Skip to content

TNR 19-03-2015 Two Phils and ….a Troll

Friday, March 27, 2015

Words and Pics by Slim & Butty

Ruby: Daddy where you going?
Dunc: out on my bike
Ruby: Who with?
Dunc: My friends
Ruby: Where are they?
Dunc: I’m meeting them at the bridge
Ruby: Will there be a troll?
Dunc: Well now you mention it….

Crew : Duncan, 3 Sheds (Phil 1) , Mr Incredible aka “The Troll” (Phil 2) , Kersh, Butty, El Pres & Slim

Stats : Two dips in a bog (Slim), several weary middle-aged MTBers , one 3 year old with the ability to predict the future

Route : Rainbow Bridge – Middlewood Way – Bollingtonia – Pott Shriggers – Bakestonedale Rd – Kettleshulme – Pym’s Chair – Windgather – Taxal – Moorside – Bowstones – Poachers

Conditions : Cool in the dips, pockets of warmer air on the tops, trails drying, bogs very smelly and wet

Notes :

This ride was a 3 hr mini epic , part Butty Style post work training ride , part grin inducing single track .

The climb as far as Pym’s chair was definitely taxing to those of us who have not been following Butty’s daily training regime . By the time we started the proper off road stuff we were properly warmed up.

I was still recovering from the climb whilst the peloton sped off along the single track towards Windgather rocks. So my double dip into the smelly bogs was not witnessed first hand 🙂

After wind gather we had a little woody dip to traverse …bit of pushing up hill here . But once we topped out we knew it was going to be fun.

The wall hugging fantastic last section to Taxal seems to go forever with plenty of technical bits . Just right for an Orange Five with a dropper post 🙂

A TJ supplied Cree LED head torch is a fantastic thing to help you through this section. God Bless BrightBikeLights.com

We returned towards Bowstones via the lanes and tracks which bring you out by the (former) Moorside hotel. Not been this way for ages !!
Descending into pockets of cold air then climbing into relative warmth.
Took the gritstone trail bumpy path back to the apex of Bakestondale.
Swoopy but chilling descent on the road to Pott Shrigley and on to the warmth of the poachers.
Butty had phoned the food order in at Bowstones. He is our stand-in Operations manager extraordinaire whilst PTD repairs
The Nancies were in the pub before us !!
Hearty nosh and fine ale from the Poachers
A late arrival home for some 🙂

Filed in TNRs 2015 | | Comments (0)

TNR 12-03-2015 Bowstones before the rain

Friday, March 13, 2015

Words by Stunt, Pics by Slim
Crew:  EL Pres, Slim, Butty, Mr I, Stunt

Pub: PTD, Dunc

Route: Rainbow bridge, middlewood way, vale, pott shrigley, bakestondale road, bakestondale moor, bowstones, park moor, park furtlings, lower track to brickworks, Poachers

Conditions: Breezy, dry trails with some muddy bits, wet later

Stats: Another stat free night

Notes:

Small crew, several on “b” bikes – mostly in various shades of orange/red hardtail variety

After what feels like weeks of heading up Buxton road, this weeks route planned to explore the hopefully not soggy northerly moors.

Butty met on the MW way, quick check of the Vale revealed “no room at the Inn” due to large brewery tour in later.

Mild March air leads to some delayering at the start of the Moor, which is thankfully mostly dry and fairly firm apart from the usual wet hollows. Yellow eyes in the distance show the flock taking very early avoidance as we hike a bike over the high stiles.

The old road across the tops appears to have been traversed by a humungus vehicle – the tyre tracks must have been 2 feet deep and almost as wide, the old brick dam across the stream near the upper fence now two piles of rubble!

No decent line left across the swamp at the top – muddy shoes all round.

No sign of deer on Park Moor, descent running well with the biggest of the ruts of yesteryear filling in nicely. One broken pipe near the bottom could have caused a nasty moment though.

Butty takes us into the wooded wonders and shows us a rooty downhill singletrack with a bombhole of doom (optional) at the bottom – dry and great!

Back out the way we came and across the moors, time marches on, and so does the weather, with the doomladen radar map finally delivering its promise some two hours later than expected.

Rapid thrash back to the warmth of the Poachers, beating the Nancies in again 🙂

Smugness not appreciated by the early NB arrivals with stuck seatpost, and then mr broken carbon wheel!

