Another Six Ride Blog

Another Six Ride Blog

Or the first eight days of August.

14 Miles Of Headwind

Thursday 1st August 2019

Alone

For reasons I can’t remember, August began with a local ride on the cross bike, the old Greatham, Dalton Piercy, Elwick, Hurworth Burn route, picking up the Castle Eden Walkway, or Wynyard Woodland Park, or Route 1 of the National Cycling Network and heading south back to home. In the old BNQ days (Before Nights Quicky) this was a regular route, done in either direction, choosing anti-clockwise today must have been some subconscious desire for extra training or something because it is fourteen miles uphill, albeit gentle uphill but today into a headwind. All for a few miles of wind assistance returning along the former rail track to Thorpe Thewles, the mediocre weather kept the pedestrians to a minimum along the off-road sections, enabling full advantage of the tailwind. Fairly soon the metropolis of Billingham reappeared along with it the highlight of the ride - lunch from the new branch of Greggs.

Relive 'Morning Aug 1st'

April Showers - Shame It’s August

Friday 2nd August 2019
The Ginger One

This ride was going to be called “Another Perfect Day In Paradise” but the sun came out later in the ride and ruined my sardonic sentiment, arriving at Square Corner with the cloud barely above road level and icy drizzle obscuring the windscreen, we needed a quick calendar check to ascertain it really is August. Yep, we hadn’t overslept and woke up in early December. Looking on the bright side, we had a tailwind to help us up the Mad Mile and along the Drove Road, just me and The Ginger One, everyone else being too busy/lazy/sensible* (*delete as applicable) to be riding bikes up a wet hill. We headed for the quaintly named Noddle End, a tumbledown barn in an overgrown field which accesses a fine, natural downhill, starting on grassy singletrack which zigs and zags over half-buried rocks, limestone rocks, like riding over blocks of wet soap today, the descent steepening until we reach a fireroad in Peak Scar Woods and the fun is over for a little while. 

Climbing again, beneath the towering cliff of Peak Scar, venue for many rock and rope adventures in the past, we eventually join the road at the top (thankfully) of Murton Bank. As we made our way to this point, the clouds had begun to blow away, tatters of grey shroud, revealing greenery through ragged rents until the sun forced its way through until we had a passable imitation of a day in early August. 

A couple of miles of tarmac followed until we were able to resume off-road riding at Hambleton Mosses, joining the Escarpment above Boltby Scar, turning North on a fine track skirting the edge of the moor, magnificent views across the wide valley to the Yorkshire Dales. A combination of tracks and forest road took us to High Paradise Farm tea room, where the weather had improved so much, we ate outside on the patio,  only one dog today to keep us company, a few chaffinches and a solitary but thoroughly annoying wasp. Refuelled, we scooted along the Drove Road, reversing our outbound route and taking revenge on the Mad Mile, always sublime in the friendly gravity direction.

Relive 'Morning Aug 2nd'

Gribdale Quicky

Monday 5th August 2019
The Ginger One, Billy.

Three rides in a week for The Ginger One, has he seen the error of his ways and realised there are better ways to spend his time off than a big room with thirty six computer screens and a kettle? Or is it just the overtime has dried up? Anyway, this is a first for him, a BNQ, (Before Nights Quicky), so an early start was called for so he could grab a couple of hours shut eye this afternoon, before turning up at work to sit in a comfy chair for twelve hours. We met at Gribdale, along with prospective Terra Trailblazer, Billy - two rides with us and you are officially a member, there is no choice, it’s just inflicted on you, like herpes. We pedalled up the hill to Newton Moor and made our way across to Guisborough Woods to introduce Billy to a few of the drier tracks, recent wet weather has left the steeper tracks more than a bit greasy, almost back to winter mudfests in some cases, so leaving them to dry up a bit seemed prudent. 

Some impromptu trail repairs were needed when The Ginger One’s gear cable came loose, apart from that we had a fairly unremarkable ride, some nice downhills, plenty of uphills, as is the way with Guisborough Woods. Still feeling energetic when we returned to Gribdale, the extra loop option was initiated and we took ourselves up towards Captain Cook’s monument, passing a group of walkers who were coming down. It seems they must belong to some silent order of ramblers because not one returned our greetings, or even bothered to give us more than a cursory glance, quickly averting their gaze lest they make eye contact. Probably something to do with my companions being from Darlington, too much interaction with them and you are transported back to the 1950’s, luckily us folk from Hartlepool are immune.

