Mountain Bike Ride
The Fireman, The Other Fireman.
Less than promising would probably be the best way to describe today’s forecast, unless you you have been promised a day of unceasing dreich, then it would be absolutely correct. Undaunted, we still met up at Pinchinthorpe Visitor Centre car park, determined to show the weather who was boss, it was more drizzle than proper rain, waterproofed and raring to go, we flung ourselves at the forest, me and a brace of firemen. One being our usual fireman, the other a colleague returning to the mountain biking fold after some time in the wilderness but he has a bike and some legs so he exceeds the Terra Trailblazers criteria.
A gentle start from the visitor centre following the old rail track, the slippery, slidy hill past Bousedale House to Home Farm presaging the rest of the ride. The Concrete Road led us painfully to the top of the woods and we continued climbing on wet and soggy tracks until we encountered our first fallen tree. Some awesome winds have visited over the past few days and there are trees laid about the forest as though an inebriated giant has staggered through after a session in Guisborough’s hostelries. Low cloud in the valley almost obliterated the view of the town, combined with the recent felling activity in the middle foreground, it looked like we were staring down at the smoking remains of Guisborough following the apocalypse.
As we continued, the sky lightened and the drizzle almost stopped drizzling, rounding the bend after Highcliffe, another fine view unfolded, low cloud clinging to the trees below us. Our route continued across Codhill Heights, pleasantly downhill for us unlike the two guys we passed who were heading upward on cyclocross bikes - been there: done that - and it’s not easy. A brief climb up from Sleddale before we made our up Percy Cross Rigg, more climbing, before the final drop down the Unsuitables gate, a scant reward for the amount of ascent but welcome nonetheless. Quite thoroughly drenched by now, mainly from the amount of surface water around, we made our way across Newton Moor to Little Roseberry the smaller of brother of Roseberry Topping and minced our way down a wet and slippy descent. Some cyclist/ground interfaces may have occurred but we best not dwell on that.
The Rye Banks bridleway from Roseberry Common is narrow, muddy and at times, encroached by gorse bushes, the utmost skill, technique and concentration is required to ride this track without skidding or falling off - needless to say some of us had picked themselves off the floor and out of the furze more than once before we reached the bottom. All in the name of finding another route to the pub at Newton Under Roseberry in preparation for the Xmas dinner ride.
Descent filed away for future reference, we passed the pub and spent a short time risking life and limb on the A173 until we could turn off onto the track to Bousdale Farm. Luckily we had no intention of following the track all the way to the farm, which involves the sort of ascent best undertaken with sherpas, legs and lungs were taking a dim view of that type of behaviour, a handy fire road brought us back through the woods to Pinchinthorpe Visitor Centre. The highlight of the ride - the cafe - came next and soon we were happily tucking into calorific goodies as we dripped muddy water onto the floor.
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