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Hopped onto the block then froze and fell. Moved the block to the middle of the edge, then carried on.
Falling conkers season on the North Downs
Atmospheric conditions on the summit on last night's bike ride - Dumyat, Stirling, again... Combination of low cloud, a little bit of drizzle and stupidly powerful Exposures. Double teapot posing was strong 😎
These are from a few weeks ago when I went on a magical singlespeed mystery tour of where I was born - Runcorn in Cheshire - it's a 35 mile canals and rivers loop from home, all offroad.
This particular spot was where my mum had a hairdressing salon in the 70's that was knocked down to build an extension to the original Runcorn - Widnes bridge - I've not been down here for years but couldn't believe my eyes when I saw these murals - stunning!
Non riding day for a change as I wanted to visit Portofino so train and ferry to get there and then a hike and train to get back
Last day of riding in Sestri Levante and also the last day of riding for this trip.
Headed out South to ride some trails and although they were good it was obvious that they hadn't been ridden in a while as in places they were overgrown and in others the trail had fallen away down the hill side. Quite a bit of hike a bike.
That's the great thing about exploring. You never know whats round the corner.
As this trip comes to and end it's good to look back on what we have done since retiring at the end of March.
Three big European tours which on Monday will have used up all our 90 in 180 days
We have ridden in some amazing places with stunning scenery. Rode with some great friendly locals. Met some old friends and made some new.
Two years ago we thought Kevin's riding days were over. A year of recovery and perseverance This time last year his Consultant advised us step back and reassess the future.
One day will be our last ride. We are going to enjoy each and every one.
So far so good.
Another ride in Weardale this week (scoping potential options for mid-winter slop-compatible rides). From St John's Chapel over the byways to Scarsike Head, then up Middlehope Bank and across to Race Head (view down Weardale):
From there along Sedling Rake. You get a sense of the extent of the mine workings here from the landscape on the other side of Sedling Burn:
From there over to Allenheads on the road then down to Grove Rake mine on the track that runs down the Rookhope Burn valley:
This just goes down and down... You can see the rail tracks if you peer through:
Finally back across to Weardale and up Middlehope Bank (again) and across Carr Brow Moor on a reasonably good (i.e. not MXed) and pleasant bridleway:
Quite happy in the end as much of this should be rideable in the depths of winter.
Not so picturesque, and distinctly flat, but I had fun. A 20 mile loop with a mix of roads, cross country (aka farm tracks), and coastal urban.
Pleasant one last night. Going high next week, it's looking like an inversion forecast to me...
Is direct up loading working again?
No seems not...
Image kind of works.. just needed a pic so I could say how fab night riding is right now. Warm, dark, dry. Pick 3 🙂
Also very much enjoying the new bike.
Testing...
Edit: Yeah, seems buggered. It uploads the image but wont let me insert to post however if you open the link separately then copy it into the reply it does work.
Let me have a go ...
Hmm.
Yeah, doesn't insert the image. Pasting the link then links to the image, but that's as good as it gets for now ...
Does this work?
...no.
Nice inversion over the Tweed Valley this morning.
Just tried to post again with a instructions of how I got it to work.
It didn't work again...
Have imgur done something whacky about blocking images unless you do age verification?
Most of the pics showing as this for me:
[img] 
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Have imgur done something whacky about blocking images unless you do age verification?
Most of the pics showing as this for me:
[img]
They've completely blocked access from the UK.
You've got to be in it to win it (that little dark blob on the horizon is the only bit of Lakes fells sticking above the murk).
That was a bit special.
Packed and away after a still night.
Only commuting. And a boring grey day. But, it was dry, and I was out on the bike for 25km / 70 minutes, so all good!
First ride after 8 weeks rehab (again). Misty, chilly, very still but great to be out again. Coffee shop remembered my standard order.
This little bridge has been doing service across a small Chilterns ditch for as long as I can remember. Nature is finally taking it back.
And ... Commute home again. Despite the greyness, the autumn colours are still stunning ...
That is .......AWESOME. I need it, I need it so bad. But first, I need a bagel now.
Autumn loop starting by road from hebden br to Keighley, then canal to Shipley, NCR 66 and spen valley way to mirfield, then Calder valley Greenway back home. The "cycle superhighway" into Bradford centre is impressive BUT finding it from Shipley is a challenge and the south Bradford link to low moor and the spen valley.......oh dear. Poorly signed and confusing, it was easier to follow the map on my phone. Nice day for it though
First ride in about 10 days, had a weird virus that wiped me put energy wise for anything other than working . Just a 10 mile ride exploring the non red route at Bedgebury. The autumnal colours are making an appearance!
Dropped my Aeris AM in at Bird in Consett for a fork/shock service today, and whilst they worked on the mucky internals of my suspension, Ben kindly lent me their prototype/demo gravel bike for a few hours.
So, the Waskerley Way from Consett out to Rookhope, and then a (mostly road) loop back up over the moors to Blanchland, Derwent reservoir and back to Consett. 67km - great stuff.
I just nipped out for an hour around my local, Chasefield Woods in Head of Muir. Dry, crispy and lovely. The quiet was only slightly disturbed when I brushed past a finger post. Seriously, I barely touched it, yet it threw itself to the ground faster than a professional footballer. It did make an impressive creaking, groaning, tree falling sort of sound as it's rotted base gave up the ghost. I suppose the footie equivalent of three rolls on the ground while clutching your face.
I love my 2nd Gen Specialized Levo e-bike. It's amazing for getting me up big hills that my back won't allow me to climb anymore. Popping it into Trail mode for the long road bash home is a feature that I wish I had 20yrs ago as I'd watch all my ride mates shoving their bikes into their cars at the end of a winter club night ride, and I still had a 12 mile ride home. However, it can't beat my Stage 6 for poppy agility on tight twisty trails. What a brilliant bit of kit. I've hardly touched my Levo since getting Britney in the spring.
An absolutely cracking night out, although I have to admit that I did cut it a bit shorter than usual as there were a lot of balaclava neds on electric motorbikes using the main paths in the woods as their drug courier rat run*. Something that's become much more common over the last year or so and I'm sorry to say that it's actually making me nervous (as a solo night rider), about riding here.
B.
*Sweeping assumption I know. They could have been going to visit their grannies.
Peaceful ride out before lunch today
I managed a Thursday ride this week out of Blanchland over Birkside Fell:
Over to Whitley Chapel and on to Eshells Moor (looking over Allendale Town towards the chimneys):
Then over Spitalshields Moor and down Dipton Burn:
Before returning to Blanchland via Slayley Forest and Blanchland Moor. Amazingly dry for the time of year!
Last week's sunlit uplands seem like a distant memory.
I think this week's midweek mission is a hunt for autumn foliage.
Ahh! Man! This morning's ride was magnificent! Headed out for a quick SS gravel loop after breakfast, just as it was starting to get light ...
The whole ride just made me feel alive - the light, the sun on the clouds, the autumn colours, the damp autumn smell, the different sounds made by the tyres on tarmac, gravel, crunchy acorns, puddles, damp leaves.
Sometimes the simple, local stuff is just stunning ...