Crew: El Pres, PTD, Slim, 3 Sheds, Troll, Dunc, Butty, Stunt
Pub: Adrian & Biscuit
Route: Rainbow bridge, Redway lane, back of Kerridge, Waulkmill wood, Ingersley Vale, Poachers Snicket, Pott Shrigley, Bakestonedale road, Gritstone trail, Sponds, Dale Top, quarries descent, chapel descent, Pott Shrigley, Long Lane, Beeston mount, Poachers.
Conditions: Fine, still, cool later.
Notes:
Dunc arrives on the freshly reassembled full suss, and we get the lowdown on changing all 10 bearings, and mirth at his comment of how smooth his back end is now!
Pete has a new front light, and Butty is on the “old” E-MTB having broken the E bit of the new one at the weekend after a clipping a pedal on a treestump (there was no sympathy!)
With no advance route plan, and a lack of credible alternatives, it’s a Sponds high point to aim for.
With a Spunch countryside score PeteQuest next week – we get stuck into what is the right bike, and what handicapping for E C**ts, we can hear Thornton licking his proverbial lips at the prospect of local rules.
“Taxi to the kerb” as we pass a small car parked a good metre from the pavement on the start of the climb up to the Bulls Head, and motoring nostalgia is invoked as a TVR Chimera on Redway lane is started up. That V8 is running a little lumpily “well all the cylinders are firing…just not necessarily in the right order”
Heading down “under Nancy” we head right for a little section along the back of Kerridge, before cutting back down the slippery slabs to Waulkmill wood, and the heaviest gate in the parish.
Recent rain has put the trail into muddy mode, which makes it worthy of concentration.
At the bottom, a chap is reversing his short wheelbase defender (with SantaCruz on the back), and we reunite him with his bottle, which has fallen off.
The puppy training class are further along the lane this week, and all seemed well behaved!
Long climb up to the gritstone becomes a race to the sunset, which we lose, but do get treated to some nice pink cloud formations close to a vertical half moon low in the sky.
A lot of sheep in the fields, and plenty crowding the shonky gate at the start of the gritstone. They do part to let us through – the farmer needs a new gate post, the current flappy fence mess needs more that two bits of nylon string to sort it out!
Cresting the ridge the dusk views are superb, the air is still and clear, and clouds here and there add to the ambience. Also admiring the view is a new landcape feature – two huge slabs of rock now form a bench, with a smart plaque to the late old farmer who can watch his flocks in peace.
Somehow watching sheep turns into inappropriate alternative gatherings for pete’s 60th, ribaldry zone is definitely reached early.
All the fine september weather has kept the grass growing for longer, so it seems that all available animals are out to pasture – lots and lots of sheep, 2 horses by the Trig, and a herd of black cattle spread out further down.
Jackets and buffs on as the temperature starts to fall, lights on, and across to Dale top, then down the quarries descent on very wet dewy grass.
Lead riders get an extremely bright ISS Pass overhead as the equally bright lights of their compadres wind their way down. Dunc stops at the tree to adjust rear shock pressure (then regrets it).
Meanwhile at the bottom – the no mudguard policy of Butty is now regretted – the thing about so many animals is that there is a proportional increase in sheep shit – he’s covered in it, and so is his bike!
Time for the Chapel descent – and the best lines into the stream are overgrown with very spiky bushes!
With some puddles and more wet grass – the worst of the sheepy stuff is off the tyres at least, but some washing machines may be doing overtime in the morning.
Poachers is very busy, but the team look after us well, a golf themed IPA is spurned (with good reason) for pumps of doom, or Dortmunder, food arrives in stages, which leads to El Pres finishing ahead of the rest!!
Adrian and Biscuit arrive too – causing much doggy conversation with various folk.
We get the low down on the paragliding mishaps of Phil’s mates – but the wisdom seems to be – when the weather turns spicy take the safe landing spot even if it means a 3 hours hike back, rather than try to get back to the target spot, then get stuck in no mans land with no good options. Clearly multi week hospital stays from dodgy landings are far worse than a long walk and wounded pride.
An impromptu quiz on how many films each bond made, and lots of general banter.
Pudding beer is the old hag, then the AoE go Leffe/Whisky.
Chilly ride home despite the beer jacket.
And after all that no one mentioned it was the solstice – tis now officially Autumn.