Tiny rides of 2023

[annedonnelly]

Your balloon pic reminds me. Years and years ago when we were kids and you took photos rarely and had to wait to finish the film and then send it off to be processed we eventually got some pictures back from the developers. One of them was a nice view of our neighbour's washing on the line. We had no idea why that photo had been taken. Until finally we spotted the hot air balloon in the far, far distance.

 

[CharleyFarley]

I do a tiny ride each day, 4 miles in the morning and 4 miles in the evening. I didn't do one, this morning, but went to the store at 7 a.m. We'd had rain around 4 a.m. When I came out of the air conditioned store, the cart and the items I'd bought became quite wet from the humidity, but it was worse than ordinary humidity. I had planned on doing my usual ride when I got back from the store, but the weather changed my mind, and now it's absolutely pouring with rain. But the lettuces need it. Perhaps the evening will be good for a ride. My cruiser came with cow horn bars which I changed for something I thought would be better, but they were too far away from me so I had to put an adjustable quill stem to bring them closer. Now I've just put new cow horns on it, and I have no idea what I did with the originals. That's how I roll.

 

[Windle]

Went out earlier than usual yesterday as the weather forecast was not good for my late afternoon slot. Rather than head north west across to the railway path after Cockfield cemetery I ended up heading further north, past a couple of solitary cottages in the middle of the fell that sit near a big old man-made valley which I think was a tramway, possibly even into an drift mine by the look of it. It's certainly a huge scar on the landscape, clearly visible on Google earth. I trundled down past here and before I knew it ended up not far from the concrete footbridge over the Gaunless despite not intending to descend that far. Hey Ho!

That would mean a run along the valley bottom then a climb either up the Slack bank on the road or across the fell all the way back to the top, an elevation gain of around 250 feet in about 0.8 of a mile! So I rode along the route of the Haggerleases railway, alongside the quite full Gaunless, over the skew bridge and then up what looks like a cheeky MTB trail that the wife and I had crossed on our brief walk / picnic on Friday evening, before climbing on various sheep tracks (and crossing the railway path near what was presumably a demolished bridge or retaining wall of some sort),

right up the fell to the top. It was looking ominously dark to the west by now, with thunder rumbling.

Looking across to our wee village in the far distance.

I climbed the stile and onto the road briefly (considering just riding home on the road) before a little drop down the Slack bank and off along the farm track that drops back down to the railway path, then returned by my usual route of Scotland Lane. It was just starting to rain as I got back with about 6.5 miles and 450 feet of climbing in.

 

[Windle]

Another tiny ride over to my usual playground, I didn't go round the football ground this time as the pathway out of the end back to the road (nettle alley) is in full verdant bloom again and the swearing would be heard for miles. Once onto the fell I had an explore of the old gully as mentioned in the Walks thread. At the east (open) end, looking in towards the west.

Part way along the remains of an old fence (the fence up on the top is our picnic spot from Wednesday), this is looking back out to the east.

The Kitchen sink! (there was a sort of pathway along there but with so many boulders and tussocks it was mostly un-ridable without risking pedal strikes and the potential of falling of and headbutting rocks, or discarded kitchenware)

As far as I could go, it went a bit 'gorsey' after this and I didn't feel like hacking my way through at that time of the evening. The far end stops where the road to the cottages goes over (the fence at the end), with quite a steep drop. It could be a blocked up mine shaft but only history can tell as it's very overgrown now. A bit of a spooky atmosphere down there to be honest and a tad prehistoric feeling.
On Google earth there is a feature that extends quite a long way to the north west of the road / cottages, which appears to be man made ground, suggesting that this gully went a lot further and has been filled in at some point, with a number of birds foot shaped spoil heaps running off to the north.

 

[a.twiddler]

Tiny rides of 2023.
3/10/23
A cool, breezy, sunshiny day. Time to get out on the Spirit again after my last longish ride on it last month. I had a few bits of shopping to do. The Carradice panniers were still on it after a trial last week leaving plenty of space for shopping.

Out through the gate, gathering up my stuff.

There’s a lot less of a ritual to launching on this recumbent compared with the stately ship-like Linear though still more to it than on the average bike. Push off, feet up and away, soon reaching cruising speed.

As I got going, my next door neighbour simultaneously came out of her back gate and set off in the same direction on foot.

