First Time For A Month.

Mountain Bike Ride.

The Youth

24th November 2017 route

After a month of settee slumping and the odd ride around the outskirts of Billingham, I finally felt ready to venture back out on the moors. Nothing too extreme, definitely nothing with any danger of falling off at least, if that were to happen, euthanasia would probably be the best option. I expected pain - and it didn’t let me down but somehow it seemed less, maybe concentrating on lines, or the views, or the bright, crisp weather shifted the focus away from the little man attempting to force a scaffolding pole between my shoulder blades, the deep breathing perhaps repelling his onslaught, or possibly the well documented effect of combining natural green spaces with exercise. Whatever it was, the pain began to take second place to the ride and it was like seeing things through new eyes; the splendour of Roseberry Topping, today justifying it’s common appellation - Cleveland’s Matterhorn, the main cliff face like a jagged tooth sticking up from the surrounding greenery; the heathery expanse of Newton Moor; the steady climb up Codhill Heights; the views to the coast from Highcliffe Nab, white wind turbines spinning away above cerulean blue sea. White steam from the far-distant cooling towers of our workplace, The Ginger One trapped in that control room while we looked down on him from afar.

Only me and The Youth out today, everyone else otherwise engaged, it was their loss. We began in Great Ayton, a little road bashing taking us to Fletcher’s Farm, then onwards and upwards to Aireyholme Farm and ever upwards to Roseberry Common. Bikes were shouldered for the steps to Newton Moor where we took our first breather, looking across Roseberry Topping and down onto the aforementioned chemical factory. Across Newton Moor, level riding for the first time in three miles, icy patches here and there where the sun has yet to cast it’s warming light. Cautious pedalling, no slips or surprises today, just fresh air and sunshine. The Lonsdale Bowl came and went, soon we were at the Percy Cross Rigg gate, taking another breather watching some people loading an impossible number of dogs into a Land Rover, getting on for ten it looked like. Down to Sleddale next, followed by the climb on the wide bridleway up Codhill Heights, not even pausing at the gate posts today - like a pair of climbing machines. The fire road beside Highcliffe gave us a bit of payback, hurtling down the sketchy gravel, not a soul in sight, Guisborough spread out below us like a model town.

We took the fire roads back towards Roseberry, circumspectly passing all the off-piste tracks until temptation proved too much and we ducked off into the trees to savour the delights of pines needles and mud, weaving between the conifers, on a track which (according to Strava) is called Homage To The Loamage. We climbed back up to Roseberry Common from the end of Homage To The Loamage and took the Brant Gate path which skirts the bulk of Roseberry Topping, dropping down to the road at Newton Under Roseberry, hard-packed mud, grass, sloppy mud, paved stone, trees, gorse bushes and all gloriously downhill. A couple of miles on tarmac and we were back at Fletcher’s Farm, replenishing our calorie reserves. Not the most arduous ride, nor the most technical but one of the most pleasurable rides for quite a while.