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I've not seen a thread on the usual weekly topic so far - so here goes.
What you been doing - and some photos!
For me - this evening - night ride and a beatuiful tobacco sunset!
And I hope to get out on Sunday - if the predicted doom and gloom stays away (even temporarily).
Last of the Summer. Whine 😭
A short spin on the new bike last night. I just cought the sunset over the Trossachs.
No riding for me this weekend 😣.
Bikes have been fetled from the holidays.
Our first Turbo Levo has been polished and ready to be collected after selling it yesterday. Stumpjumper is ready to sell but it may already be
Enduro has a bit of fettling before its put up for sale so will be spending some time in the garage, good job its raining
I went out yesterday before the weather broke. A big day out in the hills that involved a mix of riding, pushing, clambering over boulder fields and riding down long and brutal descents.
30 miles and 6500ft of up.
I feel a bit broken today 😀.
The route was Loch Muick car park, Capel Mounth descent, up Jock’s Road, over the Glittering Skerries, down to the falls at the head of Glen Clova, our and over Broad Cairn, up to Lochnagar, down the Glas-allt-Shiel descent and back to the car park.
A few pic and videos from the guy I was riding with.
Frikkin wetter than a trout's handbag in the Cotswolds today. Mint to be out though.
Lazy one here. Saw the forecast, so giving the E160 a good check-over, sort a few niggles out. Did manage to get out Thurs evening in the local woods on the other bike. Now looking like heavy rain until Mon afternoon here 👎🏻
My right elbow is screaming at me at the moment, so no riding this weekend...
New bike day for me,so managed to pop out for a play when the rain eventually stopped .
Up early and put new saddle, grips, chain, jockey wheels and cable inner and outer on the hardtail today, then looked out of the window for ages before finally hauling my arse down the canal to do a lap of the trails at the Back of the velodrome in Manchester. There were a few trees down and the rain was awful, but it was decent enough.
The cassette needs changing too though, annoyingly.
Classic pic RD!
Still can’t post a sodding picture aaahhhhhh
A nice 15 mile pootle on road with mrs_oab this morning though the tail end of the wet - a canoe would have been better at points. Mrs_oab snug with full length mudguards and I on new bike with none, soaked...
First properly sloppy ride in a long time with mini_oab, local trails an absolute hoot. Felt more like gorge scrambling at times.
Still in lockdown doorstep riding mode. Not because of lockdown, just saves time and faff. Pay the price with no proper woodland or hills or singletrack. Still manage to enjoy it though. Starting to get a bit muddy now. Might have to change the Slaughter on rear for something grippier soon.
Can't remember the last time I wore 3 layers on my top half and didn't get too hot. Was taking it a bit easier today though.
Unexpected 2 hours gravel ride with Mrs HTO on Friday.
Quick shakedown of this SS monstercross / confused-identity-bike this morning.
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Out on the road after the rain 👍
After 5 days in the tweed valley I'm now on Arran for a few days. It finally stopped raining this afternoon so managed to head out for a late gravel bash, hopefully by tomorrow they'll be a bit less water about. Jesus, Arran is stunning!
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Friday (that one nice day this past week)
To start with, I've been a bit reticent of late to stick a bike on the rack and drive anywhere as I've experienced lots of rotor contamination. It might be off the road, or it might be exhaust related. Either way, I've been looking for a better solution than copious amounts of clingfilm. The answer arrived in the post a couple of weeks ago..
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50413513637_8753c1b18c_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50413513637_8753c1b18c_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2jNSrdZ ]2020-10-03_08-35-57[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/druidh2000/ ]Colin Cadden[/url], on Flickr
These little beauties attach with velcro and have solved the problem.
Suitably equipped, I set off to do a gravel route I'd been eyeing up for a couple of years. You may not like windfarms but they've added a few riding options in some out-of-the-way places and this ride was to be in to Tom nan Clach, north of Carrbridge.
Don't worry I wasn't taking this bike
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The gravel was very fine and sandy and, with recent rain, had developed into a thick soup. With the 650x47 Horizons I was leaving an obvious groove through it, which was obviously adding to pedalling resistance too. On the way to the windfarm, I took the chance too look at one of the "lunch huts" belonging to the estate.
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This was unlocked, clean and cosy inside. Might feature in another post at some point.....
As I reached the [i]wind[/i] turbines, it got increasingly windy. Whodathunkit? Good view all around though.
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On the return leg, I'd decided I wanted to explore some of the older estate tracks. This is extensively used as grouse moor and is grazed by sheep so there is quite a network. The first track I looked at was way too rocky for the #gradventurer. The next one looked good and seemed to form a loop so off I went.
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After this lovely fast downhill (with occasional more rocky bits). I hit a bit of a problem. I came to a ford and it was showing evidence of the past three days rain. The water was brown and fast and deep. I couldn't see the river bed at all.
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I didn't fancy the ride back up the long hill, so elected to cross just upstream of the line of boulders. I figured they'd give me something to stabilise myself with. The bike was also used as a bit of a prop. By half way over, the bike wheels were covered. I do mean the top of them. The water was up to my thighs, Anyway, at least it wasn't cold and when I got across I took my boots off, emptied them, wrung out my Woolie Boolies and relaxed in the warm sun for a while.
