We had a monster day on Dartmoor yesterday. The trails are amazingly dry for winter. We could just pick any trail that took our fancy, safe in the knowledge that it would be riding fantastically well. Not exactly dusty, just soft enough to give your tyres something to bite into. We'll probably get to next Xmas and look back on yesterday as being one of the best rides of the year.
How dry is the rest of the country ?
Horrid in herts, as usual.
Yesterday
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Whinlatter was muddy as hell yesterday - don't think I have ever got so dirty. Still good though.
Thetford last Thursday was almost completely dry. A couple of damp patches, but nothing major.
First time in months that I have ridden without crud guards, overshoes & Sealskinz! Great!
On a dryness scale of 1 -10
I'd say Dalby is about a 7
Depends. Upland stuff can be quite dry but nearer the lakes, the paths are still quite wet
Last Sunday on the Conti at Nant
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Yesterday on a higher section of the Conti near Bont Goch:
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Personally, I like the variation 🙂
I am in Nice in the south of France, so you don't want me to answer....
Mucho love.
Far from dusty but not muddy (in most places).
Like you said, enough for the tyres to bite into nicely.
I ride around Ranmore coming from Ashtead.
The trails on the Surrey Hills were in near perfect condition
probably get to next Xmas and look back on yesterday as being one of the best rides of the year.
That thought crossed my mind too
So claggy with clay Roper and I had to admit defeat.
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I was "guiding" too which was all a bit embarrassing. Next week I have a cunning plan for a different location mind.
8/10 dry on Mount Malvern.
Even the beach tree bog on the way to Holy Well is almost dry.
ooooo, give me a few hrs to go find out.
I'll try somehow to take some pics of the dust. 8)
Nice and dry here in Queensland. Temp around 35 degrees. 🙂
Snow is back in the Lakes this week apparently.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/loutdoor/mountainsafety/lakedistrict.html
Dry here in Central France.
Did a VTT rando yesterday, a couple of wet stream crossings.
Forecast snow for wednesday!!!
excellent conditions round this way in the sunny sarf. Nice and dry and just tacky enough for plenty of grip into the corners. Had two fabulous rides on Friday and Sunday, flying along yesterday covered 24 miles in two hours. fun is back !
trailmonkey -
dry enough to do the Avon Dam route even?
I haven't been over that way, but I don't see why not. Although TBH, eastern Dartmoor is where it's at 8)
Probably, just about.
and there was dust yesterday. treacherous stuff that had me off when i washed the front out on bowerman's.
Dave dropped me off for teapot and standrews on the way home. 😀
did you stay away from the devil-water?
Yeah. Still buzzing from the trails. No external inputs needed 8)
Feeling tender ?
Quantocks were like a dry and dusty summer! Was amazing..
All the sticky stuff from last week in the coombes were gone.
Shame i nakered the forks and cut it short. I could have stayed up there all day!
Trail monkey - Yep... sunday was an epic ride... one for the books.
eviljoe - I did hexworthy stepping stones on sat and that was all rideable, thats how dry it is up there. Spot on.
Again - big thanks to del, trailmonkey and the others for a top day on dartmoor.
[i]Yeah. Still buzzing from the trails. No external inputs needed[/i]
Too right, haven't been that quick down Bowermans in quite a while, good job the Five can get me out of the trouble i get myself into 😀
Del - envious now, that would have made a great end to a great day out.
Is that the bottom of the trail opposite my house 2unfit? I've seen the state of vechicles come out the top and haven't ventured down 🙂
Must look into finding out what the possibility of getting a traffic ban on it. I know the farmer's pretty unhappy with the current state of affairs.
its actually not too bad in the paddy fields of east kent. some shitey sections right enough where horses have been acting as rotivators but some lovely dry descents. Had huge fun yesterday but am paying for it today : )
suprisingly so; so much so that i dragged the big bike out to play rather than the rigid this weekend. can't remeber the last time it saw daylight!
IanMunro - Member
Is that the bottom of the trail opposite my house 2unfit? I've seen the state of vechicles come out the top and haven't ventured down
Must look into finding out what the possibility of getting a traffic ban on it. I know the farmer's pretty unhappy with the current state of affairs.
It is Ian, it must be 2 foot deep, saying that I came from halfway down the track, the woods 1/2 a mile from your front door as you look at it, were worse, the horse's have made a right mess of that one!
Please get all access, apart from bikes obviously, sorted ASAP 😉
Oh, I nearly knocked you up, I ended up spending 3 hours in the JB, but seeing as I only stopped for a quick couple I didn't bother 🙄
Cheers.
Almost dusty here too. Well, loose and dry soil anyway. Some right horrible mudbaths still remaining from the snow melt in places though.
2unfit2ride - Where in Herts is that? I'm near Broxbourne and things are much dryer in the woods here.
