MTB Rides- June 2012

[Beagleboy]

Hey folks,

I intend to head out tonight for my usual 'Tour de Torwood' ride......but with an exciting twist. I'm going to do it backwards! 

No, not actually cycling backwards, that would be silly and probably wouldn't end well. I'm going to head over towards Torwood first and then finish off with a lap of Plean. Crazy and possibly even dangerously subersive, I know, but hey, it's something different, eh?

So, if anyone wishes to join me for a mini 2hr adventure, post up and I'll meet you at the main gates of Plean Park at 7pm (time negotiable as I'm not working tomorrow), hope to see you there, it should be fun judging by how much Dougie was grinning after last Monday's ride! 

B. 

[Beagleboy]

Well, that was an adventure!

Andrew and I left the safety of the well trodden path for the excitement of the 'incident pit', and boy did we surf the edge of that pit last night!

Attempting to find the exit of the trail that Dougie and I had explored last Monday I dragged Andrew out on the roads towards Dunipace before we hit what I thought would be the head of a swoopy trail nirvana. Unfortunately, the track that I remembered seeing in the winter proved a bit elusive in the full flight of summer. My confusion wasn't helped by my conviction that for some reason, before coming out, Andrew had absolutely dipped himself in either 'Old Spice', or 'Hai Karate' (ask yer dad)  . Fortunately, any fears over my virtue were allayed when we spotted the very, very dead deer just a few feet away from us in the undergrowth Pooowhee!

Trekking through the moorland towards the elusive trailhead, I couldn't help but imagine Crispin nodding in approval as we sunk knee deep in bogland on possibly the driest day in at least two years. Navigation was easy though as we simply had to head towards the electricity pylons that my trail ran under. So, I was a wee bit confused after the first set of pylons proved to be a dud, but heartened when I realised that there was a second set behind a stand of trees, obviously the ones we wanted to follow. On reaching the 2nd set of pylons, after trudging through bog and itchy / scratchy heathland, I was starting to get a wee bit worried. Where was my chuffing path?

When we followed the deer track through to the 3rd set of pylons (Denny appears to be a pylon magnet, I suspect it truly is an alien hyperspace gate), we finally found our track. Woohoo! No more pushing, cursing, sinking or swearing! We got on our bikes and we swooped down the entire 100m or so of trail it had taken us an hour to get to. 

Disappointed? A wee bit. Was it a giggle and an adventure worth a beer or two in the pub? Absolutely, and that's what its all about innit?

Beagy 

 

[Beagleboy]

C'mon everybody, we all need to huff and puff on those trails to get them dried out for the weekend!

Providing the weather isn't completely mental tomorrow morning I'll be in Costa's (across from Graham Tiso's at the train station end of Stirling town centre), around 9am for coffee and cake before we hit the trails around 9.30am.

Everyone welcome!

B. 

[MightyStew]

I'll be out, suppose it's time to get proper muddy again!

[Beagleboy]

Superb ride today in pretty near perfect conditions. We climbed up through Cambu woods, where we spotted a Red Squirrel. Giving the little ginger blighter a wide berth we climbed up along Polmaise Rd before turning in at the pump station and making our way along the edge of the dam.

Up to the Trig point was a stiff climb particularly with the sun out, but the trails were riding so well we hardly bothered to moan.  We basked in the sun for a wee bit at the Trig then headed over to the 2nd cliff, watching Mark, our newest tree magnet showing us how to hit the drops 'roadie style' 

On the 2nd cliff we said good bye to Howard 'n' Paul as they were on a promise, whilst the rest of us went on to tackle the final cliff. Would you believe it? We spotted another Red Squirrel, just after Mark went barrelling into another tree! Awesome! 

So it was a particularly fun ride today, discovering lots of lovely wildlife, and more importantly, discovering a new club mascot in the form of Mark, whom we're going to send down every trail first from now on so he can clear any dangerous stuff out the way for us. Chapeau sir, Chapeau! 

B. 

[Grumpy Guru]

Tomas and me are doing the Touch Hills tomorrow (my famous all off-road with nae carrying route!)
Meet Cambu quarry carpark at 10:30. Finishing mid-pm.
Be there!
(Forecast is variable so we''ll make a decision at 9am if this ride is to be postponed.)
 

[Beagleboy]

I'm in if the weather behaves.

[Grumpy Guru]

Cool - I'll text you the weather decision.
 

[Jo]

I could be up for this. Am very unfit and will have the dog with me, so might be a case of starting with you and peeling off at some point...

Can you add me to the text list please 

[Grumpy Guru]

Low cloud base on Yat and I can't see the Touch Hills from the hoose, so figure it will stay this way until the rain comes on.
Will postpone to next Sunday.
 

[MightyStew]

Some photos from Saturday's ride (click for big).

[MightyStew]

[Beagleboy]

Will postpone to next Sunday.

Poop! Don't think I can do next Sunday Crispin.  We've got the outlaws coming over for dinner, but I don't know if anything else has been planned for earlier in the day. Will get back to you when I know more.

Mind you, having been denied my bogtastic adventure with Crispin yesterday, I set out to replicate it in miniature!

Straight from my door, I crossed the road and dived down the Carron trail that follows the river up to, and beyond Fankerton. This trail was superb as usual, although the roots and rocks appeared even more teflon coated than normal!  When the trail petered out, I struck up the side of the glen following a small stream until I emerged a few hundred metres West of Old Barnego farm. From here, an old farm track, then a very lumpy cow track took me up into Shippytrouty woods. This is a site of some controversy at the moment with big banners around Denny proclaiming 'Save Shippytrouty from wind farm development'. However, I'm of the opinion that a few turbines might actually bulk the woods out a wee bit. If you look at the woods on an OS map and count the little tree symbols, that's actually how many trees are up there! 

From here, I headed through the gorse bushes on a farm track back towards the current Barnego farm. This track proved a fair bit of amusment though as it plunged through hub deep puddles and stinky bogland, before I was finally able to drag myself back to dry land and the final descent back to Dunipace, aided by a cheery wave from the farmer as I rode through his yard.

Only a 10km loop, but it was off-road straight from my door and had pretty much everything you could want, (except for dustyness). 

Finally, I'm keeping a leery eye on the weather. If it brightens up during the day, I might be up for my usual Monday night Tour de Torwood. If so I'll post up nearer the time.

B. 

[Howard]

Some what late notice but Andrew and myself will be doing a south side blast from KP at 7:30 if your up for it.

[Beagleboy]

Who's up for it tonight? 

As long as everything in the lab behaves, and I don't lose the will to live on the bus journey home,  , I'm aiming to head towards King's Park (at the wee gate just past the tennis courts), for 7pm tonight.

Post up if you fancy meeting me so I know to make the effort to ride in past all my local trails!

B.