So where is everyone heading ?

I’m having a Dad & Lad day on Monday at either Mabie or Kirroughtree ..

Mabie currently winning as it’s closer and it’s a long way to go to Kirroughtree if its only the red route that is open ..

Won’t tag this on this time as it’s closer to Dalbeattie ..but has anyone out there done Screel Hill ?…If so how technical is the descent ?

Probably going local either this evening or tomorrow as a warm up to the weekend proper ..

Where are you off to then ?

Eskdale, Miterdale and Wasdale. Make the route up as I go.

No holidays but still hoping for Dalbeattie and Drumlanrig (renew the season pass) over the weekend with the girlfriend and mates.

Tomorrow whinlatter. Combo of double reds and blues with lunch in between. Build bed for the van Saturday. Sunday going long to the monthly shop ride at Dales Bike Centre in the Yorkshire dales. All with my best mate who lives in Darlington.

Checking the weather for a night ride Saturday or Sunday, localish not sure yet, my mate’s coming out so should be good. Might beg for an afternoon local on Monday as well if I’m good boy. 😃🚲😍

Got my own weekend off to a cracking start with a shortened version of the Lonesome Pine Trail at Kielder .

Screenshot_20180329-215331 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

Some pics ..

No sign of Jon Bon though

20180329_183508 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

It just so happened that it was bone dry …

Climbing up the Alpine switchbacks to the start of the Stairway to Heaven section ..no sign of Zep. either ..Monkside in the distance

20180329_183812 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

20180329_184113 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

The higher you climb ..the better the view of Kielder Water..

20180329_184511 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

At this point the trail splits with the option of a 44km cross border trip to the 7 Stanes trails at Newcastleton returning to this point by turning to the left ..turning right drops you back down on superb singletrack to Kielder village .

I initially turned left to follow the boardwalk to the start of the singletrack on the Bloodybush section

20180329_184715 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

20180329_184913 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

20180329_185200 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

Then turning back to follow the trail back to Kielder Village ..this shows the Kielder Observatory to the left ..and the masts / globe at the top of Deadwater Fell

20180329_185735 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

All of the descents were running sweet ..but Oliver’s Oscar was the highlight ..its almost primeval in here ..a special mention to Russell Stephenson ( forest ranger ) & Ian Bell ( Bike Place Kielder ) who spent a lot of time re-vamping this trail last year ..its fantastic .

20180329_190426 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

One very happy chappy at the end ..with Mabie to come probably on Sunday now as the weather for the bank holiday is looking pretty grim ..

Wow looks great at Kielder very GRIM DOWN SOUTH rain on top of rain suppose to be ok on Sunday and the rest of the week rain with more rain nice pics not ridden in conditions like that in Gloucestershire since mid October.

Back to normal today though ..its persisted down all day ..

Quick laps of the woods this morning.
Tomorrow looks a total washout so tinkering time – new stem and fender to fit, maybe finally finish the bamboo road bike.
Sunday OK so something local but longer hopefully.
Monday’s forecast is horrendous but trip to Chicksands not called off yet.

You do take some cracking ” alternative ” pics colournoise..

It isn’t looking too pleasant weather wise ..hope tomorrow stays as forecast and is just cloudy otherwise trying to prise a 15 year old from his mattress early doors won’t meet with too much success….

You do take some cracking ” alternative ” pics colournoise.

Cheers. Always cool to know someone’s watching.

Not quite the Easter weekend but went over Nan Bield on Thursday.

Freeminers trail at the forest of Dean was rather wet and squishy Tuesday more so Wednesday and  good Friday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg810CiBu21/

Early morning Good Friday  .. todays plans involved not a lot as blowing a hoonie and peeing down

Local trails met a trail builder called Brian who showed us some stuff i’ve never ridden before, which included some super sketchy boardwalk sections over a ten foot drop over a river and down the embankment into the loch. even the climb out was sketchy as..

Way more exciting than this generic dull woodsy picture

Riding with my son at Mabie and Kirroughtree so far – trails almost deserted, conditions mostly dry and firm and in great shape! Was expecting to be wading through bikes, but it’s been fantastic to have the trails more or less to ourselves. Woohoo!

Only the black is still shut at Kirroughtree, but this was OK as we had plenty of fun on the red and blue singletracks, so didn’t feel like we missed out.

This is the new sweeping section under the bridge at Kirroughtree. We both loved this bit of the forest and the picture came out brilliantly, especially for a phone!

Loving hodgynds kielder photos . Lonvg time since I rode there. The horror (kielder 100).

I’ve  got tired legs from a quick slow trot at Swinley. Family day tomorrow on the south bank. Picasso instead of pootling.

