Todays ride

[RIP]

Wow, so the river moved it? Couldn't work out how a 50 year old tree had grown through a much younger bridge . Or alternatively how the tree had smacked through a small piece of bridge handrail but left the rest unscathed.

Yes, have been to the Crooked House, so imagined that the bridge was some sort of amusing new addition to the pub . But didn't know about the earthquake. This is getting quite tangled. Like the bridge in fact. .

[whitestone]

Did my first 100km ride of the year! Given that I've usually done a 100 miler by the end of February I'm obviously slacking

Into town then over Sharphaw to Flasby, Hetton and over Boss Moor to Kilnsey. Road up to Litton then the steep track to Dawson Close, a bit of road then cut right towards Penyghent before dropping down Long Lane to Helwith Bridge. A bit of road to Stainforth, tried the climb to Catrigg Force but spun out on gravel so walked about 100m. Onto the Settle Loop to get to the top of Malham Cove road ( the last time I did this bit in this direction was after the winter bivy and it took two hours from the bivy to the road. Today it took 25mins despite a block headwind!). Malham Tarn then Mastiles Lane, onto Weets Top and down to Calton then worked my way back home via Bell Busk, Coniston Cold and Elslack.

What was really surprising was how few people were out, I saw just two bikers off-road and only about fifteen walkers. I was out most of the day, granted the morning was a bit iffy but it's been a glorious afternoon. Having said that there's a thunderstorm passing through at the mo

[ScotRoutes]

The great white eagle of Coire an Lochan tried to steal my bike!


IMG_20200614_175924_720 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

[Cyclepeasant]

LOL!

Vivid imagination SR!

[RIP]

Looks a bit like the Angel Of The North to me, which probably says something worrying about my imagination....

[summittoppler]

First time back at Cwm Eigiau since the end of Feb, god I love it there! Good to see the grass and foxgloves growing on the tracks due to no one walking there.
20200614_115942 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Quickly made this seat to chill out and appreciate the peacefulness.
20200614_132339 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

[summittoppler]

...and here's my short film from Sunday's ride. No bikepacking yet as we're still under strict Welsh guidelines but I did have my stemcell on the bars which was a good 'pocket' for the drone. With it being so quiet it would be great to spend the Solstice there again like last year, we'll see.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvDADPPk7kY

[MuddyPete]

That post box is the cherry on the cake Reg, but I feel the whole edifice justifies a piccy. Especially with Skyfall-esque stag as its crowning glory.
Very majestic

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBi9QwEjyzR ... 12zfvbkdjt

[RIP]

. Did you see the weathervane in the garden? Dead scary. It's prompted me to move on from postboxes, via clocks, to weathervane collecting now .

[Boab]

A small gentle ride this morning...

It rained:


Some poppies in the distance:


Riding into a thunder storm:


Binned it, again. You can see where I ended up:


Not only did I have to hose the bike down, I had to hose myself down. Cracking ride though...

[MuddyPete]

Reg - nope, but will keep an eye out. The more ya look, the more ya see .

[MuddyPete]

Another niche: cute flowerpots
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBi_xP1Dnaw ... x3iivoi2q0
Eversholt & North Marston.

[RIP]

Flobadob!

[MuddyPete]

Change of scenery today: Dorset - big views and steep, steep valleys.

Wessex Ridgeway for views and a bimble around Okefordhill bike park, Dorset.
"The easy way's over there," I was confidently advised and all went well over the first couple of table-tops, past the "4X" sign and into the woods. Steep, greasy, rooty, loose and broken with big steps, jumps, numerous rubbly hairpin bends and a small crash suggested it was a tad ambitious.

Pedalling back to the top, 4 chaps on enduro e-bikes pointed me in the right direction. A far more flowy affair, capable but slightly intimidating followed by a slow grind to the top whilst the electric-powered bikers glided past me with a cheery wave. I merely had banana-powered legs.

