[Smug] Anyone else feel like they are living in a MTB paradise at the moment?  Its not too hot but generally blue skies. The trails round me are running incredibly, everytime its forecast heavy rain we seem to get just enough to dampen down the dust a fraction without returning to mud. [/Smug]

Of course, the weather will turn soon and already some of the less used trails are getting overgrown but for now its just prime 🙂

Our trails are rapidly becoming midge hell…

(Not  my pic, but last few days outdoors have been like this in Kinlochleven, Dunblane and Dundee outskirts…)

Its amazing in Calderdale at the moment!

Ride faster Matt…. 😂

10 days in Roto felt a bit like it, so did a few days in Whistler

Those midges look more like a nightmare!

the pennines of yorkshire have been immense.. never seen it running so dry and fast..

plenty of mid ride snacks with all the greenfly too

From my office desk it looks absolutely perfect.

I really should get out on my bike sometime.

If anything, the trails round here have become too loose and powdery. We have deep puddles of dirt/sand in places.

Never fear, it’s about to end next week as I go on holiday ….

Aye Calderdale is lush at the minute, off exploring later on this eve after work.

Blimey, that midge picture is horrific!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-44389775/midges-swarm-in-argyll

Cycling around Oslo pretty awesome at the moment. It’s been nearly 30 degrees for the last month and the terrain blown me away

that sounds great woody, got any pics?

Dry and dusty, lovely 🙂

I mostly ride in or around Llandegla and it’s almost too dry at the minute! A few weeks back there was a thick layer of dust over everything and it was like ice in places! Went on Sunday after a bit of rain a few days before and it was incredible, the grip everywhere was unreal. You’ll never get the fabled “hero dirt” at a centre, but I reckon that’s as close as you’ll ever get!

Unfortunately no photos. But imagine endless pine forested mountains with lakes in between linked by 100kms of gravel fire roads  and rocky/rooty trails. All within 15 mins of the front door.

There are some dried out dartmoor bogs that I have never seen dry.

Yep. If anything, I’m finding myself grateful for the occasional shower which is serving to keep the trail surfaces just barely glued together.

those midges are giving me the heebeegeebees!!

Midges… Here’s a photo someone posted from a west coast Audax last weekend. Some people were riding with nets on the night sections.

I rode Ae on Monday and the midges were that bad in the car park I threw the bike in the car and drove off barefoot to escape them! (Didn’t work, the little bastids were still flying around when I got in the car the following morning).

Hebden tomorrow, it’s riding as good as I’ve seen it.

West of Scotland here so know all about midges…… A proper preride application of Smidge before getting togged up gets rid of most of the issue, certainly lower and upper limbs. Not so easy for face, but it really does work and makes intolerable quite tolerable.

See this is what I always mean when I say 100% head to toe coverage is the only option, ain’t no chemicals known to man stopping that!

scotroutes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-44389775/midges-swarm-in-argyll

Midges swarm in Argyll

That does have a – man lands on the moon/does a bear shit it the woods – feel to it. I giggled when /i seen it anyhow! 😆

Not noticed any midges in Aberdeenshire yet. Everything is just so dry though. Not that I’m complaining 🙂

Just got back in from a hour spin on the local fells. Proper good, unbelievable sunset too. Only slightly worry is we’re on a spring for water so awaiting the hero dirt coming out of the taps!

Re the midges we’ve got enough down here in the lakes but not quite on the biblical scale in the above pics 😮

@woody71 – I’m super jealous, Oslo is awesome for riding, unfortunately sounds like I picked exactly the wrong time to come back to the UK. Won’t be back there til end of summer, hope the weather sticks around! 🙂

Rained last night! Noooo!

NAh, Paradise was Andalusia last year this exact week… that as paradise…

It’s nice enough here though at the moment 🙂

Starting to think that if anything we need a bit of rain now.  While it’s been lovely to be outside, the Surrey Hills trails are an absolute sandpit at the moment.

Don’t think I’ve ever seen the Lakes this dry. You can gaze at the bottom of some of the usual perma-puddles for the first time ever.

Obviously Green Quarter was still wet.

The Brecon Beacons were the same yesterday, perma-puddles bone dry and everywhere far too dusty!  A good day of rain will sort things out but it’ll also mean every bramble, nettle and fern will have a growth spurt.

The footprint bumps baked into the clay are starting to wear smooth in our woods.  And the mega boggy trails that I never ride are now in fine form.  Perhaps time to do some maintenance to make sure that on the next rain it runs away.

milky1980 fancy some digging?

I was out on the trails north of Cardiff yesterday, and it doesn’t appear any more rain is needed for a green growth spurt there. In some cases, the trails have almost disappeared under greenery.