Today's Ride

Out in the Autumn lanes again. Within 5 minutes of leaving home it sheeted down with rain and I nearly turned back. But I carried on and it was lovely (in a dark and gloomy sort of a way).
Down my favourite lane (Pump Lane).
Back home via one of my favourite pubs - The Snowdrop (not named after the delicate flower but after the UK's most fatal avalanche in 1836, which killed 8 people).

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A former USAF station. Long run way (or it did have) it could of taken concorde.
I didn’t know that, I had heard of Bruntingthorpe Proving ground as an automotive testing place. It’s completely full of new cars in storage at the moment, runway and taxiways looking at google maps.

I dug a bit deeper and found the Lightning is a preserved example under the covers. From their website they still run them from time to time. LPG

It reminded me of the Lightning that lived in a scrapyard on the southbound side of the A1 near Newark. It’s nose gradually pointing higher in to the air after engines and other parts were removed. It was a landmark on my childhood journies in that direction!
 
During my RAF service may years ago they were still active. Saw one at Greenham Common way back in 79 at the Military Air Tattoo.
It was coming along the runway for take off ,
Gets air borne . Pilot then takes it straight up ( vertical) on full re heat 🔥.
Truly a man riding a rocket engine.
 
Birthday ride today, had spent a while plotting a good 100 mile route and then proceeded to have the most disturbed sleep of all time. Still felt good enough for a decent effort but not the century sadly. Set off 6:30AM; expected it to be cold so wrapped up with balaclava, gloves, shoe covers etc - had to stop 20 mins in and take them off! Could've been a shorts ride.

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Around 8AM, suns up but very cloudy - grey sky was an indicator of things to come. Did a short climb and ten minutes later the scenery looked like this;

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Really considered bottling it there and taking the right to go home but instead took the left towards the pennines. The next thirty minutes were very harrowing considering rim brakes, repeated steep descents and thick fog. Descended into Wolsingham where it cleared up, then a quick few miles to Stanhope and up Crawleyside - never gets any easier!

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Awful horizon there but kind of a bad corner so no time for squatting down to get a level angle 😂 Came in at 70.21 miles with 5574ft of elevation. Not a century but not bad either for four hours of sleep and an early start. Ride safe all (and check weather for fog lol)
 
Birthday ride today, had spent a while plotting a good 100 mile route and then proceeded to have the most disturbed sleep of all time. Still felt good enough for a decent effort but not the century sadly. Set off 6:30AM; expected it to be cold so wrapped up with balaclava, gloves, shoe covers etc - had to stop 20 mins in and take them off! Could've been a shorts ride.

IMG-2339.jpg


Around 8AM, suns up but very cloudy - grey sky was an indicator of things to come. Did a short climb and ten minutes later the scenery looked like this;

IMG-2341.jpg

IMG-2343.jpg


Really considered bottling it there and taking the right to go home but instead took the left towards the pennines. The next thirty minutes were very harrowing considering rim brakes, repeated steep descents and thick fog. Descended into Wolsingham where it cleared up, then a quick few miles to Stanhope and up Crawleyside - never gets any easier!

IMG-2344.jpg

IMG-2345.jpg

IMG-2347.jpg


Awful horizon there but kind of a bad corner so no time for squatting down to get a level angle 😂 Came in at 70.21 miles with 5574ft of elevation. Not a century but not bad either for four hours of sleep and an early start. Ride safe all (and check weather for fog lol)
Happy birthday mate!
 
The weather looks a bit damp next week,so I hit the road today .
A good ride was enjoyed. Meet a chap who was up for Audax reunion. A short conversation ensued. Cycle x in progress at a local park as I returned home
Purchased a loud cycling top at the event 👌.
Happy snaps.
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Tutbury castle. 20251108_132459.webp
Horse mounting plinth
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Let's swim to the moon
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Let's climb through the tide
Surrender to the waking world that
Laps against our side
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Nothing left open and
No time to decide
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We'll step into a river
On our moonlight ride
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(Words Jim morrison-ish)
😍


smeeton westerby
gumley


such quintessentially English village names

I took about 10 mins to recover from laughing when the Grom was about 10 and we were going through Tollard Royal, Swallowcliffe etc and he piped up 'what's the next one going to be called? Humping Sippleback?....'
 

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