Hot Sunday commute

I needed to be in Whaley this afternoon, dance practice, starting at 4 and finishing at 6. I decided to ride over on this hot afternoon.

So, across town, behind Whitehall, round Ladder Hill and drop down the Shallcross Incline into Whaley. Just under an hour, arrived with a few minutes to spare which were needed to cool down.

Once practice was over, and the bike discussed, I retraced my route, sort off. Back up Shallcross, but instead of riding back round Ladder Hill I stuck to tarmac heading for the back of Whitehall, chasing a hare, not really enjoying what is now just a slog (albeit one with superb views) since the idiots at DCC tarmac'd it.

The return journey to 1 hour ten, in the heat, mostly uphill.

Paul.

Unexpected rain.

I've not been out on the bike for a few weeks, sometimes life's like that. Before riding I checked me Camelbak, and wondered why I carry a waterproof at this time of year. Anyway, I left it in there, filled up with water and left the house. I did one of my regular routes, planning to detour onto a ridge whilst the ground is baked solid for a brew stop.

Before I got too far it started raining. I carried on, thinking it was just a passing shower, but the rain just got worse, not terrible, not overly cold, but enough to warrant me stopping and putting on that waterproof that I noted earlier (a cheap lightweight running one from Aldi, does the job). I abandoned my plan to climb onto the ridge and instead took a couple of swigs of tea in my usual spot sheltered behind a drystone wall before heading home, wet but satisfied with my jaunt.

Paul.

Bored? Never!

I find myself repeating the same rides when on the bike, and you'd think it would get boring. And I suppose that sometimes it's true, but on some routes I never get bored no matter how many times I repeat them. Any route involving moorland always retains it's interest, partly due I think to the changeable weather, the bleak aspect, the thrill of seeing buzzards, curlews, lapwings, kites on a good day and hearing skylarks (at least in the warmer months anyway). It does help that most regular moorland route is mostly off-road, another of my regular rides has been spoiled by DCC tarmac'ing a fair stretch of it which frankly puts me off riding along there.

Today I saw and heard curlews and lapwings, saw a buzzard get mobbed by a smaller bird, and heard at least one skylark (there were lots of little brown jobs flying around, but ID'ing birds is not my strong point. I just like seeing them, I don't need to know what they all are).

As for the actual riding, the section pictured below is quite a stiff climb, one that I've never cleaned, but at the moment I'm finding that I'm getting further and further up before I stall, maybe getting out on the singlespeed in the last few weeks is strengthening my legs, or maybe the dry weather is helping. I suspect a bit of both;

And on my mid-ride tea break, just after a kind walker held the gate open for me;

Fat bikes and moorland are a good mix.

Paul.

Deja vu...

Today saw me do the same ride as last week, and the week before. Sometimes I'm like that, repeating the same route week after week. That suited me just fine today, yesterday I was up at 4, worked 5 'till 11, came home, walked the dog, went to the post office, ate lunch, did a few jobs, tried to rest then out again in the evening too see a gig. A long day that left me tired. So this morning I wanted an easy ride, which I would have had if it wasn't for the wind and rain. Life can be a bit unfair, the weather was pretty good when I took Polo for his morning walk but started to change when I was putting me cycling gear on. Ho hum.

Still, it was a good ride, headwind notwithstanding.

In the photo Mam Tor can be seen in the distance, I wonder how busy it was today.

Paul.

Visibility low

Out again yesterday, and I remembered the memory card so it did happen.

I rode the same route as I did last week, through the quarry, backroads to Dove, round Beelow and home. Unlike last week there was fog. Quite a lot of it in fact, which I always enjoy riding in (apart from when I'm on the road, but I tend to carry two rear lights for such).

Overlooking the water at the quarry, water and fog blurring into one;

On the track that loops round Beelow;

Fog makes everything more mysterious, I like riding along seeing trees, gates, people, emerging from the mist. And everything seems that little bit quieter.

Paul.

Did it really happen?

Out for a ride this morning, early doors, left just after 8 and back just after 10. Through the quarry, round Beelow, up Monkey Brew, back home. A nice short jaunt. Only saw one dog walker and a wildlife photographer. Got quite mucky as puddle lane has been chewed up by 4 wheel drive twats, so even the drier lines weren't.

But, although I packed my camera I forgot the memory card. So, no electronic record of my going out exists. There are my tyre tracks in the mud, and mud in the hallway, so there's some signs but they'll be erased soon enough (as it should be) but no digital trace. But, does that matter?

I enjoy taking photos, even though mine are quite poor and are taken on a worn point-and-shoot. When I ride (or walk) part of my mind is looking for good photo stops, even though I tend to take the same shots at the same places, sometimes at natural stops (gates for example) at sometimes at places where I know I can get the photo that I want. In my defence the weather is usually different!

Not having my memory card meant that I just rode, no stopping, no distractions, just keeping moving (apart from chatting to the photographer). I didn't miss the camera. I usually post my photos on Facebook, and on here, and then forget about them until they re-appear on Facebook memories. I like doing that, sharing my rides virtually with others, 'likes' are nice but even better is when a post provokes discussion. Fatbikes are niche, and it's good to discuss the ins and outs of them with like-minded people. And it's not just bikes that get discussed but winter kit as well, those of us that ride these things tend to do so when the snow comes down and we need to stay warm and dry in some grim conditions.

