Six diehard riders turned out on Sunday 22nd November 2009 expecting to get a bit wet as we headed for Mitford after a last minute change of venue. Steven Wa, Steve B, Ian M (awol for a few weeks!), Jon and Stewart joined Golly hoping he could navigate around his chosen route without a reliable navigator on hand. We started the ride around 10:15 from just outside the village at our usual lay-bye and took off up the farm track headed for the River Font and the first ford of the day.

This was always going to be a wet foot opportunity at the best of times (summertime, remember that day?), but as we approached the riverside it immediately became apparent that it would be our heads that got wet if we ventured in. So we didn't. Instead we backtracked and rode a bit further west before heading up to Newton Underwood as we attempted to get back onto our proposed route.

That meant a goodly chunk of unplanned tarmac had to be covered before we could find a field to ride over at Lough Hills. And the Gollum's pre-printed maps didn't even help him here as he managed to get away from the marked trails, but we had great fun spinning our way through six inches of freshly ploughed old turnips as we crisscrossed the landscape. Good job Steven and Stewart are handy at map reading.

As is normal with sodden farmland, it was no fun crossing what remained of paths/bridles and it sure isn't for the spindly-ankled fraternity. Real heavy going but we all kept at it and kept smiling. Being the only one that knows what's coming (when I can remember, that is) is pretty satisfying when a decent stretch of singletrack or a fast descent looms up ahead and is appreciated by everyone. Although they are fairly well split up on this one they were a good laugh when they did come along.

While that initial turnback robbed us of a nice offroad climb, it also took away a boring tarmac descent so we came out even there. We were back on track at Longshaws before taking another wrong turn and having to turning back a quarter mile.

A farm road took us to tarmac again but only for a few hundred metres before we entered the trees at Coldlaw Wood for another stern test of stamina in the gloop. Golly managed to find a much firmer path through the forestry and although that was also tough we got through it, except for Stewart who kept going through the deep dual and Steve, who had his Specialized upside-down at the start of the trees. That was a rear pad problem but he fettled it enough to continue after a few minutes.

The Woods provided a smashing stretch of singletrack allowing any speed you could manage and only interrupted over three quarters of a mile by a substantial fallen tree. It was great to have this blast after working quite hard for some reward. Leaving the woods over an entertaining ford we joined the Devil's Causeway and followed it down to the road at Thornton Moor. We rode on past Wittonstone before dual track took us onto picturesque bridleway and south to Hartburn over another ford which only Steven and Golly braved before reaching the B6463.

The little wood above Hartburn was our next target to introduce the newcomers to that funny little Chapel carved into the rocks in Hartburn Glebe Woods, and we stopped there for a ten minute lunch calling it our half way point. The climb out, one of several steep but short obstacles on this ride, presented a severe test for singlespeeding Jon and Stewart but they both executed it without a hitch. Slow but sure. How they don't snap chains when you can see the veins on their faces bulging I just don't know.

From Hartburn we headed west by road in search of the line on Golly's map that indicated bridleway. It was a while coming and not quite what he expected, but we found ourselves on what is now a Public Byway looking very much like another old railway embankment. That was good and rideable firm grass and we passed through several large gates alongside Pow Burn before being confronted by the River Wansbeck, having a good old thrash through the countryside. This time at least there was a bridge as the ford was again a raging torrent. However it took us a while to agree which route to take from there, using as many landmarks as we could see as well as the GPS which was again to prove somewhat useful as the ride progressed. Steven took on the role of "how deep is that mud?" tester before the rest of us dared to follow off the end of the bridge.

We ended up in a field, no real surprise there, with a nice steep climb ahead and fearless sheep to our left before reaching yet another gate. Beyond this one, however, lay a massive meadow descent of a hundred feet of altitude down to Mill House Farm which was enthusiastically tackled at high speed.

From there we dropped down to the old road bridge at Northside Wood where we then had to get that hundred feet back up a tricky, grassy dual track where a horse coming down towards us slipped and almost threw its elderly female passenger, very lucky. Moments later after it had turned down to the bridge, Ian, Steve and Golly thought they heard helpless cries but couldn't be sure.

Once onto the road the next mile was downhill as we cruised around Willie's Corner at the Dyke Neuk. With tiredness setting in it was lucky we didn't have the annual Gollum v Roadie battle up the other side of the hill to Rivergreen - they must have all gone a different way today.

It took another bit of map reading for Golly to set the right course from here, but getting off the road and seeing the familiar farmhouse at the Mill up ahead, he managed to get his nose in front as we turned for the bridge. Golly spotted the Resident, always ready to chat to the few passers-by he gets, and we spent an entertaining few minutes there with him. He even popped inside and brought out a couple of photos of the river in flood - very dramatic and an awful lot higher than it was today.

Gollum was first over the river and, knowing this trail pretty well was off like a shot, maxxing out his enjoyment of this great riverside singletrack. It's dead level through the wood but just encourages you to go faster and faster, until the legs run out, of course. It wasn't long before the others caught him having done exactly the same, so it was grins all round as we neared the end of the ride.

Unfortunately the road is slightly elevated from the riverside so it was another fifteen minutes before the cars came into view. Quite a bit of tarmac covered and again a lot of effort had been required on this ride but no-one was complaining as we loaded up for home, reaching the Toon for around 3:00pm.

Thanks for the company, gentlemen.