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HI Paul,
Not sure, but I was pointed up a fire road which someone said was a bit of a short cut to the quarry. At that time Vortex's crew were with us, but for the majority of the ride it was just five of us. I would have recognized you though, I'm sure.
Just once again, congrats to the trail builders... brilliant little location. I would sum it up as combining the best bits of Llandegla with the good stuff at Penmachno.
Just one question. Will all the blue trails still be marked when the new marking it done ? I want to take my kids there in the summer hols, but obviously the full trail would be too much for them.
Thanks.
2nd Lowey, great trail, although i'm sure we missed a bit of ST somewhere towards the end.
What time did you get finished lowey? We got back at 9:15, but we did set off later than expected.
great singletrack, I especially like the first bit
well done lads, look fwd to stage 2
oh and trying it on a night ride in winter, that will be fun 🙂
Not sure Dave, think it was about 8.30 ish. We saw a big group in front of us go sailing straight past the right turn into the final section of singletrack and miss it.
Luckily, Harry and Graham knew most of the stuff between them so we got the full lot in.
The last section into the car park with the multiple berms and log bridges were great fun.
The old routes still stand and there are maps available (there's a pdf floating around the web somewhere, haven't got the link at work). All of the new blue stuff is around the lower loop which makes it more family friendly and they have also put a new section of family trail in, which runs along the flat below the new twisty red (volunteer) singletrack.
OH and as for the Slab angle, I reckon it was steeper than the Chute at Kirrougtree, Horse reckons it wasn't. 😆
[url= http://www.youtube.com/user/mfcat2009#play/uploads/14/lbI_NLP6quY ]Found some POV cam footage[/url]
I'll take my clino next time and put the angle debate to bed once and for all.
All i know is that it felt steep!
OH and as for the Slab angle, I reckon it was steeper than the Chute at Kirrougtree, Horse reckons it wasn't
If you mean the last test of faith at the end of McMoab, then you must be joking, that drop is much steeper, Horse is very definately correct. Honestly, that slab at Gisburn is not very steep at all, 30 0r 35 degrees and no more.
BTW Jon, I emailed Martin Colledge tonight, I don't think some of the new signposts are facing the right way.
I don't think some of the new signposts are facing the right way.
That could be interresting, actually now you mention it I think I saw one that looked to be in backwards. The other thing that needs sorting quickly is the mud accumulating in the dips on the coaster section, someone's going to lose their front wheel big time otherwise.
We really are going to ahve to measure that damn slab (mind you I still haven't had the bottle to ride it).
If you mean the last test of faith at the end of McMoab, then you must be joking, that drop is much steeper
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=y96x51&outx=1024&quality=70 [/img]
I'm not so sure.... But I wasnt about to argue with Horse. He is aptly named!
Trails look great. Job well done.
The whole slab steepness discussion reminds me of the discussion that was held over a feature in the trails at Carron Valley. The kelpies stair case was debated over by many, with claims of the stone pitched section being 45deg and more. In reality it no more than 30deg and this random pic makes it look much less.
[img] 
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Many found it daunting partly due to its steepness but mostly its surface. Steepness always seems more on top of a bike as you are at a higher level, bent over bars and your eyes/brain are probably judging to angle to the ground and not where you head will end up when on a bike at the bottom of the slope. The only way to tell the angle is to properly measure it.
In all the pics the Gisburn slab looks less steep than McMoab or even Dalbeatie but pics are deceiving.
None-the-less it looks a great feature to a great trail
It's definitely steeper than that picture. I was looking at it from a distance side on, on Wednesday night and I'm sure it's more than 45 degs.
take two sticks of equal length. place one upright on the ground. place the other on at right angles towards the hill. If it reaches the ground, the hill is at 45 deg. If it doesn;t reach, it's less than 45....
