A memorable day...What a laugh

Wow! My second outing of the week with my good friend John. Following on from Tuesdays adventure we had decided to meet up for a ride somewhere on Saturday morning. John almost always leaves the route planning to me and with us both living in Stanley all our lives we kind of know pretty much every trail, so it can get a bit tedious riding the same old places. Saying that due to this whole covid situation anywhere other than in the house is an exciting prospect for me.

I amazed myself by having everything pretty much ready before John arrived or so I thought. As when I went to grab my Specialized ebike and connect the bike to my phone, the bloody bike just wouldn't turn on. Well by that I mean when I pressed the button on the top of the top tube, the battery power meter came on flicked up, then flicked down and then the bike switched off. I could feel a bit of "Tourette's coming on" and the words beginning with "F" "Hell it's every time I plan to go out". I called for back up "Ern, Ern what's up with this bike?". "Well I don't know" he replied. I had already bollocked poor Ern in the morning, actually waking him up and dragging him out of bed, not literally mind you, more figuratively. No you see Ern had been up to his usual tricks and was playing "hide the bike lock keys". Turns out he had hid one set and locked the other set in his car. Naughty Ern!.

Anyhoo Ern saved the day,  he simply came along and said "what does this button do?" to which I replied "Huh what button?"... Hey presto my dad had discovered a special button and my bike started working.

Just then John rocked up, he had ridden down the bank carrying my dads electric plain which he had borrowed to carry out some DIY.

After a very quick discussion we came to the agreement

Farmers trail it is then!

Farmers Trail

John at the start to the Farmers Trail

 

So off we set heading down the back lane and into the famous lady's estate where the Farmers Trail starts opposite Cookson Place. We could see immediately that the trail was quite muddy on one side, but surprisingly not bad on the other. A quick photo opportunity and then we rode up the drier of the two sides. Once at No Place, which is actually a place, that is called No Place... Go figure! We headed down and towards the top end of Beamish Museum.

 

Entrance to Beamish Museum

We then went all the way down to Beamish Hall and cut in on the left opposite the Hall as there is a lovely off-road trail that takes you into Beamish Woods. The stream that runs parallel to the trail appeared quite fast and the water level was pretty high.

John on his Marin @ Beamish

On my Specialized using my Bartlett Tendon Knee

John playing with his camera phone

Glenn down by the stream

Deep in Thought

Specialized Turbo Levo Comp 2019

Soon we were climbing up the off-road trail and heading towards the pond. I had mentioned to John, one of my posts had popped up on Facebook from some years ago, we were now in the same spot from all those years ago. As I recall on that day it was bitterly cold and the pond was frozen over.

Oh and I forgot to mention that for some reason whilst chatting to me on the way up to the pond John completely forgot my name. "What is it again"  he said jokingly, to which I replied "twat...Mr Twat", this caused him great amusement so he has called me that all morning LoL

 

Beamish Pond

 

As we left the pond I noticed a trail to my right and suggested we try it as I had never noticed it before. It was just a short trail with some quite difficult and technical bits to it, however it was really fun. It gave me the chance to reacquaint myself with my Bartlett Tendon as I rode out the saddle and used both my good knee and my prosthetic one to lean off the back of my bike soaking up the bumps.

Using my BTK G2 Knee

The trail ended at what was not quite a stream, however it was very wet and muddy. Someone had appeared to have put some logs over the watery and muddy area, so I suggested we take that route, however John decided he was going to ride through an area which he though looked crossable on his bike, so that he  could get to the opposite bankside. Well I just watched as he took a run-up, got so far then proceeded to get bogged down in the deep mud. He then had to stop and put a foot down. By this time I was pissing myself laughing as he was  stuck half on and half off his bike and had lost his shoe in the deep mud.

 

Almost made it John...Not!

 

 

Oops, John!

Where's he at?

Where's he at?

There he is LoL

Once John had managed to get over to safety he put his bike down and went back to recover his lost shoe, man it was caked. "Here man this is what you should have done" I said as I pushed my bike over the man made small bridge. Nee worries safely over LoL.

