1040806 by Colin Cadden - Flickr2BBcode
DMC-TZ40, undefined@4.3 mm, f3.3, 1/100s, ISO100

Currently in Lapland, managed to get out on an e fatbike for a few hours. Absolutely brilliant! It’s like a monster truck.

I managed to do some pics and put them on strava but not sure what my sharing settings are

https://www.strava.com/activities/1329295035

They've dualled a section of the A9 just south of Aviemore and put in a parallel cycle track. Yesterdays mission was to ride it, log it and then I'll upload it to OpenStreetMap. It was lovely, unbroken snow all the way.


P1040811 by Colin Cadden - Flickr2BBcode
DMC-TZ40, undefined@10.3 mm, f4.7, 1/250s, ISO100

Here's one from yesterday, after coughing my guts up for the last week an half it was great to be out. Only about 2 inch deep at its max but all nicely frozen over and a good hike a bike section too over felled trees

IMG_20171228_153801_891 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Down here in Devon, the snow was on the moors on Wednesday & I had a lovely kayak down the upper Dart...

Thursday was completely different, Sun, no wind but still a little cool.
Headed out from Paignton towards Exeter. Had to pop into a garage to get some disposable gloves for under my gloves as an extra layer. Headed up towards Ashcombe & found a little gravel before heading towards Starcross & over to Exmouth for a cuppa. Not sure that i've ever seen the estuary so still.
Then back along the dual use path to Dawlish & train home as a might nippy. All good fun.

A couple of days' riding in Northumberland trying Philip Addyman's route around Kielder Forest and Windy Gyle. Slightly fuller report in the appropriate thread.

A pic from Saturday, future bivvy spot?
20171230_115438 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

summittoppler wrote:A pic from Saturday, future bivvy spot?
20171230_115438 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

From the same ride with Jeff and John

Went for a spin last night, usual local hills, one BW had become somewhat like the Somme:


The clay/chalk/ flint picked up by the bike resulted in half a snapped link:


Was lucky to make it home!
Peggy farrow lane is now off limits in clag season

Well this is all very pleasant.

Arrived at Mach station after a very civilised luncheon on the train, followed by copious cups of tea requested, with a languid wave of the hand, from the fragrant tea lady, who battled valiantly with the concept of 'bikepacking' but gave up with a friendly smile.

Rode non-stop up the fukcing mountain road to the top of Foel Fadian where I am right now. Half the height of Snowdon methinks. Only stopped a bit short cos I slipped on the icy road!



Pub!!

Reg, have you ever stopped to consider why it doesn't have any sort of letter / number designation and is simply know as ............The Mountain Road?

Well it started off as mud, then became snowy mud then muddy snow! Finally we got to some decent snow.

Basically a loop from Hetton to Weets Top, Mastiles Lane and back.

Near the top of the climb up to Weets.


Dropping down from Weets Top


Normally we blast down this field, today it was hard pedalling in next to bottom gear!


Back down into the muddy snow ...

One last ride in the great snow we've had this week just before it dissapears

Scottish powder day!
Looks like slush world tomorrow then normal bog fest service resumes. Hopefully lots more snow to come

Looks like chuffin' hard work with that depth of snow!

Early start in Rothiemurchus this morning

P1210005 by motorman2013, on Flickr

P1210006 by motorman2013, on Flickr

Well a slow start to the year but I finally got out for a ride for a quick wet & windy ride...


edit... bugger can't put in photos from Google Photos, anyone know how to do it?

A similar view to Motorman's but this one nr, Aspangburg St. Peter in Austria

Following the trail by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Part of my BAM2018 ride. Though this was part of the character building push phase

Weather here in Norway is beautiful, -6, no wind and sun splitting the sky.

Just a gentle 75km ride out into the mountains (via the side of the fjords) to have lunch by the lake. This is a favorite bivi spot in the summer.

Today, the lake was frozen and no opportunity to bivi out (due to work commitments) but vould not miss such a beautiful day.

20180204_111218 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

20180204_125511 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

20180204_125423 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

More snow.....

Ace that... and NC's... beats a soggy wood in the rain, sigh....

P1040900 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

Looking at some tracks in Affric that have been "developed" as part of a hydro scheme.

went round the peak district sun a bit, no a lot like the winter bivvy, plenty of hike a bike zero visibility ice covered slabs down Jacob's ladder, plenty of climbing cracking day out well and truly knackered only did 30 miles, but well worth the effort,

Well I've no chance of competing with that cracking photo 'Routes . Especially down here in cappucino-land. So my day's ride was round the corner to a local school to deliver some "sports skills games" for an afternoon. Nice bunch of kids, various silly games - slaloms, races, obstacle courses, even dug my limbo poles out. Even better, during my chat breaks I managed to push out some covert bikepacking propaganda as well which in fact was very well received .



R

Apologies for hogging the thread (bollocks, no I won't, it was my birthday as of six minutes ago so I can do what I like ), but just got back from a meeting 10 miles away. There and back in the dark. In the drizzle. In the cold. In the mud. It was a brill reminder that I blinkin' LOVE winter night riding. Nice summer day? Spose so, maybe, sort of alright if you insist. But this was ace - invigorating, yucky, senses far more alert and attuned than boring day rides, sort of, well, naughty somehow, like I really shouldn't be doing it, someone'll be along to tell me off in a minute stuff. ALIVE. And the owl was good too.

Yes I know, I'm WEIRD. But BALLS TO THE LOT OF 'EM OUT THERE .

Thank you and goodnight . Now where are those dried frog pills.....