Global warming in Durham has ended yesterday - back to normal now & a catch up

 

Yes last weeks global warming has finally come to an end in Co Durham and back to normal this week with nearly two days of rain / sleet forecasted and a maximum temperature of 4 degrees through the day. It has been fantastic whilst it lasted so we had a few days away back end of last week / weekend in the Scottish Borders then over to Northumberland. We had nearly wall to wall sunshine every day and no rain or wind. 

I have not been out on the bike for over a week to see if my right knee pain would calm down / go and it did. Jane is back to work this morning so I went out on my e mtb for a spin and my knee was twinging again so looks like its the cycling that's causing the problem. 

Todays route was my normal route down to Durham, over to Maiden Castle / Houghall Woods and a couple of extra loops making it up to just under 17 miles in 1 hour 23 mins with just under 900ft of climbing. Th trails are still bone dry and fast going but that is not going to last long as it was starting to rain on the way back. There was a few others out and about but mainly quiet. Below are a few cloudy / overcast cold looking photos from the ride. 

Below is also a few sunny snaps from Berwick Upon Tweed when we had a walk along the pier to the lighthouse. 

When we were away I also treated my self to a copy if the latest Cyclist magazine, has an article about a large loop in Northumberland for a gravel / cx bike. 

E Bike Store Framwellgate Moor, Durham - Open Day Sat 26th March

 

A week of walking / hiking so far in the sun.

 

Jane is off this week and weather is looking good so on Monday we had a drive over to Roker and parked up. We walked around the marina then up the coast to Seaburn. Did dome shopping for the parents in law at Morrisons then back down to the car. It was lovely and sunny, hot and very little wind. All in 3.9 miles with only 175ft of climbing in 1hr 15mins. We then called in past some places we had to visit on the way home. 

Yesterday me and Jane had a look through to the Metro Centre. Its years since we have been and the place is dead and half empty but on the plus side I have never seen somewhere so clean and tidy. We then went over to the out door shops as we call them. 

Angus is off today so we had a walk up the line from Meadowfield to Ushaw Moor and back, again lovely and sunny with no wind. All in 5 miles with 175ft of climbing in 1 hour 33minutes. 

Hike around Low and High Shincliffe inc a loop around the river at Maiden Castle

 

Yesterday I was going to seal the drive after I jet washed and sanded it on Saturday but it was still too damp in places. So me and Jane decided to have a drive over to Shincliffe and go out for a hike. We missed out the second half of Strawberry Lane and the first part of the woods due to the potential knee deep mud as we did not have our winter hiking boots on. So it was a slightly different route which was drier and less muddy. It was longer than I thought it would be taking the diversion but very pleasant in the sun and gentle wind. All in 5.50miles on the nose with 400ft of climbing in 1 hour 45 minutes. We called in past Botanic Garden café on the way back for some food and a drink. 

Enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Black Diamond Icon 700 head torch

 

I have used head torches for many years now for working around the house inside and out, working on cars / vans / bikes etc and years ago for running. I bought a Black Diamond head torch many years ago and has been spot on and lasted well but there must be a loose connection in the battery holder and have to bang it now and again to get it to come on. 

So I thought it was time for a new one and looked at Black Diamond again. This is the newer more updated version of my older one and has more light options that you can shake a stick at. It it more brighter than my last one when on maximum (700 lumens) and has coloured light options and flashing light options. Most of which I will probably never ever use to be honest. Its not the lightest of head torches by a long way with the battery pack taking four AA batteries. Once adjusted it is very comfortable on your head and you don't really notice you have it on. The battery pack can get knocked if you are working in tight places like under a wheel arch etc. The quality of construction is exceptional yet again and if this one lasts as long as my previous one I will be well chuffed. As ever shop around as there are some deals to be had against the rrp. 

RRP £95 and I paid £61.95 inc p&p from Wiggle inc 48hr p&p - Discount 35%

Manufacturers blurb - 

Whether you're on a multi-day backcountry hut trip, or linking 14ers in a single push, the Black Diamond Icon 700 Headlamp provides a powerful 700-lumen output, making it our most powerful light. We've now updated the user interface by adding a second switch for easy lens mode selection, and improved the optical efficiency, which provides brighter light with more peak intensity, plus you can easily track battery life with a six-setting, three-LED battery meter. Waterproof to 1 meter, it's ready for anything, and with red, green and blue night-vision modes, making it versatile for any mission. The removable battery pack can be easily stowed in a pocket to preserve battery life with a cord long enough to reach those deep warm pockets for "polar mode," in cold temps. Finally, the Icon 700's Brightness Memory gives you the option to set the light's brightness when first turned on, plus PowerTap Technology makes for instant brightness adjustment settings.

• Emits 700 lumens on max setting
• Brightness Memory allows you to turn the light on and off at a chosen brightness without reverting back to full power
• "PowerTap™ Technology allows instant transitioning between full and dimmed power
• Multifaceted optical lens design
• Removable battery pack (longer cable included)
• Red, Green and Blue night vision modes cover the spectrum of night vision needs
• Settings include full strength (in proximity and distance modes), dimming, strobe, RGB night vision options and lock mode
• IP67: Waterproof and dust proof—Unit is completely sealed and tested to operate up to 1 meter underwater for 30 minutes. Requires no maintenance after submersion.
• Icon Headlamp Rechargeable Battery Pack sold separately 
• Weight300 g (10.6 oz) with batteries
• Batteries4 AA (included)
• IPX Rating67
• Lumens700
• Max Burntime[High] 7 H; [Low] 190 H
• Max Distance[High] 140 m; [Low] 12 m

Some new fresh goodies - Praxis Creo Crank arms & Specialized Creo Chainring & Speed Sensor

 

Treated my road Creo to some new bling carbon crank arms from Praxis 

I also ordered a spare Creo speed sensor rotor lock ring. Specialized have charged the part number and this is the newer version - V2. 

I also ordered a new front chainring for the Creo gravel bike as its started to loose / jump the chain a few times even with the clutch on the rear mech. I have a spare KMC chain so will replace both at the same time probably later this year, see how it goes over the summer months.