Butty delivers tool bottle cage for Mr I – more orders could be forthcoming.

El Pres finds he has a screw loose (well his spec’s do) and impersonates Jack Duckworth 🙂

PTD makes the northerly trip two weeks in a row, with news of welsh adventure to come 🙂

Conversation soon spirals out of control despite (relatively) modest imbibement.

Filed in TNRs 2015 | | Comments (0)

TNR 5-03-2015 Rat Runs

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Crew: El Pres,  Slim, 3 Sheds, Butty, Stunt, Dunc

Pub: PTD

Route: BL, Tea rooms, Stakeside descent, rat run exploration, Pyms Chair, dead mans hill, blaze hill, poachers

Conditions: Dry, windy higher up.

Stats: another stat free night?

Notes:

Time to head further afield now that swampy conditions have subsided.

Prompt start to get out to the Goyt and back, 3 Sheds heads out first..

and has there been secret training? his “plod” turns out to be pretty speedy!

Dunc and Stunt get dropped before digging in for a determined pursuit that finally reels him yards before the tearooms.

Mild start at BL now forgotten as wind is now cutting.

Trails soft but not slippy, full stakeside descent  – lower section fast and fun -a welcome return.

Butty takes us in search of a rat boy trail he found last year

tight and twisty with some Gnarr jumps, too soft to flow but maybe worth a return in the dry?

Pub debate swings in favour of bolly, not time to lose though and crew strings out over Pyms chair, out running cars down to jenkin chapel!

Burning legs up to dead mans hill, cold faces into wind down blaze hill.

Beat the nancies into the bar, tactical cokes for some of the front runners, before Eric’s pic of Leffe in Brussles leads to an inevitable leffe oclock session (pub runs out of blonde shocker!). Food is devoured double quick for a second week in a row, and PTD does arrive even though we have gone north!

Pete almost stacks some ZZZeds before finally coming to life for the obligatory snifter 🙂

The Archives Section :

Here we step back in time to find a photo from Pete’s archive which relates to this week’s ride.

Here we find the crew on a springtime jaunt into the Goyt Valley back in April 2006.

Filed in TNRs 2015 | | Comments (0)

TNR 26-02-2015 High & Dry?

Friday, February 27, 2015

Words by Alex, B Ride Poics by Pete

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

B Ride: Slim

Pub: Croxy & PTD


Route: BL, Cat, Danebowerhollow, Farm/Field into 3 Shires, Cuthorne out, Chumby, Standing Stone, Nessit, White rabbit descent, rezzies, Sutton Hall

Conditions: Dry, Clear, Cold on soggy trails

Stats: a stat free night

Notes:

After torrential rain cleared away after lunch a nice dry weather slot for the TNR 🙂

Route plan to stay on maximum amount of well drained trails without resorting to the forest.

Prompt start leaves a (not actually that late) Slim to furtle in the forest with all the time he needs to snap away with the camera (cue arty shots?)

Wind only a factor above the tea rooms, and warmish from the climb its more clothing on at the Cat.

Butty gets cold feet and bails to the Smithy (well he got very wet last night and his boots had not fully dried – blocks of ice were his words)

No rest for  “the rest” as 3 sheds is in unstoppable forward gear!

Luckily its not a super fast gear and he is caught before the end of Danebower.

The field is soggier than a dunked biscuit, and could be described as having the consistency of soft cheese with a healthy green mould on top! Luckily the surface holds up and our traverse is without incident.

Nicely sheltered into 3 shires, with reasonably impressive but not spectacular waterfalls.

Still no stopping 3 sheds – who passes it without even a pause! Once again we have regrouped on the climb, and onto Chumby. Care needed on the top section, and plenty of water at the first stream crossing, and proper waterfall!

TJ provides warming nips

Lower chumby very  very wet

Cold starting to seep into tired legs, lights above standing stone are not ours, but Church house regulars.

Posse thins further with a Ball early Bath 😉

Trail closures en route to nessit for a spot of tree felling/maintenance mean some draggy surfaces. TJ has to tempt Mr I with more whisky to encourage him up the S bends.

Fast but not furious down (white rabbit still just about visible) then faster  and faster to the pub as El Pres scents beer.

Slim & Butty have already arrived and are ensconced in the Leffe zone.

