Brenhden's TET

[garyboy]

Nice to have something like that on your doorstep, I looks like a really popular off road area.

yes .. its TOO popular .. the worst culprits are the 4x4 crew .. but they are also the best saviours, fighting for the byway rights and clearing the trail after the local mad farmer, who blocks them with various nasty things

the black mounds are the Brad tips (llanbradach slag heaps) .. some call them the `witches tits`

some of the trail is quite treacherous in the wet, due to our slippy welsh brown (boulder-) clay,
and the sloppy bits can be very dirty.

its a shame about the fly tipping, ..but there are fab views there.

[Simon_100]

Was that last bit one of those ancient deep lanes - I think there's a special word for them? - that you get in places like the South Downs, etc.

Simon

I believe they're called Holloways.

Yes, that's it, thanks. Reminds me of a great book, The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane - a great Xmas stocking filler for your list!

Regs

Simon

[Paul_C]

Yes, I enjoyed reading that.

[Brenhden]

TET Day three.

Today was a really different day, I’d decided to stay a bit more local, pick some easier trails and was lucky enough to have a friend along too. Early start and up to Gloucester to meet Rob and the first thing I noticed was how much more free flowing the Rally is now. It’s nearly time for its first service do soon it will be power time. So far the only issues I’ve noticed is that the fuel gauge reads empty at half full and something weird about the back brake (but more on that later).

1.jpg (170.46 KiB) Viewed 3096 times

Rocked up to Churchdown skate park which is a great meeting place as it has a WC and Rob rocked up a few minutes later. After a quick comparison of the 690 Enduro and the Rally and we were off. Two minutes later a closed road took us on a lengthy detour to get to our first trail but it was worth it and so different to Wales. Almost all the trails we rode were long narrow and rutted by bikes, the local TRF are some seriously lucky people as there are so many trails in the Cotswolds. The first time one opened out we stopped for a quick photo.

2.jpg (164.92 KiB) Viewed 3096 times

In the mud and the leaves my Rally was squirming around all over the shop, whereas the 690 with is fancy suspension and maxxis enduro tyres was having a much easier time of it.

3.jpg (127.35 KiB) Viewed 3096 times

[Brenhden]

What followed was a lot more hilly and wet than I was expecting for the region we looped vaguely southeast for a few hours heading down super steep gulley trails, up roads and alongside muddy fields. We saw beaters and flag wavers and heard a lot of guns too. At one point I stopped to turn my rear ABS off and immediately realised that rather than there being something wrong with the rear brake it had just been the alien feeling of the ABS cutting in.
Getting close to lunch time and this little chap popped out to say hi:

4.jpg (231.15 KiB) Viewed 3098 times

He walked right up to me and wouldn’t go. He then turned and went to Rob, After a few photos I left them too it and a minute later this happened:



Stomachs rumbling we pulled into Bisley and went into the Bear Inn. What a fantastic place, we were a bit soggy from the constant drizzle so tea, scampi and chips was ordered and all was right in the world.

6.jpg (117.2 KiB) Viewed 3098 times

[Brenhden]

7.jpg (230.48 KiB) Viewed 3103 times

There was a lot of this today:



Two more hours of trail riding which included miles of rutted tracks and an extremely grumpy one eyed terrier took us almost to Tetbury and we decided to call it a day.

Now the engine seems to have loosened up the 50 milestrip home seemed to fly by.

Distance 80km time 5hours

What I learnt this time:
Gloucestershire is full of lanes.
I need to let some air out of my tyres to help with grip.
When you clean a Rally after a day in the mud you need to get your hand inside the engine fairing, there was maybe 2kg of mud and leaves in there!
Don’t mess with Barry the Pheasant!

10.jpg (241.93 KiB) Viewed 3103 times

[pinball1008]

Brilliant, thank you

[boboneleg]

Well done Brenhden, some cracking lanes in that area, one of my favourite areas. I haven't taken my rally off road yet, I'm probably being a bit too precious with it

[PHILinFRANCE]

To often i read out this closing and that closing in the UK and nowhere to ride but you seem to have found more than enough Bren , cheers mate ,enjoyed that
PiF

[diggermanbob]

Great stuff Brenhden , you are up in my neck of the woods now !!! Lots of mud and wet leaves