Soon on Swanlow Lane, right at the uphill traffic lights, then left down hill to the town centre. Right at the town centre traffic lights (following a car that had stopped at the cyclists’ advanced stop line).

On to the pavement outside my destination. A crowd of people were wandering about aimlessly, changing direction at random, staring at their phones and seemed more than usually oblivious to what might be going on around them so I carefully got off and pushed to a convenient parking space where I locked up. After a whizz round the supermarket I came out, loaded up and set off.

As I went along the pavement my neighbour arrived and said “hi” as she went past. I had to make another stop before I went home so I carried on along the shared path to the road by the town centre traffic lights, crossed over to another supermarket, locked up to a pillar and dived inside.

I was soon outside again, bumped up some steps and between some bollards. While zig zagging through the terraced streets a delivery van overtook me then stopped at a junction ahead. I slowed down expecting him to move on but the driver jumped out with a parcel and ran down the street to deliver it. Tight schedule, or what.

I passed the van, turned left, and came across another van delivering some large items. I slowed right down to let an oncoming car squeeze between the van and some nearby parked cars. It was a tight fit in that narrow street. I managed to keep rolling and one of the delivery guys looked round the van and waved me on. “Full speed now”, he said. “That’s about it” I replied. We both laughed.

A bit more zig zagging through the streets, a longish climb then level to turn left at Swanlow Lane for the run towards home. Through the now downhill traffic lights, steady speed to keep rolling to my uphill turn off, then downhill through the lanes to my back gate.

I’m still a bit dubious about the accuracy of the Garmin on short trips with hills as it always feels further to the town centre and back than the figures suggest.

Distance 2.82 miles Max speed 21.1 mph Average speed 7.7mph.

 

[annedonnelly]

My ride yesterday turned out to be much tinier than planned. I'd had the rear wheel off the Dawes last week to remove the rattling mudguard. I had a bit of a struggle getting it back on but I thought it was sorted.

Yesterday morning I waited until after 9 to avoid the school traffic at the end of the street and set off for a trip to Sainsbury's for a packet of tea. At the other side of the school entrance I discovered two coaches, a huge queue of children lugging suitcases and dozens of parents waiting to wave them off. At the T junction the traffic light sensor seemed to see the bike which it hadn't done for the Brompton the day before. The road has been resurfaced and I think one of the two sensors has been covered up.

So I got through the lights and onto the cycle path without having to stop and set off for Cramlington. But I didn't even make it to the next junction. There's a part of the path that's a bit raised and as I hit that suddenly the back wheel locked up and I came to an undignified halt. The wheel had gone out of line and the tyre was jamming against the frame. Of course I'd stupidly gone out without tools and it's not easy to push a bike if the wheels won't turn. So I locked it up and walked back for a spanner.

By this time the kids were just getting on the buses and the parents were looking rather bored. Back at the bike I soon got it sorted. Another rider kindly asked if I was ok but I didn't need any help. I decided though that heading back home to make sure all was well was the best idea.

So a very tiny ride and an equally tiny walk

 

[Windle]

Sunday's sunny but chilly tiny ride round my local loop on my latest 'old knacker / modern classic' MTB, a Kona Fire Mountain, rescued from a secondhand shop for £30. The lane / footpath across to Cockfield football ground now seems set-in with winter gloopiness but is still rideable with proper tyres on (the only upgrade so far other than the decidedly slippery Rolls saddle). A decorated fence on the entrance road to the kids 'rec, skatepark and football ground which I'd never noticed before.

Some sort of inspection hatch on the fell, possibly for some kind of shaft as it's padlocked.

I noticed a couple of white vans parked up near the crumbling west abutment of the viaduct on the way across the fell and further along a dip in the railway trackbed had been filled in with hardcore, presumably for vehicular access, which explained why there had been a portion of the fence removed a few days ago and replaced with site fencing. Obviously some work going on as a digger now parked up just off Slack bank road.

I'm assuming the council or a contractor are repairing the palisade fence to prevent access to the viaduct abutment edge, part of which has been knocked down. Odd working on a Sunday although I suppose it'll be classed as urgent seeing as it would be possible to get to or over the very edge of the stone abutment. I'm surprised you can get anywhere near it to be honest as it's in poor condition and has a hell of a drop over the end. Previous photo of the area to the side of the abutment .