Timmy Taylor wins battle of the beers, butty eats for the second time in a second pub! Food demolished in double quick time.

Frost forming on cars as we ride home.

Filed in TNRs 2015 | | Comments (0)

TNR 19-02-2015 The Other Way to Lamaload

Friday, February 20, 2015

Words by Stunt, pics by Pete & Butty
Crew: Butty, Dunc, Mr I, Slim, Stunt

Route: Rainbow Bridge, Endon House, Lidgetts Lane, lower back of Kerridge & back entry into Rainow, WTW, right hand side ascent to Hoolihey Lane, Dead Mans hill, Blaze Hill, Upper Rainow, Oakenbank Lane, Poachers

Conditions: Wet, Rivers & Gloop, stopped raining later then cold

Stats: Off (stunt)

Notes:

Plenty of excuses on a night where mental fortitude required to get riding.

Butty hatches a novel Lamaload circumnavigation plan (might include hike a bike he says!)

A heck of a lot of surface water everywhere, sometimes good – clearing muck off rocky tracks, sometimes bad when on grass!

Kerridge slipperier than a slippery thing – you know its bad when you are actively looking for wet rocks and roots for better grip 🙂

Cheeky up and down from the WTW road abandoned when we A – Butty missed the up, and B – we realised what he was planning to take us down!

Helpful signpost told us that tonight we were going the other way  (although Slim stopped to briefly do it this way) 🙂

Waterproof boots tested by ankle deep slop at most gates and stiles, and we cheerily reflected on just how grumpy certain TNR’s would have been with this gratuitously wet, slippy and pushy ride.

Butty shared his Brandy Port mix to raise spirits (rather good!)

Time check at Hoolihey lane meant return leg around the resevoir would be too ambitious, so alternative road exit to Blaze Hill and rapid descent via back tracks and Oakenbank.

Clearing skies showed some nice views of the plains.

Dunc’s nervousness re Oakenbank at speed somehow transferred into Stunt who managed a wheel in rut oscillation that got out of control and ended in a “Dab” (and need for a knee repair to waterproof trousers)

Arrived at poachers to be welcomed onto the hallowed (and extremely heavy) lockage of the Nancies.

A veritable burst of diversity in the ales from Barnsley Gold, to Beartown Black, to the more exotic Chimay Red and Mexican Brown!

All that cold wet weather must have depleted the calories as puddings were consumed as well!

Dunc plays the AoE card when settling the bill for badboy second shorts

All available clothing donned for ride home – which this week included the extra hazard of a large group of other poachers clientele wandering across the road mostly dressed in black!

Spring soon??

The Archives Section :

Here we step back in time to find a photo from Pete’s archive which relates to this week’s ride.

Here we have Stunt on a Cheeky Sunday outing back in October 2009 when we stopped at the “weird post” at the outer fringes of the Lamaload Zone

 

Filed in TNRs 2015 | | Comments (0)

Too many Lucs ?

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Time shift back to a sunny day in May 2008 ….when high above Lyme Park Luc was suddenly cloned 🙂

Filed in Pete's Random Posts | | Comments (0)

TNR 12-02-2015 A Year On…

Friday, February 13, 2015

words by Stunt, pics by Slim

Crew: El Pres, Slim, Butty, Dunc, Coley, 3 Sheds, TJ, Stunt

Always with us:  Dan

Pub: PTD

Route: BL, Zig, Teggs, Smithy, Reverse Narnia, Lower Chazza & Extension, Standing Stone, Fire road to the Kirsten Munt descent, Rezzies, Smithy

Conditions: Damp muddy & slushy, above freezing but feeling very cold, wind picking up

Stats: 1 post pub gear selector failure (Dunc)

Notes:

Gin…Yes

Tonic..Yes

Route..Yes (eventually)

New bike to drool/ridicule..Yes

Much interest in Butty’s Fargo with flared drops, close comparison with Dunc’s Latitute, and they spent most of the night riding at the front in deep discussion.

Route discussion rapidly resolved by a “Keep it Simple” approach to ensure food and time for the Gin sampling.

A night on which the damp cold seemed to penetrate all layers, climb to Teggs provided needed internal warmth.

Right hand side very rideable apart from a marching platoon of night ramblers who caused some novel route choices, lower down very muddy and interesting!

