drunkcyclist2

words by Alex, photos by Pete – title coincidence by fate

Crew: Butty, TJ, El Pres, Slim, Stunt, ePTD

Route: Middlewood way bridge 3 (Clarke lane), middlewood way to Bollington, then onto Canal at Hawthorne Road, Off at canal bridge 23 onto path to Sugar Lane, up Stypersons Pool, Shrigley road to the Methodist chapel before West Park Gate, up the “Chapel Descent” to Moorside lane, grassy ascent to Dale top, along the ridge, down Beavers Creek, Bakestonedale Road, Poachers

Conditions: Heavy rain & lighting to 6:30 then sunny, cold later.

Stats: History is made! 1st ebike faff (PTD)

Notes:

The narrow rain belt due to have gone through before the ride was a bit behind schedule, and mainly centred on Butty as he rode in from Poynton.

Ride start point re-arranged to the Clarke lane/Middlewood way bridge where the bedraggled lad was cowering 🙂

By the time the rest of the crew arrived, the sun was shining, joggers were jogging, and commuters were whizzing along.

Where to from here? Butty had earned the honour of routemeister, and he fancies going up Stypersons pool up and finishing at the poachers.

We set off, although the wet has clearly got into “BUTNAV” and he sends some of us the wrong way a couple of times before he gets his bearings!

Plenty of puddles on the towpath, but lovely light and its a very scenic route, more BUTNAV alternative routing works out well with a nice snicket at bridge 23 that leads straight to Stypersons.

Its good training Butty says – and on a drier night maybe so, on freshly wet roots and mud less so!

The Cheshire plain looks lovely in slightly misty glory, as does Shrigley road which has been properly fully resurfaced from just past the Coffee Pot! (a nice change from the normal minimalist bodged worst of the holes approach normally seen in East Cheshire!!)

We head up past wayside chapel, doors open and golden light bathing the inside, wet grass on the ascent manageable, scenery still stunning!

Comms with PTD (who has set out later on the eMTB) have got us a Rendevous on moorside lane, which works out perfectly, with time to spot hovering kestrels on the ridge while he comes up the last of the lane to meet us.

That “e” has certainly got him here fast, and there is plenty of green eyes as he powers up the last climb to Dale top as the rest of us puff and push, He adds insult to injury by then descending and climbing back again by the time the last of us is up!

New gate at the top!!..build it and they will come? 3 mountain bikers appear from Sponds and come through, then runners (and one labrador) from Didsbury Running club arrive from our direction for a selfie at the top! Some of our number are thinking about joining 😉

Sunset and a cool breeze = layering up, and its lights on for the Beaver’s creek descent.

PTD has to go the long way round to find a gate (eMTB’s are very heavy), but that’s not a problem as he powers back to the top to come down and join us at the mining model.

A little moment of TNR history though as he informs us that his display has gone out, and a first ebike faff ensues…in which the e stops working completely! what no multimeter on the multitool 🙂 Nothing for it but a descent to the pub.

Our usual spots are taken in the bike park, so we are forced to take the Nancies spot, and are in fact ahead of them ..we outnumber them in the end anyway!

The somerset ale is the winner in the taste stakes, all the food is devoured, and we all (except TJ) feel the need to have to hot puddings! Strangely this leaves less room for beer!?

Long rides on heavy bikes, or early starts mean no axis of evil tonight, bivvy talk may have been in vain (forecast getting worse)..(ed update – bivvy happened on the Sat night)

Tricky manouvering past the empty beer barrels on the way out!

Spooky moon and cold air on the way home…definitely a “summers over” feel

Crew: Butty, TJ, PTD, El Pres, Croxy, Slim, Stunt

Route: BL, Zig, Teggs “suicide” extreme LHS descent, Crooked Yard Road, Charity, Singletrack to Narnia, Extension, Forest Chapel to Standing Stone, Nessit Hill, the all new “son of Dentists” trail, upper ressies, Leathers, Witches cottage, Charity, Campfire/Bivvy

Conditions: Warm, bit of breeze, dry with occasional damp patches on the trails.

