Crew: El Pres, Troll, Dunc, Slim, Stunt, Butty, PTD, Lee
Route: Back Eddisbury, Zag, Walker Barn, Tea Rooms, Cat, Danebower Hollow, Cutthorne descent, 3 Shires Head, Farm climb, Cumberland Clough & Brook, Standing Stone, Ferriser Descent, Ressies, Sutton Hall.
Conditions: Warm, overcast, mizzly, buggy.
Notes:
After the crazy heat earlier in the week, setting off in the high teens under full cloud cover felt almost cool!
Dunc calls a 3 Shires visit, and with an earlyish start we pick up most late starters en route to the Cat (except Lee). Weeks of dry weather have affected the vegetation so the patterns are different to what we are often used to, moody skies, and such a light hint of rain that you were not even really wet! (Although there was a heavy shower in Macc which caught out Lee)
Still short sleeves order at the Cat (just) and with much of the climbing done the first of the dry and loose descending could begin – first with Danebower, then after a short road traverse (with hovering kestrel for company), the Cutthorne rocky sandy entry into 3 Shires (which we usually climb), both excellent.
Tonights hazard is mainly flying insects of the bity variety, with there being high humidity and almost no wind.
Stunt gets a painful sting mid descent but the culprit looked to have pulled out and scarpered leaving just a neat puncture!
No one had brought their mankini’s so no swimming tonight, just about enough water, PTD attempted a reverse traverse under the bridge (but to no avail even with an e!)
Too buggy to hang around, so out up past the farm on a rare firm field. It seems that Lee had almost caught us, but didn’t spot us from the A54 so carried on – he must have only been minutes early to see us emerge!
All this full suss action has loosened Dunc’s cheapo dropper post fixings, and we pause for a brief faff.
More rocky fun down Chumby, top part grippy on the sides, lower part weird with there being almost no dampness, and hence more loose stuff than normal.
Butty pays the price for mentioning he had ordered new tyres earlier in the ride, and punctures mid way down. With his sealant dry and smeggy he causes great hilarity with his amusingly see through innertube. He even gets some help pumping it up as we are being bothered by the wee midgies and don’t want to hang around longer than necessary. Some are more attractive to them than others, so we discovered that Dunc is our sacrificial “red shirt” in these situations.
Relief with a full complement of functioning machinery we re-engage legs along the Wildboarclough road, spot some red deer high up in the fields on the right hand side, and make a final push up to standing stone.
Butty fancies the Ferriser descent, and with just enough time we follow.
To prove the adage that things happen in three’s, El Pres finds that his left pedal has slipped off the spindle whislt negotiating the anti horse barriers as you cross the road to start the ressies track.
At Sutton Hall, Lee has arrived only just before, our favoured lock up location has been nabbed by a gaggle of e bikes, so we actually lock up to the flower covered bike rack (once we find a rider who has actually brought a lock!)
Mor is the light summer IPA of choice (might not have been if we had realised the price first!!), and after food the Dark Arts Stout serves as pudding.
Lots of updates on building projects, motorhome trips and general malarky.
Cool enough for a single extra layer on the way home.