Food ordered at the Smithy (and super slack just stay in the pub option narrowly avoided) back out into the cold for another healthy climb to witches cottage – where the slushy icy snowline began in earnest. Reverse Narnia to the bench required much pushing as a result.

Stunt provided a new Gin experience with Smith Junior’s Cotswold Distillery Inaugural Gin – able to be sipped neat, with heady juniper aromatics, also works well with a dash of tonic 🙂 ..Dan would most definitely have approved!

The rest of Narnia and lower Chazza was suprisingly grippy on the slush – with the only real issue where it became too deep. – Respect to Katie for riding full charity yesterday!

The wind was rising by the time we approached standing stone, so Nessit was scratched, and with more slush on the trails making speedy descending unwise, this was a good plan. Second Nip stop abandoned after a time check, so everyone for themselves to the warmth of the Smithy!

Beer price increase shocker, Welsh beer (brains) a TNR first? and luckily plenty of coal on the fire to thaw out cold riders & kit.

Big news from PTD -A September Forest Chapel wedding brings visions of Bride & Groom arriving via Charity lane on the Tandem! (Go on you know you want to!)

Literally genuine bollocks being talked (in far too much grisly detail) by far too many, updates on injuries, operations  (hope all goes well Dr S) and the loss of Barry the beard (or is it just starting from scratch again?).

..and of course reflections on our first year without Dan.

Respect to Butty for riding 12 days in a row including tonight, although the loss of Barry seems to have reduced his manliness in more ways than one, as the answer to the question “how many days are you aiming for?” was – “not going to ride tomorrow as its going to rain”

A  very  cold ride home,  Butty’s decision not to apply his “my drinking club has a cycling problem” sticker to his helmet appears to be vindicated  by  the appearance of Cheshire Police’s Subaru almost immediately post pub, it doesn’t stop, although it does pass us again with lights flashing shortly before gunco lane!

So here’s to sunshine, enthusiasm and adventures to come, and if in doubt? what would he have done?  #Inspiration (for the twitter generation)

 

 

 

Filed in TNRs 2015 | | Comments (0)

TNR 05-02-2015 Three Thaw

Sunday, February 8, 2015

words & pics by Slim

Crew A : El pres, Butty, Slim

Crew B: Dunc & Nick (only Dunc made the pub)

Route A : BL . Zig zags. Track to Teggs Nose. Teggs right hand descent . Circuit of Reservoir. Sutton Hall.
Conditions : Entertaining .. Grip was not a guaranteed commodity

Notes :
A small but perfectly formed posse of three. eric would have approved.
Butty has definitely rediscovered his cycling mojo..leading the charge and the hunt for a tractable bit of snow.

The lying snow brought a whole new dimension to our landscape. This was a fun and environment-appreciation ride rather than a workout

Butty had a plan that we would have a hip flask Safari…but Chris and I failed miserably so we made the most of Butty’s gluevien and whiskey .

God bless the discount vouchers …30% slashed off our bill.

Thanks to Butty and Chris for being tolerant of my frequent photo stops .

Filed in TNRs 2015 | Tagged | Comments (0)

TNR 29-01-2015 Solo’s to the Snow

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Words – Dunc , Pics – Dunc & 3Sheds (and 1 “library pic” from Pete)

Crew: Dunc (late ride), 3 sheds (Early ride), The Next Generation (different early ride)
Pub: Dunc’s Sofa

Route (Late ride) :  House of Dunc, BL, Buton old road, Charity lane & extention, standing stone,Towards Nessit, Half Pipe descent, lower singletrack, around the reservoir and back to Tythy.

Conditions:  Clear, snowy & icy. Slushy in places
Stats: None

With the core team away enjoying the high life with the european skiing jet-set, there were a couple of murmurs of interest in a snowy ride  from the residual TNRers, but with Eric and Nic pulling out late (Elf and safety and medical reasons respectively), this left 3 sheds out for a solo early ride and yours truly out for a late ride after much tubeless faffing.  I understand there was also good organisation from the next generation TNR lead by Mini-Pud (apparently the organisation involved lights, warm clothes and rice pudding – it was going to be “insane” ).

Off into the quiet of the fresh snowfall to find Buxton road closed and Buxton old road proving a challenge (thanks be to the freshly installed 2.4” rubber).  Arrived at the start of Charity to find no bike tracks, but deer and a 4WD had beaten me to it.  After a lot of start-stop, complicated with iced up cleats, letting a few PSIs out proved the right answer, making the rest of the charity climb to the weather station much more do-able.  Charity descent proved a little messy with snow, slush and ice cold stream running freely – arriving at the bottom with a super-cooled behind.