Up top, a chat with another e-biker suggested the advantages of "self-contained uplifts" have been embraced fully here.
Pedalled off along the Weesex Ridgeway, made friends with some pigs and caught a distant glimpse of the Isle of Wight.
Plenty more to explore.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBqxWegD3F2 ... 3d8wp2kbsn

[summittoppler]

Went to the Dulyn bothy yesterday for a nose. Tbh I was surprised to see it 'open'. I know they don't have locks on the doors but still... Had a look through the book and yes some folk have been staying there, not many though. Annoyingly a few 'intelligent' scousers stayed in April, bearing inmind Wales was a no go area then. Was good to see it very clean though.
I could have quite easily rolled out the bivvy bag but that will have to wait a couple of weeks....

20200620_131106 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20200620_131342 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20200620_142259 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20200620_142634 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

And a film...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2F1utlnS-4

[whitestone]

Looking for Robert Wilson's grave.

Our local hill was one of the warning beacons during the Napoleonic wars and guards were stationed near the summit in a hut for a week at a time. During one harsh winter they ran short of provisions so one volunteered to head down to the village for replenishments. He didn't make it back. His body was found 150m from the hut where they later erected a memorial stone though it's marked on the map as "Robert Wilson's Grave". Now I'd never managed to find this before so thought I'd dodge the showers and have a snurgle around.

Since I wasn't going far I thought I'd take the fat bike. The last time I'd ridden this was in Norway when I'd got blown off and broke my collarbone. Today was pretty windy. What could possibly go wrong? Well the seat post was stuck for a start and at just too low a height to be comfortable but I couldn't move it. Air in the tyres, oil the chain and away we go.

I could have taken the road all the way to the edge of the moorland but thought I'd do a bit of bridleway for part of it instead. It's not interesting, basically a farm track then a gravel access track but it's a bit different and even though it's close to home it's not one I do with any regularity. Back on the road I stopped to see if I could raise the seat. Fortunately the jarring of the ground had loosened things so a bit of tugging (ooh, err missus!) and it was at the right height. While I was doing this a roadie stopped and asked if I'd a flat needed any help though 25c inner tubes would have been pushing it a bit! A bit of a chat then we went our separate ways.

A long steady climb up on to the moor, past the expected site of the "grave" and up to the summit.



It were a bit blowy on top so no time to linger. Back down the way I'd come and try to figure out where this grave was. I dropped below where I had searched before. The first stop didn't yield anything but a bit further on there was a very faint track leading off the one I was on. Bingo!



The inscription reads: "Here was found dead the body of Robert Wilson, one of the Beacon Gards, who died January 29th 1805 aged 59 years"

Looking over the moor.


It was now looking like I wasn't going to avoid the showers so on with the jacket and over the moor to pick up a footpath(everything up on this bit of moor is cheeky) that leads back towards home. I've ridden this loads and it's a great bit of moorland riding. The shot below is from a couple of months ago when we rode it.



The next bit of track was the one in the mid-distance leading past the farm, just after it bends left there's a steep BW down into the village. By now the shower was pretty heavy and things were grim and it looked like there was an even heavier one on the way. Sure enough it hit just as I started down into the village Thoroughly soaked I rolled back along the road to home just as yet another shower arrived.

At least I didn't break anything!

[RIP]

Interesting! Should've taken a bunch of flowers and stuck it on his grave, I reckon he'd've appreciated that after 215 years of being ignored poor fellow .

[whitestone]

Interesting! Should've taken a bunch of flowers and stuck it on his grave, I reckon he'd've appreciated that after 215 years of being ignored poor fellow .

The men were supplied by three villages adjacent to the hill and they took it in turns to stand guard. The unfortunate chap was from the village "over the hill" so to speak. Next time I'm riding past the church I'll have a wander around to see if I can spot his actual grave.

Looking at my shot I notice there's what looks like a cross at the foot of the stone. Didn't notice that when I was on site.

