Chargeride
Well-Known Member
guage is in the red
2026 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos
- Thread starter RabH
- Start date
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
So I have to go see these
Who would have known.
Who would have known.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Urban bridleway ride, behind me in this shot is the largest Heinz factory in the world
Estates are built but the bridleway is always protected
Even made a bridge for it through the factory
Very atmospheric, if dank ride through semi rural areas
Barely maintained in parts
Then pops out over a canal
This mini actually had some souped up turbo engine with no grill and intercoolers at the front.
This part went through dense woods and this farm/hall was covered in cctv and black vans parked up.
They are trying to reduce Nox pollution, meanwhile the kids are snorting it straight up their noses.
The bridleways give you access to private roads and hamlets
Yes we do have gun shops in the UK.
Im going through a town we know well, this is one of our favourite places to chill.
I wouldnt parade that license plate these days
One of the cotton mills, we are right on the canal here that brought US cotton inland, WW1 stopped the imports so we started building the mills in the colonies and
these places went bust.
Very specific instructions and warnings
This is Yarrow valley country park.
The path through it is wheelchair suitable and they allow bikes on the trail, but I walked it anyway
These roads have a 60mph speed limit, but still used by the locals for dog walking and walking to the next village.
This means 'drink here'
It wasnt exciting or challenging, the terrain is flat and uninspiring, but riding the paths is very enjoyable, with some interesting obstacle or unusual remains around every corner
Estates are built but the bridleway is always protected
Even made a bridge for it through the factory
Very atmospheric, if dank ride through semi rural areas
Barely maintained in parts
Then pops out over a canal
This mini actually had some souped up turbo engine with no grill and intercoolers at the front.
This part went through dense woods and this farm/hall was covered in cctv and black vans parked up.
They are trying to reduce Nox pollution, meanwhile the kids are snorting it straight up their noses.
The bridleways give you access to private roads and hamlets
Yes we do have gun shops in the UK.
Im going through a town we know well, this is one of our favourite places to chill.
I wouldnt parade that license plate these days
One of the cotton mills, we are right on the canal here that brought US cotton inland, WW1 stopped the imports so we started building the mills in the colonies and
these places went bust.
Very specific instructions and warnings
This is Yarrow valley country park.
The path through it is wheelchair suitable and they allow bikes on the trail, but I walked it anyway
These roads have a 60mph speed limit, but still used by the locals for dog walking and walking to the next village.
This means 'drink here'
It wasnt exciting or challenging, the terrain is flat and uninspiring, but riding the paths is very enjoyable, with some interesting obstacle or unusual remains around every corner
RabH
Well-Known Member
I wasn't holding out any hope of getting out again this week but I spotted a weather window this morning, when I say a window it was one of those tiny ones...
A 40mph ENE wind and a 30% chance of rain, what the heck its only wind and some possible rain! 
My thought process was if it did rain that wind would blow it over very quickly and that proved to be the case, don't get me wrong though because that wind was brutal at times! In some exposed parts I'm sure it was nudging 50mph but I had a route planned to avoid the worst of it!I headed south on the main roads to Motherwell and SE to Overtown, I was well protected on these roads thanks to all the large buildings! From Overtown I enjoyed the descent down into Garrion in the Clyde Valley and then it was SW to Strathaven, the tailwind on these roads was immense!
On my way to Strathaven I passed through Stonehouse where I stopped for this photo just as I enetered the village!Then I was back on the main road to Strathaven, its a gradual climb but with a 40mph tailwind it was like riding downhill!
From Strathaven I took the road to Kirkmuirhill, SE initially and then east into a 40mph headwind! Thankfully its a pretty quiet road at this time of day and its mostly farmland all the way to Kirkmuirhill!
Normally this is a fast descent but not today!
Farms dotted everywhere!
The next part of the descent, this bit was fun as it was sheltered!
Then it was straight into a climb directly into that brutal headwind, this was part way up the climb looking back down!
Ironically Strathaven was only showing a 5% chance of rain and I caught a shower here, it felt bitterly cold thanks to that wind! The temp was only 4C but the feels like temp was -1C, it felt way colder in some parts though but I was well wrapped up!
Endless farmland all the way to Kirkmuirhill!
