Monday 10 March 2014

Trip to Holloway in the Peaks

I visited the Peak District this past weekend to hang out with some nerds friends. I decided, pretty much at the last minute, to try cycling there on the Brompton.


Deciding as well to use Google Maps to navigate was a grave mistake. It sent me first down a flooded disused access road (complete with rusty barbed wire hanging from nearby fences). Then it tried to send me down an unpaved country track (which had turned into a mudbath. Third on this list of misery, it sent me down a private road with a locked gate.

Last but by no means least it sent me up some of the steepest hills I've ever attempted. That last one is almost forgivable, I should really have been riding a bike with appropriate gears (not a twin speed Brompton) and there's no getting around that my destination was on top of a tall hill.

Those first three are pretty stupid though. Google don't seem to differentiate between what you can do on a (mostly) road bike and what you can do on a fully equipped trekking fatbike. The directions were fairly clear, though I did preempt some turns and had to backtrack a little.

My luggage for the weekend was the Brompton S bag and a Carradice Longflap on the back. It was officially the hardest 38km I've ever tried! There was a lot of getting off and walking towards the end near Crich.

Next year: Recumbent or modified Brompton. I should have better navigation by then courtesy of Hammerhead as well :)