Trip through to Hamsterley Forest for some mud plugging fun on the fat bikes

This is our festive day over to the forest as it was my only day off work. The sun was shinning, it was blowing a gale and there was plenty of mud. Arran took his Mukluk with 26x2.75" dirtwizards, Angus Krampgrease with 26x4" dillinger front & 29x3" chronicle rear and me on my Beargrease with 5" bud up front and 4" Dilliinger rear. Why i mention the tyres is to be explanied later. We parked up and headed off into the forest for the long steady climb upto the open moor. As soon as we left the shelter of the trees onto the exposed moor you could hardly stand up, it was blowing a freezing cold gale up there. The track over to Doctors Gate is complety trashed by 4x4's with puddles and mud well over a foot deep. The photo above shows the distruction the vehicles have caused. Some sections were just un rideable and was a get off and push job. Once at Doctors Gate it was a very quick stop and then we dropped down the singletrack through the heather back towards the forest. Even some sections of this could not be ridden. The views were fantastic with lovely clear skies and not a sole about. Once we dropped back into the forest it was more sheltered from the wind but still very muddy. Arran rode more sections over the moor than both me and Angus. I have never lost taction/steering so much with the Bud but today it was all over the place in the deep stuff, the dillinger of the rear was a waste of time, poor Angus had the Chronicle and slipping and sliding all over the place. I have never ever seen some many mtbs at the forest in all my 30+ years of going there, once you could leave the carpark and ride 20+ miles and never see a sole. Saying that if you ride anywhere apart form the man made singletrack sections its still very quiet. We found some new singletrack which was lovely to ride and rode some old favourites as well. The new section on the black route after the long section of roots along the wall looks nearly completed and will be trashed very soon. It was a quick spin back along the visitors centre via the grove link and a loop around the skills park before heading back home for the clean up operation, oh and to dig out the Nates and fit them lol! Here is a link the Gallery of photos  and a select few below, more soon  

Clean Salsa Cycles, not for long

Zoom in and follow the rear tyre track lol

Should have took my swimming trunks intsead, track in under water

Over an hour later we got to Doctors Gate

and onto the singletrack

finally some downhill action

who has lost a penny

heading back down to the forest for some shelter

arran back end slipped on a tree root, he held onto it

singletrack down through the trees in the sunlight

once i used to ride up this climb, its hard to see but there is a 2ft drop on the right made by 4x4's

new section looking good



top of the skills loop, tree down blocking the entrance



time for some woodwork

muddy, cold but happy