Charity extension was untouched, on the climb to Standing Stone pulled over to let a 4WD pass to find it was a chavved up Fiesta with Mr & Mrs Yoof onboard (who needs 4wd anyway?).
The Half-Pipe descent (or Christmas tree alley as I like to call it) had more pristine snow and made for the highlight of the evening – crunchy snow, stars, snow covered Christmas Trees and that foreboding thought in the back of my mind that if something goes wrong here I’m very much on my own.

Pub stop consisted of Leffe and Cous-Cous at home after a shower to thaw butt-cheeks.
Post ride analysis from the next generation: ”Sick”

Filed in TNRs 2015 | | Comments (0)

TNR 22-01-2015 Winter Offensive

Friday, January 23, 2015

Crew: Comrades Dunc, Mr I, 3 Sheds, Stunt

Pub: Slim, Butty, PTD & Shaun

Route: House of Dunc, Cliff Lane, Buxton Road, Cat, Danebower Hollow, Chumby, Standing Stone, Towards Nessit, Half Pipe descent, lower singletrack & rezzies, Sutton Hall

Conditions: Clear, Cold, 4″ Snow up high.

Stats: Dunc off

Notes:

With El Presidente distracted by matters of state, and the normal generals by upcoming holidays, the Northern Rebels act quickly to declare an independent Rebublic of Tytherenska, sieze control of the TNR rendevous and set out into the winter wastes unhindered by official forces.

The peshmerga assemble as planned to find that command and control is not what it used to be, comrade 3 sheds turns up at BL out of habit, then declares himself an splinter group and heads off in the right general direction.

Comrade I takes longer than expected to tunnel out of Bollistan, and has to change his uniform first (whilst the other rebel leaders drink tea and faff)

Later than planned its off into the freezing night, with cunning plan to cut the corner by heading up cliff lane (one of those climbs…you know… just the three steep sections…the start, the middle and the end! ahem..IGMC)

Just to make it extra interesting the run off from the side gullies was freezing as we watched, a couple of squeaky bum moments but no catastrophe. More importantly Mr I’s new gear cable survived the strenous test.

Approaching Walker Barn a faint light in the distance suggested the presence of 3 Sheds, and a long chase under clear skies, bright stars and snow blanketed fields (and one snowman) finally reeled him in at the tea rooms.

Re grouping briefly at the Cat, a nip of Abelour, donning of all remaining clothing, and muttering about cold bits, 3 Sheds keeps up his theme and head off first to keep moving.

A trail of hardpacked snow provided steady progress, with just enough challenge to catch out the foolhardy, 3 Sheds light has disappeared into the darkness. Dunc lowers his guard a few moments too soon just before the Gate and slides off into the pristine whiteness. Still no sign of 3 Sheds.

Camelback bite valves are frozen by the time we pause at the start of Chumby, this week Stunt manages a proper warning about the dip of doom, just in time to save Mr I some blushes.

Now for snow biking! controlled slithering all the way to the middle gate, no drifts and no sheet ice, and still no 3 sheds!

Lower section lovely and smooth with the snow, then a brutal ice cold river in the middle section, before more snowy swoopery. Quick splash through the ford and onto the gate, three bike trails exiting, presumably one being 3 Sheds.

Steaming water flowing across the road in Wildboarclough, little progress at the roadworks?, and cold now sapping the legs, climb to standing stone v tough.

Lo a light yonder doth flash, and we finally reunite with F’m Phil! Time is good and the track is nicely snow covered so off towards nessit. At the abandoned building temptation takes us down the “half pipe” for more bike skiing, a few tracks but snow depth meant control was possible!

Popping out at the bottom the final tracks required some care with icy rotted snow patches here and there. Dry roads down from the Smithy (phew). Warmth of Sutton Hall Priceless!

Equal numbers of Pubbers to riders, Kodiak Beartown flowing nicely, extra table chips for the riders, and Distillers tales from Shaun. Whisky by the fire-o, Pete on rePete all the way home, oh dear little flo…;-)

 

Filed in TNRs 2014 | Tagged , | Comments (0)