I then took the road to Auchenheath which leads to Hazelbank in the Clyde Valley eventually, the first part is a massive descent but it was right into the headwind!
The Clyde Valley from the top of the hill!
I was still heading east so it was hard going, level 2 assist was essential to make progress although the final descent down into the valley was a blast as its sheltered all the way down! I made my way along the valley to Kirkfieldbank and it was time to head up the beast of a climb into Lanark, its only half a mile but an average gradient of 10%! From Lanark I turned NE towards Cleghorn where I passed over the stargely named Mouse Water!
I was time to head up the climb over the railway crossing!
I was now heading north towards Harelaw and I was getting battered by a crosswind at times on the exposed parts, my bike almost blew over here as I was taking these photos!
Tinto Hill was shrouded in thick cloud!
I stopped at Harelaw for this photo of the Pentland Hills and the wind almost blew me off my feet! I could have taken the easy option here and headed west to Carluke, but I'm a glutton for punishment and turned east towards Carstairs instead! This is normally a very fast descent but today I was almost going backwards!
At Carstairs I turned north for 2 miles and I knew this was going to be the worst of the crosswinds as its very exposed but I knew there would be zero traffic and I would get to see the Alpacas, it was brutal in parts but once I got to the Alpacas the road is sheltered by trees!This one on the left is always lying down...
There were a couple of horse in the field adjacent to them!
After this I had a sheltered climb and turned west at the top of the hill towards Yieldshields, a big descent at over 41mph and I wa`s freewheeling! I had a good 6 miles of tailwind here before I was eventually forced to turn north towards Allanton, a good bit of this road is sheltered but there was a section of around half a mile where I was getting hammered with a brutal crosswind! I had to bring my speed right down on the descent, I was sure glad to get out of that wind at the bottom!
From Allanton I headed NE towards Hareshaw, this road is very well sheltered so I had no issues here! After passing through the village I joined the main road to Newhouse, I had the wind right at my back for a mile here and was flying along! The last stretch is a slight uphill and I was doing over 30mph! From Newhouse I only had 3 miles to go and no crosswinds to deal with now, I was pretty knackered when I arrived home! I had 24% left in my second battery as I crested the final climb, the cold and the wind sure took a toll on my batteries! What a brilliant day though, I was so glad I decided to brave it!
I'm closing in on 44000 miles now, just 46 to go so my next ride should see me surpassing it!Chargeride
Well-Known Member
One day Rab is going to post..
'I'm pretty tired.. think I'll go home now.”
'I'm pretty tired.. think I'll go home now.”
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
I rode to see Magda on Saturday.
The weather itself was as nasty as it only could be. 0 degrees Celsius; the mist was condensing all the time, making my goggles wet and reducing the visibility. At times, I was meeting dangerous stretches of frozen snow forming ruts. Bleh!
The mist was as dense as you could not spot the 1,000 ft tall Moszna Chimney around! I'm sure any airplane trying to land in the Warsaw Chopin airport had to use the ILS Cat III system (the one that allows aircraft landing in zero visibility).
Nasty, nasty, nasty weather!
40 km for the day.
The weather itself was as nasty as it only could be. 0 degrees Celsius; the mist was condensing all the time, making my goggles wet and reducing the visibility. At times, I was meeting dangerous stretches of frozen snow forming ruts. Bleh!
The mist was as dense as you could not spot the 1,000 ft tall Moszna Chimney around! I'm sure any airplane trying to land in the Warsaw Chopin airport had to use the ILS Cat III system (the one that allows aircraft landing in zero visibility).
Nasty, nasty, nasty weather!
40 km for the day.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Poland is running out of letters, so signs have to be what the town would look like painted black.
I'm picturing you explaining the arduous ride and Magda blowing the bubble.
'Yeah whatever, stop exaggerating dad.'
I'm picturing you explaining the arduous ride and Magda blowing the bubble.
'Yeah whatever, stop exaggerating dad.'
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Chargeride
Well-Known Member
My friends went to Lllandegla trail centre, I decided to do some local bridleways, so they dropped me off on the way.
Drive past the village often, but have never turned into it.
The paths were level 10 boggy, but still superb.
Ancient looking trails meandering and climbing through very atmospheric landscapes
This was a lot more dodgy than it looks, football sized slippy rocks under the water.
