*That’s 1230 hrs, not 1230 AD. The most exciting thing that happened in the 1230’s was the border between England and Scotland being established and Henry III installing a Leopard house in the Tower of London. But I digress, because the main point of this blog to tell you about our ride this weekend.
Some of you know that, variety being the spice of life, Weaver Valley isn’t the only group I ride with. There’s the work group through the summer months, (the mighty Connah’s Quay Country Milers) and also an informal group organised through the Singletrackworld forum known as the MNPR, (Monday Night Pub Ride). This gang ride around the north side of Manchester, in the Prestwich, Ramsbottom and Bury area so for this month’s sojourn I tapped up that local knowledge for a guided ride. Dazh was the first to step up to the plate volunteering to fire us round the area from Hollingworth Lake near Littleborough with a group of 17 appearing on the day, 7 Weaver Valley and 10 locals to swell the numbers. How it all developed on-line.
While we gathered at The Wine Press before the off, there was the usual banter and mickey taking amongst the cohorts and polite greetings between the two groups. Soon we started off up the climb towards Blackstone Edge and the moors beyond. As we climbed and exposure to the wind increased this pattern of conversation continued during the enforced short breaks to allow riders to regather, each group having their own pressing topics to discuss.
- WVCC – Majorca and Belgium holidays, and how these improve climbing fitness.
- MNPR – broken bikes, broken bodies and the next BMX session.
This general ride and rest pattern continued over the moors, following water company access paths and the Pennine Way variously for about 10 miles until the Stoodley Pike monument poked it’s pointy crown above the horizon, indicating a left hook down an incredibly rattly stone slabbed path. There are times I regret my choice of built-for-reliability rigid, singlespeed MTB and the battering that was doled out to my arms as we approached the Lumbutts village just outside Todmorden was one such occasion. It has to be said though that the smell of burning disk brakes on the descent suggest I wasn’t the only one taking it a little easy!
“Are we stopping for some lunch, or just a quick pint?” Well, there was an easy answer to that after a quick perusal of the menu at the Top Brink Inn. The opportunity to sit outside in the lovely sunshine was the deal breaker, and while we supped pints of well kept real ale and ate like kings, that’s when the group dynamic started to change. What had been two separate riding teams enjoying the same circumstance changed into one large gang of mates. 12.30 pm.
There was soon chance to build on these new friendships, first encouraging each other on a grind back up to the monument via a slightly more circuitous and ridable route, shortly followed by a couple of tumbles and mechanicals courtesy of a tasty rock garden where whoever was the closest mucked in to assist.
Back underway we climbed, (on foot for most but cleaned by a particularly skilled few) a rocky ascent back into the wind and reservoirs. As we traversed the moors again the group chatted about the kind of riding we like to do and Eleanor received an invite to the MNPR rides, it is after all not too far from her work. One final slight mishap with a bike, quickly repaired by the sharing of spares and experience of the now homogeneous group and we were into the local favorite Mordor trail, skirting a ridge with the wind at our backs before descending to the cars and home.
Though not before deciding that this new group will have a similar ride before the end of the year.
Credit to Craig, (wittonweavers) for some of the photos on this report. Craig’s a blogger as well as a photographer. You can read a more complete report of the ride here.