Ride Report - MTB Kirkby Stephen November 8th 2018

Hi KDCS riders,

 I keep looking at our web site but always feel that we are short of news on rides that have already taken place. So, here goes, a short ride report of our last Mountain Bike ride from Hartley nr Kirkby Stephen on Nov 8th.

The bike shop van

The ride started from Eden e Motion electric bike shop at Hartley nr Kirkby Stephen.
CA174JA. It was led by Mike Sunderland, KDCS MTB member, and the owner of Eden e Motion, Paul Clow. 14 kdcs riders turned up and then Paul and another friend joined the ride giving us a total of 16 riders. On arrival at the start we were welcomed by  coffee and sausage rolls for a pre ride treat.

Mike and Paul had organised a challenging mountain bike ride but with a generous addition. Paul had made available all the e bikes in his extensive stock for us to try, including three brand new 2019 Scott Genius full suspension bikes value £5000 each. Riders were encouraged to try these but, in addition, three lucky riders got them to use for the whole ride.

The route was Mallerstang, Wild Boar Fell, Pennine Bridleway, Fell End, Tommy Rd and back via Mallerstang valley , Pendragon and Lammerset, about 18 miles.

It was already raining as the ride got underway, the going was wet, muddy and slippery in places. We had only covered a couple of miles when Mike brought the ride to a stop informing us that he was going to treat us to some poetry readings along parts of the ride.

Mike reading poetry

The poems were written by poet Meg Peacock and there is one for each month of the year. They are carved into huge stones along the side of the tracks, and  reflect and celebrate the landscape of the Eden Valley. Even with the rain creeping down our necks these were humorous stops.

The climb up Wild Boar Fell was perhaps the highlight of the ride. It is a steep climb with a fairly rough and slippery surface and water crossing it in several places. The ascent is continuous right up to High Dolphinsty at about 1600 ft. Here we came to a stone wall which give us a little shelter from the strong wind and rain. Great place for lunch.

The ride down to the Mallerstang Valley was steep and slippery with mud covering the trail for much of the way. Then it was back via Pendragon and Lammerset. At Kirkby Stephen we took the disused railway track, now a beautiful walk / cycle way over the fabulous Podgill and Merrigill viaducts back to Hartley.

On arrival back at Eden e Motion Paul had organised a bike wash, then further refreshment, tea, coffee and lots of lovely sandwiches and cakes for us to enjoy

The bike shop at Hartley Fold

.
Despite the weather, it was a great day. Lots of fun, a challenging ride and huge generosity from our host Paul. Many thanks to our leader of the day Mike, for his unstoppable humour and fun enjoyed by all.

Paul would be pleased to meet any KDCS members who might be interested in buying an e bike. He has an extensive stock from many different manufacturers, and of course, lets you try before you buy.

Paul discussing bike options.

ps. I will tell you about some more rides in the future. Cheers for now. Bill.

Eden e Motion.  Web eembikes.com   Tel 07483 901529.