24th July 2024
Wednesday night was this weeks adventure night. Graham mentioned last week that due to family commitments that he couldn’t do Thursday so rather than cancel we arranged our adventure for Wednesday.
After the problems I had in our adventure last week I thought it was best to renew my brake pads. It’s a tricky little job which I have done on numerous occasions so wasn’t a problem. My bike uses a hydraulic braking system similar to a car, so after the job was completed a quick test ride was in order all felt good. Job done.
Graham once again arrived early at my house so as soon as we were organised we set off. He had come prepared with his waterproofs in his backpack “ Just in case pal “ he informed me but I preferred to wear just a tee shirt and shorts. Neither of us took a jumper.The weather had gradually shifted during the day from glorious sunshine to cloudy skies with possible chance of rain forecast.
We set off through Leverhulme Park and then onto Seven Acres Country Park, it was here we came to a collapsed fence blocking our path which had obviously been caused by vandalism, not as Graham suggested a gust of wind . I decided it best to push my bike through but Graham chose to ride his, but that didn’t last long , from behind me I heard “ argh ouch, oh blinking eck “ has he hit the first fence post , and was forced to dismount , “ probably could have rode that 10 years ago but not now pal“ I stated .
We were only 10 minutes into our adventure when going down a steep stepped section a disaster was narrowly averted. As I pulled my front brake lever nothing happened and I hurtled down just managing to come to a stop just before the steep drop down to the river below . After a check of my underwear , and an inspection of my bike it became apparent that one of the front brake pads was now missing. It was either an error on my part or a faulty part , most likely the former. Extreme biking is certainly a dangerous sport!!
I took the decision to carry on with our adventure, we’re Extreme Bikers, so it’s all just part of the adventure. Now with only having my rear brake it meant that I would have to be a little more cautious especially where hills were concerned.
We could see in the distance a very large crane looming on the horizon which obviously needed to be investigated. It turned out to be part of a water improvement project being carried out on Bradshaw Brook. The pipes they were using were huge and Graham pointed out that we could possibly even ride inside them , one was even called “Tracey”
As we left the site behind us we rode through Longsight Park in search of a path that would lead us down over Bradshaw Brook and up to Bradshaw Brow. We rode across the field following our map for guidance, it was then in the distance we spotted another large crane, next we came upon a solid, high, metal fence that blocked our path. Cautiously we tried to circumvent the fence on foot as we searched for a way round. We eventually found a possible route, so Graham insisted we give it a try “ coz were on an adventure pal “ so that’s just what we did. We had to man handle our bikes through trees and bushes right at the side of the steep bank down to the brook. At one point Graham walked over to a possible route down to the bridge we had spotted. I soon realised that it was a non starter , his face was a picture, and knowing my fear of heights he looked at me and said “ I wouldn’t look down there pal “ with a quiver in his voice.
After some serious off-road bike pushing we eventually found our way down to the bridge. Once across our fortunes didn’t improve much. We were met with yet another large metal fence blocking our path, this one was still under construction but they wouldn’t let us through. Not giving up we made our way up to an open field and with our Extreme Biker skills spotted that some of the grass had been flattened and highlighted by the rain , revealing ever so slightly what looked like a way forward .
It was and we soon found ourselves confronted with a mass of barriers we had to navigate around before we could get ourselves onto Bradshaw Brew. Here we crossed over the road and skirted up passed Bradshaw Cricket Ground following the path of the brook. The weather now had changed and we were riding through drizzle , that light rain that wets you through, I asked Graham “ Do you want to stop and put on your waterproofs “ he replied gentlemanly “ no pal I’ll feel guilty if I’m nice and dry and you’re not “ what a bestie he is . Now with that sorted, we continued on past Bradshaw Hall Fisheries until we reached our turn off at the base of Jumbles reservoir. We paused whilst we took in the site of the dam above us and the huge drain off pipes.
After a slight climb we passed a sign for Ousel Nest Meadows which is a new one for us. Apparently it takes its name from the Old English word for the Blackbird. Soon we were on Grange Road, here we needed to find a path that would take us over the railway, that was easier said than done, we actually missed it twice, but eventually we were over the bridge which Graham described as deadly due to it being an iron structure which made it quite slippery in the rain.
