Underground shenanigans in North Wales


April 6th 2019

So no paddling or pedalling here but a great adventure all the same.  To celebrate the passing of a certain big birthday (it was actually last Sept), my twin brother decided we would be best going zip-wiring in a dark hole!  Zip Caverns is in an old slate mine in north wales and whilst there were the big long lines running overhead, we were to spend 3 hours like moles – but with a bit of disco lighting thrown in, and fortunately a climbing harness/safety line arrangement.  What a laugh!  We got 30 mins training in the warm-up pitch and then simply let loose.  The rock floor was sometimes 60-80 ft below as you did short zips; or sometimes nearer but running a long way down a gradient as the longer rides followed the old worked out seams.  A couple crawls and some via ferrata to regain height were also present, plus a final challenge of monkey bars or tight-rope.

Not easy to take sensible photos but here’s what I managed.




A mixture of Go-Ape, Via Ferrata, and a disco

The practice area



A "selfie-spot" !

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MTB in Bacup & then north lakes


April 1st – 10th 2019

A touring trip down to the NW and with some days of solo freedom.  Couldn’t take a boat with me so had the trusty Transition Scout 1 x 11 full susser as my adventure tool.

First I managed a stop at Lee Quarry in Bacup where the ground was brutally dry and stoney (it is afterall a worked-out quarry).  Only 2 other guys around but I went out to the XC trail first (ie, across the escarpment face to Craig quarry) where there’s lots of swoopy-do’s and twisty stuff but not actually any real “flow”.  Nice to do once but I wouldn’t repeat it regularly.  Back at the main faces of Lee quarry there’s many individual features and indeed a deep dive bomb hole which was a steep push to get back out of.  There appears to be dozens of lines across it all but again no real flow or “20km XC ride”. 





Later in the week got a shock as I went upto the snow line above Ullswater.  This big loop had been on my list for a couple of seasons so nice to get it done.  Started at Helton (east of Pooley Bridge) and headed up onto Askham /Barton Fell then south across open moorland to the side of Loadpot Hill (at least a bit of downhill here), and then onto High Raise (at 802 meters) and the continuous snowy gullies of the High Street ridge itself.  This may be an old roman road but there was no sign of an easy mtb trail !  It became difficult keeping traction going on the inclines and pushing up in the snow was tiring wearing SPDs.  Great to balance weather risk and my endurance in the maybe threatening/maybe-not conditions.



It was a weekday and there were occasional hail bursts from the clouds,  but there were a surprisingly large number of walkers about.  Some of them thought I was mad.  Anyway it wasn’t weather for stopping so headed across to Mardale Ill Bell and the coll at Nan Bield before pushing the bike again up the snowy rocks of Harter Fell (778meters). Imbetween clouds the views down to the south and Kentmere were just brilliant. A final climb and then follow the old fence line across to the top of Gatesgarth Pass.  No photos as by now both my phone & my compact camera batteries had thrown their hand in.

The descent nowadays into Haweswater is a very stoney continuously down zig zag which just boils your brake fluid.  Not a place to have a spill but it loses height very efficiently and with some care I stayed on the bike.  Out though the tourist carpark and the start of a plod back along tarmac; up the length of Haweswater, through Bampton Grange and back to Helton for a well earned beer.  The GPS showed this was a 39 km loop and my knees certainly felt it.

Final bike ride of the week was a day at Whinlatter trails over near Kewick.  The sun had returned and it was a lovely clear blue sky day.  There’s north & south halves of the red graded Altura trail plus a swoopy easy blue (the Quercus trail).  For some reason since I last rode here, they have regraded the top third of the south loop to a black.  It wasn’t completely bonkers but a nice step up from the rest of the red.  The café at Whinlatter has a great sunny decking area with the café – perfect.




Also got a couple of hill walks done whilst the weather held clear.


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