Alternate titles for this weeks episode :
– How wet was your Goyt ?
– Twilight at The Tea Rooms
Words and photos by Pete
Crew : Troll, Cap’n Dunc, El Pres, Pete
Pub : Ruth
Route : Zag bottom – Tearooms – Stakeside – Shooters Clough – Errwood Ruins – Shrine ascent – The Street – Pym Chair – Ewrin Lane – Pike Rd – The Robin Hood
Conditions : Cold Easterly, wet , muddy
Stats (by Cap’n Dunc) : 2300 ft of climb
Notes :
A Cap’n Dunc initiative .
“Scenes from a cold and damp spring ride to the Goyt Valley “
It was still daylight as we gathered at the bottom of the Zag. By this point we were all already a bit damp and cold – but being consenting adults we pressed on .
Climbing to the cat in daylight meant we could see what we were passing. It was a bit of a sad sight, which added to our discomfort in the stiff , wet easterly. New born lambs clinging to their mothers in the biting wind and rain . One poor individual seemed to have been separated from its mother. Chris remarked to me “ wonder whether it will survive the night ?” .
Bizarrely I spotted a pair of hikers boots seemingly jammed in the bottom of a wire fence . How did this happen ? Wtf
Chris & I caught up with the dynamic duo at the tea rooms . It was too cold to linger – onward ! Once up on stake side we got some shelter from the evil wind. From this point onwards you definitely feel like you are out in the wilds and abandoning civilisation as you venture onward.
Stakeside descent was the muddiest and wettest I have ever encountered , but still quite fun . And it took longer than I thought it would to reach the gap in the wall where we turn left and drop into Shooter’s Clough. This descent needed a bit of care , but was quite entertaining in a “laughing insanely” manner. The stream at the bottom wasting a good impression of becoming a river – cross carefully or its wet and cold feet for the rest of the ride.
The last section as you exit Shooter’s Clough and approach Errwood itself was insanely slippery – fortunately the steps down to the wooden bridge are stone and gave some grip as we carried our bikes down.
On the climb past the Shrine (St Joseph’s Chapel) to The Street Dunc leads despite his dodgy knee . It is partly rideable (mostly rideable for Dunc) , pushable for the slackers like me. Thankfully it was only a little bit of a mudfest. It was easy to miss the Shrine itself (Phil did !) as it lurked in the darkness to our left . I was (as normal) bringing up the rear – the red tail lights ahead beckoning me onward. Its shorter than you think it is going to be.
Topping out at Pym’s chair …its tarmac all the way now , we dodge the pot holes on the descents and with our way up Dead Man’s Hill . Once you have topped out on Ewrin lane (it was about 8:20 pm ) you know you will be at The Robin Hood in no time . We arrived (as promised) by 8: 30.
The car park was packed , but we found room at the top end of the bar.
The Robin Hood is a strange mixture of a place, but the beer choice is OK (Shipyard Pale, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord & Boltmaker) . The Cheese Burger (and chips) is quite good quality and only £10.50. They have a ukulele group on a Thursday ..but their singing is dire . A bit Room 101.
After noshing we relocated (from the slightly cavernous far end of the pub) to “the snug bit” opposite the bar – which has a fire ! And the ukuleles from hell had ceased their drone. Sitting here and warming up …we could observe a rather refreshed chap trying to sort out his card’s pin code and pay for his imbibing. Then I over hear that he has (somehow) to get back to Poynton …with his faithful (and long suffering) Spaniel. Oh dear .
A bloke asked us where we had been riding – when I told him “down into the Goyt” its seemed to strike a chord .He told me his father (as a young man) had worked on the demolition of several farms before they flooded the valley to create Errwood reservoir – and caught some nasty Rat born affliction in the process . And his grandfather built the dam which separates it from Fernilee reservoir.
Ruth arrives and treats the AOE to a round of Jura, bless her !
It is time to be home and thawed and dried out, but it has been a mini-adventure . What Cap’n Dunc calls #type2fun .
Three Rings all round before the witching hour !