rockyroaduk - mountain bike blog

Step By Step skimboarding

2007-10-26T20:19:00.001Z

On my recent holiday to Wales skimboarding seem to be a big sport. Afer trying for myself I can see why. Its a really cheap sport to take up and hours of pure fun.

First things first, you need a skimboard, costing about a tenner from somewhere (web, surf shop!!). Then a beach, its definitely gota be sand, and not pebbles. Hold the board to one side of your body. Start near the water and learn the timing of the waves Run, approaching the waves at a 45-degree angle.

Throw the board flat onto the shallow water as the wave recedes to a depth of 3 inches. Amazingly, it will skim.

Leap onto the board such that your body faces sideways - one foot forward, one back ' toes pointed to the side (like on a skateboard, snowboard or surfboard).

Keep your feet underneath you by shifting your weight forward. Be carefull when the tide goes back out, your board can stick in the sand sending you flying through the air like a javelin.

Happy boarding. Thats not me in the pictures all though some people might think.

How to Skimboard - Coming Soon

2007-09-25T19:35:00.000Z

Check back soon for a step by step guide on skimboarding.

Tenby - Summer Holiday

2007-09-09T17:44:00.001Z

After a grueling 5 hour car journey we finally arrived in Tenby. The town of Tenby is situated in a dominant hilltop position in south wales by the coast. It's hilltop position led to its early settlement as a Welsh stronghold, which was replaced in medieval times by a Norman Castle and walled town. Part of the town walls survive to this day and are an attractive feature at the entrance to the old town.

St Govans Chapel

After watching an Episode of Coast on the BBC, we decided to head to St Govans Chapel. The Chapel is situated at the bottom of a cliff face with stone steps leading down to it. The Chapel dates back to the 6th century and is named after the hermit and saint who lived there, St Govan.

Tradition says that pirates tried to capture St Govan resulting in a large ransom demand to the monastery, the wealthy house of the day. Luckily or so the saying goes, a cleft in the rock opened for St Govan to hide in till the pirates had gone away.

Pembroke Castle

Located in the centre of the town of Pembroke, it is one of the most impressive Norman castles in south Wales, first established in 1093, when the Norman Conquest of Wales was far from complete.

Most of the damage to the castle was done during the English Civil War, when its owners changed sides at an inopportune moment. After the war Oliver Cromwell encouraged local townspeople to disassemble the structure, stone by stone. Today the castle is open to the public. It is the largest privately owned castle in Wales.

We took a tour of the castle and I had to climb all the vantage points just for the hell of it. The most impressive part of the day was when I stood balancing 75 feet in the air on top of the Great Tower. I sorta acted as a flag pole flapping in the wind.

Sporting

Also learnt to skimboard, see post below.

Skimboarding

2007-09-09T14:37:00.000Z

I've just come back from a weeks break in Tenby, South Wales. One of the main highlights (sporting) was learning how to skimboard. Unlike surfing, skimboarding starts on the beach.

Skimboarding is a sport similar to surfing that takes place near the shore. The skimboarder stands about twenty feet from the ocean with skimboard in hand and waits for an approaching wave. When they see a wave they run towards it with their skimboard in hand. Upon reaching the wet sand they drop the board and jump onto it as quickly as possible. Once on the board, the skimmer must remain as stable as possible and prepare to make the transition to the ocean. The skimmer then (hopefully) glides out into the ocean toward the oncoming wave, banks off of it, and rides it back into shore.

Because the waves where really small in Tenby, and I was learning, I just skimmed across the shore as seen in the videos below. I really got into it and by the end of the holiday was managing to skim large distances. I'd love to take the sport up but need decent local beaches!

For added effect play the following music while watching the videos. (copyrighted music)

A Question to Boxing Champ Calzaghe

2007-05-25T19:00:00.000Z

When Five Live said they were having boxing champ Joe Calzaghe on, there was only one question at the front of my mind. Would he step in the ring with Rocky Balboa? I emailed Simon Mayo (the presenter who was conducting the interview) and thought nothing else of it, that was till he read out the quesiton live to Joe, I could'nt believe it.

