Coincidentally, I was out with the lads over at Shining Cliff Woods today for a trip down memory lane (used to run there lots). Was looking for a site to sleep out (under the stars sketch, dad’s will understand) when we found a site where clearly someone had been building fallen tree bivis. So, they were either the team who’ve been ‘creative’ (don’t remember those burms and ‘paths’ a few years ago) or some strange army wanabe (or other of similar genre) lurking in the bushes.

My point being, they’d probably ‘get off’ by acting up as YOU ride by. Me, I never ride without Fairbairn-Sykes….you simply never know.

This is always going through my mind when doing solo night rides around Delamere…

The strange guy who wanders around delamere in full head to toe camouflage (including his face) is worth worrying about!
Unless that is you teeto?

Have been solo night riding round Cannock since the mid 90s. There are no axemen, panthers, werewolves, aliens or any of that shit. The stags are a hazard in October when they are rutting but realistically the worst thing that could happen is that you are riding uphill on a narrow bit of singletrack and you meet some loon on a 140mm FS bike with a thermonuclear set of lights riding the other way 😉

rp16v – Member
ah yes i see(google maps :lol:) total other end to me then is it much steeper to get up over there? is there enough riding up there to fill a few hours…. in daylight this time lol

It’s fairly steep going up Littleton lane though it’s doable in the dry without dabbing. It’s well worth it for the Elwell Lane descent – on a cx bike at least – it’s a bit too easy on an mtb IMO. As for other riding, there’s not really much more offroad up there that I’m aware of though again, there’s a good bit around that’s brilliant on a cx and alright on an mtb – happy to give you some routes if you want – just email me.

Yes and half the fun of the experience. Lived and rode in the same mountains that Blair Witch was set at yaround the time it was out, and as a brit the terrain and wildlife was just alien enough to keep me wired. always been in the minimal lighting camp where its “night riding” as an experience rather than just riding at night, with big lights allowing you to do so.

Oh and we were tracked once by full camo right wing fantacist types

Had a branch fly across my bar lights one night with a strange whoop noise from my side. I looked and there was nothing there so I went very quickly until heart and lungs wouldn’t let me go quickly anymore! Another time I heard a hhhhhhaaaaaa kind of noise to my left and swear I could feel breath on the side of my neck. I started to bolt and then thought sod it, face whatever it is. I chucked the bike and squared up shouting in my biggest hardest voice. Of course there was nothing there and I probably looked hilarious fronting up to nothing if there was anybody else there. Nothing else has bothered me since though so either I scared “them” or I realised that there is actually nothing there to worry about.

Used to solo night ride on the Penhydd. The Dead Sheep Gulley section always freaked me out.

Not because of the name – but there is a section where the right hand bank extends away from you at about shoulder height – perfect pouncing height… and there were always animals rustling around (probably rabbits 🙄 )

Ty’yn y Coed Forest near Pentyrch (NW of Cardiff) is also freaky, day or night. My commute goes through there. Steep, very dark pine forest

Winter times when it is dark I stay on the road and don’t venture into the forest.

One very foggy evening I was going down the road through the forest (sunken lane between two banks) and a misty, half formed shape vaulted the lane, clear, from one bank to the other. My rational mind tells me it was a roe dear….

Also found a very large circular clearing in that forest, with the outer circle marked out with bones. In the centre was the biggest beech tree I have ever seen, and a post with a horses skull attached to the top of it. FREAKED ME OUT*

Although when posted on mtb-wales, at the time, I got the impression that this was the local trail pixies….

The gate stories are serious paaaarrrrp moments and I hope to never have one.

On my two overnight trips on the SDW I’ve taken music (the only time I’ve ever cycled with a music player) as there’s no way I’d go through some of those woods being able to hear things

I was out with a group at Llandegla at night (naughty I know). As usual I was bringing up the rear, coming towards the end on one of the descents my lights just died. I had no back up with me.

