A ride of two halves.

Rode down the Pennine Bridleway to the junction with the Mary Towneley Loop. Rode this clockwise in the really warm sunshine with a pub stop at Mankinholes. Heading up Rooley Moor the sun disappeared (even in the North of England this is unusual at 3pm), the rest of the ride was in the mirk and a strong wind. Unfortunately I'd only got a short sleeved top with me so keeping moving was the best option. It was getting a bit late when I got back to the PBW junction so it was mostly roads back home. 116Km with 3000m ascent.

Two hard days but felt good, no cramps, stuck at it on the climbs, time for some easy days.

Hell of the North Cotswolds for me. First time for a few years and good to have dry trails, sunshine and a cracking route. Rode most of the way there also, taking in some canal towpath, Stratford Greenway and a few hills. Cracking day, caught up with some friends I haven't seen for a while as well.186km on the mtb.

Actually yesterday's ride. Family camping trip to Glenmore. Fabulous weather for ride with Fraser (9) up to Ryvoan then round Loch Morlich, Loch an Eilan to Inverdruie. Finished off with following the Old Logging Road back to the campsite. Magic.

Todays ride started yesterday tea time and was a wiggly looping trip out to edale for a pub stop and then bivy just below the top of Jacobs ladder, more wiggly route finding to Buxton, where I cooked Sunday dinner at a friends house then rode home with a big tail wind.

I had a ride around some of Sheffield doing a bit of urban exploring and found some brilliant trails, bone dry and fast. Just don't tell the ramblers association....But there are some vaguely exciting trails here to be found within spitting distance of the city sprawl. Taking in the new trail at lady Cannings before a pint n burger at the pub then back a cheeky little 24miler.....hit the spot right there so it did

sunday glorious sunny peak district fat bike ride hathersage to the mast,down to hope up the roman road potato ally up to the farm down to a packed fairholmes , up the slab path down to the pub on a steep gnarly track, back up the 57 to strines inn, then climbed up to derwent edge trig point across the ridge and a different route back down to the pub, then a road race back to hathersage, it was rammed every where, only piddler was the head wind up to and along the edge quite strong.

Good deed done for the day, with a Lawmanmx's (from these parts) help we may just have saved a mans life today at the bench on Billinge Hill.
Top work from the very calm team of paramedics and North West Ambulance crew.
Hope he's recovering well.

You didn't run him over with that bloody thing did you?

Seriously, well done.

Good skills John and Tony.......it wasn't during wheelie practice was it ?

yea, the wheelies were a little less dramatic tho

Wednesday's, actually. C2W via the scenic route and home via the very scenic route through Woburn. 37 very entertaining miles. Must do it more often .

Cheeky trail

That really is an excellent bell Pete. Looks like a chunk of Delft pottery perched on your bars

For sure! A souvenir of Amsterdam. It keeps my pecker up when the going gets tough .
The Dutch version of a "Stop being soft" sticker, as it were.

nice 25 mile potter with the good lady. nice but wet in sunny Leeds


2017-04-14_02-33-25 by 20ston, on Flickr

A wee spin to the bothy in Glen Feshie and back home. Everywhere is very dry.

1040031 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

1040028 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

Some from a couple of my rides around a Sunny Liverpool today

Southern half of the Pennine Bridleway.

Given the good forecast (hah!) we decided to have a crack at the Pennine Bridleway. Didn't turn out quite as planned.

A bit dark and dank at the start by Black Rocks.


There's some fine industrial relics around Middleton Top, this is an old Midland Railway (presumably from the initials) wagon.


It was all a bit mirky with not much in the way of views. There was a strong breeze coming from the left with some fairly heavy drizzle.


Climbing out of Cheedale.


50Km done and time for a cafe stop at the rather excellent No Car Cafe at Rushup Hall.


Then it was time for Roych Clough - a lot easier than it used to be, especially at the bottom.


Then the descent towards Hayfield


Climbing out of Hayfield the rain began in earnest. This didn't make the traversal of Glossop any less pleasant! I've yet to get this completely right as some of the signage seems to have disappeared. More rain accompanied us out on the moors


By the time we got to Greenfield it was almost dark. The problem round here is that anywhere sheltered has been built on so you have to head onto the moors. We eventually found an old, roofless shed that gave some shelter from the wind. Pitching the tarp was awkward as the floor was a couple of feet deep in rubble.


Very much up and down with not much flat for the next section. We decided to take the eastern side of the Mary Towneley Loop. This is at the top of the climb before descending to Mankinholes


The wind had really picked up and it was a real struggle making progress so we decided to call it a day and headed home. Two long days in the saddle with 170Km and 4000m of ascent.

Great little spin from the front door along the short coastal cycle track to Llandudno. Went up the Great Orme for a spin on the cheeky tracks with some stunning views out to the horizon. Saw a couple of wardens who didn't mind us riding which is good.

I managed to sneak out late yesterday to try my new dedicated bikepacking bike (an upgraded Pinnacle Ramin 1). I set off from home about 5 pm and followed the Three Lochs Way north. The first section is on unclassified road and then a military road known as the Yankee Road.

