RR: Skiddaw Forest

At the frankly miraculous hour of 9:30 my brother and I arrived in the small
Hamlet of Mungrisdale in the North Lakes for what promised to be a great
days riding. The sun was shining but there was a cool breeze and a light
mist which hinted at a threat of rain (did I mention we were in the lakes?).
After the habitual bouncing about on forks, testing of brakes and clicking
of gears we were set to depart. Then the payphone rang. Looking around it
was clear we were the only people foolish to be about and so I picked up the
phone. 'Hello' came the voice of ol' dear number 1. 'Do you see a house
opposite the phone, can you go and ask the lady to phone me please' click.
bzzzz. I knock on the door, old dear number 2 answers and when I relay the
message she thanks me and hobbles over to the payphone. Nice.

Anyway...we set off and the surrounding hills soon erase puzzling thoughts
about my critical part in communications technology. This area is not one
I've visited often and seems to have much to offer. There are many
bridalways leading off either side of the road we are following, each
winding off tantalisingly around a corner. However after two or three miles
on the albeit fairly pleasant road we start to question the marital status
of the route-guides father and stop beside one of the more interesting
looking bridalways to examine the map further. It looks like another 4 or 5
frustrating miles on tarmac are ahead. Seems a bit daft we mutter (well
something like that). hmm, hey look we could take this path and it takes us
right near the start of the route 'proper' I casually say. And so with the
damning comment 'Its shorter than the road bit, what could possibly go
wrong?' we decide to follow the bridalway. It winds around the side of a
hill, climbing past some old mine workings on a fairly easy but loose path
and eventually flattens out to a fast flat section which we speed along with
self-congratulatory grins on our faces. The path narrows and becomes grassy
singletrack (a sheep track?) as it heads back down to meet up with the road.
Superb.

A short road section leads us into the biggest ascent of the day, up to
Skiddaw house. Its not a huge climb, gaining around 700ft but it is fairly
short and steep. Other day-trippers are driving up the initial easy part of
the climb and parking a third of the way up. As we pass them they're sat in
their cars munching sandwiches, probably getting ready to go home again.
Calves burning we try and make it to the top in one go but are beaten. I
blame only having 24 gears. As we start to descend the ground is a perfect
match of technical rockiness, and steep enough to hammer along bouncing over
the top, with water bars every 100m or so adding to the fun. A stream
crossing helps to cool us off before another short sharp climb up to Skiddaw
house. The path now heads back down the valley, mainly downhill at first
with the mixture of fairly boggy ground and fast rocky sections proving to
be great fun but tiring through constant acceleration and deceleration to
get the most out of the terrain. The path then flattens to follow the river
caldew for a few rocky miles. I had been loving my hardtail all day but felt
it was hard to keep momentum going here, where I would have sat down and
been able to spin on my full-sus bike I had to stand and hammer, very
tiring!

We arrived back to the car after some 25 miles, a fantastic ride and
definitely worth coming back.

Steve.

spademan o---[) * wrote:

Then the payphone rang. Looking around it was clear we were the only
people foolish to be about and so I picked up the phone. 'Hello' came
the voice of ol' dear number 1. 'Do you see a house opposite the
phone, can you go and ask the lady to phone me please' click. bzzzz.
I knock on the door, old dear number 2 answers and when I relay the
message she thanks me and hobbles over to the payphone. Nice.


That could only ever happen in Cumbria....

Nice tale.

--
Mark

[...ok maybe it could in the depths of the west country too...]

"spademan o---[) *" wrote in message
...
At the frankly miraculous hour of 9:30 my brother and I arrived in the
small
Hamlet of Mungrisdale in the North Lakes for what promised to be a great
days riding. The sun was shining but there was a cool breeze and a light
mist which hinted at a threat of rain (did I mention we were in the
lakes?).
After the habitual bouncing about on forks, testing of brakes and clicking
of gears we were set to depart. Then the payphone rang. Looking around it
was clear we were the only people foolish to be about and so I picked up
the
phone. 'Hello' came the voice of ol' dear number 1. 'Do you see a house
opposite the phone, can you go and ask the lady to phone me please' click.
bzzzz. I knock on the door, old dear number 2 answers and when I relay the
message she thanks me and hobbles over to the payphone. Nice.