Notes:

Butty celebrates his half century with a campfire/Bivvy night.

Logistical support via Team Palmer – El Pres orders the curry, Tom does the delivery, together with bivvy stuff and beers.

Despite talk of a slack ride, PTD and Croxy get all excited and plan a very uppy downy route to do “all the good stuff”.

Not as hot as the last couple of weeks (thankfully) but we are still glad of the bit of breeze.

Sparrowhawk buzzes PTD on an attack run low over the hedges on the way up to Teggs gate, and a nice bit of banter with a kindly dog walker who holds the higher gate for us.

The Library being discussed at the start of the descent turn out to be a real book thing! (as opposed to a reference to a Mr T p#rn stash that many of us assumed!)

The top section may be rideable to PTD, but many of us chose to walk most of it, the lower section – totally excellent and worth the wait 🙂

More grinding up hill, with much chat..including “a load of shit” ..motorhome toilet geekery…120L water tank capacity anyone?

Plenty to admire in the lovely light, contrasts in the fields, sunny slopes dry and dead, shady lower ones still green.

Shire horse and a shetland in the same paddock, sun glinting off distant farmhouse windows.

A regroup at the start of Charity, up the now 2018 summer regular RHS upper pathway, rather than the BOAT.

Croxy gets to experience the swoopy singletrack for the first time.

Time check suggests we can get over the other side of nessit for the trails there, and still be at Charity to meet Tom for 9:30.

Despite the camera buffs stopping for more unmissable shots, we do make it, although PTD and Butty do more trails off Nessit, while the rest do plan A – which takes us into trail monkey territory complete with sharp bend signs, big jumps (we didn’t) and new routes. Cleared trees add a new dimension lower down, and with such dry conditions a joy to ride!

Legs getting a bit weary now with a short uphill to do the higher ressie track, then the long ride up.

Wagon full of logs parked on the fire road (presume the driver in the leathers!) more good views to distract from the drudgery.

Needing to dig deep on the final road section, we find ourselves ahead of time!

The wrong A3 is parked in position, this one having ferried some rather tubby couples who are taking photos in the fading light.

Butty and PTD head up with 2 bikes apiece to start the campfire, the rest RV with tom and bring up the supplies.

Having earlier spotted a big plume coming off the roaches, extra rocks are found to make a double height fire pit (but we leave Rusty to lie)

With flame contained, and beers quenching thirst, we unpack the food to discover NO PLATES!!

Never fear the TNR ingenuity is brought to bear, and with a cunning use of penknife, Pete crafts a cup from and empty beer can, meanwhile some logic puzzling magic deduces that we have enough receptacles with the rice and mains containers…we just need to move the contents about. Rice emptied onto the Bhaji bags, and spare curry into the popadom relish pots, and hey presto all is good 🙂 We feast until full, then burn the rest on the fire.

Much chat, banter and putting the world to rights, and time flies. The first leavers head off to be home by midnight, others stay for “just another one”, a Hammock is strung, and Butty and TJ take charge of the fire with a bivvy overnight.

Another great night..

Words by Alex, Photos by Butty and Pete

Crew: El Pres, PTD, Slim, Butty, Stunt

Pub: Dunc

Route: BL, Zig Zags, Charity, Swoopy bits to Narnia, Extension, Standing Stone, old Ferriser, higher ressie track, Leathers, Sutton Hall

Conditions: 30C & bone dry

Notes:

Excuses this week…included Baboon bot, flying in the opposite direction, and scooting to Belgium!

Full points to El Pres, Slim & Butty for reporting for duty post a 5 day trip!

A fully slack ride pronounced at BL as even the fresh were struggling with the heat.

The heat obviously bring out big buzzy things, as a rare sighting of a fully loaded Apache attack chopper as we headed up Buxton road.

