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After the success of not doing Philips this week we’ll take a look at the other side of the valley next and do Waterdale / Hurst Woods / Canals / Prestolee / HTN bombhole (bravery permitting) / Clifton and probably just one lap of Philips to finish off.
8:15 at The Church Inn.
Bring beer money.
Bring lights.
The weather looks good again because God loves mountainbikers.
Turbines the week after!
Last weeks route was an absolute blinder!!! So for that reason...
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I'm in!
I was a bit worried that you were all going to batter me after dragging you all through the third overgrown mess. Most of that route is a lot better in winter 🙂
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Definitely not Terrahawk. The whole 'Nam' feel just added to the appeal
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Jungle? Blokes with guns, on drugs? all part of the fun! 😀
Magazine deadlines permitting (which they will, because God loves mountain bike journalists*) we'll be there. On the tandem!
* Pushing it a little I think...
Was going to volunteer to host the Darwen one on 15th.
It'd be a change. We could always do Edenfield/Cragg/Turbines the week after. What does our glorious leader think?
Glorious Leader? Errr… I couldn’t give a toss as long as I get to ride my bike and have a cold drink and a bag of crisps afterwards 😉
[PrimalScream]
Feel free to do what you want to do.
Yeah baby, Let's go!
[/PrimalScream]
[/PrimalScream]
We wanna get loaded*! And have a good time!
[/PrimalScream]
Lets do Darwen then. Rode it 2 weeks ago and the trails are drier than they've been in a few years
* The phrase is used figuratively in this instance, with reference to a pint of Crotchrots Old Boilerlicker and a packet of pork scratchings
Chipps, If you and Clover are riding "The Beats With Two Backs" we may have to give the Bomb Hole a miss otherwise there may not be an issue 84 or any more fancy knitted items.
Meh. Sausagefingeredtimedouttypobollocks.
Right then - the Lost Kingdom on the 15th it is then. Then.
I miss these.
Whose front mech do I still have?
I shall put it in my diary, drinkypoos afterwards? I know riding home is easily doable now 😉Right then - the Lost Kingdom on the 15th it is then. Then.
Which of Darwens premier hostelries will we be starting and finishing in Mr Sparkle? I can't remember which pub we used to nip in as we always just referred to it as the Flying Bottle 😀
The Royal Hotel, Tockholes.
Its a nice little boozer, that. Perfectly located for the gentleman who has worked up a thirst on his velocipede, on Darwen Moor
8:15 meet up?
Anyway.... We're getting ahead of ourselves here and some plonker is going to turn up a week early, but it is good to have a plan.
Where are we having our Christmas do?
Yes - 8.15pm start. It's the law apparently... 😉
Yes - I'll shut up about the ride two weeks off now, to save confusion.
Christmas do? How about the Royal Hotel, Tockholes? 😀
Where are we having our Christmas do?
you need to get the club jerseys sorted first
What size Bregante.....
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8271/9015493404_3745d6caa1_b.jp g" target="_blank">
Christmas do? Well... [url= http://www.irwellworksbrewery.co.uk/ ]obviously[/url] 😀
can't see any cider listed [url= http://www.irwellworksbrewery.co.uk/brewery-our-beers.html ]there[/url], bloody heathens.Christmas do? Well... obviously
Binners, did you do that poster? It's brilliant 🙂
Cheers Molly. I did indeedy. Featuring our patron saint. If anyones interested, I may well get some printed. Only a one colour silk screen. They'll be cheap as chips
Is that not Smoking Man from the X-files then?
No. Its [url= http://www.uncut.co.uk/the-fall/the-falls-mark-e-smith-i-threw-a-bottle-at-mumford-sons-news ]Mark E Smith[/url]
D0NK - they do have some seriously dangerous ciders. The sort that have wasps floating in it
Roll call for tonight then? Its going to be a sweaty, nettley, midge-fest for sure
And someone is road-testing their freshly modded cobblers 😀
I'm in, just to see a grown man cry the first time the saddle clatters him in the cobblers. 30 miles on a bike is going to hurt.
It'll actually be closer to 40 by the time we make it home. The phrase 'baptism of fire' springs immediately to mind
I predict that he will throw up before he even climbs out of Rammy.
unlikely, but not impossible (i'm still in between bikes, strictly speaking- the norco needs new shock mount bushings and a brake bleed, and the el guapo needs a load of new bits that i don't own yet). if ali wants to get out for a ride, then we'll both be there though. but not on a tandem. that's weird, and we don't own one.
