Date: Tuesday 22nd June 2010
Route: WP – Meavy – Earthquake – Ringmoor Down – Ditsworthy
House – Drizzle Combe – Eylesbarrow – Nuns Cross – Combshead
Tor – Deancombe – Norsworthy Bridge – Handrail
(Groundhog Day if you’re a Yogi) – Burrator Dam – Meavy
- HQ.
Riders: Colin, Rich, Sam, Nick, Keith, Glen, Martyn, Paddy & James
(eventually) all joined at the 19th hole by Stephen, Julian & the
Gregster!!!
Depart: 19:40
Arrive HQ: 22:00
Distance: Gotta be close to 50 or 60 miles but my GPS was at home!!!
Weather: Clear, Dry & warm.
Dartmoor is SO dull!!!
Several e-mails during the day had indicated that the fitties might
be spending time with their gleaming road machines prompted some
mortals to tempt fate and go for a leisurely one. The normal pleasant
run to Meavy was interrupted by my bat phone going off. James had
been having trouble getting the children to bed so was a tad late
but caught us up at Ditsworthy House. Anyway, up Earthquake (why
do we never seem to come down it anymore?) to Ringmoor Cottage
and a rest!!! Then across Ringmoor Down to Gutter Tor Trig point
at which point Glen threw a sickie and had a puncture which allowed
us all to watch him toil and have a rest!!! Martyn was particularly
happy as the view was stupendous as was the …rest!!! Then
down to Edwards Path and along to Ditsworthy House where numbers
swelled by….one as James joined us.
Sam and I had a quick chat to make sure he was managing to remain
upright on the totally benign track where he was thrown last year
and broke his hand. He seemed to be managing very capably until
100 yds past the point where he fell last year and a cheeky 2” rut
got the better of him and chucked him on the floor (dear oh dear!!)
not quite so severely as last time but good enough to have him
stuck and needing a gentlemans hand to get him up!!! Then up Drizzle
Combe to the top, past the tin mine and along the motorway to Nuns
Cross…..mmm
lovely, where we had a quick rest!!!
Sharp left to Drake’s Leat Tunnel exit and across towards
Combshead Tor allowed Sam plenty of opportunity to fall again which
he took up gladly getting stuck under his steed once again (once
is bad luck, but twice???) where he also decided to leave his SPD
clip in the pedal rather than the bottom of the shoe. He also fell
off somewhere else too but I wasn’t there to witness it.
Once at the stone row we all thoroughly enjoyed the fantastic single
track run down to Deancombe between the bracken and granite clitter.
A fast rattle down the track to Norsworthy Bridge and then round
the Sheepstor Handrail which is always technical and testing. Then
round the smaller Burrator Dam, re-join the road, over the real
dam and (eh-hum) then down the road to Meavy where Rich chucked
in the second puncture of the night. Through Meavy and back up
the road to HQ where Stephen, Julian and the Gregster had galliantly
battled up from WP to join us.
How come a nice leisurely one got us to HQ at 10pm???
