I'm a city girl. Never clearer to me than when I attempted a little off road bike route planning near to Capel Curig using only the Ordnance Survey map for the area. I'm OK at the old map reading, and I'm really really good at making sure I adhere to the letter of the law where bike riding is concerned. So, I carefully plan a route using only bridleways and minor roads, checking on the contours, checking on the distance so I don't over reach myself given the time available. The first four miles of the route go well, then I reach my overshoot point. I love that I have planned enough to realise when I've gone too far, basic nav skills in action. So I check the map, and retrace my steps and find the turn I should have taken. Lift the bike over a fence and walk it to the road over marsh and slabs of uneven wobbly rock and over a couple of streams. At this point, planning is not looking too hot if I'm honest.
On reaching the road I cross to the bridleway marked, and I'm on my way again. Five minutes later and there's a signpost pointing up a rocky and boggy hillside. Not even enough markings to look to this city girl like a footpath let alone a bridleway. Check the map, check the compass, get off the bike and begin to push up the hill. Pass a walker who confirms I'm on the right track. Keep going and going and get to a dry stone wall and one of those stiles incorporating 4 steps. Turn back. Terrain so interesting I couldn't even manage the descent in the saddle. Turns out in Wales bridleways are not quite the wide surfaces they are around the cities of the North West. Interesting.
Escape route on the mountain bike in the rain was the A5. Zoomingly fabulous descent four miles back to Capel Curig and the ride is over.
No comments:
Post a Comment