THE MUDDY BUMS (aka "the Clarty Ars#ses") MOUNTAIN BIKING IN NORTHUMBERLAND AND BEYOND

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Where : Slymefoot Bridge, Alwinton, Sunday August 1st
Travel time : For future reference 1 hour 20 mins from Forest Hall
How many and who 5, Tom, Arthur, Dave Suzanne and Ian A
How Far 19 miles
Time Departed at 10.00am and returned to cars at 14.50pm 4 hrs 50 mins
Weather : Warm dry and a light breeze all day

Route  • Slymefoot Bridge-Trows-Murder Cleugh-Across Hazely Slack-Climb to the Pennine Way then left to Windy Gyle for an early lunch-Mozie Law-Beefstand Hill-Lamb Hill-Mountain Refuge Hut-Join Dere Street at Black Halls and then the border country ride over Deels Hill with a tarmac finish past Blindburn to the cars.

Highlights
• We still managed to loose Tom (Ride leader) as Suzanne peddled on past the left hand turn at Hazely Law and the rest followed her, after waiting five minutes we retraced our tracks and a helpful walker pointed us in the direction that Tom went.(Tom had been taking a picture of a rare dead thing!!)
• Lunch was at 11.45 as Julie wasn’t out we ate our bread, which tasted all the better for being illegal. Very surprised at how many wasps there were in the stone shelter at the top of Windy Gyle
• After leaving Windy Gyle the view to the left (South) was beautifull,but concentration had to be maintained on the trail especially at Foul Step(The tricky steep descent over very loose gravel and boulders) which had everyone playing it safe and pushing at some stage, except for our leader Top who rode the disappearing grass ridge to the left hand side until it was no more then to our surprise he fell off in a quite spectacular fashion ,although he didn’t have a helmet on today tut tut early onset of Alzheimer’s probably, he escaped with a minor leg wound, his head was no doubt protected by his substantial silver mane offering him at least two inches of buffer before impact.
• The map was out on two occasions only to confirm a correct route. Ian A was pleased to discover that his map had two sides he’s only had it for 15 years
• Suzanne had a dramatic fall into the heather as she stalled on one of the stone staircases, she cried out with laughter so no one stopped to assist as you don’t often get a chance to pass her.
• At the mountain refuge just as we were leaving what looked like the Von trap family came running towards us, The kids thought they seen Gandalf sitting on the porch deep in meditation ,twas only the hairy one having that condor moment, much to their dismay
• Deels Hill for the final descent saw Suzanne go through the second last gate sideways as she tried to scrub speed rather than knock Arthur off his bike. Super fast descent.
• Once back to the cars Tom headed home for a family engagement and the rest went to Barrowburn for a cup of coffee and a scone, Ian A and Suzanne went to the shed round the back to watch Farmer and café owner Ian clipping his sheep only to be greeted by half a dozen contactors having a well earned rest before finishing the last hundred sheep
• Arthur went to buy some wool off Ian for spinning and the rest of us left for home at quarter to four

Thanks for leading from the back Tom

Cheers,
Ian A