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Post by kirky72 on Apr 15, 2015 12:48:16 GMT
I chucked everything in the car yesterday morning to visit Lee and Crag quarry straight from the office. Got there around 6ish and starting to unpack and realised I hadn't packed my lights in. No problem I ll just have to judge the timing, half way up the cotton famine road climb at 730pm I started to sweat a bit in more ways than one. I made it bottom quarry just as the sun was setting and just light eough to do the last section and back to the car.
Has any body ever been caught out and stuck in the dark miles from home or the car? ?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2015 14:23:35 GMT
Yep just a few times  on my Mtb and road bike doh |
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Post by hodgy on Apr 15, 2015 18:00:02 GMT
Oh yes indeedy..more than once but most notably on a mega ride in the Cairngorms ( Ben Avon ....pronounced Aaan )
The ride was big enough anyway at 68km ..but we decided to add another 10 km on to start from where we were staying at The Inver Hotel ..outside of Braemar .
We hadn't got half way around and were in Glen Bulig when Ian Bell's rear tyre exploded ..with not a tyre boot among us we had to do a bodge job on the tyre using cardboard and zip ties which held for a little while until the terrain got worse at the far end of Ben Avon itself to compound things it started pissing down and the midges were just about unbearable .
Reaching the Fords of Avon Refuge Hut which we took shelter in for a while the next section over Larig an Laoigh (The Pass Of Calves) had us all pushing / carrying /climbing with our bikes until we reached the top where it became a fantastic drop alongside the Derry burn..feeling gutted for Ian and as time was pushing on a decision was made where it was decided that Dave Tasker & myself would crack on to the first signs of civilisation ..borrow their phone and try to get a taxi to take us back to our hotel so we could get Ian's van and pick them up from wherever they had got to .
This is the heart warming part of the tale ...upon reaching Mar Lodge ..which was the home of the National Trust For Scotland Ranger ..the bloke couldn't have been more helpful if he had tucked us into bed ..taking it upon himself to hitch a trailer to the back of his Landrover ..he went back along the rough track to pick up Ian & Jean ..secured all of our bikes onto the trailer and transported us all back the 20+km to our hotel ..it was after 10.00 pm when we got back ..it would have been well into the early hours had we not got any help.
He wouldn't take a penny for fuel ..asking only that we send a letter to his head office outlining what he had done ..which we were more than happy to do .
It restored my faith in human nature ..the bloke was a bloody hero in my eyes!
None of us travel anywhere without a tyre boot in our back packs now ..a hard lesson learnt.
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Post by kirky72 on Apr 15, 2015 18:17:20 GMT
Good story Hodgy, but did you have any lights between you? Sounds like this was pre mobile phones, You were lucky to find somebody so helpful.
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Post by hodgy on Apr 15, 2015 18:23:33 GMT
No lights ..summer ride and only 4years ago ..it didn't actually get dark until around 10 .00pm ..we were expecting to be back by 8.00 pm latest ..we didn't pack lights at all for the whole 4 day trip ...
Edit : just realised what you meant ..pre mobile phones ..
Absolutely zilch reception in that area ..it's very remote
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Post by andyr on Apr 15, 2015 20:48:38 GMT
I had a cheapo magicshine ebay clone jobby light fail me on a night ride. 'Fortunately' it was at the start of the final descent back in to Edmundbyers and I was with a few others so I just had to keep up with them and use their lights to see. Was an interesting 15 minute exercise in concentration... Only 1 OTB when I hit a hole that stopped my front wheel instantly.
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Post by hodgy on Apr 15, 2015 20:57:33 GMT
Was I there that night?
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Post by andyr on Apr 15, 2015 21:53:59 GMT
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Post by hodgy on Apr 16, 2015 5:41:14 GMT
I'm sure I remember that ..but you know how it is with us old folks ..memory n all that ! ( thought I would mention it before you did!)
It probably had nowt to do with the light discharging before it was supposed to ..more likely due to the fact that we used to do full epic "day rides" at night ..pushing our luck!
Those were the days ..eh ?!
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on my Mtb and road bike doh 
