Crew: Dunc, Lee, Stunt
Route: Rainbow bridge, Endon House Climb, Lidgetts lane, back of Kerridge, Rainow, Smith Lane, Cheshire Corkscrew (bank lane), Jenkin Chapel, Pyms Chair, Wingather Rocks, Taxal Edge, Kettleshulme, Kishfield lane, Priest Lane, double track to the Moorside, Mudhurst lane, Bowstones, Dale Top, Quarry descent, Moorside lane, Pott Shrigley, Poachers.
Conditions: Warm and dry, a cooling breeze up high
With a likely small crew Dunc takes charge and set the bar high with an early start for Taxal with a table booked at the poachers for 8:45.
Even more ambitious – he’s refurbing his front forks..with pictures of disassembled metal at lunchtime!
At the meet point he arrives…on the backup bike..it was a bridge too far for today.
Dodging homeward bound commuters we set off, catching our first nettle stings at the canal gate, and accompanied by the sound of strimming at the model aircraft club landing strip, and a hint of dust off our wheels.
On lidgetts we catch up another three riders, we think some of the Nancy’s, already complaining about being tired!!
Back of Kerridge firm and fast, and even the slope of doom has a dry line down it!
Now for the first big uphill past the Robin Hood, Gin Clough and Smith lane – going slow gives time to admire the hay meadows full of flowers, and the blooms on the roadside in pink, white and yellow.
Bank lane is dusty dry! but once through the (new) gate it’s the usual mud on rock slither, then just rocky, still about the best conditions you can get. The cobbles are grippy and then granny gears up to Jenkin Chapel – a big Hare lolloping across our path and into the next field, and the first sight of Wingather with the lane full of cars – likely crawling with climbers.
Conversation dries up and legs burn up to Pym’s chair as we start to catch a bit of wind, and with that behind us talk turns to the route post Taxal, and going the full Jumbo if time permits…
The track across the moor is in great condition with swoopy lines, and the singletrack by the wall is superb. Wingather is indeed infested with climbers so we take a lower line away from the edge, and enter the rocky chute to the woods.
Full manpoints to Dunc and Lee for getting up the other side in one go and no dabs!
Nosey young cattle block the way at the start of the ridge, but with some assertive encouragement they do reluctantly give way (we wonder if Dunc’s cowbell may have been counter productive?)
It’s a hint chilly in the wind, as a buzzard soars almost stationary in the ridge lift to our right, great light on the western hills, and discussion on which is Chinley Churn ensues.
Now clear of traffic we can attack the line all the way along and all too soon we are at the end.
Time is good so we will head right at Kettleshulme and take the evil Priest lane climb, head along to the “Llamas and Cars” house, and over the doubletrack up to the Moorside.
Some debate as to Llamas, Alpaca’s or both, the old Nissan truck is still there (now with old wire fencing stacked up on the back), lamb no 19 appears to be playing truant (Lee tries to re-unite it but it’s having none of it), and more Hares and Rabbits scuttle across the field with rooks scattering.
Possible sighting of the disley harriers skirting the yonder hill, then we are across the road and on the final ascent of the day to Bowstones. Lee distracts us with tales of the end of the world, some bird spotting (meadow pippit?) and then we are at the top.
Moor also very dry – even the bog of doom is passable with the line by the wall properly dry. It makes for fast passage across the down and ups, and the corner cutting route to Dale Top.
Shafts of evening sunlight are coming through the clouds over the plain, and route taxonomy for our descent – is the Quarries descent now the Plantation descent (with the plantation now the bigger feature?) either way its fast and bumpy all the way down to the lane.
Jumbo job done, road descent to the Poachers for a sub 3 hour circuit.
The away team seem to have posted slightly bigger stats than us (but then they have been at it all day).
Confident it will be a proper Munro ride by the time we get home, we tuck into well earned food (Lee astounds them by ordering soup and Nachos – apparently no one orders soup in the evening! – but the kitchen approve it 🙂 ) the milk stout is excellent.
Much adventure talk of Japan – Lee is now chief TNR adventure officer, and geeky NW bike route note swapping.
Balanced out by painting and decorating tales and advice on facia replacement! It’s all excitement tonight 😉
There appears to be a lack of ribaldry…and a control experiment on the Dunc ribaldry catalyst would appear to be a null result!!
Cool on the ride home, and hoping for cramp free sleep!