This month's workday focussed on checking signage along sections of routes NCR68 and NCR549. However, with reports that trees had fallen across sections of the Tissington trail north of Ashbourne we went prepared for a major clearing operation.
It was lovely to see Peter and Jill in the car park at Ashbourne before we set off, and to hear how they are finally recovering from their severe bout of long-Covid. Hopefully they will be back with us at our next work day.
David, Catherine Brian and myself set off north along NCR68 up to the car park at Tissington for a coffee and a warm up. The edges of the trail are littered with trees that have fallen, but they have all been sawn up, presumably by rangers, and my bow saw stayed firmly in the pannier! Catherine and I rode ahead up the trail and were lucky enough to have, first of all, a large buzzard fly only a few metres ahead us and then, what we think was a sparrowhawk. A lovely brush with the natural world on a cold, grey morning.
The coffee at Tissington station was most welcome, but with a cold wind blowing it was not appropriate to hang around for any longer than was necessary. We carried on up the trail to Alsopp en le dale where we veered off down to Dovedale and the lovely ride on the Staffordshire side of the river up to Milldale, and then on to Wetton.
We have stopped at the church tearooms in Litton before, but today we had the chance to have our lunch there (cash only). Very pleasant. After a big lunch the most appropriate way to go was down! It is a long way down from Wetton to Weags Bridge on the Manifold Trail (NCR549) but by the time we started to bike along the valley bottom a very watery, feint sunshine was peeping through grey clouds. I have never seen so much water in the River Hams; for much of the year the water disappears underground. Again, a lot of felled tres alongside the trail but not sure whether this was part of a grand regeneration project, or clearance of storm debris.
It is such a delightful ride along the Manifold trail and at Waterhouses there is the added attraction of watching the woolley pigs rooting around happily in knee-deep mud.
We finished our ride by leaving NCR549 and heading back to Ashbourne via the lovely settlements of Calton, Throwley, Ilam, Blore and Mapleton. Water in the Manifold still very high but just a few signs that Spring is just around the corner.
We had a short detour into the very simple church at Blore, where David showed us the incredible sculpture that lies within it; we are not sure where all the hands went to. Brian ended up walking back the last 1/2 mile to the car park with a puncture but otherwise a great end to a lovely ride. All the signage seemed to be in pretty good order and so it was not a particularly onerous day work wise!
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