Leaderboard

So i haven't got the energy to put any real content into this so here goes. While out on the dog yesterday i bumped into a couple of lads on CRF250L's and gets talking, the one is Steveoneleg my new best pal (sorry Bob ) and his buddy Jason twelve bellies. The pair of them are new to trail riding this year and members of the TRF (trail riders federation) same as me. After chatting for a while i mention i'm out for the day today and they ask if they could join me so a meeting place is arranged for the next day. I turns up about 9 has a chat explaining how i ride and i'm out for the day which is a like it or lump it sort of thing, and off we goes. Ride starts off with lots of scenic back roads and a few unpaved roads to warm things up heading to a place called Glasbury for breakfast which Steve takes full advantage of . On the route there i see just how green Jason twelve bellies is. He is finding everything hard work and says hes enjoying the experience but is asking lots of questions about the route home and complaining about a pounding head ache, he also said he hasn't felt 100% since his second covid jab two days ago . No photos up till now the first couple of lanes after the breakfast stop are a lot tougher than i though as the ground is still soaking even though we've had good weather for 2 or 3 days. Jason Steve This is a relatively easy lane but the wet and the ruts make it 100% worse this really took it out of poor Jason. Stopped for a breather A vid to see how slippery it was Next lane wasn't too bad but Jason decided to call it a day and head home leaving just me and Steve Which wasn't a bad idea as i think the next lane we would have been brushing the mud over Jason and leaving him there Steve doing a great job keeping things upright here It was hard going Next we were onto the easier stuff which now i think about it maybe i should have taken Jason straight to this stuff and skipped the earlier lanes, ahh well whatever More of the easy stuff, you tend to appreciate this more after slugging it out in the shit for a few hours LOL Stopped by this pond for a snack and a chat couldn't think of a nicer place the day was glorious Back on the track and a little further on in this photo i had to deal with an aggressive local bloke on a pushbike who stopped me to argue with me about riding there, saying i shouldn't be there. In my best i'm not going to punch the fuck out of you tone i explained he was wrong and educated him on the use of OS maps and what things meant on them and after a while i left with an apology from him for being such a cock on our initial encounter I tried not to let the twat upset me and after a few scenes like this he was a distant memory After an unexpected detour to get fuel (it might be just me but i expect everyone to turn up at the meeting point with a full tank) we get on the tracks that start us in the homeward direction @XTreme this is just a small steam crossing Last tricky lane of the day the camera just doesn't show how steep that is A long road ride home followed, Steve impressed me a lot, for someone who's only got into trail riding this year he rode great and whenever i said we can go home the quick way if you want,he choose to stick with the trail riding top bloke

A day for those that died serving their country, thank you.

Go into the woods with two Honda riders? Oh hell no!

Should have read the book properly before going to the old church. Apparently the grave of Richard Plantagenet the illegitimate heir to the throne is there. This may be what we sat on to eat our picnic, oh well, paid for out of our taxes I suppose. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary's_Church,_Eastwell

not one vote , you can all go fuck yourselves after all the effort it took to set my photo up ....

Today I'm going to pop up the road a bit to look at Wool Street and I quote, "Wool Street, Chalkney Woods, This Roman trackway runs through a wood more than 10,000 years old. Bluebells and anemones in spring, nightingale song early summer. Home to the greatest concentration of small leaved limes in Essex. After the directions it says, turn left into Wool Street, distinct as a plunging path. There is no Wool Street marked on the OS map of Chalkney Woods, even as large scale, but I'll give it a go. The important thing is, it's not far to walk once I get off my bike, so I won't get guts ache and red wee. I'm saving Charity Lane for after I get de-piped next week as that is a bit of a slog.

He ment the bike

356kg wet, no problem. Bunch of fucking ponces the lot of you.

Why don't you sound like Officer Crabtree ?? I feel cheated

Color popping up all over my yard....

Yes i know what you mean. Years ago i owned a fantic 200 trials bike when everyone else had the all singing and dancing Gas Gas contact, i always blamed the crap suspension and brakes for me not being able to do things on it, i was out with some mates the one day and a new lad turned up, after a while of complaining about the bike to him he asked if he could have a go. we were on an old industrial estate at the time, He got on it and approached the crash barrier on the side of the road and with a little rev the front wheel was on top of it then another little rev the front was over and the rear wheel was on the barrier. then he done an endo U turn and repeated the crash barrier maneuver after i picked my jaw up off the floor i realised it was me that was shit and not the bike

Cover your eyes and open them slowly this is shit everywhere, you know its shitty when your ridding buddy asks you to pull his boot out the mud because his leg is coming off

Bloody marvellous day, didn't get out till dinner time so we just kept going. Found a wide open spot to stop and this was it. (other than a fuel stop). Somewhere between Harleston and wymondham. Poor effort but it was just a ball ache to stop.

