ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:08 pm

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:12 pm Beautiful is scotland Colin

That route is part of the Cairngorms Loop (hint, hint)

One thing at a time Colin. Am working up to it slowly. Although I do have road business of them 3 or 4 climbs around the Cairgnorms from the 100s book. Expensive getting there though (but thankfully hopefully have managed to get round the other issue of riding alone now that there's so many bears about ).

Gonna make myself a loop from mine towards the Peaks200 loop and loop it round without doing the full thing. Maybe an 80 miler which will be used as training for both the Cairgnorms (one day) as well as the BB200

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:18 pm

ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:08 pm

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:12 pm Beautiful is scotland Colin

That route is part of the Cairngorms Loop (hint, hint)

One thing at a time Colin. Am working up to it slowly. Although I do have road business of them 3 or 4 climbs around the Cairgnorms from the 100s book. Expensive getting there though (but thankfully hopefully have managed to get round the other issue of riding alone now that there's so many bears about ).

Gonna make myself a loop from mine towards the Peaks200 loop and loop it round without doing the full thing. Maybe an 80 miler which will be used as training for both the Cairgnorms (one day) as well as the BB200

Well, of course if you are in the area, let me know. I can plod around with the best of them

Out for a 100-miler on the road bike. I had a bit of a weird experience though. as the day got progressively warmer, I got increasingly fatigued. After 55 miles or so I had to take a short-cut home and was thinking I might have to phone to be picked up. I stopped in Grantown for a wee milk shake and then got going again, which would have left on me on around 90 miles by the time I got home. However, it clouded over and I found I was just getting faster and faster. It was raining at one point and I was loving it!! A couple of small detours were then invoked so I made 102 miles for the day.

DSC_0582 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

Never gets old

I spent Friday night out riding on my commuter bike to pick up some VV tiles and then bivvied out. First bivi since the WRT and the birth of my daughter 8 weeks ago. Took my bike to the kids swimming lesson and then left them with my wife while I headed off. Back before 8am the next day

Then spent Saturday at the Prudential London freecycle with the kids. Apart from having to faff about with trains and getting my bloody heavy Big Dummy up stairs it was great. Closed roads round London and everyone and anyone cycling around. Kids enjoyed it, cargo bike was great to be able stock my daughters bike and daughter on when she got tired. Bike got lots of good comments and looks, maybe also because I had speakers strapped to the bars playing music. Fab day out. Daughter even managed to get up a little incline in town that some women were pushing up, she was pleased with herself after that. And I was happy as it would have been a real leg burner winching up that with her and her bike on my bike! Wad very short though

Todays ride was a bit wet....
OK when I set off (as per) then the rain came on after a few miles. Got quite heavy at one point then eased off for a while. Then all hell broke loose - total deluge with roads / cycleways awash with 4" of water. Then it started to hail, then it started blowing a gale (headwind natch). Then within about 200m the rain went off, the wind dropped and the roads dried up. Odd......

Headed out early to avoid the forecasted afternoon thunderstorms (they actually only arrived at tea time) and went for a quick loop around Feizor, Austwick and Wharfe. Managed to clean the top ramp of Long lane for the first time We could have cut down to Crummackdale farm but decided on a bit of cheeky footpath from Sulber Nick towards Horton along with a nice (cheeky) descent off Moughton Scar - absolutely no hassle from the walkers we met. A lot of the lanes were overgrown and we both got back with lots of scratches from briars and blackthorn.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2589877840 definitely worth doing earlier in the year before things start growing.

Not strictly speaking my ride but after 4 summers of attempts and 4 different bikes my eldest son finally rode his bike
At the end of the road he decided not to turn around but just sedately pedalled to a nearby park with me walking behind him and picking him back up when he fell off.
The thing that finally worked for him was my wife creating him some pedal straps from duct tape

I rode to Exeter to do my duty as an RRA spotter. Watched Christina Mackenzie fly past on her way up to John O’Groats then rode home. Too many tourists down here at the moment. Can’t you northerners take a few more in please.

PaulB2 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 04, 2019 9:21 pm Not strictly speaking my ride but after 4 summers of attempts and 4 different bikes my eldest son finally rode his bike
At the end of the road he decided not to turn around but just sedately pedalled to a nearby park with me walking behind him and picking him back up when he fell off.
The thing that finally worked for him was my wife creating him some pedal straps from duct tape

Well done. Thats an amazing feeling!