I used to track my rides with a Garmin. After my last laptop died I swapped to a Chromebook, which doesn't work with Garmin Connect so the Garmin now sits redundant. I don't miss it. It was nice to look at the stats and the little map, and maybe compare stats on regular rides, but in the grand scheme of things its all a bit meaningless unless I was training, and as I don't run anymore (I am planning on getting back into it) I don't train.

Strava is something that I have never used, I don't own a smartphone and anyway I'm not convinced that an app that turns bridlepaths into race segments is a good idea.

In other news, lapwings are back.

Paul.

Same ride, but not

Up early today, porridge for breakfast, out the door just after 8. There was snow on the ground and rain forecast for later. Early starts are better for snow days anyway, best to get out before the 4x4s compress the snow to ice on the sideroads and byways and when everyone else is still eating breakfast.

I rode the same route as last week, and even stopped for tea in the same spot, but different conditions make for a different experience. Those conditions were, on the whole, pretty good, there was slush, but not too much, and where the snow laid deep the bike floated over. The only downsides were when the snow sat on wet boggy ground, then rear Edna struggled for grip.

Anyway, I first went along the Old Macc.;

Then climbed up tarmac to the Cat & Fiddle;

Across Danebower Hollow;

Then through Danebower Quarry;

Making my way to Orchard Common;

And crossing the Common;

Tea and a muffin...;

...in a frozen wasteland (it's not, but it felt like it could be);

Snowsheep on Axe Edge;

Crossing the Edge;

Stuck after riding into a puddle and not riding out again;

The only other people seen this morning were dog walkers, one by the C&F and the other on Orchard.

A good ride. I wore a new pair of gloves, Dexshell Stretchfits bought in error (I should have bought the warmer Drylites) which worked ok on the second half of the ride but were too cold for the more exposed and windier first half. But, they were half price.

Paul.

Riding in the rain

Raining today, and misty as well. The kind of weather that usually keeps us indoors with a cup of tea and a good book. But rather than take the sensible option I went out.

Waterproofs on, up the Old Macc. to the Cat & Fiddle, then across Danebower Hollow;

Today was a day for just riding, forgetting about kicking drains and suchlike.

I picked up the track through Danebower Quarry, which then contours round moorland, rear Edna struggling for grip on the wet ground in places;

The rain persisted.

Eventually I reached my usual stopping place and sheltered behind a drystone wall eating marzipan and drinking tea;

Here I swapped gloves, my Madison Avalanches being wet through. But, putting damp hands into wet gloves doesn't always work, they stick on the lining. So I used my spare spare pair, Planet X lobster claws. Carrying two extra pairs worked well today! Lobster claws are nice and warm, but I don't care for having to do two finger braking after years of only needing one finger to stop. But, my hands were very warm!

Riding in the rain can be great fun once you've committed, as long as you're waterproofs hold up. I was wearing my new Madison trousers and an aged Decathlon jacket, both kept me warm and dry. Being out when sensible people are staying in somehow feels good, I caught myself smiling several times on the ride. I remember plenty of rides like that when I lived in Bedfordshire, rides where I had to force myself out the door but always came home damp but elated.

Paul.

Fogriding and litter picking

Out on the bike again this morning, on a nice foggy day. I've mentioned before how I like riding in the mist, enjoying that air of solitude and mystery you get when vision is reduced. It does have its downside when on the road, so a pair of LED back lights are always carried this time of year for those unavoidable tarmac sections.

I headed up the Old Macc. to the Cat & Fiddle, then headed across Danebower Hollow in thick fog;

There's always litter along this track, people park up and walk part way along for the view and throw their rubbish down. I fitted a large Alpkit Stem Cell to the bars and lined it with a poo bag and soon filled it with wrappers, a can and a bottle;

Missing from the above bottle top is "and take your fucking rubbish home with you!".

Anyway, I made my way over to 3 Shires Head, where the mist was thinning;

It was pretty quiet today;

So I stopped, drank my tea and ate a bar of marzipan whilst listening to the water;

I then headed across to Axe Edge, watching the mist make its way across the moors;

Then headed home for mushroom soup and a shower.

A good ride.

Paul.

Carrying snowshoes on the bike

For a few years now I've been meaning to experiment with carrying snowshoes on the fatbike, to see if it can be done with what I have. Today I did just that.

I used my Alpkit Kanga harness, which is designed for bikepacking and allows you to carry a pack (usually a drybag) strapped to front of the bike. This attaches to the handlebars and forks and works best with a 'loop' bar such as the Confucius bars that I use. I strapped my snowshoes, MSR Evo Ascents, to the harness and went for a short ride, my local figure of 8.

