Saturday – Garburn Pass Mountain Biking
The weather on Saturday was cold and showery. So after a late start and some essential household chores had be achieved (including second breakfast and a café latte 😛 ) we decided the best way to get some fresh air and exercise was a ride on the mountain bikes. We’ve been out on the bikes a few times in the past weeks so our legs are a bit more used to the pain, and our bums are a bit more used to the saddle, so we decided to go over the Garburn Pass and descend towards Ings. Wow, the slog up from Kentmere to the col at the top of the Garburn Pass is a killer. I was knackered. We were even overtaken by a fell runner. But we did manage some overtaking of our own, passing another pair of cyclists.
The Garburn Pass used to be a really rocky and technical descent. However, its been significantly improved and levelled. Not so much fun from a technical point of view but a good deal safer and a whole lot faster! 😮 Not that it was possible to go at full-speed as the slate used to improve the trail was very wet. We even had a snow storm going over the col!
Here’s a GPX track of our journey…
Sunday – Trowbarrow Quarry
Sunday’s weather was much nicer. Sunny! 😀 However, it was still very cold so a sheltered and sunny location was required for the day’s outdoor entertainment. Trowbarrow Quarry is a little over familiar. But there’s a reason for that – it is sunny, sheltered, and has a selection of really great routes across a good range of grades. Perfect really.
The weather was a threat though. We could see intense storms rolling off the Lakeland fells, and every now and again we could just make out a few drops of rain in the air. We kept our fingers crossed and hoped the squalls tracked south and missed our location. Of course we couldn’t be lucky every time. One squall came right over us and for 30 minutes or so we were pelted with hail stones! Luckily I was at the top and missed having to climb in the onslaught. Looking down the route at Laetitia the crag had adopted a wintry look – all the edges and ground had become white, covered in a thick layer of hail stones. 😯 These promptly melted when the squall passed and the sun came out again. Then of course the rock became soaked. I sat on top, damp and cold, Laetitia stood at the bottom (wrapped in her duvet and waterproof jackets), wondering what to do next … the rock dried off … and we started climbing again! 😀
It was cold though. So much so that I think I put a fair bit more effort in to the climbing than I really needed to. This is something I’ve noticed I do often when I can’t feel my fingers, I pull extra hard to be certain I’ve really got hold of the holds. I can see that I’m holding on, but I can’t feel that I am. Anyway, today my arms and fingers are sore. 😉 A great day and adventure even in a very familiar location.
