Every time I ride up to Whinstone Lee Torr in the Peaks some nugget of a rider coming the other way keeps telling me I'm going about it all wrong. "You're going the wrong way mate - this is one of the best downhills in the peak". Either way (I ride it in both directions on a regular basis) seems to be bloody wrong. Who are you that you know so much about what kind of ride I fancy on that particular day. How do I become an expert on the right way to ride this? What if I do an out and back and ride it both ways eh? Then what? Is that wrong too? Are loops better, should I only ride loops? Can I have a pint in the Ladybower in after or is that the wrong pub to go to? What if I had bar ends on my risers - would that make the experts self destruct? Eh?
Chill Winston. I also ride Whinstone Lee Tor both directions (flag stone climb from side of L'bower and the climb from A57 up the side of the L'bower Inn). As you say, each has its own merits and which route i take depends on what loop I'm doing and from what direction or indeed what i fancy that day.
At present I do think the flagtone climb direction has the edge for me but I love the compacted smooth sandstone climb to the Tor from the other direction.
Just ignore and enjoy whichever route you are riding safe in the knowledge that you know the climb both ways and those making comments may not have that benefit.
lambo
I've thought about this long and hard and you are wrong.
HTH,
Higs
Even got that last Tuesday night in Woburn, riding up a long hill to be told I'm going the wrong way!
These are probably the same guys that dug up one of the best climbs so they had some drops when they decend.
I have to ask, what happens when they get to the bottom? do they just huddle up and slowly die, unable to ascend back to where they came? or ring their mums?
must admit, i like it waaaay better as a flagstone climb, and descent down to the pub. that way you get a swoopy swoopy down, rather than a bang bang bang on the flagstone descent 🙂
Both directions have their merits as climbs or descents.
My personal take on it though is that both directions are better descents than climbs* - hence, it could be argued, that when climbing you are by definition going the "wrong"way. But thats just my opinion and these things are intensely personal.
*although there are other trails in the Peak that make better climbs than descents and in those cases descending is the "wrong" way.