Words by Pete . Pics by Pete.
Route : Muller Corner – Zig – Zag – Saddlers way – Bridleway to Bottoms Rezza – The Leathers 1 – LHS Fire Rd climb – Half Chazza – Cheeky bits – Narnia – The Leathers
Conditions : Trails were dry until we hopped the fence . It stayed mild and slightly overcast during the ride.
Crew : El Pres , Lee , Pete , Smiffy , PTD, Croxy, Butty , 3sheds, Bern , Troll
Notes :
August is silly season in TNR land . The northern posse regulars( Dunc & Alex) are on family hols . TJ is in the Alps . So I decided to make it a southern posse friendly start …but I had forgotten that Muller Corner is slightly old hat now.
But ..”build it and they will come” …we get a crew of 10 !! Three cheers for the “country members”.
The route the week is fashioned on Chris’s regular Tuesday constitutional …but when we get to the apex of chazza its a handover to the Rad Boyz
We pick up PTD on the bottoms reservoir path and then winch up to the Leathers to put a food order in . Shock horror Pete orders a meal with no chips! (Sausage and mash special) . But then there is some sort of divine intervention…apparently there are only three sausage & mashes left …and they are all nabbed before I realise there is a supply issue. So it’s gammon, egg , pineapple & chips for me ….God moves in mysterious ways .
Food ordered we climb towards the forest . As I catch up at the gate to the LHS fire road , Butty & Bern announce that I have just missed a good view of a hunting Barn Owl.
Smiffy stealthily appears from the rear at this point . He has an important payload.
An uneventful climb to chazza . We re-group and get a nice view of a hovering Kestrel .
Just after the transmitter station we the hop the fence and mess about in da forest . After the dry trails on our ascent it’s strangely a bit muddy in the off piste stuff.
But it’s Smiffy (& 3sheds ) 58th Birthdays that needed celebrating. . So it’s Narnia bench time . Fine Courvoisier Brandy and he has got ice cubes as well !
The light is going now – it’s lights on after Narnia benches toasting
In the Leathers the beer choice is quite narrow . The Landlord is all gone and another Timothy Taylors brew (Marmalade??) doesn’t got down well . There is a Tiny Rebel thing under 4% , Adnams bitter at 3.7% (quite decent imho) and Neck Oil at 4.3% (reliable if pricey)
The sensible crew leave after two, the late stayers only manage three. Temperance indeed.
Its p1ssing down as we exit the pub. Grim, cold and a reminder that summer is almost gone. I don ever extra layer I have & thank my lucky stars that Butty is on a van assist evening and parked up on Black Rd. He has also been back playing acoustic on his Liteville. Butty v3.0 is under construction !
Home by 11.12pm !!