Fanylion Mountain Bike Team
Official site of the Fanylion Mountain Bike Team. Includes mountain bike ride guides, gear reviews, bike maintenance, team reports and rider profiles of the Fanylion Racing Team.
The Peak District
June 28, 2008, England
The Dark Peak
On a normal FanyLion weekend we all tend to meet early Saturday morning and enjoy or endure hours of Faff. This strange mountain bike phenomenon ranges from, waiting for riders to turn up to riders forgetting helmets/camelbacks/ keys (to unlock their bike in the car!) and sometimes - to actually turn up. I don’t know, even though the weekend was planned well in advance the turnout is piss-poor again. What’s wrong with riding and challenging yourself on probably the UK’s finest trails? What’s wrong with mountain biking? What’s wrong with eating steak, drinking beer and breathing in methane? Arghhhh, don’t get me started please!
Ok, so the weather is a bit pony but on arrival in Hope on Friday afternoon, the sun is out and the sky is blue (there is a song in there somewhere?) so I set my tent up and have a few beers in one of the local pubs. A few Kroneberg’s later and Quad rocks up with Ian and his wife Lou so we all set up Quads tent and head back to the pub to wait for Sam as he is driving up from the smoke in TTK’s VW Borat. By the time Sam arrives at midnight I am well oiled and need some sleep so we head back to the camp site. Waking up Saturday morning I feel rough but ok as Downhill arrives from Oldham and we all head off to the excellent Woodbine Café for meat and beverages.
Having a hardcore route of 30 miles planned in my head, we finally we set off at 10:30 and head to Castleton then Mam Tor where it becomes clear a hangover has kicked in and Ian’s wife Lou is no slouch. Waiting for Downhill we all re-group and tackle Rushup Edge which starts of a grassy slog and turns into a fine boulder riddled bridleway at the Lords Seat and onto The Roych, rock steps and gullies are the order of the day.
The Mount Famine descent into Hayfield is pretty hairy, steep and long with the occasional drainage ditch thrown in it has to be respected as any mistake could be fatal. Today’s fatality wasn’t human but sadly Ian’s 5 year old Stumpjumper gave up the ghost and snapped on the rocker link. Being well into the ride at this point, the only option was for us to limp into Hayfield and try and get a hire bike sorted. Contacting every LBS in the area we had no joy but to leave Ian with his bike and finish the ride, nowt wrong with that but first, let’s all eat Sam’s fish and chips.
Leaving Ian to get a taxi back into Hope, we climb out of Hayfield via Kinder res and up and onto Oaken Clough, which thankfully is well drained so progress is ok but tough. The climb at Edale Cross is a bitch of an-up, traction is minimal and is hard going with Quad and Sam taking the lead but the descent of Jacob’s Ladder is just class, technically demanding and tricky, arm pump just reminds you of the severity and without a doubt should be ridden down and not up. Word has it Nick Craig has ridden up it without a dab in sight, seeing is believing I say.
Back onto the Vale of Edale we quickly re-fuel and head to Upper Booth where whilst in Fanyton™ mode someone shouts - TEA! Before my eyes in a dimension where time slows down, Sam and Downhill tangle and hit the deck in a blaze of gravel dust and hissing tryes. Bizarrely, neither of them sustained any major injury so we head to the local farm for a serving of the English panacea (cup of tea).
By now the time is gone 4 and as Faff had definaly reared its ugly head earlier in the day we head back over to Mam Tor for another bitch of an up via Small Clough. Descending back via the broken road of Mam Tor we meet Ian just outside of Hope for a pint and to book a table for meat consumption. Registering 25 miles ridden on Downhill computer I felet it’s a bit short than the planned 30 + but heading back to the camp site we all feel it has been a tough day in the saddle.
Shower, meat, beer, flatulence, killer pool and bed. Done.
Sunday.
Today’ planed route takes us to Ladyboy Reservoir and back again on some fine natural trails of the Dark Peak once more. Browse any MTB website/route/guide book and I bet you this little baby feature’s in it somewhat.
After some more meat at the Woodbine Café we re-trace our steps of yesterday but take the ridge of Mam Tor down Greenland’s but sadly without Ian. Back on the valley floor we Fanyton it for a few miles and then take a sweet single-track climb past Clough Farm to Jaggers Clough. A fine little descent and ascent but the walkers are out in force today as we hit the cross-roads just after Cookstone Barn and take and hit the long descent of Blackley Hey. This boulder riddled bridleway is just another of the Peaks fine descents where Quad is flying. Sam and Lou as we hit Rowlee Bridge and find a convient Porta Loo. Quad investigates and Sam finally has a dump that had been bothering him since this morning.
I don’t know about you but there is something about natural trails that get’s me going especially classic descents like Hagg Farm and Haggwater , but who on earth put gates in the equasion? The up of Haggwater is a probably one of the most technical descents of the Peak District bar Cave Dale, so next time we are going to go down it for good measure.
Skirting Ladyboy we pick up the Roman Road onto Hope Brink, a fine, fast double track that just goes on and on but as we hit Edge Farm we hit the first mud of the weekend with the odd gate thrown in. Back into Fanyton mode we hit tarmac back to the campsite.
18 miles clocked, tent’s packed, showers had, food eaten, high fives/goodbyes, Fany weekend – done.
See some of you at Uncle Monty’s in July,
Bear.
Riders present
Bear
Quad
Techno
Lou and Ian
Enjoyment level
Tent-tastic!