Todays ride

[ScotRoutes]

Some scrambling about to find suitable gpx’s to remind me of the route

I know someone who could have helped you with that...

Did you stick to the new path all the way up to Loch Tarff or do the sensible thing and take to the road?

Sounds like you almost made it round despite your reservations/dicky knee, although I guess The Corkscrew would have been a challenge.

[metalheart]

Aye Colin, I believe I know someone who could’ve helped

Sensible, me? Have you learned nothing? Took the SLNT all the way to Whitebridge. Thought it more pleasant (and safer) than pushing up he hills on the road..

No way I’d ever manage the corkscrew with my knee (I walked most of it the last time iirc). Also, time was running out for me. I was out for 12 hours as it was (and no lights for the road).

[Fargoist]

Around 60 mile road ride in Cheshire, mixing with the kamikaze car drivers. Eventually when I found the coffee tavern cafe I found it was closed, so headed down to the waterside cafe in Bollington, recommended!

[jamiep]

my first 600 audax, Borderlands Explorer. I wasn't sure I'd manage it round but I did with hooours within the time limit

[Escape Goat]

my first 600 audax, Borderlands Explorer. I wasn't sure I'd manage it round but I did with hooours within the time limit

Fantastic effort!

[composite]

Got out Sunday and did a loop to Wyre Forest and back to Brum. 102miles, my first century in years. Really just wanted to have a go to see where my range was at and actually the legs held up fine. I had a rough patch between 60-70 miles where my quads got a bit tired but came through that fairly quickly. The weather was all over the place though, went from sheltering under a bridge in Bewdley from torrential rain to getting home sunburnt. Great to be getting a bunch of hours in the saddle again though.

Here's a few pics.

[sean_iow]

Since I got back from Scotland I seem to be lacking the motivation to put the miles in, I guess up to then all rides were seen as training for the HT550 so it didn't matter if I was tired or it was raining. Recently I've been a bit aimless so if I'm not in the mood I ride straight home from work. Duncan's Caste Quest ITT gave me an idea so I went on a mini-castle quest of my own on my way home from work, there's only 2 so that makes it easy 36 miles and 3060ft later (57km and 930m for the roadies ) and I have ticked off both the castle on the Island. Added bonus that despite the mud I really enjoyed the ride, helped by most of it being off road So we have


Carisbrooke Caste



Yarmouth Castle

[redefined_cycles]

Can we also get it in miles and metres please Sean.

[summittoppler]

Got my solstice bivvy in last night. I could have dropped back down to the van in 30 minutes but I went higher as it was so nice this morning. Snowdonia...

A good spot this..
20190621_203259 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Bye bye sun. For info, Dulyn bothy is just to the right of the lake centre right of pic
20190621_211903 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20190621_212651 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

My house is down there on the coast
20190622_040313 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20190622_063017 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Refuge hut on Foel Grach
20190622_091259 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Down down down
20190622_094717 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

[FLV]

Very nice that

[Fargoist]

Road spin down to Grange-over-Sands with Kendal CC on Sat.

Loop up side of Loughrigg, across to Coniston and into Grizedale then Claife. Back up through Skelghyl, (yes in wrong direction) and back along road. Nice ride to re-acquaint myself with the fargo and get things dialled.

[FLV]

Very lazy ride today, snooping around some old ruined mills and dye vats.

No real hills, no speed, But learned some local history in the space of an hour and enjoyed doing so by bike

[faustus]

Couldn't fit in a bivvy this month so no BAM. But I had a weekend away with my folks and rode from Salisbury to Blandford Forum via Martin down, Pentridge and Tarrant Rushton airfield. Only 37 miles but a surprisingly tough ride in the heat, and more bushwacking than I hoped for. It was a beautiful ride though, and there was homemade pizza and cold beer waiting for me at the end!

Penbury Knoll:
IMG_20190628_151858 by Matthew Walker, on Flickr

Overgrown brideway #5, had to carry the bike on this bit:
IMG_20190628_150517 by Matthew Walker, on Flickr

And I taxied my way along the edge of Tarrant Rushton airfield and it's remaining hangers:
IMG_20190628_165319 by Matthew Walker, on Flickr

[FLV]

Todays ride was going well, until my first torn tyre in years.
Tried a tube but the valve is knackered in that (ive been carrying that tube for years)

Currently on the train home, frustrated.

[redefined_cycles]

Loaded up the bike to mimic a full itt attempt/trip as I accidentally purchased a BB200 ticket in the panic

Got some compliments and queries preride about the weight of the bike which left me feeling like, maybe I could win a weigh in competition (but quickly put paid to that as it would mean foregoing some essential sleeping kit*) on one of the events.

