Words by Eric, Pics by Slim
Crew;
A Team; PtD, El Pres, Slim, 3 Sheds, Butty, Eric.
B Team; Dunc
Pub; El Pud
Route; RB, Endon Hall, Lidgetts, Kerridge Ridge, Poachers Snickett, Pott Shrigley, Blakestonedale, Dale Top, Moorside Lane, Birchencliffe, Norman’s Hall, Church House Bolly.
Conditions; A real soggy night forecast, but apart from one excuse for a shower we stayed dry from the top. Bottom upwards was a different matter.
Stats; None, see below
Offs; No admissions.
Another small posse – this time assembled under Slim’s leadership. His two What’s App posts are reproduced here in full.
Wed 4th Nov at 23.00 – Planning on escaping Warrington, 6.45 at RB is always good
Thurs 5th Nov at 18.36 – 6.45 RB ??? I am at BL 6.30 on the dot.
Enough said, the group may have been bigger had everyone been able to find the start.
Everyone was wrapped in waterproofs in anticipation of the expected deluge but layers were soon shed as the rain held off and the balmy temperatures stayed. Bonfire night; so the plan was to head for a suitable vantage point to enjoy a free show. After the debacle of leading a small group to Lidgetts to see a Vulcan in the far distance during the summer your scribe was keeping a low profile when locations were chosen this time; but Lidgetts it was. We had only gone 10 yards when El Pres had a little sneaky fall off on the AZ smokers track.
On arriving at Lidgetts we found that in addition to the usual meeting of the Adlington Herb Appreciation Club there were about another million cars parked up – surreal. As we reached the top the Tytherington Club display kicked off – perfect timing. Cycling gear is not however the best for standing around on November evenings and it was soon time to set off again but progression was halted by a traffic jam, I kid you not, which looked quite permanent. Two long queues had formed faced off against each other with no way to squeeze past owing to the line of cars parked up watching the fireworks, who couldn’t move due to the two lines of cars faced off against each other who had no way to squeeze ……. As we ported our bikes along the bank it looked like it was about to turn ugly.
Kerridge has its own lexicon of superlatives to describe it’s slipperiness but Slim coined “as slippy as a greased tiger” Call it what you will, everyone had fun. Now no-one admitted to any indiscretions along the ridge but 3 Shed’s trouysers told a somewhat different story. When questioned about the “travel staining” up the rear right buttock he claimed to have been “trying to catch my battery!”
We met up with Butty just after the exit from the Poachers snicket, and with him it’s getting to be a bit – another Thursday, another new bike, this time a Salsa Cross machine. Armed with his skinny tyres and drop bars he lead the way up to Blakestonedale. No cleaners on the climb tonight. On towards Dale Top and we almost had a two wheeled repeat of the Lidgetts incident with a line of TNR’s meeting a line of Nancy’s on the single track. Despite a bit of Top Gun style who’s going to bottle first, no one dropped any batteries. The summit offered views of the northerly fireworks with lots of flashes and booms still going on. In the words of Mr I – “Looks like the 5th Essex are copping for it again tonight sir”
Sadly 3 Sheds seemed to have copped for a recalcitrant dollop of something canine on his machine aswell and spent the rest of the night muttering about dog owners and looking for a puddle.
Down the smooth descent and back along Moorside Lane before a final blast down Birchencliffe and to the welcome of the Church House in Bollington. And very welcoming it was to; having pre ordered food the arrival of the steaming plates seemed to make eyes light up!!
El Pud arrived with tales of being given the chance to seek further development opportunities outside the Speke area, what with that and the thought of those poor b…..rs in the 5th Essex still out there in the mud and the fireworks……!