A few months ago I bought a book in Costco cos I liked the pictures. It's called WILD GUIDE (London and South East). It is basically a book of good places to visit, i.e. lakes/rivers to swim in, old ruins, caves, ancient trees, places to watch sunsets, places to eat, places to camp etc. The pictures are amazing and this one covers Suffolk, Essex, Kent, Sussex and London. I fancied a picnic today as it was supposed to be nice weather so I picked out an abandoned church and grave yard somewhere near Ashford in Kent and plotted out the narrowest windiest roads to get there after getting across the Thames. My mate and his other half, the poor man who bought my 103,000 miler Versys, decided to come with me. I think my mate was regretting it when some of the lanes were so narrow his left boot was in the grass at the side of the road and the centre of the road was deep gravel or grass where no one uses them. On the way there we stopped for a drink at the Ringlestone pub which we all used to visit in the 80 and 90s (in the 70s for my mate who's almost a pensioner) when we would camp in a nearby farm and walk across the fields each lunchtime. I mentioned to the new landlady that it used to be owned by a mad woman who kept the front door locked and you had to knock to get in. If she didn't like the look of you she told you to sod off. If you didn't sod off she would pull out a shot gun and point it at you. She laughed and said there was still a shot gun there when they took over the pub and they had put it on the wall above the fireplace. I had a pint of shandy, followed by a wee just before we left. I had to stop on a tiny lane and rush behind a hedge again within 5 minutes of leaving for another waz. My mates were shitting themselves whilst they waited for me as a large dog was going berserk the other side of a farm gate and it looked like it was going to jump over to get at them. We found the church and had a picnic sitting on a handy flat stone with writing all over it. Someone's name and some dates I think....... Then on the way home we stopped at the other pub we used to visit at night when camping on the farm, the Blacksmiths Arms in Wormshill. The original landlord, Barclay is long gone, but the new landlord knew of him. As we were about to leave a strange woman came up to me waving a bit of greenery at me. I had earplugs in so I'm not totally sure, but I think she was asking my opinion on whether it was wild lettuce. Looked like a nettle to me!

Depends, it might be a sportster.

Damn right, Pete would ask him if a Welshman took it from him 20 seconds after meeting!

Its the challenge i enjoy along with the places these shitty roads take me and there's also the pleasure in knowing i'm doing things on my 20 plus year old bikes that some are struggling to do on their all singing and dancing high maintenance Enduro bikes

Bike fit that's all you need to be, I've ridden with guys who were very fit as in going to the gym daily and had no fat on them but were fucked after a day of trail riding because they hadn't done it before. I'm not fit at all but can ride the bike all day as soon as i'm stuck i'm out of breath in minutes, the ride i had Saturday on my own i thought was going to kill me, the secret is don't fall off and don't get stuck

some of that looks hard work , need to be pretty fit i should imagine . thats hardcore @XTreme

La Torre del Alabí is located in the town of Cúllar. Attached to the tower is the Hermitage of the Virgen de la Cabeza , patron saint of the town. Some Dago turned up and knelt down on the steps......I thought he'd dropped his money but it turned out he was praying. Bit tricky to get to the place......and even had to get through a water crossing! Wasn't happy about that! But we need Ride Reports so I had to bite the bullet!

Coming to a resort in Portugal soon.

Just about to be good enough to sell on ...

It is heavy but like many bikes once riding it's a great bike and you don't feel that weight at all, I even had some fun with it off road, light trails mind. My daughter who's been on the back of most of my bikes said it was the most comfy.

I never found the Roman track, just gave myself bellyache wandering about. I will be going back when I can cover more ground. Took a few pictures as I blundered about amongst the trees. At one point a squirrel froze mid tree scaling and tried to pretend I couldn't see him.

Lovely photos Pete but you've got some neck calling that a water crossing. That's just where some Donkey had pissed in the hedge

Nice one Fred, just remember that as I lost mine first so I have seniority The Begwyn Hills, I love it up there That step doesn't look as big as it used to be, I can remember wrestling my 950 up there about ten years and then firing the big girl up over the step. I really don't think I could do that nowadays. You must be the only trail rider to have gone out riding with two monopeds

You must mean ' El Ginge '

Round one goes to Grasshopper, the contenders seem to be knocking themselves out, round two bell in 3..2...

I'll need two votes then

He sounds exactly as expected, a bit queer.

Same here i'm going to vote for myself so i don't feel left out

Or wrapped round a post box, that’s always a good one.

Hearding those birds must have been some work, I'll give you that!

Not without a grizzly bear.

I showed compassion. I voted for bobo, he is ugly and a disabled and we should care for our most vulnerable.

The poppies in my garden are very lovely this year.

You were lucky you weren’t swept away. and we were equally unlucky...

Nice thing you stopped for a picture by that river, Pete! Such a mass of water commands respect!

Bet her fellas not too happy about that and wheres those pictures

That’s an understatement.

WWBD*. *What would Bruce do?

Campfire? I LOVE CAMPFIRES!

You're one of us......so of course we care Michelle! Not everybody can be one of us you know......you've got to be "special". What you say @Tym?

You keep playing likethat and you;ll need floatation devices! Mindless pm warning with mega dildo points!

It was touch and go that I got through it Tym......but Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man!

And the sign should have said!.... Wise words.

And in case you thought I was exaggerating......here's the proof that it really was a river!

That must be a pain in the ass for the painters