Anyway...we set off and the surrounding hills soon erase puzzling thoughts
about my critical part in communications technology. This area is not one
I've visited often and seems to have much to offer. There are many
bridalways leading off either side of the road we are following, each
winding off tantalisingly around a corner. However after two or three
miles
on the albeit fairly pleasant road we start to question the marital status
of the route-guides father and stop beside one of the more interesting
looking bridalways to examine the map further. It looks like another 4 or
5
frustrating miles on tarmac are ahead. Seems a bit daft we mutter (well
something like that). hmm, hey look we could take this path and it takes
us
right near the start of the route 'proper' I casually say. And so with the
damning comment 'Its shorter than the road bit, what could possibly go
wrong?' we decide to follow the bridalway. It winds around the side of a
hill, climbing past some old mine workings on a fairly easy but loose path
and eventually flattens out to a fast flat section which we speed along
with
self-congratulatory grins on our faces. The path narrows and becomes
grassy
singletrack (a sheep track?) as it heads back down to meet up with the
road.
Superb.

A short road section leads us into the biggest ascent of the day, up to
Skiddaw house. Its not a huge climb, gaining around 700ft but it is fairly
short and steep. Other day-trippers are driving up the initial easy part
of
the climb and parking a third of the way up. As we pass them they're sat
in
their cars munching sandwiches, probably getting ready to go home again.
Calves burning we try and make it to the top in one go but are beaten. I
blame only having 24 gears. As we start to descend the ground is a perfect
match of technical rockiness, and steep enough to hammer along bouncing
over
the top, with water bars every 100m or so adding to the fun. A stream
crossing helps to cool us off before another short sharp climb up to
Skiddaw
house. The path now heads back down the valley, mainly downhill at first
with the mixture of fairly boggy ground and fast rocky sections proving to
be great fun but tiring through constant acceleration and deceleration to
get the most out of the terrain. The path then flattens to follow the
river
caldew for a few rocky miles. I had been loving my hardtail all day but
felt
it was hard to keep momentum going here, where I would have sat down and
been able to spin on my full-sus bike I had to stand and hammer, very
tiring!

We arrived back to the car after some 25 miles, a fantastic ride and
definitely worth coming back.

Hey Stevie! Was gonna be asking how you got on mate - well written report,
glad you got a decent ride in!

',;~}~


Shaun aRe - I _PROMISE_ to join you for one again soon, if not eventually...

On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 15:35:10 +0100, spademan o---[) * wrote:

I had been loving my hardtail all day but felt
it was hard to keep momentum going here, where I would have sat down and
been able to spin on my full-sus bike I had to stand and hammer, very
tiring!

Hardtail? I thought you only had rigid and FS.

We arrived back to the car after some 25 miles, a fantastic ride and
definitely worth coming back.

Sounds great - I've never ridden in the Lakes.

BTW, it's 'bridleway'

--
a.m-b FAQ: http://www.j-harris.net/bike/ambfaq.htm

a.bmx FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/bmx_faq.htm

"Mark (UK)" wrote in message
...
spademan o---[) * wrote:

Then the payphone rang. Looking around it was clear we were the only
people foolish to be about and so I picked up the phone. 'Hello' came
the voice of ol' dear number 1. 'Do you see a house opposite the
phone, can you go and ask the lady to phone me please' click. bzzzz.
I knock on the door, old dear number 2 answers and when I relay the
message she thanks me and hobbles over to the payphone. Nice.


That could only ever happen in Cumbria....

Nice tale.
Mark

Cheers Mark, yep was definitely a cumbrian moment.

Steve.

"Shaun Rimmer" wrote in message
...

"spademan o---[) *" wrote in message
...
At the frankly miraculous hour of 9:30 my brother and I arrived in the
small
Hamlet of Mungrisdale in the North Lakes for what promised to be a great
days riding.
We arrived back to the car after some 25 miles, a fantastic ride and
definitely worth coming back.

Hey Stevie! Was gonna be asking how you got on mate - well written
report,
glad you got a decent ride in!

Any ride is a decent ride, this was a good 'un though.

Shaun aRe - I _PROMISE_ to join you for one again soon, if not
eventually...

Damn straight you will, hopefully sort out a trip up to rivi in a few weeks
eh?

Steve.

"bomba" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 15:35:10 +0100, spademan o---[) * wrote:

I had been loving my hardtail all day but felt
it was hard to keep momentum going here, where I would have sat down and
been able to spin on my full-sus bike I had to stand and hammer, very
tiring!

Hardtail? I thought you only had rigid and FS.

Keep up at the back! http://steve-t.fotopic.net/p3186525.html

Also have 'acquired' another frame, the Merlin turned out to be just too
tall.

We arrived back to the car after some 25 miles, a fantastic ride and
definitely worth coming back.

Sounds great - I've never ridden in the Lakes.

Really? I forget your from darn sarf. Let us know next time you're passing
and we'll try and sort something out. The Helvellyn epic (thanks Pete) is
pencilled in for mid-summer, any good to you?

BTW, it's 'bridleway'

Hey as long as its not a footpath!

Steve.

On Wed, 14 Apr 2004 10:26:56 +0100, spademan o---[) * wrote:

Hardtail? I thought you only had rigid and FS.

