Words & Photos by Pete
Crew : 3 Sheds , Dunc, PTD, Chris , Doog, Pete
Conditions : Cool but not cold , about 7 or 8 . Quite dry in some places, distinctly muddy in others (the chapel approach and Kerridge bridleway) . Breezy higher up . Cold on the descent of blaze hill
Route : RB – War memorial – Higher Lane – Lidgetts – bridleway -Waulkmill wood – Poacher’s snicket – Oakenbank – Jumper lane – Blaze hill – Spuley Rd – Pott Shrigley – Moorside Lane – Chapel (closed for the winter) – Long lane – Stypersons – sugar lane – towpath – Poachers.
Notes :
5:30pm start from RB . Still vaguely light as I departed Oldham St.
I thought we would be thin on the ground this week, envisaging it just being me, Chris and Dunc with Butty and Troll being out in the Alps. But our ranks were swelled to six !
My venerable MTB light developed a fault last week on the descent of Cumberland Clough . So my “plan B” light was being road tested this week . Originally purchased in about 2015 for my commuting to UU , it is a nifty shade os something approaching metallic pink . Not quite the 2200 lumens of the other one, but it proved to be an adequate answer for tonight’s route .
It was a notch potch circuit tonight , with familiar , well used sections being put together in a one-off combination . But it definitely felt sufficiently off-roady with the tarmac bits being pleasantly calm and traffic free.
At the top of higher lane we had the customary brief debate of “which way from here ?” . Well, Paul was with us tonight. I don’t think there was really any appetite for a hike a bike up the quarry footpath to the top – Lidgetts was the answer.
A minor comedy miss-mount by the doog at the start of the bridleway .
Surpisingly we managed to stretch out the ride so that we arrived just about bang on 8:30pm !
I bagged the last remaining portion of Steak and Stilton Pie . Talk of “the cars we had as younger men” ..a lotus in Dunc’s case , a loved but rusty Escort Mk2 1600 Sport in my case , a Panther Kallista in PTD’s case (replete with an lsd-equipped axle) .
Refreshments : White Rat Yorkshire Play Ale at 4.0% and a reasonable price, the inevitable £7 guest IPA at 6.2% then a Leffe frenzy