as in driving to a place, parking up in a creepy dark car park alone, riding 2 hours in pitch black with the aid of lights, then arriving back at the car in pitch black, worried your being watched, rustling, somebody about to jump you etc when you get back, packing up the car as fast as possible, then feeling hugely relieved your still alive when you lock the car from the inside….

do you all ride from the door out? or do you do the above like me in the deep dark nights of winter? its scary at first, but you kinda get used to it…

all alone btw, its not really so bad if you even have just 1 other person with you…

the trick is to talk to yourself, loudly, in two different voices so that ‘they’ think there’s more than one person.

I’m out solo tonight. I’ll ride quick through the woods. Eek!!!

Driving on your own though? FREAK!!

😉

then feeling hugely relieved your still alive when you lock the car from the inside….

I hope you check the back seat well!

Riding alone in the woods is better than riding alone through the town if you ask me
At least the deer/werewolves etc only have teeth and claws instead of knives and guns

Still doesn’t stop the thoughts of ‘what was that though’

I do like you except without all the fear and paranoia that someone’s out to get me!
It’s much more fun that way.

I did quite a bit of solo ‘drive n riding’ last winter.

First time was indeed scary, but after a few times i learnt to really like it.

My usual midweek night ride, takes me up to Frankenstein’s castle, does get a bit spooky during the dark wintery nights, but for all those who want to know what is carried in large rucksacks, a pitchfork and a flaming torch is the answer.

I enjoy it but can guarantee I’ll get the jitters at least once each time I go out alone off road after dark.

Recently I was at Hamsterley on my lonesome on a Sunday evening. Riding along a fire road heard something rushing through the forest towards me. It sounded pretty big and was making a lot of noise with breaking twigs etc. It then stopped at the edge of the tree line a few yards away and I couldn’t see what it was (I’m guessing probably a deer). It’s fair to say it spooked me good and proper and my pace increased somewhat.

i don’t have a car.i love riding on the ridgeway (avebury/marlbrough downs/barbury castle) at 1am.you definitely hear weird noises (and cough see cars parked up at barbury castle car park 😯 i didn’t hang about/thankfully they lock the car park now though at night 🙂

I don’t ride alone at night apart from easy fireroads. I convince myself it’s in case a fall off but maybe it’s because deep down I’m scared

When I lived in Brum, I was always more worried about being mugged for my bike outside my flat late at night, more than when in the country..

I commute in the middle of the night and love it.
Badgers, deer and frogs crossing the trail. Picking out the swans on the river and canal with my helmet light. Bats swooping down right in front of me.
I feel far safer out in the forest after midnight than in any town or on any road.

I ride at night with music on – that way you can’t WHEN you ARE being followed 🙂

Driving somewhere to ride? Nope. Live on the edge of the Calder valley so a 5 minute ride across the park and BHAM! Ace descents. Even better in the dark!

I worry more about having an accident and not being found until the next day. I do ride straight out of my door though, if I had to use a car park at some beauty-spot at night I would also worry I may get some unwanted attention from cottagers & doggers 🙂

I don’t ride alone at night apart from easy fireroads. I convince myself it’s in case a fall off but maybe it’s because deep down I’m scared

+1

I ride at night with music on

Silver bullet – guiloteen, is a good track for ‘training rides’/scareing the shit out of you!

ride from my door meet mates [ who ride there alone] ride seperate go home.
You get used to it and ther eis nothing locally I would not ride alone tbh
look basically
MTFU

Normally head out at 8pm on a wednesday with a group of mates.
but was itching to get out yesterday too as it was a nice evening, so went out, from the house, at 10pm or so for a 45 mintue blast. It did occur to me that its a new bike and I’m not totally sure of the handling yet, so am more likely to come off, so did take it a little easier.
But its nice not having to worry about riding in shadows from other lights, or dazzling with rear lights etc.

Running in the woods at night is scarier. At least on a bike, you can turn round and head downhill at 30mph if needs be. Not on foot… Still do it though 🙂

I used to work nights in an oxford iron foundry, which just happened to be next to a grave yard – one night alone in a machine shop using a lathe – christ, one night I **** myself baddly, I had to run out the place

I’m sure it was all in the mind

riding solo is a good way to meet wildlife.

