Devon TRF Group Forum

After discovering that I only rode the CRM seven or eight times last year I was determined to ride more often and so the first run of the year was posted. The six replies for the five places available was resolved when Wezz had something come up and dropped out. Mattyboy deserves credit for making the ride happen by asking me before the holidays when I would be going out and giving me another reason to post the ride. Crumbles said what a cracking time he had last time around but working this time. Mattyboy, Trevor Foxon, Stevenn, Tribey and Trackman were waiting when I arrived and after introductions and teasing Ray whom I have known for a decade or two we were on out way. Mid way along the first byway 202-028 where the one time country lane and current dog walkers alley is bisected by the 'new' housing estate a dog walker stopped to wrestle his dogs as we passed and  I thanked him as he held his mutts by the scruffs of their necks. 

The deep stiff muddy tractor ruts at the entrance to 060 tried to deflect my front wheel as I crossed them. Railing the berm at the bottom of the slope in preparation for the fun 3rd  gear and hang on ascent made more interesting by having to swing wide up one bank in order to cross the lane and use the momentum to ride up the other bank around the lobster pot effect of a fallen tree with it's branches facing me part way up the steep slope. I enjoyed the splendid views across South Devon on the dog leg descent for a fraction longer than I should and only just avoided dropping into the gully around the corner. 

At the start of 069 a lady pointed to something round the corner in front of me and I crept slowly around in time to see her weimaraner doing it's business in the middle of the road, determined to finish what it had started before obeying it's owners call. Further on three horse riders were grateful that we stopped our engines and pulled over to let them pass on their journey churchward.

White van man found plenty of room to pass us after the village but the small brown car following him slid right past me with wheels locked up, grrr, but no harm done.

Those following me had the sense to wait behind as I entered the shorter but deeper left side of the deep red puddle on 081 but were not unduely delayed by the CRM stalling as it restarted easily.

A sparrowhawk dived out of the hedge and flew uphill in front of me hoping to catch any small birds frightened out of the hedges by my passing but my snails pace uphill dodging big rocks had it pausing in a tree to wait for me. Two more horse riders thanked us for switching engines off as they passed on 080 after I had misjudged the depth of a puddle and ended up wearing most of it. 

The power company worker whom we met on 079 was kind enough to reverse quite a way till he could back into a gateway to let us pass. The overlay for 202-091 says it is mostly tarmac but may need amending as it is mostly mud now. Half a dozen sheep loose in the road near the farm made an interesting diversion as four wisely chose a wide gateway, one unwisely chose to try running through the gate opposite, causing a clang which made me wince, and one, the clever one, ran away in front of us.

I waited until a wide grass verge opposite before passing the little bleater.

Low sun and blinding reflections off the water made 101 unusually tricky and we slithered down descending 324's wet rocky slope covered in running water on the other side of the hill before the low sun silhouetted our path along 326.

Two girls with their Thelwell ponies watched us turn up 202-114. The travellers lurcher barely stirred as we passed on 115 and 322 was soon behind us as we rolled down the undulations of 118. It looked like mud but smelled bovine by the barn on 156 and no puppy today on 155. As we turned the 90 degree left into 160 my bike did a full 180 leaving me facing back the way we had come with one knee hooked over the tank and trying to hop uphill to remount as the bike tried to fallover. Only Mattyboy had time to enjoy my precarious position before equilibrium was re-aquired. 

We gave the ford outside the pub with it's deep icy water and slippery rounded boulders a miss and zigzagged up and around the hairpins on 164, 428 & 310 before recrossing the centre part of the hill via 163, 328 where we slowed to pass a family out walking and I heard a female voice say "that looks fun!" as we passed by in time for me to reply "it is!", up 428 again and this time an awkward off camber left turn into 165 where the new plastic tube buddle holes set into concrete seem to be keeping the corners mud free but the grassy section tests balance and the preceding steep rocky section punishes poor choice of line with no easy options. More moss than mud on the broken tarmac of 443. Low sun on the horizon meant the steep slippery grassy slope of 298 was only visible in silhouette.

