You definitely wouldn't want to cycle into one of those anti-tank devices in the dark, they seem to blend in a bit too well for my liking!
I'd be very happy to re-run that route, it's quite a nice length of loop with a nice variety of scenery and really well suited to a roadster type bike. Hopefully we'll get a few more nice sunny Saturday mornings in the next month or so...
Had a look for any reference to TV programme that went inside but nowt. Memory says it was along the lines of secret or hidden Britain. There's several other sites that have pics of exterior and interior, Forestry Commission apparently did tours.
Another of the pics from last weeks holiday was from Sunday where I spent the day mtbing in the Hartz Mountains.
My good friend Franzi who we were staying with mentioned before I left home that her boss's son was a bike mechanic and he had organized for me to go riding with himself when I was over and just needed my shorts, jersey and gloves, he would sort the rest. I went to a BBQ at his dads the night before and when I met Felix I wondered what I was in for, Specialized Epics and Enduros along with Canyon downhill machines everywhere, hanging from the walls of the basement. I thought I might be in over my head.
I worked out in the morning that the Canyon with a really impressive but understated spec was a young guy I had met the night before, Mark who is at Uni majoring in composites, mainly carbon fibre with thermal dynamics. It was a nice Canyon but the wheels were something else, being DT Swiss hubs and rims though he was running tubes not tubeless. He said that he runs light weight tubes and suptle tyres and this way he knows in the mountains he can patch a tube and not get stuck as he did once when tubeless so rather than carry a tube in case, he just carries it in his tyre with a bit of air
It took us about an hour and a half, maybe more to get to the mountains and get to the top at a little village that even at this mid morning hour was heaving, carparks in the village were full, one had around 60 or so motorbikes coming and going and was solely for motorcycles. Really busy sort of place like a sort of tiny Aviemore or Rothiemurcus on a bank holiday. The main town was at the bottom of the mountain section we were on. We parked in a carpark about half a kilometre away near one of the trail heads and got bikes off and sorted. I was given the loan of a friends Bergamont Contrail 29'er with full Fox suspension both ends as well as a dropper seatpost. Very nice indeed, though again made me wonder what I was about to ride, trail wise. It was already heading towards about 30 degree but cooler in the trees so the climb up the first summit was nice in the cool mountain air especially with 2 x 10 gearing to help, I was flying up the hill and I must admit it was nice. We got to one section and Mark said we have a short technical climb then a bit of a rocky technical descent for about a kilometre and I thought here we go, I'm either going to get hurt here or be blown out the back. To be fair it was fine, I climbed up the climb waiting for the technical stuff only to find it was done and then the downhill part was really big rocks and slab stuff so I was especially fine. I am fine with the techy stuff and years of racing enduro on the morobike means I can pick a line from way out but I can't do it a million miles an hour and so we were all together and riding along like we had been doing it together for ever, a bit of a relief. This section I would have cleared easily on my 1X1 but I imagine slower as the suspension came into play here. Though not as much as you may expect as Mark pionted out to me at the bottom that the crazy Aussie had ridden it with his shock and fork locked out. How the fu** was I to know, I'm a rigid singlespeeder! If I thought this bike was good before it was absolutely sublime for the rest of the ride now I had freed it!
The riding was very similar to ours here in the highlands with hiking trails and then due to some recent storms there were quite a few trees down on some of the lesser used singletrack trails so we had a bit of hike a bike stuff, so besides the heat and dust the terain was similar to here. We climbed a huge rock in the middle of the forest and had the most amazing veiws off the mountains. I also came round on bend on a well formed trail with a few hikers about so was taking it easy to pass three guys on randonneur bikes with panniers and handlebar bags etc. I slowed and said hello as I checked out their bikes and Mark said to me the part of the trail we were on is a trail that goes right over the Hartz mountains and covers about 160 kilometres from one end to the other and is well mapped and marker posts every 5 kilometres. All I could think was Brian and Jamie could take the randonneur rides off shore next year
We then did a few more climbs and descents before heading back to the village of Toffhouse for some lunch and a couple of cold drinks. I had a currywurst and frites (huge sausage with a sort of tomato sauce sprinkled with curry powder and chips and thought I better not have a beer so drank pepsi as I didn't know whether we were finished or about to ride back up the steep mountain again. Unfortunately we were just about done, it was well later than I thought and we rode the couple of kilometres back and loaded up.
A great day with some good guys who were really cool to take me along. My German is almost non exsistant and Felix and Wolfgangs was OK whereas Mark had excellent english but once riding non of this stuff mattered as it's pretty universal communication when your riding.
Just thought I would share as it was something different but great fun.
Car shows and bike rides, sounds like a great trip Jamie.
Don’t get too soft with all this new tangled bike technology.
Also, don’t fret over you suspension mishap, Keith and I do it all the time. We’ve developed a buddy system to remind each other to check before we head off downhill.
Cheers Clubby
Yeah it was a good holiday. We certainly packed a lot in as we try and do each time we are over but this time was very busy, days in Hamburg, circus at Autostadt, BBQs with friends, canoeing, mtbing, visiting everyone, certainly need to come home for a rest.
I don't fret about the tech especially at the prices it comes at but maybe I will dable in a bit of suspension or maybe even a 1 x 10 for the Pugs, maybe. Enough to keep Brian worried though All good fun though.
Had to get out for a ride today and will also hopefully be out with Brian tomorrow.
After being away and the finally getting settled back in with a few needed to do chores this morning I thought it was time to get the Big Dummy out and give myself a proper workout. I needed to ride it to check a couple of settings as I have an 'accessory' coming for the Big Dummy, well that was my excuse anyway.
Heather and Caleb headed to town and said they would be at a friends after that so I said I will go riding and hopefully meet up at the friends. I headed away from the coast and tried as hard as I could to avoid the strong 30mile an hour wind coming from the west, only problem was I needed to head due west for about 12 mile. I had loaded Calebs helmet so that he could head home with me once I picked him up but it was a slow ride for a good section of it as the wind was relentless. I did stop and get a photo with some giant chickens that live locally (Rheas). I was thinking big bike, big chicken
Arrived to an enjoyable and much appreciated drink and coffee and after sitting around longer than planned thought I better head home, especially as Caleb wanted to go round the coast and explore a couple of pathways/trails behind the sand dunes at Dunnet Beach. Weather was looking a bit iffy but was changing all the time due to the wind but we had a good ride home and fun around the beach too. A bit easier heading back but while a tailwind in parts I did have 25 kg on the back now
Jamie
Wind blowing straight up this road, I am heading about few miles the other side of the big hill behind the bike. DSCN5129 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr
Weather was far better this afternoon than yesterdays wind and cloud. So it was back out for a leisurely cruise round on the Big Dummy, met the family at friends in Dunnet for a cuppa and then I headed for the beach before looping back home for about half seven.
Really been getting into the Big Dummy again lately and it is getting something a bit 'xtra' in the next couple of weeks to make it more fun, so all's good on the cargo front.
I am back to work tomorrow after a couple of weeks off I know, it's sad but I will struggle on. I have had such a great holiday from being in Germany with the family to just enjoying my riding for the sake of riding.
Hope the weather and riding was good for my fellow macretros
I know, it's sad but I will struggle on. I have had such a great holiday from being in Germany with the family to just enjoying my riding for the sake of riding. 