We had snow on Thursday, not as much as originally forecast, but enough to make for some interesting riding, especially in the quarry. The plateau above was especially good;

Some shots of the snowshoes and harness;

I also fitted an Alpkit Stem Cell inside the bar loop, for gloves, spare skull cap etc. It can't really be seen in the photos but there's also a Beerbabe No Rack Pack, made from recycled inner tubes and designed for forks that don't have rack mounts, I keep a bothy bag in it.

As can be expected the extra weight high up on the front did affect the handling, especially downhill, but does prove the idea to be sound. There are times when parts of my preferred winter route is covered in deep snow and unridable, the ability to don 'shoes and walk for a couple of k would I think be quite good fun.

Paul.

First ride of the year

And a cold one it was.  I'm not sure what the temperature actually was, but whatever it was the wind chill knocked it right down. We had a light sprinkling of snow the night before, but the main picture today was one of frozen ground and plenty of ice. This was the Old Macc. Road;

Danebower Hollow was better, there was ice, which was actually grippy, but on the whole it ran very well;

The original plan was to head for 3 Shires Head, but as the wind chill was pretty harsh (despite my wearing a skullcap) I cut short and turned left at the end, up the Congleton road then right onto the cut-through. I then took advantage of the frozen ground and went across the moors, heading up onto a ridge and one of my favourite places to stop; 

This is somewhere that I will only go when the ground is solid. 

Taking shelter behind the rocks I drank tea, ate a couple of bars and enjoyed a brief moment of solitude, before heading back down the edge and crossed over more moorland.  

After that it was just a quick run over Axe, then onto the main road and back into town. I will sometimes take the road back in winter rather than cross over onto the Old Macc, simply to avoid an icy descent.

Paul.

Xmas day ride

My wife Dani tends to work Christmas day, which is fine, and it means that she gets a decent block of time off afterwards. So, I'm left to amuse myself, which usually means a bike ride. So, after walking Polo I got kitted up and headed out.

So, across town I went, up the Old Macc. and to the Cat & Fiddle, then across Danebower;

There was a chill wind, cutting through my gloves, and I was happy to drop down to 3 Shires Head and shelter;

I usually linger here, drink tea and listen to the water, but I read that Flash Stores would be open this morning until 1pm, so I grabbed a quick shot and headed up the permissive bridlepath, turning right and staying on tarmac rather than cross the common, and parked the bike outside the cafe. 

The place was rammed and the queue fairly long. I ordered breakfast and tea, and sat on the corner of a table and waited for my food (it took a while, as I said the place was very busy, but I expected that). It could be argued that busy cafes are better than quiet ones, being forced to sit with strangers means that you end up conversing with people that you wouldn't ordinarily talk to, which must be good for the soul.

Food arrived;

And I had a second brew which they didn't charge for (so I left a decent tip). We've been eating there for years now, off and on, the food and service is always good.

Once I'd finished I hit the tarmac for a couple of windy miles then turned off and went over the moors, crossed a field and finally dropped back into town on the Old Macc.;

Weather wise it was cold but dry, good conditions for a ride even with the wind. So, a pretty decent way to spend Xmas day.

Paul.

Into the mists of time...

Sort of. Out on the bike again today, for a leisurely ride into part of White Peak. 

Across the golf course, through the quarry, down Hardybarn then onto the A6 and up the impossible climb to King Sterndale. Here I stopped to look at the medievel butter cross, used to mark where a market would stand, in this case a dairy market selling butter, eggs etc;

I carried on, stopping at the little church at King Sterndale. I've passed by many times, and today I dismounted and had a look around. The door was unlocked and I stepped inside, something that I rarely do unless I'm at a wedding or funeral, I'm not in the least bit religious and I always feel a bit awkward in churches. The place is really small, but interesting and I'm glad that I paused for a few minutes;

Back on the bike, I headed across fields to Horseshoe Dale;

Dropping down the slope reminded me that I haven't ridden this way for a while, the hawthorn bushes next to the right of way were in desperate need of a trim. I usually carry a pair of secateurs when I'm out this way.

There's a gate to get through, which was in the middle of a river today; 

I did manage to get through without getting me feet wet by climbing onto the gate, hoisting the bike over, then climbing over. Which would have been great if I hadn't stalled the bike in a huge puddle and ended up with water half way up me shins.

Once I left the Dale I headed over to Chelmorton and another hard off-road climb. Here the mist thickened;

Which is fine, I like a bit of mist on a ride. It also made my next stop, Five Wells, just that little bit more atmospheric;

This is a neolithic burial chamber near Taddington, and usually has some impressive views. 

Here I stopped, drank tea, ate a cereal bar or two and enjoyed the solitude.

Carrying on I headed for a couple of decent downhills, the first one ending next to the Waterloo pub (closed). Crossing the A6 I headed for Priestcliffe, and a puddly bermed super fun downhill leading towards Millers Dale. 

Onto the road, up to the Monsal, and my last stop, the cafe at the old station for hot chocolate and a sausage roll;

The return home was easy enough, a short jaunt up the A6, turning off to climb up Woo Dale and across the golf course and home. Strip off in the kitchen throwing the clothes in the washing machine, into the shower, then get dressed and listen to Sabbath; 

A Monday well spent.

Paul.