Words by Pete , photos by Pete & Dunc
Crew : Dunc , 3Sheds , Pete and PTD
Route:
Bolly Maze – Tinkers Clough – Beehive Bridge – Redway – Nancyside – Waulkmill Wood –
Poacher’s Snicket – Oakenbank – Jumper Lane – Four Lane Ends – Bakestonedale Rd – Sponds
Daletop – Moor side lane – Brickworks – The Poachers
Conditions: cloudy , dry , cold but not freezing. Noticeably breezy on the GT .
Notes :
A Pete-created TNR – it was a small, yet perfectly formed crew. And there were some decent reasons for absence – radiotherapy and bereavement amongst them.
Dunc fessed up to being a little weary from the start – a 35 mile Airport circuit with the Duks the previous night , and a spin class (with El Pud for company) at lunchtime !
It did not seem to hold him back !
It was a well known formula of a circuit albeit with a little “twist” to the start – Tinkers Clough (which Phil almost cleaned, I think) and the Bee Hive bridge track up to Kerridge .
Thank goodness for a week with hardly any rain – the trails had dried out a lot .
This is a route with a decent amount of climbing – roughly about 2000ft I think . Thats an extrapolation from Dunc’s Garmin data . About half of that ascent is on tarmac – the blaze hill bit is steep but quiet , the road towards Kettleshulme from Four Lanes End was far too busy with fast traffic . We were glad to get to Bakestonedale Rd .
A bit chillier on the GT en route to Sponds Trig. Paul stopped to don the extra later he had shed on the climb.
The view from Sponds was as good as ever , and it was only a little muddy en route to Dale Top .
Here we split the crew , briefly, Paul & Phil went the Whale’s molar route to the capped mine shafts . Funky & I took the less rad route down to Moorside Lane .
We arrived at the pub by 8:30 to find it just about deserted – The January dip ?
Thankfully it was a lot fuller before we left . The Nancies had arrived en masse , a 50/50 split between the riding WNB’s and the “country members” just coming for a beer.
Before I forget : £13 for chicken & mushroom pie , chips , peas and gravy. It wasn’t on the board , but it was blooming’ marvellous
The “Pump of doom” was a 6.3% ipa . Two had halves , one rascal had a pint .
No whisky!