Relive 'Morning Aug 5th'

Twenty Two and a half Miles Without Rain

Tuesday 6th August 2019

The Breadlad

The following day, The Breadlad was allowed back out to play and we met in a lay-by above Castleton ready to “get a few miles in” on what we call the bank holiday ride, so called because it is not a bad run out on those occasions when day workers go giddy with excitement at the thought of three days off in a row and clog up the areas we normally have to ourselves. Rain was forecast for three pm, we had a long ride planned but surely we would be done by three? The route is nothing new really, we rode up the road to the Shaun The Sheep bus shelter and turned onto Robin Hood’s Butts, the first week in August and already reverting to a canal, puddles stretching the whole width of the track in places. We continued to the Sis Cross track, where we had the sublime singletrack to ourselves, a thin ribbon of track, carving through the heather to join the road above Danby. From here we made out way to Danby Beacon via Clitherbeck Farm, arriving at the beacon we paused for a breather but the unseasonably cold breeze made it a short pause. Next came the Roxby Moor singletrack , another sinuous line carving through etcetera, etcetera, speedy today with a bit of a tailwind. What goes down, must go up and it wasn’t long before we were both panting and cursing our way up The Slagbag, a mere tenth of a mile long but ascending 75 feet, 26% gradient in some parts, once we were too unfit to attempt the climb, always having a nice push, until one day someone threw down the gauntlet by riding up it and now it is always reluctantly attempted and usually managed. 

We continued to Lealholmside, from where a fast descent through a field of sheep, or rather, minefield of sheep droppings, took us under the railway line to Lealholm. All roads out of Lealholm lead up, so up we went, heading for Houlsyke and Crag Farm, then climbing more gently through fields to Stone Beck Gate and the ride/push/carry up Ainthrope Rigg. Feeling the distance a bit now, we had a quick pause on the top before the descent, which is rocky at first, turning to nicely baked mud and grass as it nears the road above Ainthorpe. The Garmin clocked up twenty one miles of riding as we rolled into Danby and the welcome sustenance of The Stonehouse Bakery, two miles to go and hour to do it in, easy, a quick bite to eat and back to the car before the three o’clock rain. 

Leaving the cafe we began chatting to a couple of fellow mountain bikers doing the coast to coast,  heading to Robin Hood’s Bay for the night, they were from the flatlands of Lincolnshire and loving our moors. We talked for a while, the weather staying bright and sunny, then said our goodbyes and set off on the two miles back to Castleton through Danby Park. A half a mile to go, mere seconds from the cars and a cloud burst of monsoon magnitude cascaded over us, a thorough dousing as though we had been jet washed. At least it got the sheep shit off the bikes. Five minutes later, it was gone, with only a waterfall coursing down the tarmac and two drenched cyclists to show it had ever happened.

Relive 'Morning Aug 6th'

Exploring Round Sheepwash

Wednesday 7th August 2019

The Breadlad, Uncle Ian

The Breadlad’s last day off before he returns to keep the wheels of Britain’s crumpet industry turning, we met up at Sheepwash, along with Uncle Ian, for a few loops up and around Cod Beck reservoir. The first loop took us up to Scarth Wood Moor, a few nice tracks through the woods and across the moor were enjoyed before we descended to Osmotherley and returned to the reservoir. Climbing up the opposite side of the valley, to High Lane, we rode past the former coaching inn, Chequers continuing to Square Corner, then the technical descent to Oak Dale.

We took a little used track back to the woods, once we were on it I remembered why it is little used, it ramps up so steeply, we were all pushing, even the usually indomitable Uncle Ian was reduced to pedestrianism. Undaunted, we continued our explorations through the woods, eventually emerging at the top of the slabs leading down to the ford at Sheepwash. Once a test of skill for aspiring mountain bikers, or just point the bike downwards and hang on (which is more my style), erosion between the rock steps has made descending a more daunting prospect, a little line choice and forethought needs to be employed to ensure a pain-free ride down. The Breadlad and Uncle Ian sessioned a few sections while I did the sensible thing and got behind the camera.

Relive 'Morning Aug 7th'

 Another Ride Around Sheepwash

Thursday 8th August 2019
Alone

And here I am back again, grabbing a space in Sheepwash car park before the hordes descend. Sheepwash is extremely popular with those who like to enjoy the countryside without losing sight of their cars and on a fine day during the school holidays, spaces are at a premium. Not too many about at ten am although the forecast is promising and it’ll probably be like Christmas at the Metro Centre when I get back. I began my lonely ride by revisiting some of yesterday’s trails to do a spot of selfie filming (it’s the only way to get a decent class of performer) in the woods before moving on to Silton Woods downhill track. 

The downhill track, although (not yet) affected by the ongoing tree felling is so overgrown I wasn’t sure I was on the correct track at first plus the jumps towards the bottom of the last section have been taken out, so it wasn’t the cinematic location it used to be. I did a bit of filming but drones and trees don’t mix especially when the drone responds to commands about as well as a recalcitrant toddler. There is function called active track, in which the drone locks onto a chosen subject, i.e. a mountain biker and follows him (or her, other genders are available), filming as it goes. In reality it swivels about a bit, follows for a while, then like some wheezing fat Geordie chasing Mo Farah in the Great North Run, stops in mid air, refusing to go any further as you ride off into the distance. Realising the true extent of your loneliness, you are forced to ride back to the drone, which hovers impassively while being berated with maximum profanity, reminded in no uncertain terms what it is supposed to be doing. Taking offence, the drone then shoots a hundred metres up into the air and flounces back to the take off point using low battery as an excuse, you follow and pack the whole lot away, drone, controller, dead batteries and carry it around on your back for the rest of the ride. Which is exactly what happened - little wonder the wheelie bin gets to go out more often than the drone.

Relive 'Morning Aug 8th'