I just started my ypungest (after lots of backache getting the others riding previously) on a balance bike and when the pedaled bike came in he was riding it in almost no time.

Hope your little un keeps riding and enjoying it more n more...

Dave Barter wrote: ↑Sun Aug 04, 2019 9:34 pm Too many tourists down here at the moment. Can’t you northerners take a few more in please.

Your'e not wrong Dave. It was definitely a smart move riding up onto Dartmoor last weekend at gone 11pm for a bivvi...

Far too many people in the bay at the moment. One of the small inconveniences of living in a holiday destination I guess...

Si

Did a big mid-Wales ride/bivvy at the weekend. It started life as doing the Trans Cambrian Way, but due to time, logistics and costs, it was a big loop from near Mach utilising some of the TCW, bits of Big Bear and bits I made up. Went from near Mach to Aber off road, Ystwyth trail to Tregaron, mountain routes north via Strata Florida then picking up the TCW most of the way back. 105miles and 3,500m of climbing. A bloody lovely route, and it mainly feels good to have done a route in mid Wales i'd wanted to do for ages.

Bwlch Hyddgen was particularly tough as a went up via Glyndwr's way (pushing)
IMG_20190802_194332 by Matthew Walker, on Flickr

Nice bivvy by the Ystwyth
IMG_20190803_063615 by Matthew Walker, on Flickr

Dry trails throughout
IMG_20190803_124506 by Matthew Walker, on Flickr

My favourite view in Hafod estate
IMG_20190803_140357 by Matthew Walker, on Flickr

Lovely that Matt, I've just been retrospectively round with you in spirit! Dead jealous . Still, come September..

RIP wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:43 am Lovely that Matt, I've just been retrospectively round with you in spirit! Dead jealous . Still, come September..

Thank you sir! Are you heading there in September then?...

Hope to... it's calling .

RIP wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2019 3:59 pm Hope to... it's calling .

You better be ,I've booked a few days leave now so I can make it a week

Yeah I am really . Trying for the Weds at mo.

RIP wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:13 pm Yeah I am really . Trying for the Weds at mo.

Should be up around foel fadien wed
night or can meet you in caersws grab some dinner at the red lion ,nice little spot just round the corner then up over staylittle and onwards too Mach for breaky and meet the rest on Thursday

Sounds ace. Was gonna natter nearer time, but thought meebe Caersws 14.30 Weds, Fadian, Mach, and - oh go on - that pub (not that one, the other one) for tea later. Gotta new bivi spot to try nearby after you lot blew me out last year . Will PM you other bucket list stuff, bet you guys got desired highlights too..

Mary Townley-ish....the bivvy that wasn't...
The plan was an overnight Mary Townley loop, missing out the most pointless, gate ridden sections, also varying the route to take account of my after work start from Hardcastle Crags. I reckoned somewhere around Crag Quarry/Top of Leach would provide a reasonable bivvy spot, then wander back via Watergrove, Bottomley and an alternative finish over Stoodley Pike before heading down for a late breakfast/early lunch; the forecast was good too, what could go wrong?
5.30 saw me cruising past Walshaw. Widdop res. was a bit wild, with white horses sending spray over the dam wall - where did that come from? The wind died and when I crossed the Burnley Road it was a beautiful late summer evening. The following push up to Deerplay confirmed to me that anti clockwise is not the best way to tackle the loop - my previous Mary Townleys have been clockwise and only really have one hike-a-bike section, the steep switchbacks up from Bottomley to Reddyshore Scout.

Now the next bit of the loop is to my mind the most annoying section. The route struggles to find continuity down past Water and Lumb to Waterfoot, and I chose to swoop down the road instead, bringing me to the foot of Cowpe Road with plenty of time to tackle the second grind (OK, push) of the evening, up to Crag Quarry. By the time I reached the level section through the quarries it had darkened considerably, and as I watched, a lovely blood red sunset became a threatening sky. Hmm. My choice of a no tent or tarp bag only bivvy AND an exposed moorland started to raise doubts, which only grew....