I did a wee bit more exploring but came to another ford that looked even worse to cross and, in any case, the rack was getting increasingly rocky and, alternately, muddy, Wrong bike/tyre choice to go much further. Found another couple of old buildings that might warrant an exploratory trip.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50409894766_ab1fb96729_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50409894766_ab1fb96729_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2jNxTsE ]DSC_1609[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/druidh2000/ ]Colin Cadden[/url], on Flickr
When I reached the windfarm track again, I noticed the map suggested a wee waterfall along another track so off I set. This track was soon really muddy and I was slipping all over the place. By adopting my ice-riding skills, I was just able to hang on long enough until it got rocky again. I found the waterfall by sound but it's down a very steep gorge with no access path. This was the best shot I could get of it.
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The track carried on (downhill) to another farm so off I set.
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I soon saw the farm and was getting ready for a shot spin onto the road until I hit another ford. No way I was getting across this one. I hummed and hawed, traversed the bank for ages, then decided the best was out of here was to set off cross-country. That meant crossing a deep mossy bog, one arm holding the bike up and the other hanging onto a fence lest I sink in too far (truth is, I never went more than calf deep).
I was sooo grateful to eventually reach tarmac and all that was left was a spin up the road back to the van. I passed this old Wade/Caulfield bridge on the way.
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In the intervening 300 years since it was built, the river has relocated eastwards by around 50 metres, leaving it high and dry now.
It seems seldom I'm now on tracks that no one has ridden regularly or that aren't listed on some website or forum. This felt like a proper adventure, despite being not that far from home. I'll certainly be heading back with a MTB and probably bivvy gear. There's the makings of an Inverness-Aviemore off-road route here.
Sounds like A proper adventure.
I’m so jealous. Something popped in my back as I bent over a few days ago. Been virtually immobile since so missed riding for the past few days.
Before that, I was getting a bit choosy about riding in rain vs dry. But now I’d be happy to even ride in a downpour if I could only get on the bike.
‘twas wet. Not much more to say 😀
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Manky
Splashed my way around Gisburn red. Thankfully stayed dry from the sky, but kit and bike were soaking and covered in muck! Haven't ridden a trail centre in ages, and though Strava tells me I wasn't totally useless, I got thwarted by the techy climbs and tree routes! Was fine on the descents. Despite the car park being full when I arrived, trails were pretty quiet.
Today, rode Coire-Fhionn Lochan, quite a bit of pushing but pretty rideable on the way down. Only 1.5 miles or so, but 1000ft right from sea level.
Had a hercules fly by waaay down below me close to the water, must be part of the military exercise going on.
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Tomorrow will be Glen Rosa and some of the local trails around Lamlash.
So this weekend’s ride was a bit different.
Prompted by my cousin who did a run round all the houses he’s lived in in the town where he lives, I did the same in Sheffield but by bike, as a meandering urban ride to parkwood and back.
On the way I took photos of the front doors and put them on strava...
I nearly missed one house out, which meant I had to ride back from Broomhill to the bottom of walkley, but that was a nice excuse to come back via rivelin. Pics of terraced houses and uni halls here:
https://strava.app.link/UNrjcDzblab
tallpaul - that is one of my absolutely favourite places in the UK, so special. There's a very sketchy bit in the middle on the way back down, I don't think I would have ridden that!
I did my DoE Gold hike past there 'a few year ago' - there was paths leading up and over the back that I wondered about riding.
tallpaul – that is one of my absolutely favourite places in the UK, so special. There’s a very sketchy bit in the middle on the way back down, I don’t think I would have ridden that!
I did my DoE Gold hike past there ‘a few year ago’ – there was paths leading up and over the back that I wondered about riding.
I'm guessing that's the 'steps' up next to the waterfall? Not a chance I was riding that! The slabs further up would be rideable in the dry, could see a decent line, but with the rock being wet and some rock having loads of grip and others none at all, didn't want to spanner myself! I walked both those bits. 55 minutes to climb and under 20 on the way down 😁
There's definitely a few paths that head up to the ridge line by the looks of it, and down another path further south.
In fact, STW did it a while ago:
This past weekend i was invited to ride Mountain Hero and who could refuse an invitation to ride a 7 kilometre trail that descends 1030 meters right back to where the car was left waiting?
Unfortunately, to get to Mountain Hero there is a climb of 932 meters. Earning yer turn is one think but earning it into a freezing 17km headwind is another.
The memory of the climb was forgotten as soon as we arrived at the trailhead, but the memory of my buddy stripping to his pants to fit his pads may be more difficult to erase...
edit: this trail is on Montana Mountain in Carcross which is in the Yukon and i’m the one in the black jacket
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This week's riding has been top drawer 👌
can’t wait till next weekend.
A really wet ride on Saturday over the local hill - no photos. Sunday went for a ride on the moors between Threshfield and Malham. Decided to take the single speed fat bike. Still a lot of water around - Goredale Beck was as high as I've seen it, no way was I riding through it!
Finally stopped to take a shot of this chap at Tarn House