I stood there on my own in the middle of the forest. It was so dark I couldn’t actually see my own feet so there was no way i could even walk down. I had to stand there and wait for the chaps to realise I was missing and come back for me.

I could just hear rustling all around me in the trees. All i could think about was the Blair Witch. It was probably about ten minutes I was stood there. You can just imagine how long it felt like. An absolute eternity. I was a shaking, whimpering mess by the time they got back to me. They were all looking for me shaped holes in trees and walls

I always always carry a back up head-torch now. I suggest you do the same

Not dark but one evening was doing a ride in the Dales nr Grinton with a couple of mates. We were in a farm yard on a green lane and couldn’t find a bridleway that was supposed to exit from it.

All of a sudden this mountain of a guy in filthy overalls (who looked like a double for ‘Chunk’) appears from a barn and stomps towards us. I asked him where the bridleway was and he just starting grunting loudly and shouting incoherently. (At this point I apparently muttered ‘ignorant ****’) I think we were all waiting for him to pull out a bill hook or chainsaw from behind his back. He kept pointing at my gps unit on the bars and at a small broken gate whilst grunting. It turned out it was the bridleway.

The bridleway was so steep on wet grass it was virtually unridable and you could only crawl up it. After we’d got about 100m from the gate this horrible screaming and squealing started from the farm we’d just left. It sounded like someone or something being butchered alive. Pathetic as it might sound we all got off our bikes and pushed up hill flat out as it was quicker than riding whilst looking nervously behind.

We did another ride a few weeks later in the same area and took a route down a boulder strewn green lane only to find ourselves unknowingly arriving into the same farm yard. Suffice to say we didn’t stop.

If you are ever passing here look out for Chunk.

Me, I never ride without Fairbairn-Sykes….you simply never know

Missed this – really ought not to, you know… 😯

Got a puncture one night in Clough Wood above Darley Dale on my own as it was going dusk.

Lots of rustling in the trees that seemed to be getting closer and pretty dark by the time I’d fixed it – not nice at all.

i too have experienced the Delamere loon in full camo and facepaint – very unnerving in the pitch black on your own!
having said that, if you say hello, he does say hello back in a fairly friendly tone – but I’m not stopping to shake his hand!!

Just contemplating starting night riding again… the twist is that I now live in the rockies so there really are bears in the woods….

i caused one of those moments once.

I came round and realised the lights were broken and I was bleeding a bit. Sat there confused for a while until I saw a set of bike lights ride past about 30m away. I jump on my bike and give chase hoping to use his lights to see the path.

I get about 5m behind him before he hears me and speeds up.

I speed up and shout ‘Hang on mate’ which comes out sounding more like ‘ARGHESS I want to KILL YOU’ or at least that is what he hears and speeds up even more.

There then follows a high speed pursuit across the New Forest ending up at some remote pub with him fearing for his life as I finally catch him.

Gosh how we laughed after a couple of pints

It’s not just the things you hear, it’s the things that you ‘think’ you saw
On a local ride on a particular fast cheeky trail when we all regrouped I asked ‘did anyone see the man stood next to the fence?’
All I got was blank looks and it freaked me out until at the end of the ride another rider, who hadn’t heard me the first time asked the same question. Phew

Around by me we have a fair few big cat sightings and I believe I have saw it myself. But it’s the deer that run out in front of you that makes for trouser accidents

Solo night riding rocks, but would rather ride solo through the darkest woods than through the town and the dreaded chav……

Try watching “Wild Country”…… Where it was filmed is where we ride at night. After seeing it, the sillouette of Mugdock Castle takes on a whole new meaning. Every rustle in the bushes is a potential werewolf….

On Monday night a naked man carrying an axe ran accross the path in front of me as I was shooting along some singletrack in the dark…. OK, was probably my light reflecting off some silver birch branches, but just for a second…. 😯

If you’re seeing blokes in the buff clutching their choppers, I’d be worried…

Having deer following me through lordswood in the pitch dark.

to be fair i thought it was a group of pikeys fron the estate 🙂