Next time I stopped and looked round, looking for a flat dry spot just by Top of Leach, the sky threatened heavy rain, and a rumble of thunder (only one, but enough) made my mind up and I accelerated off in the direction of Rooley Moor as a few large raindrops landed. In about fifteen minutes I was down at Knacks Lane thoroughly rattled (physically) and the rain had come to nothing. In darkness, aided by my not too powerful headtorch I searched for a spot. I discounted a reservoir valve station which would've provided one sided shelter; a ruined brick barn with too much glass underfoot; and finally Heally Dell (showed promise but a bloke appeared with an enormous barking rottweiler wandering in the dark.....noooo).
At quarter to ten I was on Whitworth Road, ruing the lack of proper MTB lights which I really needed to head on to Watergrove, the next likely spot, and the "sod this" voice started up in my head. This has happened to me before, most notably on the summit of Glyder Fach, where a sudden eerie mist gave me the wobbles and my hill top bivvy ended up as a sleep in the back of my estate car in the A5 layby. On this occasion, an urban fringe bivvy wasn't really appealing...
So - I flew down Whitworth Road to Rochdale, then along to Littleborough, and after taking the canal path to Summit, thought about a lockside sleep (briefly) then hit the road again, rolling home at five to 11.
All in all, disappointing but failure - no. A good ride, if a bit roady for my liking, and with proper lights, or better bivvy spot planning I'd have i'd have rolled home this morning for that late breakfast...

2 DAY TRIP AROUND ELS PORTS
I've been toying with doing an overnighter around a mountain range local to me. I rode the "official" Pedals Del Port route about 3 years ago with Chew but found it very tricky in places, especially with laden bikes so a modification was sketched out.
I started alongside the river Ebro at nearly sea level, the first challenge was a switchback climb to 1,100m up Monte Caro. The route then ran along the spine of the range, 30km of rough jeep track to the village of Fredes and lunch. As there was a long downhill straight after I decided to go for the 3 course Menu del Dia which was pasta Bolognese followed by Lamb cutlets and ice cream. Not bad for €12.

A fantastic section followed with 25km of gently descending trail through a river canyon with sheer rock walls either side.

I then picked up a section that we use on the C2C trip through the village of Beceite and around the Pena lake which was much lower than we found it in May.

I'd seen a Refugio marked on the map which was 5km up a valley near the lake so decided to give it a try. It was deserted but in good order with a clean floor and candles left by prevoius occupants. I made a sandwich and had a brew then bedded down for a fitful night's sleep as it was still very warm.

Morning dawned bright and sunny, I made porridge and coffee and retraced my steps to pick up the route to Arnes and the gentle 50km downhill along a Via Verde to the start point.

The trip was 170km with 3,500m of up and down. The route can be found here
https://www.wikiloc.com/cycling-trails/xerta-39701436

pistonbroke wrote: ↑Sat Aug 10, 2019 12:28 pm I'd seen a Refugio marked on the map which was 5km up a valley

"How far is it Duncan?"
"Oh, just another 5km."

The ride looks great btw.

Amazingly it was 5km from the junction, there was a locked gate half way along the track, the only one I've ever seen in this area. I guess they want to stop 4x4 or motorbike visitors. The refugio was clearly well looked after and was completely dark and silent, a bit eerie. A stream runs by it so you can get a wash. There are other places in the mountain range that are posher with proper beds and you can book a meal but they mainly cater for groups.

Got lucky (ish) with the weather today (I'm carefully ignoring the photos above ) after a truly horrible week. I did a fairly regular circuit for me out to and around Loch Katrine in the Trossachs. Apart from a lot of standing water and some high rivers there wasn't much evidence of the deluge from yesterday. That is until I was riding the water board access road round Loch Katrine. The first sign of trouble was a road closed sign. Soon after I came across a bridge surrounded by a washed out burn and lots of debris on the road. The iron railings of the bridge were bent out of shape and the previously narrow burn had scoured out a load of huge rocks and lobbed them downstream. Further along the road was totally gone for about 20m. I managed to pick my way round it and then came across this:


Further on at a cluster of holiday cottages and an estate house it was devastation. About 100m of road washed out or covered in a huge pile of debris. A cottage further up the hillside was surrounded by it and one of their cars was part buried. The other one was wedged below me in some trees. The big estate houses garden was was full of rocks and they were piled up against one wall....




Never seen anything like this before, here or elsewhere. A big clean up required and as it stands the five cars left untouched aren't going anywhere until this all gets cleared......

The rest of the ride was uneventful....

Deleted

In the excitement of C2W on the MTB through Woburn woods for the first time in aaaaaaaages I forgot my phone was in the kitchen ...with half my lunch .

As luck would have it my meeting was cancelled, but at least I had a nice ride in and arranged an impromptu climbing trip.

Back home for lunch by lunchtime .

One of my more satisfying days at work .