Only a brief 22 mile loop form home but I did spot this as I rode along the cycle track on the route of an old railway line



I must of ridden under it dozens of times, maybe more, in the last 30 years but never really caught my eye before, I think the council have cut down the trees and 50 years of growth that filled the outside two arches. It's quite an impressive amount of brickwork and a lot of effort when you consider that all that it carries above is a bridleway but I guess it was required as the railway would have cut off access to the fields on the other side of it when the cutting was dug out.

Last nights local bivi, a great spot found by Tony


With a view like this just an hour's ride out of Liverpool

We will be back

After a month of inactivity decided on a bridleway tour of South Notts, Leicestershire and Rutland. Turned out to be 165 miles of hell for the most part - overgrown, deeply rutted, horse-hoof quagmire and fields where the farmer seemed to forget the RoW was there. It took so long that I'm going to include this in my Bivvy a month on account of grabbing three hours kip under the stars, albeit without any bivvy kit (other than the meths stove.)

Riding The Drift was interesting as thousands of slugs popped under the wheels.

Computer will only recognise the photos I changed the lighting setting on, so here's where I could actually ride.

'Without any bivi kit' - nice one MIB, am pleased i'm not the only sufferer! Maybe we're witnessing the Day Of The Ultraminimalists. Bit like the Day Of The Triffids but without the selfpropelled plantlife.

This mornings Merseyside Fat Bike beach ride


Anyone lost a Ducati?

First ride out on the mtb in a while, been mostly hiking lately (with the odd road ride) so it was refreshing to power up fire roads in half the time.

14 miles so far just randomly riding around afan and tonmawr, 2 punctures (bad tube) and and 1 hypo I'm off to a great start All that was before I got 100m down the street.

Next plan is to find some trails, prove I can still be all Gnar like those MTBR magazines and hopefully not die on the way home.
I must admit I feel embarrassed to be this tired after only 14 miles offroad, goes to show what time off does to you

Todays bwlch hunting ride ... bloody hot out there (for a change).

Fat bike beach bivi from last night on youtube

https://youtu.be/EfbnNXqwZNM

had a sunny ride on the south peaks loop
70 mile ,
46 f*******g gates
and two wet feet ,
also met someone from this parish in the middle of nowhere

Not today but yesterday

Finally managed to do a bivvy after many months of good intentions.

Met up with a friend, rolled out through Endcliffe Woods and up the Mayfield Sweary. Bounced over Houndkirk and into the encroaching gloom and headwind before nipping into The Grouse for a pint. In the last vestiges of light we headed out over Froggatt and mostly winged it blind over the tricky bits because it seemed nicer than putting lights on. Crossed over Clodhall and started looking for a place to put down for the night. Plan's A & B were quickly abandoned because the wind was howling a bit high for comfort. Fortunately Plan C panned out to be an emminently bivvyable spot. We pitched and then sat up for a while enjoying the quiet and a nip of whiskey before turning in.

Awoke this morning to fog, rain and sheep and fumbled clumsily through packing up and brewing up at the same time. Rolled back into Sheff on roads and succumbed to the siren call of more coffee. Quite pleased to have not forgotten anything essential first time round and looking forward to doing it again. Also pretty close to a full bicycle test for Torino Nice.

Grand day out on the beach today

50 miles up south peak area saturday
IMG_0798 by paul burty, on Flickr
then local Cannock chase on sunday

Bit urban for you summit toppled

Nice morning ride up to Haughmond Hill with some single track on the way back down to sweeten the deal. Lovely inversion as far as the eye could see...from the Wrekin on my left in the east, down between the Caradoc and Long Mynd and across the west of Salop. Greetz

S.

smartay wrote:Bit urban for you summit toppled

That's what happens when I head 4 miles north from home, think it'll be south tomoz

Verry wet ride with my parents so my mum could try out her new bike





mum on her new offroad tourer we have been building up (still needs bar tape ) wanted to check brake position first



dad and i hiding from the gusts and rain



was quite wet


it was so verry wet and pretty awefull haha but the new bike wass good aparently and allways good to get out with my parents for a short ride

George - you took your mum out biking *yesterday*??? We were riding around Arnside and Silverdale and it was bad enough so goodness knows what it was like up with you.

Finally got out for a ride with a bit of adventure. I'd actually meant to include a bivi but Saturdays crap weather extended far beyond what was forecasted so my usual weather wimp out made it a day ride, albeit rather long. Started at Dalwhinnie, down Loch Ericht and over into the Pattack. Cloud was right down so no photies! There is a hydro scheme in progress here which potentially puts a spanner in the works of next years Highland Trail as technically the track down the pattack is shut and you have to divert onto a 'walking trail' which is a none existent death march. Being a Sunday no-one was working so I rode on down the track through the works and over to Lochan Earba. The cloud started to lift and finally got some views ascending strath Ossian. There are three more hydro schemes going off up here but the contractors seem happy for people to walk and cycle through the works access tracks.


Looking back to Lochan Earba and Lagan


Cloud lifting above Strath Ossian


Ossian YH and the track over to Loch Treig


Track over to Loch Rannoch from Ossian. This was the reason for this ride as I've been meaning to do this route for yonks. Its been substantially upgraded to a nice smooth track as part of two more hydro schemes and makes what used to be a slog a breeze. Definitely an amazing part of the world and one of the UK's biggest wildernesses with vast areas of moor, no roads and only the West highland line in the middle.

After a brief bit of road along to Loch Rannoch it was up over the track back to Loch Ericht and a late lunch at Ben Alder cottage (the boggy bit was quite boggy!)


Lunch view

Thereafter over the Bealach dubh and a proper hoon down to Culra and back to the car, all in blazing sunshine. At the top of the pass I noticed for the first time the wreckage of an aircraft which apparently is actually a Wellington bomber which crashed in the war.

All in all 78 miles of which only 4 were on road.

Set off to have a go at the Peak 200 - After 90k my brakes had given up the ghost (my fault) so I bailed and bimbled my way back to the car. 130k in the end with a relaxing few hours in a bus shelter in Pilsley.

Ah well, til next time.

Hard luck Macinblack. Great meeting up with you. How did you find the first bit?
Paul.

whitestone wrote:George - you took your mum out biking *yesterday*??? We were riding around Arnside and Silverdale and it was bad enough so goodness knows what it was like up with you.

my mum is hardr than i am haha it was her call as she wanted to try out her new troll hahaha

PaulB wrote:Hard luck Macinblack. Great meeting up with you. How did you find the first bit?
Paul.

Hello Paul - It was okay, no real issues. Grattan Dale had a horsey event so there was quite a bit of stop start. Because of the brakes, I didn't make the most of the downs so lost a bit of time. I wasn't in a rush but I think it would have taken me longer than I anticipated, probably 30hrs with all the kit I was carrying (Need to work on that...)
Not being in a hurry did mean I had a few chats on the way which was nice.

On the bail out decided to take a cheeky footpath along the Derwent which was an absolute nightmare in the dark and rain - Gates designed for skinny people only, overgrown and slippy, persevered anyhow until I noticed the blue line on the GPS on the over side of the river - That was my southerly track and I had inadvertently headed back the way I'd come... Crossed the river by way of stepping stones and only slipped in three times....

That bus shelter at Pilsley was a welcome sight, unlike the climb out of Bakewell on the 5055.

todays ride was lovely

Some big views from the summit of Carnedd Llewellyn (3490ft) yesterday over the Snowdonia National Park.


An as per usual a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP0xU8BpYv4

With plenty of Off piste riding to be had, who said fat bikes were sh!te