Before I catch up with more of last week’s exploits, here’s a quick entry from yesterday’s ‘Big Macc Ramble’, a short but exhilarating bike ride in the Peak District that can be enjoyed after a lie in and still get me home for lunch.
An old route description, which remains valid, is here, and my blog reports from this ride or variations thereon are here.
Suffice to say, it was a beautiful day, though fairly cool as confirmed by the frost on pictures taken late into the morning.
The only people I saw on the first hour or so of the ride, until joining the road at the Stanley Arms, were five trial bikers. They set a good tone for the day, with friendly waves, as they headed past me up Charity Lane, where as usual I parked up for a while in view of Shining Tor and the Cat & Fiddle, as well as the plains of Greater Manchester.
You can see from the picture below that neither Berghaus nor any other purveyor of outdoor clothing has seen fit to issue me with any ‘bottom of the range item of equipment’ that might smarten my cycling persona! Some of us need all we can get…
Both the chapel at Macclesfield Forest, and the Cat & Fiddle Inn were positively glowing in the sunshine.
By the time the Inn was reached there were increasing numbers of people self-evidently enjoying the blue sky day. It was a pleasure to encounter so many happy and friendly people, be they cyclists or walkers. As I enjoyed a cuppa and some brownies across the road from the Inn, a group of four mountain bikers assembled after an hour and a half’s journey from Nottingham, to enjoy a ride on which the long descent to the ford across Cumberland Brook would be one of the highlights. I waited for them on a frosty bank by the ford to take a few pictures as they crossed the brook. [Let me know if you’d like to have the originals, I’m afraid they aren’t very good.]
Soon I was atop Nessit Hill, admiring fine views down to Trentabank and Ridgegate Reservoirs, with Teggsnose Reservoir tucked in to the left of Tegg’s Nose in the background. I lingered here before swooping (but slowing down to alert and avoid scaring walkers) down the excellent track that leads in just a few minutes back to the Leather’s Smithy – seen below at the far corner of Ridgegate Reservoir.
Here’s what the Garmin Gadget thought of this little excursion:
6 comments:
I was amused by your comment on attire. I suspect, that like me, your heart is more in walking than cycling. I have never been able to justify kitting myself out with all that bright coloured Lycra cycling gear, and I guess even a new fashion for each year. Like you I have some old pants tucked into my socks, and I’m never quite sure what to wear on top, but as you comment fellow cyclists seem to be a friendly lot and always have a greeting as they pass, despite one’s lackluster appearance.
Looks like you had a really nice couple of hours ride here....
Although MTB is not my chosen cycling discipline I do love reading about the various adventures people have in the hills on two wheels...Thanks for the post....some nice images by the way..!
-Trevor
Thanks Conrad, Trevor. Interestingly I was wearing much the same stuff when I went out with the Manchester Mountain Bikers last December (see here). It turned out that I was the best equipped for the weather that day...
Cracking opening photo.
Just bought some £13 Muddy Fox padded tights from Sports Direct. Now unfavourably linked to Max Wall!
Hmmm, I think I'll stick to the M&S tracksuit over cycling shorts, with old overtrousers for when it (very rarely) rains.
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