Same place, two weeks apart, ran into an owl, well 2 different owls, one was a barn owl, the other I wasn’t sure, was small darker colours.

Also deer and various large roosting birds.

I used to play ‘night ride chicken’ and see how far into the woods I dared go. I’ve got a vivid imagination so not usually that far.

Once, I got brave enough to venture right out and was hit with lights from all sides. Coppers chasing someone – proper manhunt – helicopter out with huge searchlight cutting through the trees, guy hanging out the door and a landrover with roof mounted spotlights.

That lot scared the crap out of me – then, when they had gone, I calmed down briefly, before starting to wonder who they were looking for and if they caught them…

haha some excellent stuff there! seems im not the only one who has an over active immagination!

I’m out alone in woods at night…really I’m the one other people should be scared of! 👿

I read somewhere that the only built-in fears we have are loud noises and falling. I’m not scared of the dark. I like to stop on the Chase on a cold, wet dark night, kill the lights and look at the soft glow from Stafford and listen to the screams/gunshots/explosions coming from Rugeley.

I park at a pub and ride on the road to the woods. Last time we risked parking at the forest (it was snowing, we figured there’s be nobody out), we arrived back to the car just as a gang of kids were about to put the windows in.

More worries about that sort of thing than anything happening in the forest, TBH

Maybe I lack imagination but I (park up and) ride alone at night and I often forget it’s even dark.

I do like to stick to trails I already know though.

STUCK IN A HOLE? IN THE FOG? STUCK IN A HOLE? IN THE FOG? IN THE MIDDLE O’ THE NIGHT? WITH AN OWL! UP A TREE!

I used to commute through an army training area in Surrey. Leaving work in the dark in the winter months and riding the 4 or 5 miles of pitch dark woods with my little cat eye cube front light used to scare the bejeezers out of me, but I thoughly enjoyed it. More than once I had a squaddy on exercise jump out in front of me, either for a laugh or because there was a massive tank around the corner unlit.
Still love that nearly scared out of my wits feeling when riding through woods at night on my own. The lights are better now though allowing us to outrun the boogie man with confidence.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_a1wxqloEs&feature=related[/video]

Off out on my own tonight and will be riding up through Lee Quarry which isn’t all that spooky despite when you think about all the men killed there in accidents over the years. Cragg Quarry is though for some reason. Perhaps it’s cause it’s not so open and has more nooks and crannies for the monsters/big cats to hide. 😯

I worry more only about having an accident and not being found until the next day.

I can only enjoy riding the better stuff if I’ve got the back-up of someone to fetch the emergency services when required.

I either ride from the door or drive to a supermarket and park there, depends on a combination of the time of day (ie how long to drive across town) and whether I can be bothered with the hour of tarmac adding to my ride.

I’m generally ok out on my own, but it gets scary in Etherow Country Park, I think because you lose all the normal back ground noise and can just hear the sounds of a chap biking through the woods echoing off the trees. That and the badgers that are out to get me. And the swans.

Tend to just put my foot down and hope for the best!

I can only enjoy riding the better stuff if I’ve got the back-up of someone to fetch the emergency services help me out of the stream when required.

😉

I ride very quickly in the dark and normally have music on so I can’t hear the rustling. I’m not very good in the creepy dark woods which begs the question why am I buying lights!!!

EDIT: I bet not may riders riding alone take night time pictures of their bike leaning up against a signpost etc!

It’s the things you can’t hear you should worry about.

I usually ride by myself, and enjoy night riding a lot. When it is misty it can be interesting and spooky, but otherwise all good. I do run Endomondo with live uploading so people can find me if something happens…

Like riding at night, love riding at night in the snow. Not really bothered by beasties and the like, born and bred in the sticks so used to that kinda crap. Have heard the one thing you don’t wanna cross is a badger, vicious little buggers.

I bet not may riders riding alone take night time pictures of their bike leaning up against a signpost etc!

Have pratted about several nights on the Chase trying to take a double-exposure picture of The Bike with the UFO-esque Rugeley power station in the distance but then again I’m weird 🙂

i’ve hurt myself too many times riding simple stuff to ever go out on my bike alone, i need a responsible adult at all times 😆