Random smelting furnace in the middle of nowhere
The middle was a foot and a half deep and fast flowing over slimy boulders, I took the bridge
Sheep love watching you
The signage is all kept very well maintained
Random
The lens flattens descents, it was ludicrously steep.
The entire area feels like some waterworld themed roller coaster
I undid the gate and it fell over on me, literally landed an inch from my toes.
Half a mile later the path was blocked, I had to return and manhandle the gate
The detour was beautiful.
Seems to be an area for local dirt bikers.
The wet and cloudy conditions made for a real feeling of being out in it.
Made it back to the trail centre just as they pulled in, perfect.
Drive past the village often, but have never turned into it.
The paths were level 10 boggy, but still superb.
Ancient looking trails meandering and climbing through very atmospheric landscapes
This was a lot more dodgy than it looks, football sized slippy rocks under the water.
Random smelting furnace in the middle of nowhere
The middle was a foot and a half deep and fast flowing over slimy boulders, I took the bridge
Sheep love watching you
The signage is all kept very well maintained
Random
The lens flattens descents, it was ludicrously steep.
The entire area feels like some waterworld themed roller coaster
I undid the gate and it fell over on me, literally landed an inch from my toes.
Half a mile later the path was blocked, I had to return and manhandle the gate
The detour was beautiful.
Seems to be an area for local dirt bikers.
The wet and cloudy conditions made for a real feeling of being out in it.
Made it back to the trail centre just as they pulled in, perfect.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
This sign only informs you that you are entering a built-up area so you need to observe the respective driving rules
For instance, driving on the right
RabH
Well-Known Member
The forecast was showing rain all day today and pretty much the same all next week, but when I woke this morning it wasn't raining so I made the decision to chance it! I managed 25 miles before I saw any rain so I think I made a wise choice! I needed 46 miles to reach 44000 miles on my awesome Giant Road E+1 Pro which will be 8 years old at the end of March, what a bike it has been and I hope it lasts for many more years!
We finally saw the back of the bitterly cold easterly winds, today it was almost a direct southerly and only 15-20mph and a temp of 8C!I headed NE towards Shieldhill and flew down the descent into Glen Village!
Thick cloud was the order of the day and it looked a bit bleak at the Campsie Hills!
The road down to Glen Village always makes me smile, it really is a gem!
44mph down the steep part, the Ochil Hills were also shrouded in thick clouds!
I then turned east passing through Hallglen and flying down the big descent towards Laurieston! The descents continued through Brightons into Polmont and on to Linlithgow!
The main road into Linlithgow!
I made it through the town unscathed and stopped at the far side for a break and a snack! A few photos looking north, despite the gloom the Ochill Hills and the Forth bridges were in clear view!
I continued east towards Bridgend and did a little detour for a couple of photos at the canal near Philpstoun!
I rejoined the road to Bridgend and things were starting to close in, as I turned north up the climb at Bridgend the rain started to come down but it wasn't heavy thankfully! At the top of the climb I turned west towards Beecraigs Country Park, it was very gloomy here and the rain started to get heavier!
I then took the back road which joins the awesome rollercoaster Burnhouse Road, where I headed south towards Dechmont!
Things looked a bit brighter out to the east but I would soon be heading west!
Burnhouse road continues!
From Dechmont I decided to turn north and enjoy the tailwind on the back road to Bathgate, some big climbs at the start!
Thankfully the rain stopped as I headed up the climb and it was looking a little brighter here!
I then had a cracking descent down into Bathgate, where I turned north for Torphicen on yet another amazing undulating and twisty road! At Torphicen I turned west towards Westfield, yet another amazing descent! From Westfield I turned south and enjoyed the descent into Bridgehouse, after all that descending it was time to climb again! At the top of the climb I headed south for Armadale, 3 big descents to enjoy here!
The final descent is very steep and very fast!
One final photo as I reached the valley at Armadale!
Then I turned west for home with the rain starting to fall again and 12 miles to go! As I arrived home the rain stopped but the sky was looking very threatening, I got the bike washed and headed indoors and within 10 minutes it was pouring down! I was glad I decided not to go for a long ride at this point...a very enjoyable ride in gloomy conditions!
