Night ride ..Kielder 1.10.14

Dave, Ian and myself set off from The Bike Place up the Deadwater red into the setting sun and dropping temperatures. We recce'd the new climb from the bottom fire road in the last of the daylight, and I think it's going to be popular. Tricky and rocky in places, steep tight switchbacks but with little rests along the way, and with the notorious Pincher rock squeeze reinstated to rattle the bars and ankles against! It is certainly an infinitely preferable way to climb up to Kersey Cleugh than the old rough fire road slog. We rode up and then back down what will be Three Dog Descent (Three Dog Climb reversed and remastered with Bonus tracks!). This is not yet complete as the top end to the junction with fire road is still to be finished off by the machines this week. It's impossible for me to compare to the old routes, as they'd been trashed by the harvesters the year I started riding here, but this one has got berms, bigger berms, ditches, rollers, moderate drops and did I mention yet more bigger berms..!

By now the light had gone and I realised that all of my night riding till now has been natural woodland, bridleway, quad tracks etc., and not a lot of singletrack, and this is my first night ride on trail centre S/T! It suddenly became really really narrow, tight and invisible! Which is just my excuses for saying I was now riding like a total plonker! Fell into one ditch, then couldn't keep any speed at all, as when I tried to I'd not make the next bend Anyway, we rode the rest of the new reversed Kersey section which should be great in daylight!

Then back onto the old route, or the new route if one was to carry along to the top of 3 Dog to session the new stuff, which I think a lot of people will like. We carried on up and down Into the Valley, Jimmy's Hill, and then around All Along the Watchtower into Superbowl (a fun but underused little section, which it is proposed will be brought back into regualr use by improved linking and signage). Then finishing off down the fast twitchy rushes that are Twist n Shout and Shake Rattle & Roll. Not so fast for me but twitchy enough! Smacked into one tree which didn't get out of my way in time, only a shoulder charge so the tree got off lightly! So back to the warmth of the Bike Place (thanks Ian), a quick change then (only just) time for a pint at the Hollybush, thanks Dave

The intent of the night was more recce than ride and that was achieved. The authorities and volunteers have all to be congratulated for the work which these new trails have involved, and first impressions are good. I'm aso certain that second and third impressions will only get better! Kielder's on the way up! Oh, and it has new D/H trails too, but these are beyond my scope and knowledge so others will have to comment when they can.

Apologies if this write up was too long but I hope it hasn't bored you too much! Thanks for reading. See you there