Contrasting reflections from the light bouncing off the rippling stream meandering down 166 made the world seem black and white and the deteriorating repair on the steep bend before the bridge jolted me from my reverie. Two more power workers grinned as we squeezed by their pick up trucks either side of Poor bridge.

The repair on 187 makes the centre rut both wide and grippy enough to simplify the climb. One day I will take the time to count just how many rings there are across the cross sections of the massive tree whose halves bracket 201 mid way.

The old metal water pipe is showing above ground again lower down the lane more than a decade after winter storms left it hanging in mid air necessitating repairs. Another repair is deteriorating nicely on 200 with a challenging bumpy ascent over the exposed lumpy rocks. We paused for a photo at the end at a junction with commanding views.

Deep ruts after a small splash into 199 beyond the artistic chainsaw carvings in the garden. The repair on 186 has left large rocks without the material used to infill around them after a few winter storms washed the soil away. 4x4 use has churned up sections of 162 meaning care is needed but it is still a beautiful lane with a bit of everything.

DTRFG played no small part in retrieving 161 from disuse behind brambles and barbed wire to bring it back into use. Unfortunately the 4x4 users have churned up the mud by the bridge into something not solid enough the support a motorcycle but stiff enough to prevent one driving through it and it took a few minutes the extract my CRM after I seflessly demonstrated the wrong line through the quagmire after the long wet bit where the water was above foot peg height.

The sticky bit showing my failed attempt to create a new centre rut

I paused to change a camera battery in the gateway after 309 then had to move my bike to let the farmer through with the muck spreader on his tractor. Luckily for us the wind was going the other way as he let fly into the field beside 161. Low sun made 184 and 182 slow riding with guesswork and acts of faith involved as it is hard to ride one handed whilst shielding the eyes with the other, especially on a slippery off camber grassy slope. 

Suitably fortified and re-fuelled with both pasties and petrol we glanced at the end of the lane of pain on our way to 183 where a hundred sheep randomly spread across the landscape decided our six bikes looked enough like a pack of wolves to make flocking together the most important thing, ever, and they stood together and watched us putter by. 

The cows which have turned 333 into a quagmire ran to and fro excitedly while we opened the bottom gate but missed their chance for freedom. Surprisingly little water in the puddles on 177. A panicky woman ran toward her bemused off the lead dogs as I passed them on the quiet tarmac road leading to 149. I looked for but could not see the glove tree on 148 and everybody stepped up 147 successfully. Large lumpy rocks at the lower end of 141 reminded me of the repair to the deep narrow gulley once such a major feature of any ride there. The large rocks have been moved from the top of 131. Bright sunlight from behind us highlighted the ruts on 132 and 304 seemed dark by comparison.

We used 124 because a large tree is balanced atop the hedges on 311 and we stopped to ponder how to remove it safely, no easy feat by the look of it. We passed two ramblers dressed for equestrianism as we climbed 118 then cut along 323 & 116 to avoid passing the travellers on 115 again, although their dog seemed unconcerned as it crossed the track in front of me at the junction. 

We zigzagged along 103 before climbing to the top of 092 with splendid views of the southern edge of Dartmoor. Another two equestrians thanked us for slowing as we passed them before the bed rock of 093 and the steep grassy rutted climb and bermed zigzags of 094.

I chose the other line through the deep red puddle and all splashed through without incident, although hearts were in mouths as the water is deep. 

I was lucky not to encounter the speeding car which crossed the end of 073 in front of me and 074 had me smiling at the top. A fallen tree with more than a passing resemblance to a lobster pot lay across 083 and it neatly removed my camera microphone cover holding it up in mid air at head height, which those following kindly retrieved and returned to me.

Our numbers began to diminish as riders cut away when we crossed their respective routes home and six became five, then four for the climb over 059 passing the hollow tree on top of the hill. A cute energetic little french bulldog puppy decided to run away from it's owner and followed me along C-074, although all I knew about it was hearing it's owners increasingly shrill shouting as she had her Fenton moment:

"Come here"

"No." "No." "Argh!"

but those following had a better view of the comedy.

I had fun, nobody fell off, 64 lanes, 60 miles, 5 hours, no badgers, top day out, thank you for coming folks.