Or does anybody fancy making a clinometer you just need a piece of wood and a plumb line
[img] 
[/img]
Diagram of a home-made clinometerIn its simplest form the clinometer can, as shown by the accompanying diagrams, easily be made at home. Graduate the quadrant of a circle 0º to 90º on cardboard, or preferably a bit of hardwood, say six inches by two inches; the longer edges of the cardboard or wood to be parallel, and at right angles to a line drawn through centre of quadrant and the 0º point. Attach a metal pendulum at centre, so as to swing freely, and when vertical to point to 0º on graduated arc.
😉
Anyone know if the waymarkers are in place yet?
This looks great. Will definitely have to pop in this year.
You guys are doing a sterling job up there!
Si B, most of the posts are in, but the directional signage isn't (it's the same as at Stainburn, garden posts with slot in plastic signage). Also, I think at least one post is in the wrong place (possible confusion if you're trying to work out the route using the posts) and this last Friday there were IMO a few posts missing (possibly more confusion). All the old 2-way signage is still there (even more confusion). At the moment IMO you have to know where you are going to find it all. However, every time I've been there, there seems to be enough people up there, riding it, who know where they're going.
I THOUGHT I knew where i was going. 🙂
Mr Nana have you any plans to go to Gisburn soon.
If you get up there on Sunday between 10 and 2 you'll be able to meet the trail builders and ask all the questions you want, plus get directions. Better still come and help dig, then you get to decide where the trails go 😆
If you get up there on Sunday between 10 and 2 you'll be able to meet the trail builders and ask all the questions you want, plus get directions. Better still come and help dig, then you get to decide where the trails go
We'll be up there around that time, will try to remember to bring jaffa cakes for the builders 🙂
Si B, I'll probably be going to the Gisburn dig on Sunday and then a ride round after, the forecast looks too windy for skiing. If you want to go to the dig or want to meet me at Crocket Hill car park in the afternoon 2.30ish, then let me know. Knacker asked me to let him know when I was going to Gisburn digs, but that was before the Buck Wood development, so I think there's a high probablilty he'll be 'digged out' after the last few weeks efforts, I'm going to email him anyway out of courtesy, he might want to just turn up for a ride in the afternoon. Actually, as there's no planned dig at Buck woods on Sunday I'll post up a Sunday pm Gisburn ride on the SingletrAction forum, there might be a few takers.
Sounds good , I'll see if I can get a pass out tomorrow afternoon for a ride. PM me your mobile number through the STA forum.
Lowey, good to catch up with you at last (even if it was only on the downs where I could!)
"That" slab is defo not bad, very interested as to what the home made clinometer has to say.
H
PS. Can't make the 2nd, working lates, have a good one though.
Anyone got a copy of the GPX file please,gonna try it one night night in the week or early saturday morning.
I'll be up there this afternoon but starting from the pub at Tosside about half two. I'll be on a carbon s-works.
Went upto Gisburn this afternoon and using my electricuted Homing-Pigeon sense of direction I managed to get completely lost...the two lads in the Hope shirts/with the kids- thank you for the directions 😀
The short bit of singletrack immediately at the bottom of the big bermed-section- how sublime is that? The big bermed-bit- it felt like a mental haunted house rollercoaster! 😀
The road from Sawley though to the carpark. If you could close the other direction.. 😈
been up for a ride round today, how much fun are the new trails? We had an ace time big thumbs up to the volunteer trail builders (had a packet of biscuits ready for you but didn't see you, maybe you were actually building?) and to the contractors too, we really had a good ride. Nice to see a singlespeed friendly trail centre too, manage to cleam everything except one short climb just after the quarry, I'll have ti next time though - this time I just didn't have the momentum (or a clear exit, someon was in front of me) but next time I will be prepared and will get it.
didn;t see the black trails @ the quarry, but did ride the other black trails we passed including those @ Whelp Stone Crag, and we enjoyed the berms so much we climbed back up and did them again!
