June 2018 Video and Round Up
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It has been remarked that I have became rather lax in the updates nowadays, checking back it may be correct. Seven rides have gone unblogged this month, only The Pensioner’s Ashes made the cut. I could probably blame being; *too busy/out riding/incredibly lazy* (*delete as applicable) but the fault lies squarely with my riding colleagues who seem to wilfully avoid embarrassing riding disasters, never stopping to consider the difficulty of banging out 500 words about a ride where nobody crashed, fell off, was attacked by animals or generally made a fool of themselves.Without further ado, here is a quick rundown of the missing rides.
Wednesday 06/06/18 route
Almost a week into June and only the first ride of the month, the sun has not quite managed to put it’s hat on and come out to play but the trails are predominantly dry. Benny The Brawl was able to tear himself away from whatever usually occupies the majority of his many hours of free time per month and join me and The Ginger One for a brief pedal around Guisborough Woods. At one point we rode a short section of the busy A173, which he declared to be considerably better than bouncing around rocks and muddy tracks. Somewhere there is a psychiatrist who will one day make a lot of money from that boy. Despite the trails being dry and dusty, The Secret Path, one of Guisboroughs finest tracks (“I abhor this track” Benny The Brawl. 2017) was drenched, making the roots and rocks slippier than a winter’s day. Strange. As far as I can recall, the rest of the ride was unremarkable, taking in a few of the areas best trails.
Friday 08/06/18 route
Two days later, me, The Ginger One and The Breadlad regrouped in the Yorkshire Dales hamlet of Gunnerside ready to refresh my memory of The Pensioner's most iconic ride. Being further inland, the sun was blazing and walkers were out in force, barely a space remaining in the small car park. I managed to mostly remember the route, only a couple of minor navigation errors. There are only three real climbs on the route and one of those is a carry. The first is the long plod from Gunnerside up Jingle Pot Edge, never too steep but always too long, the awesome scenery of Gunnerside valley a welcome distraction, the steep sides funnelling the river away from the abandoned mine buildings. The carry out from the valley bottom is brutal, there are no two ways about it and the third climb, after the ruined Old Gang smelting mill has a choice, long and hard or short and shorter and will I make it steep. All worth it of course for the downhills, always sweeter than when they have been well earned.
All too soon we were sitting comparing sunburn outside the incredibly cheap Mary Shaw cafe waiting for suitable sustenance.
Thursday 14/06/18 route
Almost a week later we found ourselves ducking and diving in Guisborough woods as Storm Hector did it's best to bring the odd tree down in our heads. Perhaps when 50 mph winds are forecast might not be the wisest day to go cycling but at least the car park was quiet. The Ginger One and Rod joined me today. Rods intimate knowledge of the hidden gems of Guisborough is a useful asset except for the amount of climbing involved. As it happens the majority of our route was vaguely east, so we had the wind at our backs until we headed back but being lower down the pain was not too intense.
Friday 22/06/18 route
Another scrounge about a dry and dusty Guisborough woods with The Youth.
Sunday 24/06/18 route
A solo ride from Clay Bank, over Urra Moor to Tripsdale for a bit of selfie filming with the drone. The drone, however, had other ideas thanks to some glitch in the latest app update which meant it flew but wouldn’t connect to the phone. For anyone considering a drone - be prepared for a lot of frustration, the software leaves a lot to be desired, every update brings a fresh problem. But the sun was shining and I was out on a bike, so it wasn’t a completely wasted day.
Wednesday 27/06/18 route
Young Briggs ventured out today for a little pootle about from Sheepwash, one of those bits of countryside especially designed for people who don’t like to leave sight of their vehicles. We ventured up hill and down dale, yet again in glorious sunshine, the only drawback being the insects which regard me as their own personal blood bank.
Friday 29/06/18 route
Two days later we (Me, The Youth and The Sheik) were at Square Corner car park, again in glorious sunshine, being Square Corner, it was, of course, freezing. The wind coming from the North East and bringing a distinct chill with it. A brisk pedal up the Mad Mile soon warmed us up though. A straightforward zip along the Drove Road took us to Dialstone Farm, from where we returned along The Escarpment, taking in the quarry drop and the cafe at High Paradise Farm. A huge rooster and his harem took a keen interest in every mouthful of food we scoffed. A steady five miles against the wind landed us back at Square Corner, grinning from descending the Mad Mile.
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