Words & pics by Pete
Route : Zag – Saddlers Way – Bottoms Reservoir – Leathers – LHS Forest ascent – Chazza plus Ext – Standing Stone – Nessit – semi off piste to Bob’s Bench – tarmac to The Society Rooms
Crew : Chris , Troll, Butty , Dunc, Lee , Smiffy , Pete , TJ
In da pub : Croxy , Ruth
Conditions : Mild and a bit blowy & cooler up at the top of the forest
Notes :
After three consecutive weeks with a Bolly finish I sought out a bit of presidential steerage on the route choice for this week , and our watering hole . The conclusion: “Zag start , Macc ‘Spoons finish . Something forest-ish in between.”
Notable points from our ride this evening :
- A good turnout – 8
- The rain faded out early & it’s mild
- Charity ext is very chunky! Almost unrideable
- Weird road signs at Forest Chapel (see photo)
- Chain jam for Dunc at the S bend before Nessit.
- Big butty off on the downhill due to a fairly substantial fallen tree across his path. Landed on the crossbar but just missed the family jewels. Phew.
- Limoncello in ride refreshment provided by Lee. Down at Bobs bench , where we all gathered minus TJ ( who had stopped for mudguard faff )
Macc Spoons is not too full but not completely empty – Leffe is the order of the day as its obscenely cheap . Ruth arrives at the pub before troll had had his fill of Leffe (shock, horror) . Croxy is our social member for the second week in a row.
We depart The Society Rooms at little after midnight
My own journal notes :
“Late November in Macc forest & Late evening in Macc spoons .The sky cleared by the time we were climbing into the forest proper . I could make out Cassiopeia , queen of Ethiopia, directly overhead.
My knee is talking to me as we winch up from the Leathers . I am at the back . A mixture of being happy to be doing a circuit of the forest again, and worrying a little about my knee. It’s relatively mild . The fine rain that started as I crossed from upper Bollingtonia has finely stopped . The sky is clearing and a gorgeous half moon ? hangs in the sky .
It’s good to be out. “