Convoluted Loop around Gribdale

My ride from Gribdale Gate was not as originally planned. Having been on Guisborough Moor the previous day and checked out the wet bridleway from Castleton, I decided that no-one would thank me for a 2 mile paddle (this not being the canoeing section). Instead the ride was a convoluted loop around my favourite sections of bridleway in the area; although about 16 miles long with 2000 foot of climbing (so that's why my thighs are a bit sore), we were never more than about 2 miles from the cars, it's best described as a kidney-shaped ride!

There were 9 people out today, of whom 4 were new faces. When several of them began muttering about Polaris and KIMM and fell-running, I began to wish I had brought my stash of lead shot to secrete in their frames and slow them down; thankfully the mud did that instead, since the overnight frost didn't linger long enough.

From Gribdale, we set off to swing over Great Ayton Moor to the road by Lonsdale Plantation, and within seconds we were all walking, the mud on the first climb being especially tenacious. The five minute break at the top at least gave me a chance to reflect on the wisdom of second helpings at last night's curry. From then on, we set a 'good' pace, and the downhill to New Row and Kildale was taken enthusiastically. However what goes down must come up, so there was then a short but stiff climb back up to the excellent track round the west of Captain Cook's monument and down to near Great Ayton Station. Nobody bit at my random observation of a shortcut back to the cars, so we all headed off to Aireyholme Farm and the back of Roseberry Topping. A leisurely snack stop and then the fast wide run down to Hutton Village.

At this point someone realised that having gone down, the cars were now on the other side of Guisborough Moor, and there was therefore some climbing ahead; full marks that man. We slogged up the forest track to the foot of Highcliffe Nab, and I decided that rather than climb straight up to it, we could do a dog-leg to climb on easier gradients.

This translated into going straight on and downwards, and it wasn't until we had successfully lost all the height gained that we decided this was a bad idea. To regain this height (with remarkably no protests at the map reader), we then slogged and carried the bikes back up a very steep and muddy track until we at last got back to the Nab.

At this point we telepathically decided that going straight back to the cars rather than diverting to look at Roseberry Topping again was a very good idea, so we headed back across the Moor to Sleddale Farm and then back along the track we had set out on. And yes, the mud on the final descent was so bad that one rider was reduced to bottom gear just to cycle down it. Me, I walked!

The weather was glorious all day, clear blue skies, no breeze and excellent view, particularly from Highcliffe Nab. No falls, no refusals, nobody killed or lost without trace. Why can't all mountain biking days be like this?

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	Swaledale Outdoor Club

Convoluted Loop around Gribdale

Nigel Beaumont