Three To Start The Month Off

Mountain Bike Rides.

3rd July route.

Oz and Rod.

The last day of my eighteen off, so naturally it had to be spent cycling. Our little crew met at Lordstones, fettling bikes between showers which weren’t there. The forecast telling us there is no rain in the area, it’s just some random wet stuff falling from the sky, soaking us. Coats on? Coats off? Coats on for the start as we pedal along The Fronts, shedding them at the first gate when the weather reverted to sunny July. After The Fronts we shouldered the bikes up Cold Moor, just so we could ride down the other side. Wet mud overlaying hard ground making things a little sketchy on the singletrack descent. We made our way around Hasty Bank on a track vaguely remembered by Rod, a track probably best forgotten until the bracken dies down. The rain shower which decided to moisten us at this point didn’t help either, pushing through dripping wet, head-high foliage meant we we’re destined to emerge drenched whatever happened.

We crossed the B1257 and made our way to Urra Moor, to follow the track we call The Rim, along the edge of the moor towards Medd Crag, where a bridleway, previously spotted and filed away in the “would make a good descent” file was ridden a few times. I believe the youngsters call this behaviour sessioning; Terra Trailblazers, getting down with the kids since 2003. It transpired Rod had never done the East Bank Plantation bridleway, featured in this month’s MBR, so he was introduced to the muddy delights of the woodland descent, there are parts which never dry out, even in the hottest summer but the rest of the track was enjoyable today. Our return to Lordstones followed a well used route, up the Raisdale Road to Beak Hills,where the attendant Jack Russell’s let us know in no uncertain terms we were only passing through and we’d better be quick about it. Back on The Fronts, sunshine reasserted itself, beginning to resemble a July day. Celebrating the end of a successful eighteen day break with a pint of refreshing shandy while sitting outside in the sunshine, the only black cloud on the horizon - tomorrow’s return to the grimness of the chemical industry.

10th July route.

Benny The Brawl

Another one of those coats off or on days, it was drizzling in a very minor way when me and Benny The Brawl, apprentice extraordinaire left Pinchinthorpe Visitor Centre car park - possibly for the last time now they have tripled the parking charges. Killing, geese, golden eggs, it’s the old story, you have to feel sorry for the guys who run the cafe, it will hit their business really hard. And it’s not as though any of that money goes into the bike trails as it does in other places, the Guisborough bike trails have been declassified, no longer bike specific and not maintained. Moan over; we rode the bottom track, which skirts the southern fringe of Guisborough to the infamous concrete road where Benny found out what a hill is, appearing (eventually) at the top red-faced and perspiring, not so much the recklessness of youth as the breathlessness of youth.

Back in the Guisborough Forest we rode the top track, passing a few old favourite downhill tracks which are still a bit out of Benny’s league. Pausing atop a gloomy Highcliffe for photo’s and sustenance, we later continued to Codhill Heights and a bit of Pensioner style downhill, a wide track with minimal hazards but plenty of visibility. During the climb up to Percy Cross Rigg, Benny began to realise my idea of a one hill ride may have differed from his. From Percy Cross Rigg, I took pity on him and a few downhill miles followed, down the Unsuitables to pick up the end of the old Blue route, past the Blue Lake and into the cow field. Benny then conquered a rocky road - in the cafe, amazing the staff, who don’t often see someone shovelling in a whole portion.

11th July route.

Oz

Is there such a word as rainswept because that is exactly how to describe Birk Brow car park this morning? Along with empty, dull, grey and hashtag british summer. Definitely coats on today, at least the cloud was fairly high, meaning we were visible for our Moor Road start, being at the mercy of Whitby bound tourists until we turned off to Moorsholm on minor roads. Crossing the Moor Road we headed for Dimmingdale Farm, passing the legendary Freeborough Hill and taking a bridleway across moorland to the start of Robin Hood’s Butts, opposite the equally legendary Shaun The Sheep bus stop. Robin Hood’s Butts is slowly filling up with water again, reverting to its usual canal status. We turned off onto the Sis Cross bridleway and rode the superb, if slightly soggy, singletrack toward Danby, we gave the village a miss and headed for Danby Park. At a gate stop, Oz, in true Terra Trailblazers style, managed to fall off his bike before he'd actually got back on it and ended with a fat and bloody knee but he was a brave little soldier and managed to pedal all the way back to Birk Brow via the Quakers Causeway, that much reviled paved trod across the moors. I don't mind it personally and those who complain about are soft-buttocked whiners who ought to be venturing into the rough stuff more often. Just saying like. (A bit of Teesside vernacular there for our Southern readers.)