Crew: Butty, Troll, Slim, Doog, 3 Sheds, PTD, TJ, Stunt, Dunc, Lee, Steve
Picnic: G & Sarah
Route: Muller Corner, Zag, Teggs Nose, Smithy, Forest Chapel road, Fire road and singletracks to Witches cottage, reverse Narnia, Charity, extension, Standing stone, Ferriser, Standing stone.
Conditions: Warm & dry – a bit buggy later.
Notes:
Butty floats a bring your own butty’s & beer night with van logistics assist and it tempts out a decent crew!
At MC the Buttmobile arrives with Pete and TJ and coolboxes to take provisions, he then drives to Standing Stone and rides down to the Leathers to meet up with us. Troll also parks his van there and follows suit. Lee and Steve declare late faffing.
In the meantime we ride to Teggs where we are not the only folk thinking it’s a good night for a picnic, luckily they are well off the track, and the main face only has a couple of walkers near the top. Dry and loose means different line strategies to normal – but maybe after a few weeks this is coming more naturally?
Still the smell of burning brakes wafts at the bottom carpark.
Plenty of riders out and about in the forest, with more than one group assembling at the Leathers.
Emma pops out of the pub (walking the dog!) to say hi, comms with Lee and Steve arranges a standing stone RV.
PTD takes charge to take us up a downhill singltrack, which is more rideable than expected, and very pleasant under the shady trees with a gentle breeze. We traverse a little way along the fire road at the top, and then get a couple of swoopy sections before arriving out on the main track to witches cottage.
It’s fun, but we also see the benefit of long trousers at this time of year.
Part way along reverse narnia Stunt gets some worring clonking from his main pivot – and the rear triangle seems to be sliding off the bearings towards the drive side. Engineering expertise from 3 sheds declares it too risky to keep riding it – so we divert to standing stone and the butty toolbox.
Rider stays to attempt a fix, Lee and Steve arrive, and the functioning bikes head out towards Ferriser for some more fun.
“Control to Flamingo where are you?” “Zulu reporting in from control 6 and on way back” “Come in Paddy!” Scouting orientieering with radios is being monitored by two leaders in a pickup (aka control) whilst Stunt fails to repair the misaligned frame.
Soon the riders return, and G & Sarah (plus dog) arrive too, G carrying 2 sticks to hit Stunt’s bike with 🙂
Picnic blankets, folding chairs and a “Bed bench” are deployed in the meadow, beers are opened, quiche is sliced, pork pies are smeared in mustard and the world is a better place.
The Deya from the Trolls magic keg is very good, the Toast IPA (made from unsold bread) is not one to buy again :-(. Some layering up as it cools off, and jungle formula or smidge essential as the bugs come out to play!
A sliver of moon and a bright planet the only heavenly bodies visible in the sky as a day off the solstice it’s only dim not dark.
Stunts cadges a lift home from a generous troll, PTD offers whisky at the Shubberies as we have a whisky fail event at the picnic!! But the van drivers (and passengers) politely decline.
A fine evening (and an annoyingly good advert for ebikes)
Next week Banjo country?