So, todays ride was essentially my first big slog fully loaded (the only thing I didnt have which I probably would take on a 24H or 36H trip was my heavy army goretex overpants). The route, made many moons ago and appropriately named 'Dont Be Soft', has needed testing for some time. It contains as much 'the long green dashed line' as I could find near me on the OS maps. It goes towards the North Peaks and back round to mine...



Departed at around 1300. First 10 miles or so were nice enough with plenty singletrack and interesting bits. Most noteworthy of these being the rock garden towards the end of them 10 miles and then some bog trotting after that (luckily there was only one bog I got ankle deep in and that was only cos I couldn't believe it could be boggy after all this sunshine)... Bogs, rock garden... Yay. Sounds decent for a training ride.

Then at around mile 15 to 20ish there seemed to be an unusual ampunt of road and I started thinking I needs to go back and look at my route building skills. But then it happened...

Tussocks (not as bad as Wales but tussocks all the same) for a few 100m. Maybe not as bad as I managed to get past on bike somehow. Then at some point a wrong turn meant I had to go past a farmer getting told by his missus. I managed to get past their trucks and sharp industrial machinery and join the path which was obviously a footpath through their Maize. Managed to make it through without ruining the crops and out on other end where I refound the bridleway: overgrown... Yay

Then a stream crossing where I decided it would be good for some skinny dipping to build character and become at one with it: in the interests of future fords come rivers and whatnot. Obviously there was a lovely bridge right next door but not for me on this occassion. I tried to find the deepest section and truddled through it. Then gave the bike a little wash as it turned out there was a bit as deep as the axle I could get to




By this time I was starting to become northbound again so on way home.... Heat was bad and I worried of running out of water (I had taken 2.5L which turned out spot on). At some point between it all I decided the railway crossing was the significant section to have my reward of ginger beer (Old Jamaican) so I had that here after crossing. Noticed that they only want you to 'stop, look, listen'... But no thinking involved. Wonder whether its specific to railway crossings that one need not think as they might not cross or something of that sort



Other notable mentions:

When there was 25 miles to go I got worried my pedals were giving up (superlight things that trump xtr even on the scales... but they are rather cheap crap). I thought of Luke whos pedal-stopped-play on the Braunton150. Gave them a quick tightening with my industrial grade allen set and continued.

Before departing I had made ablution (hands/feet/arms/face washed) and set off in the hope I'd find somewhere to pray out on the trails. I did find a spot but it was on a farmers land and said farmer it turned out was in his tractor doing farming stuff to the grass. Whildt praying I did wonder if I was gonna hear an 'Oi'... Thankfully he was a nice Peaks farmer and allowed it. I wuickly finished my prayers and was off (tried to wave thanks but he was over the mound with his tractor at that point)...

Lastly, but not leastly... The bars. My new shiny Sooge bars with extra back sweep of 19 degrees. Around 12 degrees more than my Nukeproofs. Didn't seem to be doing it for me as my hands seemed to want to not angle themselves to the sides. Am I just one of them that rides hands facing forward!! Anyway, fortunately the bar ends saved the day and not too much hands numbness (more research and mods needed)...



All in all.. A successful route which mudt have been tough for me. Cos at the time of writing I decided i need to make my coffee first. Ground it in a pestle/mortar. Then went to put water from bottle into kettle to boil. Instead of putting the water in the kettle I poured straight into the pestle/mortar!!

*Then become way over my head when the light goes down in them there Welsh hills and then feel sorry for myself when am tired and wanting to sleep but withiut any decent kit

[pistonbroke]

Your route passed less than 100m from where I used to live in Millhouse Green, the descent from the windmills was one of my favourites. For future reference the pub there is lovely, the Huntsman, call in and ask for Sam, tell them I sent you.

[br]

Longest on the recently purchased gravel bike.

62ml & 4300ft loop from home (Scottish Borders) - +35ml offroad and barely 1/2ml on an A road too. Love living around here.

Getting in the practice for next weekends' Outer Cairngorm Loop.

[redefined_cycles]

Your route passed less than 100m from where I used to live in Millhouse Green, the descent from the windmills was one of my favourites. For future reference the pub there is lovely, the Huntsman, call in and ask for Sam, tell them I sent you.

Thanks Pistonbroke might come in use to fill up the water one of these days

[macinblack]

Not been posting on here much so:

60 mile ride within what's left of Sherwood Forest.

The edge of bandit territory.

No Dreadnought on the lake nowadays.

