Monthly Update

September 2007

3rd. My first ride as a 48 year old. And another Billy no-mates job. A quick run from Pinchinthorpe, up The Unsuitables, across to Codhill Heights and along the tarmac of Percy Cross Rigg to the track we know as Helmet Breaker Hill, which goes through Lonsdale Plantation to join the road from Gribdale to Kildale. To say it has deteriorated would be an understatement, the ruts are practically waist deep in places. Returned via Coate Moor, Newton Moor, Little Roseberry and a bit of exploration in Guissy Woods.

6^{th. Oz actually tore himself away from work to join me on this ride. Another Pinchinthorpe start had us panting our way onto the newly-reclassified track, now a bridleway, which crosses Guisborough and Commondale Moors in a pleasantly gravity-assisted fashion. Depositing us close enough to Commondale Tea Rooms to smell the coffee – if they were open that is. Another rant about “hobby cafes” ought to follow but I can’t be bothered. Caffeine bereft we dragged ourselves up Sand Hill to Three Howes Rigg on tarmac, before branching off to the Quaker’s Causeway on High Moor, through Westworth Woods and downhill through Guisborough Woods to pick up the redundant railway on the outskirts of Guisborough.}

11th. Dare I say it? Another scorcher. Set off from Hutton Le Hole with Tony along the ever tedious Rudland Rigg to Bloworth Crossing and the old railway line. Turned off at the bridleway which leads down to Farndale, it seemed as though it would make a good downhill when I pushed up it a few weeks ago. It made a brief downhill, to be honest, seemingly many times shorter on the descent than on the ascent. A tarmac section took us through Church Houses and on to the track which begins at Rawson Sike and follows the river to Lowna. One more (punishing) ascent and we were refuelling in the tea room at Hutton Le Hole.

14th Alone again for a ride on more familiar territory, Kildale, Percy Cross Rigg, Codhill Heights, around Roseberry Topping, through the metropolis of Great Ayton, Dikes Lane, Mill Bank Woods and back to Kildale. Nice little blast to blow away the cobwebs.

17th. As a bit of contrast the weather took a turn for the worst today, probably from the shock of Oz turning out for two rides in one month. Set off along The Fronts from Lordstones, made our way onto Cold Moor for the long downhill into Chop Gate, some of the top section has been sanitised, the rocky rut bit filled in and smoothed out. More nanny state or erosion control? Who knows? A bit of road work brought us to Clay Bank, then a nice steady plod back along the three hills to Lordstones.

19th. Tony and I decided to visit Hamsterley Forest and see where the alleged £200,000 has been spent. It took some finding. In fact, apart from a few short sections of track improvement, not a lot had been done on either the Red or Black routes. The Red is predominantly fire roads and predominantly uphill. The Black route features some nice singletrack but nowhere near enough. Perhaps someone ought to have had a ride down to Dalby for a look at their improvements before they pulled out the cheque book.

28th. A bit off topic maybe but congratulations to Howard and Sarah on the birth of new baby, Beatrice Amelia.

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