Hello

Anyone know what Macc Forest area inc cat and fiddle is like at the moment? Is it under snow or just frosty?
Looking at going for a nice cold, crisp ice ride tomoz morning.

I've not been up but we don't have any snow lying in Macc but the ground is frozen.

Not been there for years.
Are there official trails or is it guide yourself job?

Its guide yourself. I know there is/was some unofficial trails through the woods but not sure if they are still there.

We start and finish in Macc Forest and will prob have a pint (or something warmer) at the cat and fiddle

There isn't a trail centre if that's what you mean, but there is a trail. MBR covered it a while back: I've attached a link below.

http://www.mbr.co.uk/route_maps/northern/peak_district/MBR_News_Trail_News_article_197550.html

Cheers

Thats roughly the route we will be taking tomoz. I remember last time the weather was like this, the first descent after riding out of macc forest past the transmitter was sheet ice part of the way down.

Cheshire council have a brilliant route..Grit and Gears..starts at Teg's Nose..theres also Gritand Gears2 but i can't find the link yet

http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/countryside/Cycling/circular_routes/grit_gears/map.htm

Theres a double black dowhill route in the forest, the rest of the forest are fire trails

Yeah, grit and gears 2 is roughly the same as the MBR route, but as you said strats from teggs nose car park.

The grit and gears 2 is very similar to the MBR route don't do grit and gears as you'll be climbing up one of the best decents in the white peak.
(unless you like that kind of thing)

Nick

I agree, that Saddlers way is a real killer, come to mention it though, there are a few tough hills around that area but no get off and push ones!

It's fine if you switch the route at Oven Bottom, climbing up and over the C&F and dropping down whetstone ridge!

I think it will be really icy up there.
Many a time we've ended up walking the bikes over 'Charity lane' to 'bottom 'O the oven' because of black ice, also down the Cumberland clough descent. It just gets sooo cold up there.

Bunnyhop is right last few weeks charity lane has been a river, its likely to black ice now its freezing.

Might be icy up there! Im looking for people to ride with and cant help asking if you have any vacancies?!

yes bunnyhop is right, u could have a nasty slip on that stuff and new hips don't come cheap you know. Best snuggle up in the anderson shelter with a cup of nice oxo and keep an ear open for doodle-bugs with both feet in a giant fleece lined boot.

We were up there Thursday night – horizontal snow at Forest Chapel (bottom of Charity Lane) and yes, that bit was absolute sheet ice – lethal. The rest of the trails were lovely though – crunchy frost / very thin snow at worst.

For those that haven't been there for a fair while, there's a new-ish downhill in place (not the epic 'secret' hardcore downhill, but the one from the seats at the top of Nessits now has two options – the old sweeping one and a new one that starts ok, but pops out onto a motorway width track, sadly.)

The trails have settled down since the felling started earlier in the year and now that it's frozen is especially fast. Have fun, but go up the north side of the forest (on the concessionary bridleway) and down the south side – and don't forget Oven Lane from Forest Chapel as an extension to Charity Lane for downhill fun. I'm pretty sure the concessionary bridleways are shown on the latest 1:25k OS map. HTH.

We've just decided to stay local now. Our local trails will be nice and fast
Im less worried about ice on the bike, more worried about the state of the roads for the car. – was nearly sideways in Brum yesterday,

We were over there early this year in this sort of weather and while we had a lot of fun – there were a few offs due to hitting ice, no injuries luckily, but im off skiing soon. so don't want to ruin a holiday

Hi,

Here is the webcam link for the Cat and Fiddle Inn.
Cat Webcam

It's been around -6 overnight so its all frozen!

Paul.

Great picture from up there – I wonder how many motorbikers will be up there today??

I bloody hate Cheshire COuncil for doing that Grit and gears route, they took one of the best downhills in the ares – all tight and rocky and sunk and nadgery and overgrown, and dumped a few thousand tons of 40mm hardcore on it till it was flat and level, all cos the route they had planned on a map (not on the ground, just on a map) went UP it and it was no good as a climb…

was up there this morning and it was damn cold, and too icy on some sections so we mostly stayed in the forest

We went up there last year when the weather was like this. The fire road up through the forest was just sheet ice and absolutly leathal! If was fun in a stupid ideotic way. you couldnt dismount either, as youd slide back down. Somehow the tyres had far more traction than scate shoes, and as long as you got used to slidding around on two wheels, it was great fun, until you had to actually turn a bend…. Anyway, as we got higher the snow got deeper, and you couldnt really ride it, just too deep along charity lane. Even if you stayed in the motorbike tracks, your cranks couldnt be turned. Still good fun though. We decided against the full loop up to the fiddle, and just came back down to the forrest. Just be prepared that if it snows a lot tomorrow, its gonna be very hard work on the tops.