on many trails near cities you’d struggle to see the shooting stars

How the **** would you know?

As with most things, theres the actual reality of something, as perceived by people who actually have direct knowledge and experience of it, and then theres the ‘Hora Perception’ of it. And theres a great big yawning chasm between the two 🙄

What’s it like, being you?

A similar experience to being Father Dougal.

A similar experience to being Father Dougal.

I’d like to think Pat Mustard.

I always suspected that you secretly admired my flip-flops Harry!

We all do

chiefgrooveguru – Member
Maybe the rides I’ve done have been too tame?
I can’t be the only person that does the same rides in the night as in the day? And at the same speed.

Yes it always was and always will be. I think the 2000 Red Bull 24hour race surprised me with the consistency of lap times regardless of day or night – all crap!

I love night riding, got in to it a couple of winters ago and you can’t beat that feeling of a trail that you know like the back of your hand feeling brand new every time you ride it in the dark because of what’s illuminated by your lights.

The only thing is I’ve not got any done this winter after breaking my arm before Xmas and currently building a new bike. Hopefully I’ll get a couple in before the nicer lighter nights return 8)

High summer rides when its warm and light til late

Five minutes earlier at top of Loughrigg terrace it looked like this

What’s not to like?

I really enjoy night riding, no walkers on the trails, wildlife out and about, it’s fun, and has improved my daylight riding.

Time pressure and necessity started it.

At night the trails are quiet, you see different wildlife and it can add to the challenge of a ride.

Riding in the day is usually better but riding at night is still great fun.

Mr Horacek, 

What say we have a proper peaks night ride – such that you can find out what all fuss is about? 

Last night I was on whinstone Lee tor and the stars and moon were reflected in Ladybower. It was magical. The night’s frost had started to form on the grass and the moon was so full I could ride without my lights for much of it – as the twilight set in I could see the looming shapes of the hills and every so often a single light or two in the distance. The silence is something else. Seeing satellites cruising over is cool and every so often you catch a shooting star. 

That’s not to mention the wildlife – deer, badgers, owls, last night two hares, voles, mice – all the things that are well hidden when the sun comes up. 

The riding is secondary to all of that – (but also massively enhanced) 

Let’s get out one night. 

I might even consider a night ride pootle

In winter they are night rides but in summer they become evening rides!

Riding through Grizedale following an owl lit up in my helmet light through the forest is one of my favourite wildlife experiences – it beat me…

I love night riding 😀

There’s just something about it that floats my boat, don’t know exactly what though!! There’s just something special about being out there knowing I’m probably the only one out in that part at that time.

Done a few massive all-nighters recently too. Last one was back in November. Started at the FOD at about 6pm, two laps of the blue and a lap of the red followed by a lap of the family trail over the bridge with the odd secret trail thrown in for good measure. That took me to midnight. Far too early to head back and annoy the neighbours washing the bike so drove to Cwmcarn and did a lap of the Twrch with a few runs on the top play section for good measure. Got back home a 7am, was washing the bike as everyone else was going to work 8)
Brechfa’s a favorite for night rides as it’s far enough away for me to drive there, do a lap of both trails and get home without leaving too late or getting back too early. I’ll do that one any time of the year.

Planning a dusk-dawn ride for the summer. Start out in the light and ride to watch the sunset from some vantage point. Ride all night to get to another vantage point and watch the sun rise on a new day. PRoper mini-adventure.

Foul foul Boxing Day night at Saturated Crag near Hartsop
Contrast with gorious high up summer

@ tomaso: We all know that your night rides are just a race to the pub! 😀

Satura Crag was saturated that night…

A night ride pootle you say?

No walkers. Nothing.. to stop us and beer afterwards.

