Monday 3rd November
8.15pm – Belmont Bull, BL7 8AJ

Planning a ride that will involve a trip up through Lyon’s Den to Darwen Tower and then a ride around Roddlesworth Reservoirs before a couple of pints in the Bull.

Who’s up for it?!

Darwen Tower you say? Not riden up to Thunderbird 1 in a while. I’m in!

I’m up for it, sore knee/ankle permitting.

The Belmont Bull has the best crisps of all the MNPR venues. Fact.

Pfft. Bloody crisps.

It’s all about the pies these days!! I’m getting pie withdrawal!

And yes I should be there.

It is safe to drive past the bottom of San Marino these days without risking jonjones smashing into the side of your car on a dh bike isn’t it?

I think I’ll be there. Knee and ankle are improving.

However, I do have to make a repair on my house roof this weekend so I may be dead by Sunday tea time.

Careful Harry

Yes. The night that Man U won and Hull went down.

Can you not pop round to make sure he doesn’t cop for an unfortunate one binners?

Hoping to get out tonight to do a bit of a recce on a part of the planned route that i haven’t done before…

Good choice to go up Cartridge Hill towards Lyons Den & not come down as another accident happened on the hill requiring a MTB being rescued.Here
Hope the young lad is okay! Since they put that loose stone on the path there have been 3/4 serious accidents on this downhill.
Wittenweaver if you need any info on routes around the Tower give me a shout & I will give you some pointers of paths to try out 🙂

I won’t be out for a while. My back is well and truly goosed. It’s not good when your 4 year old has to help you get dressed. Seeing a specialist tomorrow.

Enjoy

Is that route singlespeed friendly? Both my other bikes need a bit of TLC before I should ride them again and that’s not going to happen this weekend.

dontdropthesoap – at least you might be able to get those suspension linkages sorted once and for all 😉

Hope the physio gets it sorted fella!

@footstomper I had seen on twitter a few days ago the reports of the second accident on the lyons den track. TBH its more of an ascent for us – there are so many better ways of coming back down. The recent accident involved a young lad so i think its just coincidence that it was at the same place – its not that bad really.

I (think) I know most of the local trails – the only reason for the recce tonight is that i wanted to link the tower with the donkey brew. The usual route is still closed by the UU works to the Earnsdale Reservoir so i’m looking to do a bit of cheeky through Sunnyhurst Woods… Will you be joining us on Monday night?

@dazh For you i’m sure it will be more than ok. For me, it might have been a different story!

Will be working late on Monday so by time I am home it would be pushing it to get there on time 🙁
There is a good decent into the woods just a little further up past the Pub, go through the archway and follow path down to the Band Stand then left up towards the Res & Donkey Brew.
Don’t know if you have ever come down the path from the tower towards Bold Venture Park but this can be good fun especially at night. Once you reach the Road & Houses at the bottom turn immediatley left past the Scout Hut (this road cuts between the upper & lower park) and carry on round, take the second left up Westland Avenue to the top, follow path to right then go left up Turn Lane adjacent to the Cottages on your right , this brings you to the bottom of the decents from the front of the Tower (just a thought).
Enjoy your ride 🙂

Yes i think we did those on Mr Sparkles MNPR out of The Royal at Tockholes last year…

Right boys and girls who is playing out tonight?

The overnight rain has cleared and its now bright and sunny and forecast dry for the rest of the day.

The Belmont Bull is stocked with HtS’s fancy crisps and there are a few good beers on tap!

If taking a car then try to keep the front car park clear – there is street parking as well as a car park around the back.

looks like 2 of us coming over from Rammy. Me and Lee. Looking forward to a return to my old stomping ground. Looks like a nice day for it. Though I imagine its going to be pretty boggy up on’t moor. Might go for a change of tyres before-hand. The ones on at the moment are a tad ‘optimistic’

The trails are all pretty hard at the moment. There is some standing water especially on the witton weavers but its hard underneath. There will be very little slippy muddy bits on tonights ride – pretty much all fast flowing stuff… apart from the uphills obviously!

Should be up for it. The knee is still grumbling but I need to get out.

just had authorisation to come ! looking forward to it

HtS, do you want to share again ? I can be at yours for 7.30 and will pay for petrol with crisps AND beer ?

See you at 7:30.

Bring a change of kit for the drive home as I don’t want to filth the car up.

I’ll ride round in one of those white environmental suits

Ebola chic?

Wear what you want* as long as you have a change of kit. I just don’t want to have to muck out the car when I get back.

YGM BTW.

*I shall be changing into a pink one peice romper suite with matching bonnet for the drive home.

We were out round there yesterday with Mr Sparkle and a guest appearance by Mr Terrahawk. The Moor wasn’t too bad but Witton Weavers track between Belmont and Roddlesworth was absolutely filthy with gallons of liquid cow poop near the gates. Yummy.

Belmont Bull to Leadmines was also super sloppy (more than usual).

Oh great. Terrahawk called that ride ‘Rivers of Dung’ on strava. Think I might have to dig out a mudguard and crud catcher for this one.

The cow-dungy bit is only about 10m long. You wont notice in the dark, but the liquid dung is actually dark green in colour and does pong a bit too!

Depending on timing, we probably wont be going through it anyway!

10m of riding through a bog of cow shit with the inevitability of falling off into it?

Guess I’d best wear my old shoes and bring a change of clothes.

I reckon its time for us baldies to dig the buffs out. The wind is bloody Baltic out there! Treated myself to a new one….

Ah bugger, I was hoping to get out on this ride tonight but I forgot to charge my light batteries. I haven’t been out much since my Scotland trip in September and need to start getting out again regularly.

Quarry time next week. Get them juiced up.

Hmmm… knee isn’t good. Ed, we may be turning back at the first climb 🙁

Oh come on Susan! There’s only one little hill…

oh and then tonights testosterone segment will be the ‘donkey brew’ or ‘cobbeldy climb’ as its known on strava. Fair play to anyone who rides up it tonight – and it wont be me!

I’ll see how I get on.

MTFU Doris! Think of the crisps! Weather looks delightful*

* if by delightful you mean it’s lashing down! Again! Been bloody clear blue skies all day!!!! Typical!

*looks skywards and waits expectantly for binners to “remember” he has a prior engagement/piles/bubonic plague….

history will record that its normally ‘man-flu’

Cheers for that Craig. Shame Susan couldn’t make it.

binners – Member
MTFU Doris!

Indeed. 😀