Thought we’d try an XC ride today. Knew it would be wet and muddy as most of our XC rides are, but today was unreal! Got 3/4 of the way and turned back after people’s mechs were getting broken. My £250 parkwood 29er excels in this glop!

All hail the amazing self standing bike!

Rode round Area 51, it was moist but not muddy.  The damp loam actually had more grip as the tyres sunk in a bit, but to counterbalance that, the roots were slippery.  Bloody brilliant that place.  When the rest of the country is wetter than an Otters Pocket you can guarantee a good ride there.

Mudfest down here, I’ve not left the house.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/G2fFVz]20180331_131459[/url] by Dave Lowe, on Flickr

3 hours fighting the Headwind from Hell

[url=https://flic.kr/p/25ByfDw]20180331_134732[/url] by Dave Lowe, on Flickr

Still great though.

Senor J ..thanks for the comments ..

Depending on which 100 you attended you might well have passed me as I marshalled the last two from where the boardwalk split on the pic above on the outward leg ..switching over to Into The Valley on the Deadwater Trail for the return.

You would definitely have passed me had I been taking part 😁

Lowey – looks great – much rain in the Lakes today? Drizzling all day in the Dales but looks like you might have fared better.

@ hodgynd, our paths have crossed then. I did the last two! 🙂

Where you been lowey? Stone circle looks interesting

Martin.. got lucky.  Not a drip today.  The tempest blew it all away.

Sefton… they are on the moor between Eskdale and Miterdale. There ate about 4 or 5…. really odd place to find them.

I’ve done two day of road racing. Rain, snow, mud, freezing temperatures and pot holes. Here’s a photo of us enjoying it.

Sefton… they are on the moor between Eskdale and Miterdale. There ate about 4 or 5…. really odd place to find them.

If they’re the ones up the hill from Boot, they’re the Brat’s Hill / Burnmoor / White Moss / Low Longrigg circles. Interesting Bronze Age stuff (mainly burial cairns) all over the moor up there. Not that well known compared to the ‘big name’ Lakes circles like Castelrigg, Swinside and the Cockpit.

Lowey- just been looking through your pictures.

You really put the MOUNTAIN into mountain biking mate!

Great stuff! 👍

Loop around Ulpha cracking day for it on Friday Looking like Fairfield tomorrow if the wind allows!

https://www.strava.com/activities/1479878665?fb_action_ids=10156391931796474&fb_action_types=fitness.bikes

[url=https://flic.kr/p/24jGUi6]29597785_10156392057886474_3209068337769153416_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/24jGUmT]29594510_10156392059401474_4208351331928102239_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr

Lowey, Postierich. Pair of bastards. I put up a fence. Whoopdidoo.

Had a cracking ride tonight

fast paths and rural roads, everywhere in the woods is all slop. I was out last night, tonight and chances are high for a ride tomorrow too, it’s all good.

There are some great pics being posted ..Im struggling to see the stone circle though …

The expression on the faces of the road racers is nothing different to what I usually see ..even when the sun is shining..😁

Postierich ..complete animal..47,361.ft.of climbing in March alone is probably more than I will do for the year !

Jekkyl..you go out alone in the dark ? brave man!

Mabie ..not ! (cancelled)

I’m having to rethink my riding plans for today as my son won’t make it.Having had two days off school last week with a throat infection he is still not recovered ..he wanted to go but that was because he thought he would be letting me down..but I would rather take him when he was feeling a lot better than he is now..( bless him! ).

Bolts Law or a Cheviots ride ..?..hmmm.

Cwmcarn was vile on Friday but Tiny Rebel made up for it.

BPW was wet on the ground but fun. Still waiting for my ribs to heal so can’t ride properly, but managed 40k of pedalling up.

Having been unable do to any more than bimble to the pub due to an odd groin strain/bollock pain thing going on for the last two months I finally managed a decent ride on Friday with MrsStu.😁

Muddy as **** in places but just so nice to be able to ride offroad again without being in pain.

Here’s hoping I can try and get a little bit of fitness back again.

The week in Spain we have coming up soon should help on that front.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/24ypoNU]Getting more spring like.[/url] by multispeedstu, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/FZ4r2F]Fastforward.[/url] by multispeedstu, on Flickr

Not looking good for me ..just back from hospital with my son after a doctor appointment ..too late in the day for me to head to where I wanted to go ..and a local ride is not turning me on ..

Football it is then ..

I smell spring 🙂

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Mine was very unexciting. Mostly road based, but better than Zwift

2018-04-01_03-10-30 by Steve Weeks – Flickr2BBcode
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I had a great ride with two mates. Wetter than an otters pocket with the lying water but just huge fun. spring is round the corner, yay.