Emerging on to Hillside Rd we turned right up Chapeltown Road which is a steep and steady climb. As I huffed and puffed breathing heavier and heavier as we made our way up I could hear the same sounds coming from Graham behind me . He shouted out “how long does this go on for I’m knackered “ , so was I, but we pushed on through the pain barrier. I called back “ only a few hundred more feet pal “ .We both breathed a sigh of relief as we reached the summit. As we turned off up another road our hearts sank, we were met with yet another steep hill up Windy Harbour Lane. Eventually we did reach the top, both shattered , the earlier trek through the woods had obviously taken its toll on us both. As we rested I informed Graham we were initially going to ride up through Turton Golf club but I sensed that might stretch our friendship, so instead I suggested we just ride through Last Drop Village and then head towards home . He agreed immediately.
We headed into the village which is basically a hotel and spa with a few boutiques , shops and a pub. Now Graham being Graham set off to see if the pub he remembered from his youth was still there, indeed it was. The Drop Inn and lo and behold it was open. I suggested to him we should pause for a refreshment but he said he’d no money on him , proper old school our Graham, I said “ Not a problem matey I’ll pay on my phone” . Sat outside with our beverages we could only do one thing , an ahh video.
We have been sending these to each other for years now, there’s even a compilation video on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e30kuMmW6Jo
Suitable refreshed we decided to visit the toilet as we didn’t want to get caught short on the way home. As I got up to go to the toilet Graham asked “ where are you going ? “ , “ toilets “ I replied “ oh I can’t go if you’re going pal can’t wee if you’re there”. I couldn’t believe it, friends for 40 years and I never knew that.
Graham had spotted something as we had entered the pub and on our exit he said “ fancy going in the Stocks and I’ll get a photo “ well how could I refuse. As I sat there legs locked in the Stocks a rather posh couple entered the pub “ we should have brought some rotten tomatoes with us , pity to waste an opportunity “ the woman said, as she passed me sat there with reference to her throwing tomatoes at me, cheeky old bugger I thought. After we both had our turns in the Stocks it was time to head home Graham led the way as we had decided to head home via road, rather than the way we’d come through the woods to save time.
After our cold beers we were feeling the chill of the evening, even to the point Graham mentioned he’d wished he’d brought his jumper ( a reference to Ebay Wears A Jumper )
We rode through the car park and to our surprise a large housing development had sprung up, since we’d been there last. Graham said that he didn’t like them as they were in his words, too bland .
We got to the junction with Darwen Rd to be confronted with a sign ROAD CLOSED but this didn’t stop Graham so off we rode down picking up momentum as we did. As I passed Graham he called out “ not too fast there Ebay you’ve only got one brake remember “ obviously in reference to the countless times I had told Graham “ I’ll have to watch what I’m doing pal don’t forget I’ve only got one brake!! “
The road was being resurfaced farther down but it was still open . As we came to the unsurfaced area we slowed down but not as slow as the car in front did “ you could walk faster “ Graham exclaimed. We therefore overtook it, only for it to speed up and pass us on the opposite side of the road a little farther on, when I heard Graham call out sarcastically “ wow why don’t you give us a bit of room there “ . No sooner had the car passed us it pulled up in front of us and signalled to turn right, Graham was now a little peeved and shouted to me ““ bloody women drivers “ I called back “I thought it was a man” . Now comedy is all about timing and Graham got it spot on.“ No definitely a woman pal …………………………but disguised as a man “, well I nearly fell off my bike.
The traffic lights at the end of the road were on red so whilst we waited I mentioned to Graham about visiting the site where we saw the sad remains of an old Rover car back in 2019 in Rover And Out . The house where the car is was now secured by a metal gate with warning signs. Undeterred by this I managed to get in but sadly it was now almost completely hidden, this will probably be the last time we ever see it .
The rest of the ride home was pretty uneventful and we soon parted company , home for tea and a promise to message each other as soon as he was safely home.