 

Pushing my bike over the water and mud

The Smart Way

Now we were presented with a mega climb up a slippery trail. We managed to get so far up then had to dismount and push to the top. It was then I discovered a small jump. I am like a big kid so had to have a go. I asked John to try and grab a picture, however as I was going a bit quick he struggled, we only had our phones to rely on for pictures today, plus I couldn't keep going up and down the bank I was knackered after having to push my bike up twice.

 

Bit Blurry this one

Ooh! Another technical trail spotted. John saying "Oh no we aren't going down there are we" Too late I was already gone. I am sure my brain doesn't communicate with my body at times and thinks it is still in its early teens. Man this trail was sketchy. Not only was it facing downhill, but we also had to ride across the bankside There was loads of mud and the pine needles covered a great deal of what was beneath our tyres. I was feeling confident I mean I had just put new tyres on my ride and had read loads of reviews about how good Maxxis tyres were. "I've got this, no worries" I thought, just then a sneaky tree root caught me out, and I wiped out. I lay there for a little then I tried to get up, but I couldn't I was trapped, my BTK under my bike at a weird angle and me kind of sitting sideways across the frame of my bike but in a lying position. When I say I was stuck I mean I just couldn't get up at all. John was of course very amused by this, knowing I hadn't hurt myself he just couldn't stop laughing. "Howay man, get up" he said, "Ah cannit" I replied. So John came to try and give me a hand, still laughing. Bloody hell even with the pair of us on, we were there what seemed like ages trying to unravel me from my bike.

Looking to see if I had the right tool

Nope

As I got to my feet I noticed the rubber bump stop had been ripped off my Bartlett Tendon, luckily it was just lying on the trail. I must have dug my knee in when I came a cropper. So off with my backpack, so I could  check through my tools to see if I had a small enough Allen key or torque bit to fit. I didn't. No other option I had to call Ern and ask him to fetch some gear down and meet us at the end of the trail. I didn't want to ride too far with the bump stop missing as it's there for a reason.

Just then we heard a lady coming along the trail with her dog, so we moved our bikes and gear to allow her to get past. As I did this I knocked my helmet off my handlebars, and it tumbled all the way down the bank side. John was creased when I said "Ahh fuck it just leave it". In the end he made his way down to where the helmet had landed and retrieved it for me, still chuckling to himself.

 

Knocked my helmet off my bars

John Creased laughing

Going to get my helmet

Yay, John! You are my hero

 We now had to get to the end of the trail, so I could meet up with Ern and sort my knee out. There were a few more technical bits and lots of mud. As I stopped a little way along the trail I noticed John wasn't behind me, so I turned around and went back a little ways. John was off his bike a  geet big stick had jammed through his rear wheel and stuck in his rear mech, no damage done, so we were off again. We soon got to the bottom of the trail near the forges and where the cars park. Ern was already there having just arrived, he had a quick look at my knee and removed the two small bolts that hold the bumps stop, then he reattached the stop and the studs, and we were off again.

A Branch Attacked John and his bike

  

Could have been nasty

We headed up the bank towards the Bobby Shaftoe Caravan Park and at the end of the road turned Right and headed down and into Ousburgh Woods. This was a lovely relaxed ride, mind you couldn't believe how many people were out, and they were not just two people, a great majority were in groups of 4 or more.

Towards the end of Ousburgh Woods we had arrived back at the Forges having done a loop. John wanted to have a bit ride through the ford, strangely there is a huge old tree that is lying across the ford. I can't imagine the water being high enough to float it there, and I also can't remember a tree, so large near the ford, so someone must have put it there on purpose... Strange.

  

John riding through the ford

 

Coming past the huge log/tree

From the forges the ride up the bank is a tough one which comes out at Station Cottages and the Shepherd &  Shepherdess. I was pleased I could cheat on my eBike, poor John had to  come up under his own steam and did very well considering he hasn't been riding regularly. A short ride as if heading back to the entrance of Beamish museum and then turning Left, and we were on the C2C and heading home.

I know it's been a lovely day, however couldn't believe how many people were out, in groups and not really social distancing on the line and in the woods. As we approached Stanley and came up the Back of Iceland John was feeling tired, so I popped my bike in Turbo mode, popped my hand on his back and gave him a push-up the hill, well what are friends for Eh?

Soon we were into Stanley and trying our best to avoid potentially contaminated people, well you have to watch what you are doing in Mordor after all Lol.

Homeward-bound, until another day...