights of Kidsgrove station itself (which felt a little too “Birkenhead-esque” to me)
Then a bit of canal section , with an interesting stop at some tunnels , some locks (in active use as we passed) and also a visit to the start of the famous Macclesfield Canal.
Then a tarmac lane section climb up to the heights of Mow Cop, with a brief faff stop to deal with TJ’s saddle coming loose. This was an opportunity for Bern to reveal his infamous comprehensive (if somewhat weighty?) toolkit .
From Mow Cop we had the delights of a wood (shady and slippery but fun) and grassy fields descent to Ackers Crossing.
Another tarmac climb, but gentler this time, to the Congleton Edge off road section – great fun – and much easier on a full bounce than my recollections of doing it on a hardtail in c2004 with 80mm forks.
Then home via a more gentle tarmac climb with a visit to Phil’s new land and property acquisition ! . It definitely has potential but it will be a long job.
Once back at Hot Lane the hospitality unfolded ….
- assorted draught beers in milk bottles ..inc an IPA at 7.1 , a lager at 4.? And a fine Pale Ale at 4.?
- Fantastic food from Ruth – Duck Tagine, Monkfish with olives and something , couscous & great salad, fresh baked bread and garlic bread
- Some chocolate stout that was 12.? % and cost more than this in £s for just one can ….
The fire pit was ablaze (Wood brought by TJ in the Mystery Machine) …so we gathered outside to blether and get gently kippered.
Crew A departed on the long journey back to Macc about midnight led by the intrepid Mr Wadsworth …fortunately they started with a long downhill and I gather Lee had chosen as flat as possible a return journey.
Back at revellers central the Malt Whiskey was broken into…and we tried our best to make contact with alien spacecraft (well, TJ at least)
About 1.30am we started getting the “Three Rings” WhatsApps from the Macc bound boys but in Biddulph the AOE with whisky was in full pace
It all got a bit hazy after this point but I do recall Kitchen Dancing about 3am …with a cardboard box of percussion instruments appearing and a crew accompaniment of some Santana track …another TNR first !
Friday was a slow start with an excellent al fresco breakfast of smoked fish, spinach, egg, pancetta , cream …
Our thanks to Ruth and Phil for their hospitality and entertainment, and to Bern and Phil for logistics
A memorable TNR !