Offroading = f.o.c.mudbath = back to the road again next week!!

Took the restored Raleigh Incognito out again today. We did 30 miles according to MotionBased and in the process got absolutey shat* up to high heaven. I mentioned planning to go on National Cycle Route 54A from Tissington Ford up to Bradbourne and over to Brassington then down round Carsington. As it was, I was darned unimpressed with Route 54A - have passed it no end of times and it looked really interesting down the bit near Tissington Ford heading over towards Bradbourne




But when I got on it it just takes you in a big loop and puts you on the road that if you turned left just before crossing the road you'd be on anyway, the other downside of it is that it's too steep - you can ride it but it's damned hard to keep the front wheel down it's that steep. Thirdly, there's too many rotten gates on it. Other than that it's spot on.

Never mind, when I got to Brassington I had a change of plan and instead of turning right for Carsington I went left and got on the High Peak Trail at Longcliffe. I went along the trail because the previous week when I was moaning about the signage at Ballidon I noticed this circle on the satellite view on googlemaps (see pic below of click on this link to see what I mean).

An aerial view of Minninglow - notice how round it is! You can see it on Satellite imagery even at a tiny scale.

Anyway last week didn't know what it was, asked Alan and Dave who I work with who also didn't know what it was but my Dad said 'It's Minninglow, you can see it for miles - it's a sort of ancient burial mound thing like Arbor Low and what have you.' - He's right and all, it looks flat on the aerial photo but in reality is something like the shot below (what I took earlier!).




And you can see it for miles and miles - this is a picture from somewhere near Tissington


Note the two big copses of trees on the horizon - between them many miles away is Mininglow


Can you make it out?




Anyway have got bike cleaned down and ready for business again tomorrow. Back on the bloomin road again I reckon though - much cleaner!



Check out the ever so slightly ruined trainers and cycling trousers!


* Shat, A popular word round our way much used by a certain Mr Chapman "meaning soiled in a big way".

Links: Some stuff on Mininglow http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1912
The full route on Motionbased http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4220133