CUCC touring trip to Acomb, Northumberland, Nov '03
Just to give you a flavour of what you missed this weekend if you didn't
manage to make it up to Northumberland.
Possibly the largest group of CUCC members ever to flee Cambridge
simultaneously (21 in total) made the journey up to Acomb, near Hexham, in
Northumberland on Friday night. By just after midnight everyone had made
it despite the best efforts of tailbacks and congestion on the A1.
Saturday dawned. Just. The weather forecasters had got it right - driving
rain and near gale force winds appeared to be the order of the day. The
road riders grouped up and headed off up to the north of Acomb towards
Otterburn, Winter's Gibbet and many other places. I was led to believe
that it was a very fast ride out with the wind and a rather slower one
back again...
The MTBers split into two groups, one fast paced and one slower with the
intention of riding some of the moorland singletrack to the south of
Hexham on Hexhamshire common, the site of the Autumn Polaris a few months
ago. One group of us (myself, Joe, Andrew, Phil and Mike), after exploring
a housing estate on top of a large hill (oops) wound our way towards
Greenrigg Moor and south on the tracks towards Allendale town. Bleak and
exposed yet strangely exhilerating, the pace which we set was one to keep
us nice and warm! After quite a long peaty track we hit the byway into
Allendale town and found a rather pleasant tea shop to spend some money
in. We did get a few strange looks from the locals... ...but no more than
usual! A couple of 1 in 6 climbs got the blood flowing again (although
this was debatable with Joe as his HRM kept reading about 41...!) as we
went back out into the driving rain and joined the byway up to Stobb Cross
and then over to Westburnhope Moor. The once smooth riding from the summer
was certainly somewhat more moist this time around! Our track out led up
the side of Hangman Hill and Lilswood Moor towards Kings Law. We decided
at that point that we'd already ridden quite hard and fast and it was time
to get back before we got any colder and wetter! Quite a rapid trip back
with a near-gale behind us!
Group by group we reassembled at the YH as warmed up again. However,
halfway through the showering and drying we somehow managed to to pull a
touch more electricty than the hostel supply was rated at and blew the
main fuse. Plunged into darkness with nowt but a coal fire and bad jokes
for company we waited for the man from Norweb to come! A few hours later
he did, somewhat bemused (?), at which point we agreed it would be wise to
adjourn to the local pub. We all slept pretty soundly that night!
The next day dawned in a slightly more promising way then the previous,
with a glimmer of sunshine and virtually no wind! Perfect! Again we split
up into 3 minus a few people sadly due to coughs, cold and general malady
probably brought on by the conditions the previous day. Myself, Hop, Chris
and Howard rode out from the hostel towards brunton bank and then over the
North Tyne on road to fourstones before heading onto a track which went
past the memorial to Baden Powell's first ever scout camp. Sadly the
track dissipated somewhat and led us straight into a farm complete with
awaiting farmer... Thankfully, nothing too confrontational, just a
consensus that the OS had got it wrong... From there we headed north on a
long, long, grassy, rolling track across Simonburn common which evetually
led into Wark forest. Here we passed the other MTB group going at great
speed! Some swift forest riding followed leading us onto a farm track
which ended in a boggy footpath. Oops. A little walking put us back on the
right track again and we rode onwards until we got to Hadrian's wall at
Steel Rigg. An awesomely beautiful stretch of countryside, complete with
ancient artifatcs! Perfect. Since time was ticking on, we rode back to
Hexham on Hadrian's cyucleway, otherwise known as Sustrans route 72 which
was by and large downhill and rather pleasant!
Everything was over far too quickly as usual, but then it won't be long
until the next one!
Many thanks to:
+ Jonathan, Chris Jones and James, Petes Leek and Watson and Andrew for
driving
+ Chris Jones for leading the saturday MTB ride and getting 'flu
+ Andrew for leading the sunday MTB ride
+ Everyone for a good weekend!
Bart
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