Might see if I can get away with a quick ride now actually, while it's sunny.
🙁Horrid in herts, as usual.
Damn. I was on the cross bike this weekend doing a mixture of railway cuttings, woods and bridleways and thought it was drying out.
Where in Herts is that? I'm near Broxbourne and things are much dryer in the woods here.
Cool!
Wyre forest was mostly dry yesterday but as usual was a complete swamp in the usual places, couldn't see what colour my bike was when we got back to the visitor centre to enjoy tea and cake and admire the middle aged guy fully padded up with a chrome SC Bullit with a Rohloff having a pre ride cuppa.
chakaping, its kind of the back of Wheathampstead, very near [url= http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=brocket+hall+herts&fb=1&split=1&gl=uk&cid=0,0,9148332797313144970&ei=X_OrSauQKoS2jAf7_5n0Dw&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image ]Brocket Hall golf club[/url]
There is some nice dry stuff floating about, but it's hard to do a route without encountering the odd quagmire or two 🙁
Cannock Chase rode like a summers day yesterday - cheers rich 😉
2unfit2ride - I come for welwyn garden and I was talking to trailmonkey on sunday about how the trails in Herts were bad for clay / mud...
I have ridden that trail countless times... link it up sherrardswood / redlion on the B197 / old railway line to wheathamsted etc... not a bad ride, and looks dry in that photo!!!!
as for getting a trail ban... that would be a shame as it is one of the last lanes around there that is still open to 4x4 and trailies. 😐
Well yesterday I discovered a new area never explored before: around Corfu Castle. It was dry and handsome, all legals, great view along the coast, nice singletrack going down with the castle in the background, walkers keeping the gates open for me. I think I can die now. Really enjoyed it:
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Gilles, that looks fabulous. A trip to Dorset is in order methinks. Isn't there a sketchy,rocky descent somewhere around the castle ?
Neil, the mud wasn't that bad there, and as you can see there is a ridable line to the right as you look at it. I took the pic to show how much damage has been done by the 4x4's over the winter, not how bad the mud is, as stated it's much worse in other places. The local 4x4 crowd seem like knobs to me, Ive come across them a few times, they never seem to want to give way to walkers or cyclists 🙁
trailmonkey, nothing rocky or challenging nearby I'm afraid, just great views and easy ride. Nice singletracks though. Maybe a local can point you to more hardcore bits.
"The local 4x4 crowd seem like knobs to me, I’ve come across them a few times, they never seem to want to give way to walkers or cyclists"
fair comment. I also used to do a lot of greenlanin' on a motorbike round that way... and yep there are few who think it is their right to be there, "its a road, end of"
some of the lanes over whitwell are proper bog fests. One lane we used to go down had a 'pit of doom' ... go in that and you spent the rest of the day trying to get out. The 4x4 lot would go in get stuck, winch out, go in get stuck.... and repeat.. destroyed that trail, shame.
What is this 'dust' and 'dry' that you speak of?
Cotic simples, now also available in mud brown it seems. 😕
Some photos from yesterday's Dartmoor ride illustrating the amazingly dry trails.......
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Burchy steaming down Pyscho......
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Trailmonkey steaming down the slightly easier trail to the left of Pyscho..
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Del not about to drop off some slimey rocks and into a sea of mud.....
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Tim41 navigating thru' treacherous aquatic conditions.....
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Me, wishing I'd stayed at home all nice 'n dry in front of the fire....
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Sorry Neil. No piccies of you 'cos you're too frickin' fast. It was commented on with envy as we watched you steam down the hill at Pyscho and beyond. Sickening 😉
None of shinythings either 'cos no-one wants to see photos of 'riders' tiptoeing nervously down the technical sections 😉
Seriously though, great day out. This weather's brilliant for Dartmoor riding 😉 but crap for Dartmoor whitewater kayaking 🙁 The WW season ends in two weeks. Can't we have just a little rain? (about a fortnight's worth if possible)
Some nice shots there Rich.
As for your WW hopes, I think you've had ample opportunities for that over the last 2 years. Roll on the drought. 8)
25 mile loop around south downs on sunday. all prety good, apart from West Dean estate where they are logging. Even felt brave so ran a Speedking on the rear, Vert Pro up front , 1 sketchy moment on Kingly Vale , and it was still claggy up top there as always. Amazing for March 1st, i reckon could have worn a short sleeved jersye and base layer and got away with it.
i remember when i was a lot more in to WW kayaking i used to wish for it to rain, especially for the dart loop because thats always good with a bit of water!
now in my predominantly mtb'n days i pray for dryness most of the time! that doesnt always work out well when i spend half the year in Wales and te other half in Devon!
this dry
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dusty in places, gloopy in others
Got back about an hour ago and the bike was so clean it came in through the house (rather than side gate).
That hasn't happened since the cold snap just after new year.