 

[annedonnelly]

I've had three tiny rides today. All on different bikes!

There's a rumour going around that Waxwings have arrived in the region. They're beautiful birds and very entertaining so I'm keen to see some if I can. They like rowan berries and I know that there are a few places in Cramlington that they could turn up. So it was such a lovely calm morning that I headed up there on the Dawes to see if I could spot any. No luck but as it was a bit cold and my fingers were frozen I popped into the cafe at the library for hot chocolate. While I was there I put a few pieces into the communal jigsaw which was a picture of the Tour de France. No sign of Waxwings on the ride home either.

There's still plenty to do in the vegetable garden that I look after so I went down there after lunch. The Elephant bike is perfect for gardening. The front basket is ideal for bringing home the veg. Today it was a couple of potatoes, some tomatoes and a handful of basil leaves.

And this evening I've been to a sewing class. There's no cycle racks near the venue so it's a job for the Brompton as she can come in with me. And it's noticeable how nippy it is when you've mainly been riding a rather heavy Elephant! I sometimes forget how much I like the Brompton.

 

[a.twiddler]

Tiny ride today
A Trip on the Spirit to the Library

A slightly cool wind but not unpleasant this morning so I set off to the Library under pedal power. This banana-esquely curvaceous yellow recumbent is no stealth machine. Usual route, out through the back gate. Eventually on to Swanlow Lane and the uphill traffic lights. Speeding up on the preceding downhill I stayed in the left lane while a couple of cars passed then crossed to the right hand lane anticipating stopping. The lights stayed green so I rolled through and turned right. Over the hump then straight on downhill through Townfields Road, through a traffic calming chicane to Gladstone St. No speed records today as though there was little traffic there were parked cars all over the place. Into Ways Green then across a narrow pavement into Dingle Lane with its speed humps, nicely soaked up by the suspension. Past the former Drill Hall which in its time has been a cinema then a bingo club and now, after being bashed about a bit, has only its facade remaining while it awaits redevelopment into apartments.

I pressed on across a mini roundabout then turned into the shopping precinct just before some traffic lights. “Like yer bike!” said a random passer-by. Into a service road, then locked up at cycle parking outside the Library.

Once I’d got my next literary fix I set off on the return journey.

As much of the town centre is blocked off and boarded up due to the current demolition and redevelopment work going on, I rode the broad pavement alongside the dual carriagewayed High Street to the town centre traffic lights where I crossed over after turning left.

Traffic was flowing today where yesterday it was barriered off. Some hefty long armed machinery was pinching and punching its way through some of the four storey buildings of the 1960s town centre behind the protective screens, with water jets to quell the dust. From time to time a slab of concrete or block of bricks would fall with an accompanying shower of debris. There were a few people about, watching the spectacle. I found a spot to stop and watch for a few minutes. At least I had a comfortable seat. “There goes the neighbourhood”, I thought.

I pressed on along the shared path and gradually the hill steepened along Dene Drive. Steadily towards the top, on to the road for the junction with Townfields Road. A right turn uphill to where it levelled then left at the lights, swooping downhill ready for my uphill turn off. As I approached the junction a white BMW came the other way handsomely exceeding the 30mph speed limit. I turned anyway with room to spare though he beeped at me. Got time to beep, got time to brake, was my thinking, and he would most likely have to stop at the lights anyway. I gave a cheery wave in response. I kept a wary eye in my mirror as I rolled uphill. It’s not unheard of for someone in such a hurry to suddenly find they have loads of time to turn round and come and give other road users the benefit of their wisdom. Nobody came, and I continued, freewheeling carefree through the lanes to my back gate.

Distance 2.91 miles Max speed 21.9 mph Average 7.1 mph.
Ascent 123ft

 

[a.twiddler]

17/11/23
Tiny ride today

First ride since I experimentally changed the 160mm cranks on the Spirit for 170mm ones, apart from a brief test ride. To town to drop off a prescription form and do some shopping. A cold but sunny day. Out through the back gate, climb on and get settled. All clear, so launch across the road and head towards Swanlow Lane and the uphill traffic lights. Performance feels a bit turgid after so long without a decent ride, though I can feel a difference in leverage with the longer cranks. Right at the lights, then left downhill to the town centre, rolling really well across a mini roundabout, keeping up with the traffic flow. Town centre lights are at red, so left on to the shared path for a short distance, left at the next turn, then left again to the surgery.

