Crew: El Pres, Slim, 3 Sheds, Bern, Troll, Butty, TJ, Stunt
Pub: Dunc
Route: Bolly Maze, Middlewood way to Coppice Car park, Lyme park west gate, Knott, Cage, Red lane, Green Lane, Mudhurst Lane, Bowstones, Dale top, Quarries descent, Pott Shrigley, Poachers.
Conditions: Cool & dry on damp trails.
Notes:
Pete has a hankering for a traverse of Lyme park while it’s on summer access hours. The early rain has cleared away for an overcast but unthreatening sky, so even the hydrophobes are out riding. Even better Bern is back – still in Ninja black with a big smile!
Plenty of chatting on the traverse of Middlewood ,the road to West Gate, and up the track to the Knott car park. Although cool for the time of year, it’s not overheating weather – so up to the top of the Knott for moody vistas. Not many folk in Lyme tonight, some glum looking walkers pass as we are regrouping at the Cage, but the runners much happier (perfect weather for running!).
A wet grassy descent towards Horse Coppice reservoir – and a wonderful smell of sausages coming from somewhere!
Bedragged squirrels jumping around in the trees, and red deer ears flicking flies away give away their presence as they are sat down on the other side of the park.
A nice meander up Red and Green lanes before hitting the main road, passing a family in full waterproofs by their car in the layby making hot drinks and pot noodles on a stove to warm up after a cold walk!
Mudhurst lane climb gets up warm to get to Bowstones, but before we crest our nostrils are assulted by foul smells. The culprit is the farmer who has spread stripes of black muck over the moor to our right all the way along to the end of the main track. Two huge tyred tractors are parked up there, and some reloading is going on from a digger eating away at a huge mound of filth.
They have used the main track to get to the moors – with tyre churn on both sides, and liquid brown and black stuff inches deep along much of the middle.
The Nancies are coming up from park moor over the stile, so at least all the bikers coming into the Poachers will be in a similar state!
We take the swampy direct route along the wall to avoid the black mountain, and at least our tyres are getting cleaned in the process.
Plenty of sheep poo to get through too on the uppy downy bits to Dale top, then fun descent to Moorside lane (with optional beavers creek for some).
Into the pub for 8:30, with a crush at the bar as all biking groups arrive at the same time.
Shocking news that the Bowstones goo is “treated human excrement” – cue hand and face washing!!
This also leads to food delays so two rounds of table crisps are required to keep the wolf from the door (well it’s been a decent ride tonight!)
Dunc joins up direct from his fell race in the forest – to which he cycled, then cycled here!
Butty is “so back in the room” with cheeky ribaldry and a chip butty order 🙂
Does TJ more resemble a french philosopher or aging footballer? we reckon he could be mistaken for David Ginola these days 😉
Bern tells us that there have been more than a thousand TNR’s…to which we cannot argue with the maths, and gets us all nostalgic about TNR activities of old. Fond memories too of Huge Stewart who has been in touch to update that he has Motor Neurone Disease…Mayhem 2008 will live long in the memory.
A fabulous beartown pudding stout eases us into the later stages of the evening, and even surpasses Leffe as the last drink of choice!
Cool ride home, rumours of Poynton whisky before bed!!