Where is everyone?

First unaltered fixture of the new year, first trip away from our doorsteps, albeit not very far, but the expected mass turnout just didn't happen.  Refusing to give way to the weather this time, Hexham became the target on this grey, leaden-skied Sunday, 7th February 2010. The Cave saw only three of us appearing there for the 0800 getaway, and although we waited until cracking on for quarter past there were only three to go - Ian M, Steven Wa and Terry K.

Go West!

Off we cruised over to Hexham, and on arrival at the Riverside car park at Tyne Green, there to meet us was Ian A. Yes he was, but no he wasn't! This wasn't our very own, beloved, smiling Speedian but a different one, although he has the same surname. This Ian rides a Stumpy S-Works (yep, almost as many of these as Treks, eh?) and has been bombing around Northumberland with a slightly more northern group (I mean he's been riding around...). Welcome, Ian.

We unloaded the bikes and set about joining the bits. Embarrassment for Terry, as if he needed any more, when both brakes on the Decathlon were found to be somewhat lacking in the pad department. That cost us another few minutes while the old fool messed about with three quarters of a replacement set, aided of course by a couple of Michael extractors and hampered by cool digits.

Around 10:10 we were off upriver, with Terry leading out over the Golf Course singletrack fairly rapidly to get the bones warmed up. After reaching the tarmac path alongside the railway line, he realised that his puny idea of speed was making no difference and slowed to let Ian M past. Reaching the start of the singletrack drop it  was Steven who spotted it first, so we swooped down that smashing little sandy wiggle and under the A69 bridge. They've gone and dumped a load of concrete there, spoiling what used to be an extremely testing rock garden, b@st@rds. There's a trace of it left but we pressed on the easy way.

Out onto the stretch of old railway embankment next where the grass was a little heavier than the sandy trail but unexpectedly firm, considering. The last section of riverside singletrack saw Steven blast away on the Trek, and we didn't catch him 'til he hit the road at Warden Bridge End.

Crossing the river, Terry's hand-made map segment no.1 pointed us uphill, over the railway crossing and onto our first real bridleway, which was rocky, lumpy, damp and had us all walking before the top. We were back in our beloved wet, soggy Northumbrian fields! Winter break over!

Freewheelers and Treefeelers.

This trail took us over grass up Warden Hill and on to clip the edge of the wood at Laverick Plantation with a short but pleasant stretch of singletrack with the odd mud puddle half way along its length. Emerging at the Cottage we had our first decent freewheeling opportunity as we let the bikes run down the skinny dual to the road at Whinny Hill.

Normally we'd turn left here, but today Terry decided to make some minor adjustments to the route. That meant turning right instead (in anyone elses language, that means "go the wrong way") and it wasn't long before he and Steven were salivating over the trees at the side of the road. So in we went, looking for sport. We found some, although those of you who've ever followed the Gollum off into undertree jungle may guess it wasn't all plain sailing. We did find the odd clear stretch though, but maybe it wasn't so clear until the mighty frame of Steven had been through first to clear the way!

At the eastern end of the wood we were forced to find a way out over the wire fence and after a map consultation with segment 2 we headed back up the road again towards the power station to get back on track. Half way up, however, Steven again spotted a clear path into the trees, so in we three went after him again. This time it proved a little lumpier than before although there was less stooping to do, but a bit more carrying over fallen tree trunks. Good fun for a few minutes, and this is ideal for a short blast if we could clear a proper path through (Speedy, get your machete ready!).

Glorious Mud.

Steven roared off up the tarmac incline to the bridleway at Carr Edge Plantation and waited for us to catch him at the gate. An uphill heave wasn't too bad on grassy/gravelly dual and we were through another gate facing a bit of a mud fest between the trees. We took a short rest here, enough to grab a swig and a snack, before trying out an encouraging-looking singletrack leading uphill off the bridleway and avoiding the black smelly stuff.

Once again this wasn't an easy course to follow with the undulations in the ground proving too difficult to make much mounted progress over, but eventually it smoothed out as we hit the memorial to Robert Baden-Powell's first UK Scout Camp. It was at this point that Terry twigged (no pun intended) he was going backwards. We stopped here at around 12:30 or so for lunch and a few pictures, as it was such a nice day (!) and a lovely spot. Unless you peered over the crag into the pool and saw the fine collection of empty beer cans. After you've maimed a bike thief, cripple a litter lout, you'll be doing the World a favour.

Onward!

After that pleasant interlude, the two Ians shot off the side of the memorial mound while Terry followed Steven off in the opposite direction, looking to rejoin the bridleway. They found it lead down to a gate and onto craggy open moorland below the Wood, so through they went and continued, expecting to see the other two pretty soon.

After a few minutes they could here voices, as the Ians appeared from behind the dry stone wall and lifted their bikes over to complete the quartet again. We finished off this nice lumpy meadow and dropped onto the road through Carr Edge Farm where it was time to ponder on map segments 3 and 4. The aim had been to reach the little hamlet of Simonburn and it's cosy Tea Shop-come-Post Office but it was still three miles to the north and mainly on tarmac, so we decided just to take in the short section of Hadrian's Wall between Milecastles 31 and 28 before turning for home and putting the maps away.

Backward!

We took the countrified route north and stopped again to recover from heavy wet grass at the old kilns just short of Carrawbrough before crossing north west through the farm to the B6138, turning right and following the road along to Walwick. We turned south into the fields again short of the Hall and it wasn't long before we were back onto familiar ground, rejoining the route we'd used outward at about 1:15.

After the initial hard climb back up from the transformers it was good to get into Payback Time and we hammered every bit of singletrack on the way back down behind Fourstones, including some very fast descending over greasy meadow where even the front fork filler guard couldn't stop the sheepy litter spraying into your mouth and under your glasses, yurk!

We got back to the cars around 2:00pm and were home before three after a nice little ride in the Garden of Northumberland. No accidents or mechanicals either, and no rain (or snow!) so a good day. And thanks once more to Steven for correcting the Gollum's suspect mapreading.