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up the downs

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:57 am
by garyboy

Re: up the downs

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 6:25 am
by daveuprite
Really like that Ridgeway shot. Typical of that trail. Many years ago, I walked the whole thing end to end, staying in pubs and youth hostels etc.

Can you ride the whole thing on a bike, or is it just certain sections now?

Re: up the downs

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 9:40 am
by boboneleg
Looks like we missed you by a day Garry, we were there on Tuesday

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Re: up the downs

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 11:10 am
by Richard Simpson Mark II
Looks hot up there...

Gotta love Wiltshire

Re: up the downs

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 11:19 am
by Richard Simpson Mark II
daveuprite wrote: Thu Aug 09, 2018 6:25 am Really like that Ridgeway shot. Typical of that trail. Many years ago, I walked the whole thing end to end, staying in pubs and youth hostels etc.

Can you ride the whole thing on a bike, or is it just certain sections now?

Sadly it became a bit of a battleground with an organisation called the 'Friends of the Ridgeway' and much was lost.

It was despicable. At points where the route crossed tarmac roads, it was ploughed up to stop people driving on it in ordinary cars to deter 'dogging'.

the churned up earth was then presented as 'evidence' of 'damage' by trail bikes...like you can pull a five-furrow reversible with an XR200!

To be fair, it did attract a number of idiots on bikes who used to come and 'do the ridgeway' (ie blast up and down it as fast as they could). Such a shame as there are many other lovely trails in the area, some of which were accessed off the ridgeway.

There was a TV programme about trail riding in which it featured...and a folk album too.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridgeriders

Re: up the downs

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 11:49 am
by boboneleg
Richard Simpson Mark II wrote: Thu Aug 09, 2018 11:10 am Looks hot up there...

Gotta love Wiltshire
I've never been so dusty Richard, I don't think I'll ever encounter such dry conditions again while trail riding for the rest of my days.

Re: up the downs

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 12:18 pm
by Stewie
The views from a lot futher east on the North Downs way.
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Re: up the downs

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 12:24 pm
by chunky butt
That looks great there, albeit a bit dry and dusty..... :D

Re: up the downs

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:49 pm
by zimtim
Last time I was up there with some of the KTM guys six of us were spread out over mile or more as the dust was that bad.

The next mornings bowel movement was like passing a tube of 180grit sandpaper I had swallowed that much dust.

Re: up the downs

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:28 pm
by Richard Simpson Mark II
boboneleg wrote: Thu Aug 09, 2018 11:49 am
Richard Simpson Mark II wrote: Thu Aug 09, 2018 11:10 am Looks hot up there...

Gotta love Wiltshire
I've never been so dusty Richard, I don't think I'll ever encounter such dry conditions again while trail riding for the rest of my days.
Broke my elbow in similar conditions on the Plain...following my brother, I was unsighted by dust, and ended up hitting one of the concrete pads the army put where the byways cross tarmac roads with the front brake on and the forks bottomed out.

The chalkdust had turned the concrete into a shove ha'ppeny table: I got highsided and landed on the concrete on my left elbow, which shattered.

I didn't enjoy riding home to Gloucester on my Husky 610 very much. One year later, I could straighten my left arm, which my lovely physio girlie said was an unexpectedly good result. I went out and got strap-on elbow pads before I went trail riding again.