Words by Alex, Photos by Pete & Butty
Crew: PTD, El Pres, Slim, Troll, Butty, Stunt
Route: Bolly maze, Middlewood way to poynton coppice, Shrigley road to West gate, climb to the Knoll car park, Gritstone trail to and through Knights Low wood, up the descent to Bowstones, top of Park moor track just inside the wall, Moorside lane, Chapel descent, Shrigley road, Long Lane, Styperson quarries, Sugar lane, Canal, Clarence Mill, Poachers.
Conditions: Fine, dry, very windy
A select group this week with hols and injuries depleting the wider team.
Pete declares a bolly finish, and Stunt suggests a route out to Lyme Park staying low into wind, then getting the assist higher up on the way back.
At the maze – we wait for the man who lives closest to be the last to arrive!
Plenty of leisure cyclists and dog walkers out on the middlewood making the best of fine weather (with some erratic riding to boot). PTD rides with the motor turned off on the flat – “as it’s actually easier as the motor is holding you back on the lower assist level” it makes for pleasant company chatting at an easy pace for the acoustics.
Which is best way through the Park – A:Right up to Knights cottage then round the outside of the wall and into Knights Low wood at the corner or B: Up past the Knott and hang a right just before the car park?
Just as we are about to debate it – Butty arrives (having declared likely pub only). Fresh from hols he has the best local knowledge – and says that it’s clearly B.
Dry rooty ground makes for nice riding, at the wood team E go for the over the top “fun” route, whilst team Acoustic contour round, meeting at the gate to the moor.
Red deer are settled in the grass high up, a couple of riders come past having done the descent, and we climb up past hairy highland cattle chewing the cud, with the wind now showing it’s face.
At the top the trees are singing, a hazy light bathes the moor (whetting the photographers whistle), and Butty startles some skylarks into the air as he sets off on his recommended wall track. He does warn us it’s damp in places!
A narrow doubletrack through marshgrass, there are some very wet spots – slipply logs anyone?
We are soon through the worst, and enjoying flowing trail through a sea of grass rippling in the wind.
There is no way through the wall to cut across to Dale top – but the descent is more of the same – and all the better for it – tricky with limited visibility of the narrow track – and there are some cheekly little drops here and there – with a few rocks in for good measure!
Just one huge ladder stile to get out and onto Moorside lane, some ferrying of the bikes is needed as turning at the top in the wind on a wobbly structure is not the best idea!
Super dry on the Chapel descent, and time for Stypersons (where the locals are sessioning) before route one (via a bit of the canal) to the Poachers.
Three groups of riders tonight – Team Simondo, the Nancies and Us.
Oblivion at 5.5% or the SUP (of doom) win in the Ale stakes, El Pres passes up the opportunity for meat by going the Nut roast, and Stunt does the Nachos – which are definitely not a light option!
An evening of catching up on progress at Troll towers 2 (some serious engineering in them floors!), geeking on inflight assist tuning if you have a Spesh.
Much nostalgia and love for life on the wirral (mostly PTD & Pete!):
Mugged by a seagull
1980s p*rn mags In Birkenhead
Abseiling off Anglican cathedral
Scrap yards in Birkenhead
and a lot of unburdening on life’s current challenges!!
PTD does AoE whisky! We go speyside for a smooth one especially for him – and it’s not half bad.
Howling wind on the way home – storms passing through tomorrow!