Since COVID there have been drop off boxes outside the surgery entrance, no need to go inside, so a quick check then drop the form in without dismounting and away again. Back to the road. Before crossing I stop to take in the scene and compare it with how it was a couple of weeks ago. The high white barriers with the Kier logo are still up across the road, but the skyline has changed dramatically. Where once there were four storey buildings behind the barriers, the nearest ones have been flattened to be replaced by a great beige mound of rubble, the dusty remains of the dreams of those town planners of the sixties. Different machines are audible, and sometimes visible, clearing up around the rubble.

After this pause, straight across to the opposite pavement where there is a shared path, follow that to the right then round to the left where the cycle lane goes back on to the road. Here the motorized masses are kept away from cyclists by the mysteriously awesome power of a White Line. Mere mortals are not permitted to know how this metaphysical phenomenon works, but here at least, it does. After a few yards, left across a pavement, through some bollards and then time to dismount as random pedestrians are wandering about apparently unaware of their surroundings. It never ceases to amaze me how people can spend so much time on their phones or with headphones on, or just talking to their friends, with no apparent awareness of what’s going on around them. Maybe it’s a testament to how safe it feels to live in this small market town.

I chain the bike to a metal barrier and go in to the nearby supermarket and collect some bits of shopping.

Once stocked up, I load up the bike, unchain and set off across the car park. Left at the entrance roundabout, right at the next one into Dingle Lane then over some speed humps, (once more appreciating the suspension), nip right across a pavement then uphill through an estate. This probably is no less steep than the route up Gladstone St, but there is less traffic about. I trundle steadily to a T junction, turn left on the level then turn right up the last bit of Gladstone St, through a traffic chicane where an oncoming car obligingly stops to let me through, on to Townfields Road and over the hump to some traffic lights. Left downhill on Swanlow Lane gaining speed for my uphill turn off, then undramatically rolling through the lanes to my back gate.

Once home, I am enthused enough by my ride to leave the bike out with a view to a longer ride after lunch but the rain comes and I have to change my plans. If it rains when I’m out I just deal with it but I rarely set out in the rain these days.

Distance 3.08 miles, Max speed 21.4, Average 6.5mph.
Ascent 128ft.

 

[Windle]

A tiny, local loop ride on a cold, dull Sunday afternoon, just to check if any of the route had ceased to be swamp-like. It hadn't. Down the farm track towards Cockfield.

After a splattery plodge across the fell I had a look to see how progress is going with whatever, whoever is doing with the west abutment of the Gaunless viaduct.

A good view but a long drop!

More clartyness, that is the path running round the gorse bushes.

A decent little run out spoiled by a p-word event in the Univega's front wheel about a mile from home. I pumped it up couple of times and fixed it later. Verdict on the state of the route ~ wait until it dries out, or freezes .

 

[Windle]

One week on from my last tiny ride I got another one in, the snowy scene outside was too tempting to not get out and I'd been outside over the chucks half the day anyway so I was already acclimatised. I took the Kona as it seemed to have the knobliest / grippiest tyres. Just a slithery potter down Scotland land then along the railway path & return the same way. The road was like an ice rink where the few vehicles that use it had been up & down. The end of Scotland lane looking towards the cattle grid.

The gate where the railway path crosses the farm track.

Just up from the railway path just down from Peathrow, I only went a little further before turning round.

Beneath the farm track bridge across the railway path on the way back.

A decent little run out, though only 4.4 miles in a fresh 0 degrees.

 

[All uphill]

Out for a test run on the bike I've just finished building. A mile tootling round the neighbourhood revealed a stiff link in the chain and the need for slightly higher tyre pressures. It fits perfectly and rides silently.

I'm happy with that!

 

[Sixmile]

6 crispy cold miles this morning after dropping the Jimny off to the mechanics to get the 4x4 working for the winter.

 

[All uphill]

Two mile tiny ride into town this morning to road test the neighbour's bike that will be going to a refugee in the next few days. Everything works as it should and it will allow them to get to work.

The ride was a reminder to me of how nice my steel bikes are, compared with this heavy aluminium machine.