Have a listen to the clip.

A trip to Rivington Castle

2007-05-20T21:18:00.000Z

Finally I have repaired both of my mountain bikes. The one I'm always on in this blog (hard tail) had 2 flat tyres, while the other I cycled round Loch Lomond on (full suspension) was in pieces and had no inner tubes at all. I took a trip to Leisure Lakes bikes in Southport to get some new inner tubes and grips.

The grips I decided to buy were Yeti grips, both because of the colour and the design, they offer really good grip and look nice on the bike.

Because of the good weather I decided to go on the full suspension bike as I hadn't been on it since the Scotland trip. That was over a couple of years ago. The difference between riding a full suspension bike and hardtail is massive, it took me a while to get used to the feeling again.

We headed to The school at Rivington as there are some big jumps there and bridges you can cycle across. There are some quite technical jumps and fast turns, these lead to a main road back to the Rivington Barns - gift shops and tea rooms. From the road though you can take a path which leads to a replica ruined castle.

The castle, which is a reduced scale replica of the Liverpool Castle was constructed by Mr. William Hesketh Lever between 1912 and 1925. Unfortunatley the castle was not finished.

easter eggtravaganza

2007-04-08T20:16:00.000Z

Its been a while since I was last out on my mountain bike but easter brought good weather as well as lots of eggs.

We headed for Yarrow Valley as Finnan had discovered a major downhill, alright for him on a full suspension bike. I was shaken to pieces. When we arrived at Yarrow Valley we followed a path which led round to Duxburry Woods. We had previously cycled this in winter when it was a mud bath. Today though the ground was good to firm (racing slang).

On route Finnan got bored of cycling the conventional way and decided to see how far he could get doing it backwards. Answer.... not very far.

Pictured above was an amazing downhill I managed to discover. The first problem was climbing the thing, it was mega steep and covered with leaves which just meant you took one step up and slid two steps down. When we eventually got to the top I thought we should clear the way down so we didn't skid off course. It took about half an hour to clear the hill from leaves and twigs so we could get grip with our tyres. It was like outdoor spring cleaning.

Below are a couple of photographs taken when cycling through Duxburry Woods.

Mountain Bike Maintenance

2007-03-11T18:50:00.000Z

If you ever need a 'how to guide' for anything mountain bike related, then check out this really cool website first. Packed full of usefull information its a must visit for any mountain biker.

www.bike-maintenance.com

Back on the road

2007-03-11T18:35:00.000Z

Me and a couple of mates where back on the rocky road this weekend in Astley Park Chorley. The weather was good after a week of rain. I had spent the morning cleaning the muck off my bike from the slate mine run a month back. I lubricated all my cables so they flowed easily (no puns intended stu - kathryn). Then retuned my gears so they didn't skip and jump.

I met up with my mates then we had a blitz round Astley Park. Finnan wanted to get some film footage for his myspace page. We decided on filming him doing a few of the bigger downhills with some artistic camera angles. One of the cooler shots can be seen above. Here you can see Finnan motoring at high speed after negotiating a huge set of steps. We set up a camera position by standing on a bin in the background.

After a good mountain bike session and caped in mud again I need'nt have wasted a morning washing my bike. Oh well part of the fun getting dirty.

beginner concept art

2007-02-26T09:57:00.000Z

If your into concept artwork check out my brothers new blog here. You can see the evolution of the pictures from a quick sketch to final artwork.

Ambleside - Lake Windermere

2007-02-19T19:20:00.000Z

There was no mountain biking this weekend even though the weather was roasting. I decided to take a trip up to Ambleside, situated on Lake Windermere in The Lake District. We parked just outside the town and walked down. The town is beautifully layed out, and features small houses mixed with little shops all built on a hill. Every corner you turn makes you want to see more.

I managed to stumble across The Glass House restaurant which was featurted on Gordan's Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. It was located in a beautiful part of the town next to a small building which was sat upon a bridge. VERY UNSUAL. Next to the Glass House Restaurant was a cool mountain bike shop. I delved in and had a look around. I noticed a mountain bike helmet that I had been after but was unable to find. It is a Specialized Skillet. Its a sort of mix between a skateboard helmet and a Star Wars speeder bike helmet.

