4 years ago I went on a trip to the peak district and due to the fact that I had only just started riding, it ended in a disaster for me. This was going to be my first mountain bike adventure and I was going to enjoy every last minute of it, even though I was alone.
I spent several months of what I thought was planning my trip. Reading magazines to find the best places to go in the peaks, booking a b&b close by and buying a map.
Because I wanted to explore the best of the peaks I decided to go to the dark side and booked a b&b close to Hayfield, a place called Spinney Bottom Cottage. A very nice couple owned the b&b and the husband was an avid mtber himself when time allowed!
Because of the location in which the b&b was, I found it very difficult to find my bearings and get any good riding done. I asked for advice at the b&b and was told to stay clear of the Pennine Way as this was for walkers! I read a few bike books that they had, but the route maps in them did not make any sense to me, so I went out by chance.
For some reason I wanted to find 'Kinder Scout', (which I'd read up on in magazines) but found I could only access it via the Pennine Way (with my then limited map reading skills).
I made my way up towards Glossop, and the start of the Pennine Way. It struck me that I had 2 choices once there. 1 go back and 2 climb the peak, like a tit I climbed the peak with the bike on my back. No end of people passed me on their way down and I continued to climb!
Before I knew it I had lost the trail and the people had stopped passing me and all I could see when I looked up was heaps of peat all around me. Panic hit me immediately and I started to run like a headless chicken, to where I had no idea, as I had totally lost my bearings and no matter which way I seemed to turn I just hit a wire fence.
So I got my map out and realized it had no indication of where I was because now I know that it was the wrong bloody map and not an OS map! All I had was my mobile phone and a compass. The mobile was a waste of time to begin with because I could not get a signal! But as luck would have it I got just enough to contact the b&b to tell them I was lost. They told me I needed to head due south to find the nearest road. So out came my compass and headed due south like instructed. I came to a point where I could see a road but found that to get to it I needed to either follow as instructed, due south that led me over the moors or follow the what I now know to be snake pass. Because I was panicked and scared I continued on course, due south. Within seconds I was grabbing hold of my bike for dear life whilst falling down into a peat bog. The bog was big enough for me to fall into but not my bike so I managed get myself out and went back to the pass and headed towards the road.
As I got back to the road and started to ride I realized that I had nothing left in me and all my energy had been sapped from my system. With no reserves left in my backpack, (as I had used it climbing the peak!) I got as far as the Ladybower reservoir and stopped, getting out my mobile and ringing the b&b for some help.
Being a mountain bike newbie in the peaks is bad enough, but being a mountain bike newbie alone and unprepared in the peaks is just plain stupid!
Many thanks to Spinney Bottom cottage for all your help!
Mountain bike newbie in the peak district
Posted by paul c walton on 15:17
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