Still on this years Xmas cake for fuel.

[ScotRoutes]

101km on an Inner Cairngorms Loop. Weather was too hot for me (I know.. but it's my celtic blood).
More new path in Feshie - The Cairngorms Loop GPX really needs updated as bits of the old path don't even exist at the moment and the estate are blocking up some other old bits that are no longer needed.

P1050841 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

P1050853 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

P1050855 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

P1050858 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

P1050870 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

P1050873 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

P1050877 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

P1050880 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

[fatbikephil]

Send it to Steve Wilkinson?

[ScotRoutes]

I've dropped him an email....

[Bearlegged]

Having experienced Belhaven's "best", I dread to think what might be their worst...
Looks cracking apart from that!

[NorwayCalling]

Overnight trip (as unexpectedly had the weekend off) to the southern Fjords, here in Norway. Borrowed some gear (as I had stupidly my stuff in the UK) and with a loose plan of heading towards Sirdal off I went.

Starting out in Tananger, heading south then off inland, a 555m of continuous climb gets you to this pass (Hunnedal)

20190713_164310 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

Then drop then climb to Sirdal for a stop at the only shop for km in every direction for a ice cream and drink before heading on up to Ådneramdale via the gravel route, for a cheeky camp behind a scout hut... scout huts are quite posh in Norway

20190714_093114 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

20190713_213206 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

Next Dy it was up and over the mountains to get over to Lysefjord and the one-horse town of Lysebotn. To do this involed climbing over the pass (980m high point) abd then dripping down to Lysebotn via 29 hairpin turns and an (unlit) 1.1km tunnel, all told dropping from around 800m in about 3km of road.

20190713_192301 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

20190714_114014 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

20190714_122052 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

And at the bottom... this.

20190714_124727 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

20190714_145229 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

20190714_133156 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

And then a great little ferry back to Lauvvik and a 50km ride back to Tananger. all in all a nice way to spend the weekend.

20190714_162801 by Norway Calling, on Flickr

[redefined_cycles]

Yesterday I managed to amalgamate a bit of 2 routes together around Huddersfield where I usually (used to) ride. Connected it to some tracks that would take me there from mine. Around 50 miles of 40/60 mtb to off road ratio.

Departed about 1230 with all the food I'd need (4 half sarnies-tuna mayo; 4 bars (2 Graze and 2 with some funny name from Asda Gkuten free section... 2 bananas and a pear and an Ol Jamaican Ginger Beer as my prize whenever I hit a milestone.

Milestone came at bottom of the track leading to Wessenden Hwad from Marsden. This was around 25 miles in and since it had been so hot, I'd managed to get through the entire 2L reservoir. Filled up using my prepacked empty 2L Asda bottle from a nice regular water filling spot of ours before getting into the mountains proper...

Oh, I'd also packed my binoculars as today I wasnt gonna let any beautiful (proper) birds escape me. I also planned to get the perfect shot (for me) so I could post it on 'that' thread on here. Here's that shot and here's one of the 2 special birds I'd spied. Luckily for my binoculars I can identify them as (goes to pull out his Birds Book) some sort of Redshank or Ruff and thr other looked like lapwing. Both brought my attention to them as both were calling out in a special tone - the one I think was a lapwing was doing something of a weasel type of call - and both were on thier own in some spot or another around the northerly Peak District...

Ultimately I was using it as a training ride for the BB200...If I dont feel I'll be up for the challenge come October then I'll be doing the decent thing of moving the ticket on. So the stats are, 50 miles in 6.5 hours riding time with a total time of 9 hours. This did niggle me a little and I wondered where all the stopping times were...

So to clarify (I've gone through it on the old head), and stops were... for trqffic lights... fill up water which I had to go deep into the bish for and drink ginger beer.. saying prayers... gates (around 15 probably in total)... looking at them there birds and trying to get shots of that perfect pic...

I called the ride 'assessing my sense of humour'. Am happy to report that I didnt have any sense of humour breaksdowns even in the short sections of HAB. I did briefly feel sorry for me wrists on certain DH tracks (for some reason certain examples of singletrack - the slabby types - don't do very well with the Travis Prongs) and toyed with the idea and luxury of going back to front suspenders but that only lasted all of around 8 minutes...

Met a runaway sheep which only ran faster when it realised I'd stopped to take a pic whilst it was on the pavement... Hit a nasty hill which we've done plenty of times but can only now report back its 21.4% grade (its the one the sheep had come down).

Anyway. The shot (or 2)











The one:

Here's to hoping I'll be ready (mind and body) for the BB200 when the time comes