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Horrible, isn't it?
Just back from a couple of days in Wales, for various boring reasons I didn't take the bike.
Daughter and Son in law are looking at doing the Welsh 3000's this week, and popped up the Carneds for a last recce yesterday.
They started at Ogwen, straight up Pen Yr Ole Wen, we parked at Aber and walked up to meet them on Foel Fras.
So we decided go up via Drum.
I like walking, should be fun.
With a bike, it's pretty much my favourite place on Earth.
We usually pop up to Lyn Anafon first, something to eat then 10 minutes of madness back down before the big climb.
Right at the signpost and it's butterflies in the stomach time.
Long easy climb, say hello to the hill ponies, unspoken race to the top, take in the view then fling yourself back down.
God, it's wonderful.
Jesus, it's a dull walk though.
Takes bleeding ages and every step a reminder that your soul and your knees would be so much happier on a sodding mountain bike.
'Er indoors felt the same, too.
Well, her knees did.
Bikes are great.
Don't leave home without one.
I'm with you all the way. Spend more time walking my local route than riding it at the moment. Get filled with envy when somebody comes by on a bike 🙁
Walking on a bike trail should only happen when your bike is broken.
I dunno, I quite like it. You see things at walking speeds you don't notice on a bike. Like a bench you've ridden past hundreds of times and never spotted. Or a view of a particular hill you didn't know was there. And you get to have a proper look at trail obstacles you normally just whisk through and think about new lines.
I don't like the endless long valley walk-outs from some mountains though, I'll give you that. But there are places you can go on foot, where a bike is just an encumbrance, mainly sharp, technical ridges and scrambles.
Running gives you a bit of both.
I've walked Ben Lomond once and ridden it maybe 8 times.
The walk was fine up, since you usually push half of it anyway, but then you get to the top and there's no reward. Just a trudge down that takes just as long as the climb, but you've already seen it all and there's no excitement. A complete waste of time.
same as BWD, lets you see stuff that you normally miss. Although I suspect she knows now, but I often suggest a walk to my GF to check out possible new trails as well...
Did some hike-a-bike in the Lakes. It was basically walking... with a bike.
Option was there to ride but so much of it was impossible to ride. Though it was nice to have a bike for the bits you could and get up/down stuff quicker. Rest of it I felt like it would be more enjoyable without lugging a bike on my back 😀 (though I did enjoy it. Fantastic scenery).
Another reason for walking is that I sometimes find new trails or paths that I haven't noticed before. Am more inclined to go explore them foot (especially ones going downhill) as if they turn out to be duds (usually the case) I haven't wasted a nice bike descent.
A couple of years ago we hiked up to Eagle Crag below Dollywaggon to do a bit of climbing. Beautiful day. All day I watched bikes bikes come past from my belay ledge wishing I was with them. Then it took hours to hike back down.
Gimmie a bike any day. Sometimes if I'm walking and really start to lose the plot I'll jog along holding an invisible handlebar making shralping noises and "bunny hopping" over rocks 😐
Take a pruning saw with you to clear those annoying and speed reducing branches that overhang the trail and spoil a nice run, same for fallen trees(small ones).
A couple of years ago we hiked up to Eagle Crag below Dollywaggon to do a bit of climbing. Beautiful day. All day I watched bikes come past from my belay ledge wishing I was with them. Then it took hours to hike back down.
Gimmie a bike any day. Sometimes if I'm walking and really start to lose the plot I'll jog along holding an invisible handlebar making shralping noises and "bunny hopping" over rocks 😐
This
scoping out new tracks and lines for exampleYou see things at walking speeds you don't notice on a bike
and
this
and a bad to pick up litter.Take a pruning saw with you
I'm broken at the moment so walking is the best I can do.
It's different when it's your local trails though. Nothing new to find and watching people fly past grinning and covered in mud is a real downer 😥
I hate walking DOWNHILL! Harder than walking up, takes just as long!
At least if you slog to the top with your ride, you get to wooooooooooosh down 😉
It's different when it's your local trails though. Nothing new to find........
I've found stuff that you miss when at speed on a bike.
I've walked our puppy (now dog) 3000 miles on local bridleways and singletrack over the past year.
It's been a great way to explore new stuff, tidy up existing stuff etc.
He's old enough to accompany me on a ride a couple of lunchtimes a week but I think walking him will still be a good thing.
I think the main thing is adjusting your expectations as to how far you'll travel in a given time when you walk stuff you normally ride, decide to take in the view, have a dawdle and take a couple of photo's. I also listen to audio books if I'm on my own.
A top local to us Slievenamon in Tipperary , i cycled up it late last year , then took the wife for a walk up it late march when we had the last few flakes of snow .A fine ride but a long walk down that was slow in comparison to my bike descent.[img] https://www.dropbox.com/s/rb06xdmeyc9dv6i/2016-09-21%2012.05.17.jp g" target="_blank">https://www.dropbox.com/s/rb06xdmeyc9dv6i/2016-09-21%2012.05.17.jp g"/> ?dl=0[/img]
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I deliberately try to walk in places that aren't great for cycling. i.e too steep, through rivers, impractical, etc.
Dovedale for example is a perfectly fine stroll, but would be too boring on a bike.
Chrome Hill wouldn't be much fun on a bike (carry up, too fast into gates down and the landowners are shits), but it a fabulous place to be.
Much better that way.
Dovedale is actually pretty good for a cheeky winter night ride 😉