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
At first, I thought it was a warning about the ride profile ahead. Cyclists wouldn't be expecting that in otherwise flat Mazovia.
;^}
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Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Tommy's Pre-Birthday 2026
Tommy turns 46 on Monday. Because of our friendship, he invited me to the Warsaw PINTA Chmielna craft beer pub. I only used my Vado for the commutes, 12.7 km in total.
PINTA is the largest craft brewer of Poland. They own as many as two pubs in Warsaw Midtown. The pub was built for the Danish Mikkeller but that establishment collapsed soon because of exorbitant prices and hipster food nobody wanted to eat After the PINTA takeover, I can recommend the pub to anyone!
As a rider, I couldn't have any alcohol. On the other hand, Tommy's choice this year is to be a teetotaller. A funny choice of the place for the meeting, isn't it Fortunately, the selection of alcohol free ales was good!
The jubilee. I recommended Tommy taking Free Gelato, a fruit sour ale.
My liver could burn a small glass of Lindemans Kriek, a 3.5% Belgian Fruit Lambic over an hour
Unlike Mikkeller, PINTA can serve edible and tasty food! I didn't expect the Sausage Warsaw Style with Mustard and Onion to take such a sophisticated form! (It was just delicious!)
PINTA Chmielna is lovely hidden in secret courtyards between Chmielna and Nowy Świat (the two promenades of Warsaw). It is not easy to find the place!
In the Midtown of Warsaw.
Tommy turns 46 on Monday. Because of our friendship, he invited me to the Warsaw PINTA Chmielna craft beer pub. I only used my Vado for the commutes, 12.7 km in total.
PINTA is the largest craft brewer of Poland. They own as many as two pubs in Warsaw Midtown. The pub was built for the Danish Mikkeller but that establishment collapsed soon because of exorbitant prices and hipster food nobody wanted to eat
After the PINTA takeover, I can recommend the pub to anyone!As a rider, I couldn't have any alcohol. On the other hand, Tommy's choice this year is to be a teetotaller. A funny choice of the place for the meeting, isn't it
Fortunately, the selection of alcohol free ales was good!The jubilee. I recommended Tommy taking Free Gelato, a fruit sour ale.
My liver could burn a small glass of Lindemans Kriek, a 3.5% Belgian Fruit Lambic over an hour
Unlike Mikkeller, PINTA can serve edible and tasty food! I didn't expect the Sausage Warsaw Style with Mustard and Onion to take such a sophisticated form! (It was just delicious!)
PINTA Chmielna is lovely hidden in secret courtyards between Chmielna and Nowy Świat (the two promenades of Warsaw). It is not easy to find the place!
In the Midtown of Warsaw.
Aushiker
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Australia
- City
- Walyalup, Western Australia
When I saw this photo on Strava, I did wonder what the delight was. Now with your description it is obvious. Enjoy
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
I went to our local Wetherspoons last night, a chain of pubs run by a controversial character and widely looked down upon by the middle classes.
They take over buildings with historical context and theme them accordingly, but the food is cheap and cheerful.
I cant deny it was full of lost souls and the toothless, but enough of me, 10 quid for a mahoosive halluomi burger and a large bacardi and coke...special sunday offer..
We got drunk and planned many nostalgic rides.
Were all in the zone of a lot less future than past.
They take over buildings with historical context and theme them accordingly, but the food is cheap and cheerful.
I cant deny it was full of lost souls and the toothless, but enough of me, 10 quid for a mahoosive halluomi burger and a large bacardi and coke...special sunday offer..
We got drunk and planned many nostalgic rides.
Were all in the zone of a lot less future than past.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Trust me, not only by the British middle class
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
So I had to listen to Bad Bunny, its not Labamba is it.
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Took the missus on her biggest climb yet this morning — roughly 60 ft/mi over 5 mi with several stretches of 6% or steeper.
Our ebikes from an earlier ride. As usual, she and her blue 750W Velotric Breeze left me and my 240W Vado SL in the dust. When I asked about the climb at the top, she said no problem. This bodes well for future inland hill rides together.
Discovered a new use for pedal assist on this ride. After a big brunch at the bottom of the climb, my very full stomach was questioning the wisdom of going ahead with it. But I just bumped the assist to SPORT when the tummy started complaining, and the climb went just fine.
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