After attending one of the Manchester TRF club nights in Bredbury I booked onto a ride. I had arranged to meet another new member Dave at a local petrol station near me and we travelled over to Marple bridge together to meet our lead rider/tour guide GFoz at 10am.Unfortunately three other riders couldn’t make it so it was just the three of us today.

Weather-wise, the day started off really nice but we did have a few heavy showers during the day.

GFoz explained the rules regarding the closing of gates and stopping for horses etc then we started our bikes and set off following him onto the first green lane. The first green lane was initially fairly easy going and I was full of confidence and excitement. The fun really started when we got to the first hill climb! I started out quite well but lost momentum on one of the small steps going up hill and fell off several times before eventually I got to the top (with a little help from Dave). We travelled along many more lanes of various terrain inc mud, gravel, sand and grass and then descended down a wet and rocky track which was very slippery indeed (sorry, I don’t know where we were exactly).

Now exhausted it was time for lunch at a cafe where we had some much needed rest, food and drink (excellent sausage sarnie).

We hit the trails again after lunch, taking in some amazing views of the countryside and stopping off to rest and take photos. Lots more mud on the trails in the afternoon due to a shower of rain then we went up yet another very steep track again with lots of falling off but eventually making it to the top, which was a real satisfactory feeling, before returning home taking in a pub stop on the way for a quick pint.

I could not believe how far you could travel without riding on almost any tarmac. What a day! Arrived back at Marple bridge for about 6pm a little battered and bruised but with a big smile on my face!

I had a brilliant day with lots of advice and encouragement from the lads and can’t wait to do it again. I will deffo be joining the TRF at their next club meeting and paying my TRF membership.

Just need to have a bath now and recover from today’s adventure!!! What a buzz! More, more, more…


Cheers,
Gary Raggett