Whinlatter Meet

This weekend (01/07 – 03/07) is a meetup around Whinlatter in the Lakes for some real mountainboarding!

We visited here last year and it was great – awesome scenery, long rides, a pub near the campground…. You can read a write up of it here.

This year we are planning a spot of night riding on the Friday night to bag the Osprey Run that we weren’t allowed to ride last year.

After that, I am sure we will exploring the mountainbike trails at Whinlatter Forest and there is always the option of visiting centre Surf the Turf.

Everyone is welcome and if you are interested in joining us, check out the thread on Surfing Dirt or the Facebook page.

Freeride NW Map

I am creating and will be updating the Freeride NW Map with locations of trails that I have scouted and a few notes on them.

View Freeride NW in a larger map

This is very much inspired by the Mountainboard Ride Guide compiled by mountainboarding-guru Roger Swannell et al.

View Mountainboard Ride Guide in a larger map

I hope to do something similar, but focus it just for the NW area.

Other tools I am currently testing out are iPhone apps Outside and MotionX.

Outside is a free map resource app that scales from UK wide road networks down to OS level detail. The App seems to work pretty well using 3G and can be used as a GPS.

MotionX is priced at approx £1.50 and also doubles as a similar GPS device. MotionX allows you to record your track – recording your path against the map, and details distance, average and top speeds. It seems to have everything I need and I will let you know how it’s faring after more testing.

Grindleton Fell - Fail

I spent this morning scouting up at Grindleton Fell in Bowland Forest.

It was a bit of a dud. On the OS map it looked promising; a nice piece of woodland with a mile long single track descending about a hundred metres.

It didn’t start off well… I parked at a nearby quarry approx a mile from the top of the forest. According to the map (and nearby signs) there was a footpath that led across a mile of moorland to the forest. Unfortunately this path cut you right through the middle of a bog. I managed to skirt round the bog as much as possible – but it took an hour to even reach the forest, by which point I was knackered and soaked.

When I finally reached the forest, I found the track and it was a bust. Approx 18 inches wide, waterlogged mud, ankle breaking potholes and large boulders down its length. Annoyingly the gradient seemed nice and meant that it could be rideable in better conditions – but not today.

I decided to call it a day at that point. Annoyingly, whilst adding it to the Freeride NW map, I noticed an access road that leads directly to the forest – making the approach much easier.

Summary – probably not worth the hassle for just one track, but I might check it out again if there’s a drought and it completely dries out.

Public Service Announcement on bogs – they are very dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. It is better to walk miles round one than cutting through one. Bogs are like mossy/muddy quicksand. You can suddenly come across them in the middle of moorland and the depth can vary drastically – from a couple of inches deep (which is annoying and might end with you losing your shoe) to metres deep, which is deadly.

Whilst skirting round this one today I slipped and stepped out of place – my entire weight went on my right leg which sank to my thigh. Luckily it was only one leg which I was able to pull out. If it had been both legs, I wouldn’t have been able to. If you fall in one – don’t panic! Spread your weight out over the largest surface area by leaning back (or using your board for example) and try to roll yourself to an edge, where it is more solid and you can heave yourself out – don’t kick or struggle or you will only sink more.

Welcome you dirty dirty people!

Hi people and welcome to Freeride NW – this blog is dedicated to my mountainboard antics ‘ere up north.

Don’t know what mountainboarding is? Then check out the links below for more info (especially the ATBA-UK one) and get riding!

Know what mountainboarding is but not freeriding? Then you’re a heathen and must be schooled!!! Freeriding is a non-competitive way of riding – its all about the way you get from point A to point B (and then point C if you aren’t great at stopping)…be it down a mountain, through a forest, on roads, across a golf course or around a park. Or all of them at the same time.

I’m based in Lancashire and really need to get away from my few local spots and start finding some more hidden gems. I say “hidden gems”…but there are hills all around me that I haven’t stepped foot on – let alone start exploring the Lakes.

I hope the blog will get me out exploring more…maybe inspire other people to get out riding and exploring more and hopefully become a bit of a resource for any riders up here (or anyone who’s half interested).

The mountainboarding community is great…but spread a bit thinly. Riders and resources are out there – but can take a bit of finding. So, I’m going to try and focus on highlighting new riding spots, advertising any upcoming meet-ups/events, sharing the knowledge and anything I end up rambling on about.