Into Blakelow road, and sunflowers & wildflowers in full bloom 🙂

A good evening for cameras, with moody light & clouds.

Nancies were out our way, as we were  overtaken by one trying to catch up to a meet at Teggs, then later seeing another coming up lower Chazza.

Unusual route up Charity – on the RHS path – with it being baked hard!

Swoopy bits in ace condition (well done the trail faeries)

Extension dry & sketchy (Butty gets almost horizontal on the final bend!)

Old Ferriser back in commission – only one rocky curve for the Faeries to improve

We decide to do the upper ressie track, and the short uphill required is too much for some in the heat, so at 8:30 we retire for a swift cold one at the Leathers as we’ve consumed all onboard fluids already!

Extreme weather calls for extreme measures, Ale drinkers go to Lager, and the Lager boy to iced cider!

Wildlife spots.. huge hare running across the field below the dam, and big white barn owl hunting on the far side of the reservoir.

Picnic Table 1 at Sutton Hall..enabling fine views all round, and an ISS pass!

We head inside to the leather chairs for a final snifter, and a very fine smooth Glenlivet.

Longsleeves optional for the ride home.

Words by Stunt, Photos by Butty & Pete

Crew: El Pres, Slim, Butty, 3 Sheds, Mr I, Stunt

BBQ: Doog, Croxy

Route: BL, Zig Zags, Walker Barn, Charity, Singletrack to Narnia, Charity Extension, Standing Stone, Ferriser downhill, Ressies, Leathers Smithy, Langley Reservoirs, Teggs Nose, Car Park

Conditions: Warm, cloudy, humid & buggy

Notes:

Buxtonweather.co.uk tells us that its currently 23 days without rain..another hot evening = more alfresco antics.

Doog delivers this weeks feast, with a Teggs nose car park picnic benches viewpoint location.

Riders assemble at BL & El Pres takes charge of route, the usual chatting and enjoying the scenery as we climb. Buzzard on dead tree off Back Eddisbury bridleway the first of lots of Raptor spots this evening.

Little car is attracting the flies parked in the entrance to charity, and we wonder if the rider fixing his bike a little higher up is 3 Sheds (who set off early to pace his knee). Eventually we ride by to discover it wasn’t, but do find him at the top, where the flies find us at the top of the singletrack.

Sweet brown pow dude! its sweeping and swooping trail down to Narnia (even if we are occasionally caught out by not having enough speed)

Extension is super skittish on loose rocks! Sparrowhawks and Kestrels are about on the way to standing stone and across.

Ferriser is equally fun..if you can override the “roots are bad” hardwiring 🙂

After the Ressies we have time for a cheeky half* a lager outside the smithy, looking an almost empty puddle while we get distracted by passing runners and ponder the best route up to Teggs (*may have been a pint)

Accepting that there is nothing for it, but to do a Teggs decent in reverse, we whizz down into Langley, go across the dam, and decide to go route 1 straight up.

Things we learned…the lower bit is suprisingly steep!..the upper bit is also steep!..hard dry ground is quite good for pushing up 🙂

At least at the top its a fast ride down to the car park, and into the picnic benches where Croxy and the Doog await.

Cans of craft lager & ale, plus old favorites are swiftly broken into (there is much thirst to be quenched), a veritable feast of chicken skewers, burgers in buns, extremely and amusingly long sausages are twice as long as the finger rolls! Baked potatoes, coleslaw, and plenty of Ketchup. Amazingly we devour almost all of it…when the masterpiece of still frozen Magnum’s are presented! We are in awe.

In between the munching and malarky, we play Kite or Buzzard (whichever he was he was keeping an eye on potential pickings!)

In shocking weather news, we report 6 drops of rain, and a temperature of less than 20 degrees! Coats are donned for warmth (the slight breeze being welcome to keep the bugs at bay).

We miss Dunky, but give lowering the tone a good go anyway! 🙂

The rain finally arrives on Butty on the way home (which for once he was very pleased with)