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Post by hodgy on May 5, 2016 18:26:29 GMT
As of now just the short route ...this may change into the naughty route depending on who comes !
Not sure who is back from bike trips ( Skye /Russell ) ...holiday ( Scicily / Don Jaconelli) ( Braemar / Ant & Ingrid ) ...
Short to try and entice Dave & Jean because it's a trail build weekend ( sunday) .
Colin is attending a wedding ...so far just Graham & myself ..
Start at the Lead Mining Trailhead in Edmundbyers 10.30.
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Post by glynnsixo on May 5, 2016 18:34:03 GMT
i was going to ask when hodgy but it looks just a bit too far for a daytrip
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Post by hodgy on May 5, 2016 18:54:04 GMT
Yeah that would help ...I was just going to leave it open so people could please themselves ! Haha
Thanks for pointing that out ...this Saturday is when myself and Graham are going ...
You would love either one of the full length versions ...MBR have featured it a few times now ..but have managed to cock it up by including a road section ..which is not the route I gave them a few years back ..we also have another alternative route which we have kept to ourselves as it is more than a little bit naughty ..
3 hours would get you here ...but to make it worth your while you would need a " full" route.
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Post by glynnsixo on May 5, 2016 18:59:49 GMT
not that far then? but im at work  |
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Post by hodgy on May 5, 2016 19:22:59 GMT
Some other time Glynn...
Straight up the A1 then the A68 just shy of Darlington and you can't really go wrong ..
Keep an eye out for it next time ..or if you ever fancy a weekday trip just let me know
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Post by ant on May 5, 2016 19:40:57 GMT
Not back til Sunday Neil, now I can see why you like Scotland so much,fantastic riding up here, even found some decent single track in the Balmoral estate
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Post by hodgy on May 5, 2016 20:30:14 GMT
Good to hear Ant ...glad you are enjoying yourself ...
If I'd known you were going to Balmoral I would have got in touch with some family friends ..Phil & Lizzy ..they would have made you very welcome ..afternoon tea a speciality of theirs...
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Post by ant on May 6, 2016 7:11:20 GMT
I knocked on the door and said is the queen in but she's doon London until August so I had to pay for my own cream scone in the cafe
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Post by hodgy on May 6, 2016 8:43:29 GMT
not that far then? but im at work I have just checked this on Greenflag and it takes even less time than I thought . 2hrs 32 mins ..and they are usually fairly conservative with their times |
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Post by andyr on May 6, 2016 21:50:46 GMT
Just so you know Neil parts of it up near the top are still rather boggy and suffering quite badly from erosion. Was up there today.  |
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Post by hodgy on May 7, 2016 4:34:55 GMT
Cheers Andy ...
I nearly always dismount on those bits to save the trail...that's the flipside to telling the world about a great bit of singletrack through a magazine ...inevitably it gets more traffic ...however apart from the known boggy bits which will always be boggy I think that in the main it holds up well and most of the erosion is through natural causes?
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Post by hodgy on May 7, 2016 16:49:58 GMT
Lots of photos to follow ...but what a fantastic day & ride ...I haven't even checked the final scores yet because I don't want any bad news ! ( I know where we were at with 8mins to go )
You really should consider this area for a
visit / forum ride ...only 2.5 hours from Sheffield ...and we are blessed with some truly amazing natural trails ...
It was really dry & dusty (!) on most of it today ...which made the last 5km of mainly downhill so so fast ...
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Post by hodgy on May 7, 2016 16:59:20 GMT
The first half of the ride is mainly up to the top of Bolts Law but the gradient is manageable and nearly all of it is rideable ....but this then means that you have in the right conditions a superb return .. The start of the ride in Edmundbyers  The first stream crossing which was really low today    More to follow... |
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Post by hodgy on May 7, 2016 17:06:19 GMT
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Post by hodgy on May 7, 2016 17:27:35 GMT
This has to be my favourite tree ...anywhere I just love the fact that it is the only one around for miles and survives even the bleakest of winters . It does get decorated each year near Christmas time ..  Beyond the tree and looking back ..the first of the boggy bits ( there are only two)  Most of it is like this  Nice pose there...  I meant the post Graham ....  More to come... |
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Post by hodgy on May 7, 2016 17:41:32 GMT
Beyond the trig point at the top of Bolts Law ( top left ) ..and we are into the lollipop or loop bit of the ride ...the singletrack is still sublime ...     This just totally messed with my mind....!!!  I haven't shown any of the naughty bits but it links into the original C2C route near to the top of the climb out of Rookhope ..this was a railway line hauling iron ore & limestone on the outward journey with coal being brought back on the return..at the very top are the remains of some (now ) derelict buildings which housed the engine room / winch motors to haul the train and carriages to the top  .. Yet more to follow |
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Post by hodgy on May 7, 2016 17:54:35 GMT
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Post by hodgy on May 7, 2016 18:11:27 GMT
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Post by hodgy on May 8, 2016 8:54:14 GMT
We came across this little fella on the trail yesterday ..( I nearly squashed him)..I haven't seen a lizard in the wild for years..anyone know what kind it is ?  |
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Post by ant on May 8, 2016 19:09:48 GMT
It's a horrible scary one, great pictures though
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Post by glynnsixo on May 8, 2016 19:25:28 GMT
some nice pics there hodgy, looks like you're using a different fone/camera.  and yeah looks like its worth a trip sometime. |
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Post by kirky72 on May 8, 2016 19:50:18 GMT
Good pics!
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Post by gramish on May 10, 2016 14:10:26 GMT
It has to be a Common or Viviparous (gives birth to live young) lizard, there are many colour varieties as well as variations between male and female (natch..) Sand lizard is extremely rare in England and not this far north at all. Slow worm is the only other native lizard and it has no legs.
Is still good to see one even if it is supposed to be the UK's most common and widespread reptile, I haven't seen one for a few years
Who needs Springwatch...
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Post by hodgy on May 11, 2016 7:03:46 GMT
Indeed ...
I didn't think there was anything common about it at all ...OK it had a bit of a regional accent *...but other than that I couldn't find fault .
Many thanks for clearing things up though ...son of Attenborough
* ( mackem)
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and yeah looks like its worth a trip sometime.