The funny bit in the shop was one an assistant came over and said, "what type of lid ur afta mate" (in australian). I was like eh, what the hells a lid, but apparantly its a lingo term for a helmet. I just aint down with it anymore.

After the mountain bike shop we left the town on foot and followed a road which led to the banks of Lake Windermere. We stopped off at a pub called the Wateredge Inn. The barstaff were extremely friendly considering how busy they were so I'd definitly recomend the place. The good thing about the pub is it has a massive grass area at the front for kids to play or for you to sit and have a beer or 6.

Across the grass, at the lake edge, you can feed the swans or ducks that swim past.

untitled side project

2007-02-10T16:53:00.000Z

I have been working on a side project for some time now. I'm currently in the process of developing the ideas further. To see my progress visit untitled side project for more information.

A Day of Roman around Ribchester

2007-02-04T19:46:00.000Z

Due to a heat wave in the middle of winter, I wanted to go out somewhere for the day. I decided to head for Ribchester. I had previously cycled around Hurst Green and Stoneyhurst College which are located nearby and I really liked the scenic aspect.

Ribchester was a particularly strategic position for the Romans, located alongside the River Ribble many Roman roads passed through it. Ribchester once housed a Roman Fort, nowadays the Ribchester roman Museum is situated above the remains of the headquarters of that Roman fort.

Nearby you can visit the remains of the Roman baths. Small pillars supported the floor of the bath house and allowed air and steam to circulate. Steam would warp a timber floor so the floors were made of waterproof concrete and have lasted well. Portions of the floor excavated in 1978 have been left in place and can still be seen today.

The museum contains various roman artifacts but a small fee is required at the entrance. Located next to the museum is St Wilfrid's church. The church is beautiful, atmospheric and steeped in history and is usually open to visitors. If you go you must look at some of the grave stones. Very intriguing and they give you a real insight into the local history. If indeed a bit gruesome.

Yarrow Valley and beyond

2007-01-28T20:44:00.000Z

With the arrival of 2007, and my mates brand new Specialized Stumpjumper it was time to get out back on the mountain bikes. We only had a gap of 2 or so hours so decided to head for Yarrow Valley Country Park. I had previously been for a walk around the lake and noticed a variety of downhills I wanted to try.

We headed for the first which is a huge jump depending on how fast you want to approach. If you chicken outa the jump you can coast down the almost vertical hill and pick up enormous speed to blast you down the hill.

We pressed on to look for more jumps, hills etc. We noticed a huge tree which had been blown down in the recent storms. We decided to climb it for a laugh. Unfortunately I got stuck and couldn't get back down. I blamed the shoes, they didn't have enough grip and I had no confidence in them. I eventually manage to get down by sliding along. Oh yeah, the barb wire fence directly below me didn't look to appetizing.

We pressed on following a path wondering were it would lead to. We came to a small stream which had worn away the path, my mate Finan flew down and wanted to clear it without stopping. He did manage to clear it, OVER HIS HANDLEBARS! which was horrendously funny.

By now we were in a forest called Burgh Wood. There was loads of trees which had been blown down. We had a bike around and decided to head off.

We headed for an old slate mine situated near Coppull Chorely. The slate mine has a variety of downhills and amazing views of Rivington and Winter Hill. The slate mine is also popular with Motorcross riders. This tends to leave big divets on the downhills which adds an extra technical element.

Below is a series of images taken around the slate mines and some of the amazing views.

mountain biking aside

2007-01-23T21:12:00.000Z

Due to some technical problems with my house ie. gas leak and fractured water pipe, I havn't had much opportunity to get out on my bike. I did however manage to go to Formby Point at the weekend to walk around the squirrel reserve (maybe I'll push the blog in new directions to include none mountain bike related content).

Formby Point boasts a beautiful beach and miles of walks across the sand dunes and through the woods. The woods are owned by the Natural Trust, and contain one of Britain's last thriving colonies of Red Squirrels.

