Autumn Cut Gate special

Slightly Underestimated?

Ride Date: 03/10/2016

Distance: 32 Miles

Climbing: 4000ft

Route: Derwent Edge > Cutgate> Derwent Edge

Riders : Jake, Matt, Duncan, Paddy & Mick


It's been a while since we did a "mid week escape" so when Mick mentioned we should get one in before the bad weather arrived we were keen to sort a date, with folks busy everywhere we came up with an early autumn ride and chose Cut Gate as the venue, then ride plan had multiple options so long as we squeezed in a bit more than just Cut Gate itself. We opted for a starting at The Yorkshire Bridge and an up & over of Derwent Edge to warm up. Not much can be said, the ride up to Whinstone Lee Tor took us through the clouds and into lovely sunshine & blue skies, the trails were dry and the climb very pleasant.

The climb up to Whinstone Lee Tor was Breathtaking, not in a bad way

After admiring the view & taking some photos we climbed further and hit the dipper after the gate rota was sorted, the descent was excellent, although it's never not.
Next up was a the steady ride along the banks of the reservoirs to slippery stones and the push/ride/hike up to the cairn on the southern end of Cut Gate. Once over the lunarscape we let loose and kept off the brakes on this well renowned singletrack down to the trail split.
Time for a quick breather and off over North America, just a quick interlude for puncture repairs and we were rolling up at the Bank View Cafe for breakfast.

Mick tries out the latest offering from Yeti

Once fully replenished it was back on to the trails and the steady climb back to the top of Cut Gate. There was some flagging by now, but as we reached the cairn all was forgotten for the descent down the other side, I jibbed the steps as usual. Rolling back along the reservoirs was hard going, some of us were certainly feeling the burn, one of the original plans had been to ride up Lockerbrook, down Hagg Farm, up The Beast and down off Win Hill, but there wasn't much enthusiasm for it. Paddy swung off at fairholmes to see a man about a dog, the rest of us carried on discussing options, we decided on a final push and with the famous mountain bike rules of "if you're out, you're out" & "all rides must finish with a down" echoing around we started the climb back up to Derwent Edge. It was tough I won't deny, water had run out, it's steep and rocky even with plenty of energy left. It was a relief to reach the top again.

Whinstone Lee Tor in the morning

It was an excellent run from top to bottom, the trail seemed to run really well, although I may have got lucky with the lines, I think most was on auto pilot though! 
After another quick puncture stop the pub was calling for some much needed hydration. 
A hard tough ride, severely underestimated, but none the less superb, the glorious weather and good trails helped.
Same again next year anyone?