Keep up at the back! http://steve-t.fotopic.net/p3186525.html

A-ha.

Also have 'acquired' another frame, the Merlin turned out to be just too
tall.

Do tell.

Sounds great - I've never ridden in the Lakes.

Really? I forget your from darn sarf. Let us know next time you're passing
and we'll try and sort something out. The Helvellyn epic (thanks Pete) is
pencilled in for mid-summer, any good to you?

Got anything more specific than 'mid-summer'?

--
a.m-b FAQ: http://www.j-harris.net/bike/ambfaq.htm

a.bmx FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/bmx_faq.htm

"bomba" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 14 Apr 2004 10:26:56 +0100, spademan o---[) * wrote:

Hardtail? I thought you only had rigid and FS.

Keep up at the back! http://steve-t.fotopic.net/p3186525.html

A-ha.

Its great, nicer riding position then when it was fully rigid. Weighs a bit
though.

Also have 'acquired' another frame, the Merlin turned out to be just too
tall.

Do tell.

I was looking for a RM Ti-bolt, but apparently they're rarer than a
technical trail in Florida. I reckon this is probably the closest to it -
Cove Hummer (second hand. Damn you STW...)


Sounds great - I've never ridden in the Lakes.

Really? I forget your from darn sarf. Let us know next time you're
passing
and we'll try and sort something out. The Helvellyn epic (thanks Pete)
is
pencilled in for mid-summer, any good to you?

Got anything more specific than 'mid-summer'?

When rimmer and I can be arsed. And theres a slim possibilty we might be fit
enough not to die.

Steve.

Top post ahoy.

Welcome to my world.

Which way did you go up to Skiddaw House? Can't place it exactly from
the description - assuming you took the permissive bridleway to
Fellside round the northern edge of the fells, then rode up past Dash
Falls to the YH?

At the frankly miraculous hour of 9:30 my brother and I arrived in the small
Hamlet of Mungrisdale in the North Lakes for what promised to be a great
days riding. The sun was shining but there was a cool breeze and a light
mist which hinted at a threat of rain (did I mention we were in the lakes?).
After the habitual bouncing about on forks, testing of brakes and clicking
of gears we were set to depart. Then the payphone rang. Looking around it
was clear we were the only people foolish to be about and so I picked up the
phone. 'Hello' came the voice of ol' dear number 1. 'Do you see a house
opposite the phone, can you go and ask the lady to phone me please' click.
bzzzz. I knock on the door, old dear number 2 answers and when I relay the
message she thanks me and hobbles over to the payphone. Nice.

Anyway...we set off and the surrounding hills soon erase puzzling thoughts
about my critical part in communications technology. This area is not one
I've visited often and seems to have much to offer. There are many
bridalways leading off either side of the road we are following, each
winding off tantalisingly around a corner. However after two or three miles
on the albeit fairly pleasant road we start to question the marital status
of the route-guides father and stop beside one of the more interesting
looking bridalways to examine the map further. It looks like another 4 or 5
frustrating miles on tarmac are ahead. Seems a bit daft we mutter (well
something like that). hmm, hey look we could take this path and it takes us
right near the start of the route 'proper' I casually say. And so with the
damning comment 'Its shorter than the road bit, what could possibly go
wrong?' we decide to follow the bridalway. It winds around the side of a
hill, climbing past some old mine workings on a fairly easy but loose path
and eventually flattens out to a fast flat section which we speed along with
self-congratulatory grins on our faces. The path narrows and becomes grassy
singletrack (a sheep track?) as it heads back down to meet up with the road.
Superb.

A short road section leads us into the biggest ascent of the day, up to
Skiddaw house. Its not a huge climb, gaining around 700ft but it is fairly
short and steep. Other day-trippers are driving up the initial easy part of
the climb and parking a third of the way up. As we pass them they're sat in
their cars munching sandwiches, probably getting ready to go home again.
Calves burning we try and make it to the top in one go but are beaten. I
blame only having 24 gears. As we start to descend the ground is a perfect
match of technical rockiness, and steep enough to hammer along bouncing over
the top, with water bars every 100m or so adding to the fun. A stream
crossing helps to cool us off before another short sharp climb up to Skiddaw
house. The path now heads back down the valley, mainly downhill at first
with the mixture of fairly boggy ground and fast rocky sections proving to
be great fun but tiring through constant acceleration and deceleration to
get the most out of the terrain. The path then flattens to follow the river
caldew for a few rocky miles. I had been loving my hardtail all day but felt
it was hard to keep momentum going here, where I would have sat down and
been able to spin on my full-sus bike I had to stand and hammer, very
tiring!

We arrived back to the car after some 25 miles, a fantastic ride and
definitely worth coming back.

Steve.


Pete