On arrival we parked up and were immediatly astonished by the houses that lined the road. All of which had private gates and huge walls with cctv cameras. If footballers and millionaires don't live down there then I must be nuts!.. haha.

Anyway, we started the squirrel walk and followed the path round to a fence with broken up trees behind it. We only had to wait 30 seconds and the first red squirrel came out to say hello. This was then followed by 5-6 more red squirrels, I manage to capture them on camera.

All in all a grand day out. Even though it was freeeeezing. I'll definitely be back in the summer with hordes of other people.

ps. If you go take some nuts to feed the squirrels. I forgot and they didn't look to impressed.

Mountain Bike on Snow or Sand!

2007-01-02T22:05:00.000Z

Ever thought about what it would be like mountain biking on snow or sand?

Now you can find out with this impressive system from Ktrak, due for worldwide release in January 2007.

The Ktrak Rear-Drive Kit is an amazing universal attachment that replaces the rear wheel on a mountain bike with a track drive system. It is designed to create traction on previously unridable surfaces such as snow and sand. The sleek design effortlessly blends with virtually all bikes.
To further improve the Ktrak experience in snow or sand, they will also release an optional Front Ski Kit.

A big thanks to Ktrak for allowing me to feature their product. For more information on Ktrak please click here to visit their website.

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T21:35:00.000Z

Well, it's 2007 and I'm really looking forward to a new year of mountain biking challenges. I think the first port of call will be to reutrn to Healey Nab, situated in Heapey, Chorley.

On my last visit I found many a promising downhill to push the limits of speed and daring. My biggest discovery was a path that leads down through the forest and ends up on Eaves Lane in Chorley. The main reason, a series of jumps and sharp technical turns. This route also has mini routes within it, seperate paths which can be taken so no run is exactly the same.

I also want to master a mountain bike trick, "The Manual." This is where you freewheel on your rear wheel whilst leaning backwards to maintain balance. I have only been able to do it for short periods so more practice and I'll be there.

Healey Nab Forest Tour

2006-12-22T22:38:00.000Z

It'd been a few weeks since I last went out on my mountain bike so I was itching for a challenge. I decided to go somewhere I hadn't been in over a year, this place is called Healey Nab. It features a moderately sized forest which is full of big hills and tightly packed trees.

The Nab is steeped in history and has the scars to show. It is believed that a roman road ran to the East side of the Nab as ancient coins had been found. More recently though the nab provided some 2 million tonnes of rock for the construction of the M61 motorway during the 1960's.

I decided to head for the eastern end of the forest as I had previously seen a couple of wild dears a few years back. Unfortunately though their were no visible signs. I continued up the path which runs alongside the forest. The path leads up to the highest point where you can see right across Chorley, Bolton and Middlebrook retail park.

From here the path sweeps down and plunges deep into the forest. This is where the fun really begins with a series of huge drop offs followed by a descent which cuts through the forest and eventually ends up at the far northern side.

The north side of the forest provides some excellent downhill for mountain bikers. The steepness of the slope and the closenss of the trees enables a challenge for any level of mountain biker. I have noticed that previous mountain bikers have built turns, corners and jumps. Finding these is often a case of looking hard at the landscape because they aren't always noticeable.

Im always discorvering new routes everytime I go, the very nature of the forest means there are endless possibilities of routes. Because the forest is only accessible through countryside, there aren't really any walkers or people to worry about when your flying down a hill. Because of this very reason i'm planning on going back vey soon to tackle some of the jumps.

The forest is also very popular for campers, well... people who fancy spending a night in the woods, sorta round the camp fire.

The West Pennine Moors Bridleway Strategy

2006-12-11T21:49:00.000Z

Lancashire County Council have just released The West Pennine Moors Bridleway Strategy. The strategy supports the development and maintenance of access to the West Pennine Moors. With mountain biking becoming ever more popular, its great to see a strategy like this.

The majority of bridleways nowadays are accessible to both horse and mountain bike rider. But increasingly mountain bikers are looking for more technical routes as often bridleways do not provide enough challenge. This leads to mountain bikers having to ride on public footpaths which were not designed for this sort of use.

