June 2020 Round Up and Video

June 2020 Round Up and Video

Video here.

What a difference a week makes, last Friday we were sweltering in 30 degree heat, things took a turn for the worse over the weekend and by the middle of the week, as we entered July, the temperature gauge could barely make it into double figures. Being either indomitable or stupid, we were still venturing out on bikes.

Monday, I found myself alone, as domestic duties curtailed The Breadlad’s pleasure. I wasn’t quite alone, the wind picked itself up to keep me company, forty to forty five mph gusts made for an interesting ride around Guisborough Woods, creaking trees and wind-blown pigeons. I took the opportunity to explore some of the myriad newly hatched trails which have appeared around the woods during lockdown and do a bit of selfie filming - it’s the only way to get true talent in front of the camera. Doing a time lapse of the clouds from the top of Highcliffe Nab, the wind was so strong, the tripod had to be fastened to my bag or it would have blown over the cliff. A few of the older trails are getting overgrown, the wet June, following dry and sunny April and May has sent the vegetation into overdrive. I arrived back at Great Ayton for my picnic, sat on a bench by the river, despite changing my wet and sweaty clothes for dry ones, I was actually shivering by the time I left. The British summer.

The following day,The Breadlad was given a day pass and allowed out to play with the big boys, well, old boy, seeing as The Ginger One suddenly found something more important to do. Doubtless involving overtime. The lack of a Ginger One meant we were free to return to Guisborough Woods, The Ginger One has a major downer on Gizzy for some reason, he is from Darlington, where illogical hatred is a way of life. Me and The Breadlad spent a pleasant few hours riding trails old and new, the trails are in good condition, with only the odd muddy puddle to contend with,I finally got to ride Chevrons, which was worth the wait.. The weather has sort of improved, in that the wind has dropped a bit but Mr. Sunshine has withdrawn his labour like a striking public servant. The highlight of the ride has to be the re-opened cafe at Pinchinthorpe Visitor Centre, outdoor seating only but still much better than having to faff about making picnics before setting out on a ride. 

The third ride of the week and the third ride in row found me and La Mujerita at Scaling Dam car park, bereft of a burger van and more disappointingly for the first day of July, bereft of sunshine. We had a pretty standard ride around the moorland tracks and byways, ending up at Danby Beacon and returning to Scaling Dam via the Roxby Moor singletrack. All  in awesome condition, fast and flowing, for one of us anyway, La Mujerita took things somewhat more cautiously and still ended up having an impromptu lie down in the heather a few times, she’s not fully embracing the “speed is your friend” adage. The chill wind didn’t encourage loitering at Scaling Dam and we beat a hasty retreat to Birk Brow for calorie replenishment of the unhealthy but delicious sort.

The last ride of the week, Friday and fifteen degrees colder than last Friday. I found myself with a brace of companions, The Youth and The Ginger One, henceforth known as ‘that pair of vannies’ as the whole ride consisted of them talking about their vans and van life; how to build a pull out bed, where the best free camping can be found, which brand of chloroform to kidnap prostitutes, the strongest cable ties, the best bleach for destroying DNA evidence. Just the usual hints and tips for the average van owner. 

Even starting the ride with an ascent of the Mad Mile couldn’t keep them quiet, the majestic beauty of the heather moors, alive with curlews, lapwings and bounding hares,apparently pales into insignificance in comparison to brake horsepower and engine sizes. We made our way along the Drove Road, battling into a head wind all the way, the main reason for choosing this ride was to check out the new takeaway caravan at High Paradise Farm, which we intended to try on the return leg of our route. However, just beyond Boltby Forest, at the entrance to track which leads to High Paradise, we were cruelly smitten by a simple blackboard which informed us the takeaway is only open on weekends and bank holidays. Oh,cruel,cruel world. 

We carried on, riding across Dale Town Common and following the bridleway down to the quaintly named Noddle End, from Noddle End there is a nice descent, on grass and slippy limestone down into Peak Scar Gill, passing beneath the mighty (by North Yorkshire standards) cliff of Peak Scar, scene of many a climbing adventure over the years. Further on, we picked up a section of the blue Fort Trail, which originates at Sutton Bank, taking in a bit of the Escarpment, the drop into the old quarry and a speedy singletrack descent through bracken. A brutal push got us back to High Barn, from where we had the wind behind us all the way back along the Drove Road, which was nice but not as nice as the final blast down the Mad Mile. Retribution for the leg-burning, lung-rasping, ascent at the beginning of the ride, one minute and fifty three seconds of pure pleasure followed by the emergency bag of sausage rolls in my boot, so we didn’t finish the ride hungry. I sat and enjoyed the view as my companions poked about in each other's vans, comparing God knows what instead of savouring the end of a successfully rain-free ride.