Crew: PTD, Slim, Butty, Stunt
Pub: Adrian & Biscuit, Dunc
Route: Bolly Maze, Grimshaw Lane, Jackson Lane, Windmill Lane, Lidgetts Lane, back of Kerridge, Rainow, Oakenbank, Spuley Lane, Pott Shrigley, Bakestonedale road, Gritstone Trail, Sponds Hill, Dale Top, quarry descent, Moorside lane, Pott Shrigley, Poachers.
Conditions: Cold & Still
A compact crew tonight for the first ride of meteorological spring with a two part meetup, first at the Bolly Maze with the last of the light in the sky, Venus and Jupiter clear and bright very close together in the West. We rv with PTD on Lidgetts to the hooting of owls in the trees.
Quite dry on Kerridge and conversation is already putting the world to rights!
PTD confesses that Oakenbank is too straight and too flat in the middle to be fun (aka not Gnarly enough!) he is forgiven, but has he woken the spirits of the trail? Stunt finds that his pedalling is not making a difference – and finds a long stick has wedged between his chain ring and dislodged the chain…good thing it didn’t go in the wheel!
The air is cold tonight, and the lights of the poachers below seem warm and welcoming, we leave it behind to seek warmth through the climb up to the gritstone passing clumps of daffodills on the verges, tall and slim almost ready to bloom.
Lights on in the cow shed at Brinks farm, and some excited lowing going on – milking time?
Butty is roving on the edges of the Gritstone when he comes across some strange bin lid sized biscuits on the ground in various places…is there a feral cookie monster roaming the hills? answers on a postcard.
At the trig we can see that a big trailer has been through the gate and across the tops – there are deep parallel gouges in the turf, as we set off across the down and ups it becomes clear that it must have been heavy as the wheels have cut deep into the soil – not to be crossed on a bike at speed!
One positive is that this new landscape feature points directly to where we want to be – a good guide for the future!
More distant cow noise just carries to Dale top on the unusally still air, in fact there is a definitely strange feeling about the evening – we have not seen a single other rider or runner all evening,it has clouded over and the hills are dark and quiet, in fact just the kind of situation the mystery machine breaks down in!
Given the good conditions this seems odd – tis cold though and a time check suggests we abandon the proposed chapel descent option, and head route one to the pub.
Acoustic riders do the classic quarries descent to moorside lane, the e-c**ts do beavers creek, and we re group at the brickworks for a final run down into bolly.
Busy in the Poachers, the bolly harriers out in force and a dice game being played on another table.
Adrian is awaiting us, with the lovely Biscuit – who likes pubs as she gets fussed over (and fed crisps!)
Wincle waller a good first pint option, the pricy cloudy one wins on taste (Butty had 3!!) and this weeks porter quite acceptable too.
Dunc arrives on road bike, as the mini AoE slips into a double Leffe zone.
Sub zero forecast next week – might there be snow?