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TNR 06-07-2023 The Poachers – the long way around 

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Words by Pete , Photos by Lee & Pete

Crew : the Doog, Lee, Butty, 3sheds, Croxy and Pete 

In da Pub : Stunt

Route : Zag – Back Eddisbury Gate Lane – Kerridge Bridleway – Waulkmill Wood – Poachers – Oakenbank – Jumper Lane – Highway Man – tarmac to GT – Park Moor boundary wall path – Dale Top – Birchencliffe – Long Lane – Stypersons – Sugar Lane – Canal – Clarence Mill – Queen St Cobbles – The Poachers  

Conditions: Very mild, now real wind and a little overcast about 16c or 17c up high 

Notes

A Lee Wadsworth operational planning & photo session evening 

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I had requested a moderate local ride (after a busy Wednesday) , but we ended up doing a respectable 2hrs + hilly circuit at a sensible pace . 

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With Croxy and The Doog in attendance it felt a bit like old times , the weather was dull but dry and a great temperature for riding . With the veil of cloud felt like someone had “turned down the colour on the world” a bit . 

Raven on the Park Moor Fence (version 2)

Library shot from a few weeks back

It is always, imho, good to venture up to the Gritstone Trail – Sponds – Bowstones – Park Moor territory . It was fairly dry and Phil suggested we take the rollercoaster path by the wall . Marvellous . The thistles are all high and in bloom. We could see some Red Deer over the massive drystone wall which borders Park Moor.

Red Deer on Park Moor 2

Library shot from a few weeks back

The Poachers was strangely quiet until about 10am when the Nancies arrived en masse (15 plus of ‘em). They had been on a car-assist trip to The Roaches . Two more groups of locals turned up and suddenly the place felt absolutely packed. 

The £7 pump of doom now has a new friend : The £6 pump of slightly-less-doom 🙂 . It was a cloudy IPA which was allegedly 3.7% but tasted stronger. A second, well..it was just mandatory …. 

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Alex arrives , the sensible ones slope off after a moderate amount of beer. A small, but perfectly formed AOE enters the Leffe Zone .