I'll be there
Provisional route.
Provisionally.
Church
Waterdale
Molyneaux
Old Hall Lane
Hurst
Canals
Prestolee
Giants Seat
Cheekies
Philips
Pub
We'll be there.
But sadly not on the tandem as the tandem-fettler disappeared into the shed yesterday for a quick fettle (or whatever you lads do in there) and emerged with a list of tandem repair items that can't be sorted by 8.15pm tonight. 🙁
The good news is that my bike has gears again (after unilaterally turning itself into a single speed for the Lee Quarry race). But darn, I'm going to have to pedal now!
Is their room for a slow paced fellow from sunny Salford? Pub postcode? Thanks 1 shed
I think I'll tape my plums up. Do you think that will help?
Church Inn
40 Church Ln Prestwich M25 1AJ
Look out for a red faced man on lime green bike. Cheers 1 shed
If I can resist the chilled Hobgoblins i`ll tag along too.
Back home cold beer in hand. Thanks for the ride. Despite suffering at times I'll be back.
Good stuff again!
[url= http://app.strava.com/activities/65702010 ]le Tour de Prestwich[/url]
Next week, The Lost Kingdom of Darwen!
Right, I'm off to wash my helmet.
Get it in the shower for gods sake man!!!
Another belter tonight! Cheers all! The bomb hole was a bit more rideable than the last time I slithered down it, out of control! Don't look at the tree!!!
Good ride apart from the midges.
Plums are intact so that's a bonus.
Great stuff,I never tire of the river section.
Andy, I notice your cheeky "Segment Poach" on the last climb to the pub 😉
...and I thought you were just keen to get a pint.
I became in range of the Purple Moose beers tractor beam.
Where abouts is this location that you call the bomb hole?!
It is a cheeky bit in Giant’s Seat Woods, about 10m off Red Rock Lane opposite the garden centre.
It is about 30m wide, quite deep with steep sides and has a target tree in the middle of it.
It was used in HTN 1 back in 2008 and caused much mayhem and carnage for which we would like to profusely apologies*.
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* The bit about an apology is a massive lie.
Cheers Harry
Looking at your Strava then, I'm assuming that its the little loop that you did at 7.3 miles. Haven't ridden in there but often park up by the sewage works and ride down to Philips Park from there - so will give it a try at some point.
As a kid i remember my grandad telling me that the Germans used to drop any unused bombs in that valley after raiding Manchester and needing lighten up and scarper back home. Is it really the results of a bomb or is that just a name its acquired?
Dunno. The area is littered with bloody big holes though. The Luftwaffe used go for the power station that was over the road and use the valley to line up for a crack at the loco works in Horwich.
I like the idea that the HTN Bombhole was created by an actual BOMB.
Two actually if you look at the topography.
whatever
Sorry. Should have used a smaller word.
[i]Two actually if you look at the big holes next to each other.[/i]
I know what topography is.
anyway. nice holes.
I'd heard they dated from much later on, and were the result of a mishap involving trainee jihadists from Blackburn
There's two next to each other in Boggart Hole Clough.
Luftwaffe after the Golden Lion, innit?
Can't think of any natural process that would create that Prestwich one.
Got to be Fritz with an itchy trigger finger.
The canal must have been a target?
Been called into work every single sodding Monday night for six months, btw - hope you all get bummed by werewolves.
As if being bummed weren't bad enough, the werewolves bit is just malicious imo.
Best not mention the bumming. Hora might turn up to recreate the George Michael video for Let's Go Outside
The werewolves?
When trail builders had an unlimited budget...
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haha good picture and comment!
My Grandad worked at the Chloride battery factory at Clifton during the war - that was where most people now associate with Pilkington's tiles factory. So in the valley there would have been a couple of railway lines, the canal, power station, water treatment works and battery factory - oh and a garden centre - so well worth tossing a few bombs in...
Hordes of Ju87 Stukas are unlikley,probibly more to do with the Wet Earth Colliery or Fletchers canal nearby?
Not quite as exciting. 🙁
I`d like to be wrong though.
The strange concrete lump in Philips is a barrage balloon mount.
I know there are actual rows of bombholes up on the top of Ruabon, round here
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=324275&Y=345915&A=Y&Z=126
during the war they set up lights to mimic a 1/4 scale liverpool docks which is about 20 miles due north. Fun to ride but nothing like The Bombhole
Shame I missed this one. Free next monday but 40 miles across Manchester is a tad excessive for evening spin