The (in)famous gisburn slab was also conquered - I arrived to find Lizzie about to descend it and managed to get the camera out in time
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then I handed the camera over and went round myself
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I reckon the upper slab is around the 28 deg mark, the lower on slightly over 30. would be interested to know the correct figures if anyone *does* take a clinometer up there
big "thanks" again to the people involved in getting it all up and running. I reckon our next christmas weekender might be Gisburn, Slaidburn YHA, then lee quarry on the second day!
A truely great time was had by all.
Thanks Rob and ntb for guiding us around. I was the only one out of 7 who didn't ride the Gisburn slab.
We all came down those big berms laughing like crazy people.
Also the weather fairy was kind to us, not a drop of rain. 🙂
nbt, I thought you might take your ice axes up there to perform the angle of the slope test 😉
If you mean the DH stuff, then it's further on from the quarry, but alot of it was destroyed in the recent clear felling.
We were digging at the bottom of the volunteer built section (the section with the stone pitched staircase at the end).
I thought you might take your ice axes up there to perform the angle of the slope test
I did notice that a couple of the chaps had axe loops on their camelbaks, now that's some fairly hardcore riding if you need axes!
I know now where you were, I remember seeing a crate with a load of mugs at the blocked-off entrance to a new piece of trail - I had been told to expect you after the berms so it didn;t register at the time, sorry!
erny, sent you the .gpx file.
Have fun.
Cheers Stumpyjon
nbt
assuming you camera was level when you took the shots above I've worked out the top slab is around 30 degs and the bottom slab is 35 degs so it looks like I was well off with my initial estimates. Still, need to measure it properly, may be going up on Wednesday so will try then if I get there.
I didn;t have the camera, but it looks level enough, the trees are upright
the trees are upright
always a bonus in any situation 😉
nbt
Sorry, the ice axe ref. was an acknowledgement of your previous posts, re the two sticks of equal length = 45 deg etc. a classic mountaineers test of the angle of a slope (normally done with two climbing ice axes of equal length), due to your earlier post re. mountains, I thought you might 'get it', but hey-ho.
Anyway, I rode down it today with my seatpost up, which was a first (I've previously stopped and put the seatpost down), amazing what a bit of peer preasure does. Not sure about you, but it looks like Lizzie has not bothered putting the seatpost down so much respect to her, It may not be very steep, but it is still a bit intimidating to just go for it.
IF that picture is a true record (and I believe it is) then using the laws of trigonometry the angle of the dangle is 33.87 degrees.
Rode it this afternoon, was actually a bit later than anticipated. Started/finished at pub in Tosside. Rode into Cocklet Hill car park at 5pm just to see how busy it was. Full. Very satisfying, good to see the trails being so popular.
Its about time we had some real way marking. The number of people riding one-way trails the wrong way is frightening - an accident waiting to happen.
PS haven't dropped the seat to ride it either 😀
I know a man who has tho...... 😳
Fizzer
For years it has been two way and the current signage/markers do just that, send people both ways, it's the way it was. All the new directional posts have not gone in yet and the directional inserts are still on order. Basically, we are all riding it a bit premature whilst in transition between old and new. At some point in the very near future they (the Forestry Commision) will establish the new one way trail system and take out the old signage.
If it bothers you too much right now, come back in about a month and all the new one way signage will be up and running. As things are right now, you can't get too arsy with people riding some of it in the wrong direction.
I should add that the FC have no control over internet forums where the word gets out early about new exciting stuff that everyone wants to go and play on. Don't blame them for not having it all immediately up and running for you and me (not that I'm saying you are, but it will all fall into place fairly soon).
stumpyjon, can I have a copy of that file please?
northernreetard at hotmail. com
Thanks
Nana - bit touchy?
B.A. Nana, sorry, yes, I did get it, I learnt the measuring trick from my skiing background though, using ski poles. The posts for the markers are in and have yellow arrows painted on them to show the right direction, very useful that was. We did meet a pair of horses coming down the track just after the reservoir though - thankfully it was a climb for us so we were barely moving
As for the pics, Lizzie didn't drop her seat as she forgot, I didn't drop mine as I rarely bother. Of the 4 others in the group who did it, I think it was 50/50.