MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Took a ride out to High Cup today, and on the way back bumped into @doordonot. He said I should pop some pictures up, so here they are:
Some years ago ( https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/high-cup-nick-routes-1/) I’d spotted the new bridleway from Murton to High Cup, so today took the chance to scope it out. Bottom line: a nice estate track up the steepest part of the climb, followed by a vague grassy track along the tops to High Cup. In the dry sunshine it really was rather splendid!
The bike (admired by @doordonot) is a bit of a mish-mash: old (2011) Boardman frame, stripped and powder coated earlier this year; forks and brakes are hand-me-downs from the full suss bike; 1x11 upgrade; saddle from my broken cross bike. It’s really quite fun getting back on a hardtail!
Map of the route (new bridleway in blue):
Fancy doing this again soon. Which would you say is the best descent to do? High cup to murton or high cup to Dufton?
I'd be coming from cow green. Last time I did it went high cup to Dufton which I remember being good until it hit farm track half way down. Stopped there then headed back though and have wanted to go back to do a full loop.
Cheers
Great pics
I don't live too far away over in Teesdale, and this is one of my the must do it sometime rides.
^ High Cup Nick descent to Dufton would be my choice, the other is purely estate track/tussocky slog. Nice day for it OP. I'd be interested in some reports on anyone who has found/survived alternative returns worth riding through the Warcop ranges though...?
Defo agree High Cup to Dufton for the descent. The other way to Murton is much tamer. Makes a slightly more off road climb than the road to the radar station.
This brings back memories! Last time I did that route the new bridleway didn't exist. When was it put in? I've got 2013 Memory Map & It's not on that.
1st time we did it bikes nearly all had bar ends!
Spot Steve's Kona Sex ll....
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Anyone know what the track from the radar station back to Cow Green (along Trout Beck) is like these days?
Steve’s Kona is on the left, it’s the only susser.
Great area for a ride on a dry day Gareth, I’ll try that new BW next time. Cheers.
The only time we have ever done that ride it nearly killed us ..cant remember the year but it must be about 5-6 years ago on one of the hottest days of the summer ..
Starting in Garrigill..we headed up and took the bridleway at Rake End ..what a pain in the arse that was very indistinct ..the drop down Wild Boar Clough more than made up for it !
I remember a bit of a road section from Longlands? ( no map to check that ) where we had a pint in the local at Dufton ..which turned into a big mistake as we were dehydrated badly by the end of the ride ..
The view from High Cup Nick down the valley is just spectacular ..and I remember we took an estate track alongside Cow Green Resevoir heading back towards Garrigill and joined a bridleway or maybe it was a Boat ..which was ripped to shreds by trial bikes ..
The overriding memory of that ride is the thousand yard stare we all had while having a pint in the pub at the end ..all of us had run out of water and were suffering from heat exhaustion ..to the point where Ian Bell left half of his pint as he felt to ill to finish it ..something which will probably only ever happen once in his lifetime !😁
@hodgynd - I think the place must generate epics... https://gcrapper.wordpress.com/2015/10/01/disaster-strikes/
Or it's cursed !😁
I / we haven't been back since ..but will ..one day ..
Some good ideas for routes here.
I don't like the look of the road climb to the radar station but looks like it can add some extra miles. Are descents gained from doing it worth the effort? I.m liking the sound of Gareth's disaster route! 😃
ir_bandito to the thread...
For a few years we did a big loop round Cow Green, High Cup etc. starting from Garragill as a Midsummer evening ride (typically summitting Cross Fell around midnight, finishing by 2 am the back home for 3 on a school night...
Good times.