I can only ride during the dark due to work/family and I’m always happy to get out on the bike. I find I ride better after the winter as riding with lights focuses you.
Riding on the Malverns is a nightmare at weekends and the views at night are great:

Night riding to the pub is where its at!

hora – Member
Maybe I need to ride the trails of the Peaks at night

You can bugger off, I don’t fancy meeting you in the dark when I go for a quick spin!!” 😯

Agree on the Malvern night ride thing.

Malvern night ride by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

Malverns night ride. by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

Martin on the Beacon by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

– okay two of those are at dusk, but you get some amazing light on the top of the Malverns 🙂

I can’t be the only person that does the same rides in the night as in the day? And at the same speed.

tbh It’s usually faster at night 🙂

One thing we like doing is Innerleithen and GT at night (especially if we’ve had lots of rain and off-piste is manky), and as well as mixing/matching the trails we also run some parts in reverse.

Plus a pint afterwards always goes down well.

Can’t say I’ve ever felt compelled to wait until nightfall during the summer just so’s I can go out in the dark

in the summer you head out after work, take your lights and keep riding til you can’t ride anymore. A few hours daylight riding followed by a couple more in the dark, a day ride and a night ride in one, quids in.

yeah, but you can’t take pics like this in the daytime (Sticks Pass late last night)

What Donk said. Best of both worlds

CASHBACK!!! 😀

Night riding is like sex wearing a blindfold

Does that make it a good or a bad thing?

Did my first proper night ride of the year last night (mainly due to work commitments and not wanting to cut the wet trails up) and was pleasantly surprised at how dry things were – although a few predictable place were wet.

The whole feeling of the ride is different – quieter, darker (obviously), shadows cast by your lights, glowing eyes in the trees – it’s just brilliant.

Got back home in a frame of mind that’s been too absent of late – chilled, exercised and happy.

YMMV

Pook I was walking around Ladybower on Sunday and was looking at the ridge above it to the right of derwent , are there good routes that get you up there ?, it looked quite promising and there were riders on it .

Started at 5pm yesterday, did a stint on my own including an awesome run down a mini DH track quicker than I’ve ever managed before just as it was going dark (complete with cheering/jeering traveller children as I dropped into their encampment). Turned the lights on, then met a couple of mates for a run down a new trail, then collected the 7pm group ride and off we went for more singletrack fun, finishing with a pootle back with one other, getting home just after 9pm. A photo even got taken, which was a novelty!

I’m looking pretty happy about something, so I guess I ‘get’ night riding. 😛

Lol Buzz!

The 2nd proper mtb ride I ever did was a night ride.

Of the 15 years I’ve been mtbing, 14 of those have had regular nightriding. I make no distinction between the two anymore and haven’t for years.

These days, with family and work responsibilities, I ride more at night than in daylight.

I don’t really understand the special status that some riders seem to place on it. The biggest discussion most of our group ever have about night riding is ‘Got your lights?’.

Night riding has its benefits, notably a significant reduction of pretty much every other kind trail user, which allows additional trail poaching opportunities and facilitates the more aggressive trail amendments to be undertaken under the cover of darkness.

If you spend a lot of time out at night, you come to realise that the nights are as many and varied as the days. I’m one of the lucky ones to be out there seeing them.

There’s a deep satisfaction that I’m out on the hill instead of watching the TV too.

Plus, its riding isn’t it?

Mr potato head – sounds like derwent edge. Look up the ladybower classic loop, it has the bridleway up there and round the back. Lovely now it’s drier.

Good or bad? Depends on your point of view. If nothing else, it makes a change from the ordinary…

(Sticks Pass late last night)

Superb!

CASHBACK!!!

?

Cheers Pook , I’ll goive that a try , Mart

I don’t have my laptop this weekend to do a route for you, but email me and I’ll throw one together when I get it back.

Near Travellers? http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/arrest-made-after-man-is-found-by-the-side-of-the-road-with-his-penis-cut-off-9190356.html

For sleeping with one of their girls. Surely you’d cut your own penis off?

will do thanks.I should be able to sort it from the info you’ve given

I bloody lovit!! #nightshift