The Yankee Road eventually turns into forest track with views of Loch Long, Loch Goil and the Gareloch.

There are some short but pretty sections of singletrack.


Once past Glen Douglas the views really open up.

The Arrochar Alps to the north.

By this time it was time to look for a bivi spot and erect possibly the worst tarp shelter ever! Note to self take tarp poles or smaller tarp next time.

I woke to the patter of rain on the tarp and a quick check of the forecast on my phone confirmed it would only get worse so I got up, ate a hurried breakfast and set off again towards Arrochar.

The hills were wearing a new dusting of snow.

I followed the Three Lochs Way to Tarbet then turned south in increasing rain to follow the West Loch Lomond Cycleway stopping briefly in Luss for second breakfast. I was home again by half past nine.
The new bike worked really well, the Conti X Kings gripped surprisingly well in mud and rolled easily on the tarmac and the bike feels a bit less harsh since I set them up tubeless.

..was a ripped off Peaks 200 to get some miles in the legs ahead of the Dirty Reiver. Set off from Hadfield yesterday afternoon, all the way round the bottom loop, tea and a pint at The Wheatsheaf in Baslow then over the tops and a bivvy at Stanage Edge. Cracked on on round to Mam Tor today then just carried on over Rushup Edge, Brown Knoll, top of Jacobs to Hayfield then back over to Hadfield. 186km, 4600m ascent.

Couldn't face Cut Gate, especially in this afternoon's rain. It's been beyond grim the last three times I've been over there.

Not just for Bike Packing but loaded up with work PPE, boots, lunch & hard hat for my 1st cycle commute is many a year

Some road miles today.

220km/3600m Sheffield-Harrogate-Sheffield to pay respects to Mike.

Finally got round to sorting some pictures out...

Last weekend the club ride was from Bury Hill in the South Downs- I'm not keen on driving to rides if I can avoid it and the railway line to the start was out of action, so a last minute plan was hatched Friday afternoon at work. Got home, rushed around the house trying to find kit that had been piled up since we moved house at the end of last year. Missed the train I wanted from Redhill after a few minutes so sat on the station for a bit before the next train to Hassocks. Sat in the chippy by the station to eat my dinner and then headed off West- I was a little late to follow the SDW, so followed the base of the ridge by road.


Roadside by MatGoesSomewhere, on Flickr

Through Steyning and out of curiosity climbed the Borstal up to Chanctonbury- this stretch on the top always feels roughly 17 times longer heading west! I had planned on stopping at Chanctonbury itself but a combination of not wanting to disturb what looked like a lot of sheep in the field and the view I had of the sea from where I was meant I just tucked in behind some bushes off the SDW a little short. I quite enjoyed watching ships out to sea before rolling over to read for a bit.


Nighttime view by MatGoesSomewhere, on Flickr

I had a fairly restless night and was awake from pretty much first light but took a while to get moving. Once there was a bit of colour in the light I thought it time to pack up and headed up to the ring to watch the sun come up. Turns out the sheep were one field over after all.


Morning view by MatGoesSomewhere, on Flickr#

I was wearing everything I had with me to ward off a little morning chill and sat down under the edge of the trees looking east as the sun heaved into clear sky.


Sun is coming by MatGoesSomewhere, on Flickr


Peeking by MatGoesSomewhere, on Flickr

Dawn light apparently makes my phone camera go a little funny with the colours.


Morning sunlight on the bike by MatGoesSomewhere, on Flickr

After a bit I headed off, if nothing else to get a bit of warmth into me. Rounded the side of the ring and saw something suspiciously like a pair of bivvi bags just inside the trees. A cheery good morning and I headed off. I didn't see bikes so assuming it wasn't anyone off here!

Looking back on Chanctonbury by MatGoesSomewhere, on Flickr

It never ceases to surprise me how quickly the sun climbs once it clears the horizon


East by MatGoesSomewhere, on Flickr

The light was doing a fantastic job of sharpening up the scene and I got a lovely view as I came over the top of Amberley Mount.


Spread by MatGoesSomewhere, on Flickr

Stopped and chatted with some locals for a bit while a tractor was maneuvered


Locals by MatGoesSomewhere, on Flickr

One more down and up and I was at Bury Hill- 0730 was a bit early for the cafe so sat in the sun and read until I could get a bacon roll and a coffee, then not long after that my mate who would be leading the ride turned up and I got to have 'the chat' about 'is that all you're carrying?'

Then a lovely ride around the Downs and a trundle back the way I'd come to get home.

Bit of a zig-zaggy deviation on the commute home today, south of the greensand ridge, to pick up some odd veloviewer squares that arent really on the way to anywhere i go. Saw some nicely bluebelled woods and managed to tie the ends of few roads I'd not been down together.

And bumped up the max square to 3 overlapping 11x11 from 9x9, which is nice!

As the weather was perfect I headed up high on the Carneddau once again. I even bagged a new summit, Pen Yr Ole Wen 3208ft.