[sean_iow]

I've not ridden the bike much recently, the small matter of having entered the Virtual West Highland Way ultra used up last week as I had to go running every day to cover the required distance. For no apparent reason I was really in the mood for some more history today so headed out on 2 wheels. My mum had told me there was an old post box in Newchurch which is just down the road from me. I'd seen the one in the village and it's only an ER. But yesterday when driving through I spotted another



This VR is down the road at what is now known as Langbridge but is where the disused railway crossed the road and where the station was. It makes more sense that the box would be here as the new one is a half mile up the road which includes a 100ft of climbing up a 16% slope. I assume the post would have gone by train as the road network there in Victorian times was just about non-existent. This is also only a few hundred yards from one of the Island's brewerys but it's in a private industrial estate so I didn't ride in to get a picture. Onward over the downs to the highlight of the trip.





This was once a checkpoint on a scout hike, we had to sketch it to show we'd been there, but it was the 1980s so the digital camera wasn't an option for us. I've no idea if it's still in use but it's repainted on a regular basis to keep it nice. The route home would mean another crossing of the downs but I also managed to include passing another brewery. Not much to see as the main buildings are set back off the road but this one is right next to the track



Ducks Folly is the name of one of the ales they make. The founder was a Lloyds Name who lost a lot of moiney in the financial crash. Ducks Folly is an anagram, it's two words and the second one is LLoyds, that only leaves the U, C, K and F for the first word

Over the Downs again and then by pure chance the route I took went past the vineyard so stopped for a pic. They also now seem to sell chilli based produce, appropriately I was on the Salsa. Looking at the picture I think I'm pronouncing it wrong and there should be a slight pause, I was calling it Arson Fire but I think it's pronounced Ars-On Fire

[RIP]

Ducks Folly indeed. For some bizarre reason I knew that was coming by the time I'd finished the first sentence of your write-up . Deja vu or something. Or the opposite of deja vu. Pas encore vu?

Anyway, brilliant, now we're talkin'! Brewery/vineyard collecting! I wish we'd twigged that one three months ago at the very start of all this instead of mucking about with quarries, postboxes, graveyards, weathervanes etc.

We haven't got any vineyards in Leighton (*) but there is a perfectly acceptable brewery in the industrial estate (**) which I'm sure I could have forced myself to visit. Still, there's 13 days until pubs open so it's not too late and I can make up for lost time!

(*) but there is/was one in Hemel Hempstead down the road. "Hemel Hempstead Vineyard" might not be particularly appealing on a wine bottle label I have to admit. Then again, I organised a "tour" of it years ago, and after a few samples the labels were the last things on our minds believe me.

(**) "Industrial Estate Brewery". Hmm. That's about as inspiring as "Hemel Hempstead Vineyard" isn't it. Ho hum.

[RIP]

<wistful> I'm actually rather going to miss all these Lockdown Shenanigans. It'll be a real let-down going back to all those boring remote Welsh mountains and sylvan Peak District limestone valleys and whatnot </wistful>

[RIP]

PS. .. "My mum had told me there was an old post box " - now you've dragged your poor mother into all our tomfoolery and japery. Have you warned her that once in she can never escape from the... duh duh DDDUUUHHHHH... Boner Vortex?????? Poor lady.

[sean_iow]

I must have mentioned them to my mum and she dredged the location of the VR one up from the depths of her mind.

I forgot that I also went past the Gin Distillery but the picture didn't come out. They switched to making hand sanitiser during lock-down. I've not tasted their gin so I can't say how much of a change to the production method that was

Even as the lock-down eases it will be a while before I can get away so I'll be hunting down historical oddities for a while yet

[Bearlegged]

I do like Duck's Folly. Looking forward to some next time Family Landslide head down to the island...

[benp1]

Or the opposite of deja vu. Pas encore vu?

"jamais vu"