This strategy proposes developing some mainly upland routes that offer a challenge to mountain bikers yet remain available to walkers and the more experienced horse and rider. For more information and maps of the proposed new routes, a copy of the strategy is available here for download.

sea fishing and walking in the UK

2006-12-08T22:25:00.001Z

Since starting the seafishingandwalking blog it has grown from strength to strength, and now appears on page 1 of google.

The blog contains notes from Stuart, on times spent sea fishing or fell walking with his wife and a few of their friends. Most of the sea fishing and walking they do is based around the North West of the UK, North Wales and Anglesey. They also venture into Scotland so you never can tell what will turn up.

seafishingandwalking is an extremely informative blog to anyone who loves the outdoors, and features stunning photos of wildlife and scenery as well as links to other sites of similar interest.

A big thanks to Stu for helping me get my blog up and running.

Snow Joke

2006-12-03T19:05:00.000Z

Is it just me or does it seem to snow less and less each year. With the festive season vast approaching people will be asking themselves whether or not it will be a white christmas.

Personally I'd love to see more snow. The effect the snow has on landscape is both magical and breathtaking. The crispness of the winter skies allows you to see for miles and miles.

The snow also opens up new challenges for mountain bikers, it can be both grippy and icy depending on the type of snow. You also don't know what your riding on as the snow conceals many objects that you would otherwise avoid.

The photographs in this article were taken earlier this year at Rivington. You will notice the crispness of the skies and how the snow reflect light.

Im just hoping we haven't seen the last of snow.

White Coppice Route

2006-11-30T20:31:00.000Z

White Coppice is situated at the foot of the West Pennine Moors, steeped in history it is the birth place of Henry Tate who founded the Tate Gallery. Henry Tate managed to make a fortune by discovering a method of turning loaf sugar into cubes.

White Coppice really is a unique location. It has a rich mining past and scars can still be seen on the landscape. White Coppice gives access to a vast stretch of Moorland and on a clear day, you have a view that encompasses the peaks of the Lake District, Blackpool Tower and The Big One roller coaster, Liverpool Bay, Anglesey to the peaks
of Snowdonia.

White Coppice attracts walkers, fell runners and mountain bikers. White Coppice also sports a cricket pitch and during the cricket season you can go and watch, food is available at either the ice cream van or from the cricket club.

Route 1.

Go through the gate at the top of the cricket pitch. Turn right and head towards the stream, follow the path alongside the stream. Thus path leads uphill towards some mining works. If you're on a bike you can launch yourself back down the hill. Its exhilarating because of the huge drop on the left hand side.

Route 2.

Go through the gate at the top of the cricket pitch. Turn left and follow the path straight on. You will get to a fork in the path. Turn right and head up the rocky hill. The path winds itself up to the top of the moorlands. As you climb higher you begin to see more of the beautiful scenery. When you eventually get to the top you are greeted with a vast panoramic view which stretches all the way to the coast. If you continue along the path you will see the ruins which used to be Drinkwaters Farm.

The best part especially for mountain bikers is cycling back down the hill. Its a technically demanding descent. Full of loose boulders it will test any rider to their full potential.

Route3.

Go through the gate at the top of the cricket pitch. Turn right and head towards the bidge. This way takes you along a path with huge hills on your left hand side. This way is extremly popular with walkers and bird watchers.

All in all White Coppice is a must visit location.

A weekend of bumps and scrapes

2006-11-19T18:13:00.000Z

After 2 weeks of no mountain bike action my bike must of thought its ready for the scrap heap. Fortunately my mate Finnan managed to get his back wheel fixed after it broke jumping off walls in Astley Park, Chorley. We arranged to go out on Sunday, usually there's the 3 of us who go out, me, Sweeney and Finnan. Sweeney couldn't make it because he broke his foot jumping over a wall when out on the town.

We decided to stay local and head to a wood near the Yarrow River. The main aim was to discover new routes and downhill sections. We cycled down a long path which opened up to what could only be described as "mountain biking heaven."

We discovered a huge slope which lined the path we were on, we pushed our bikes to the top to have a closer look. One downhill caught our eye the most and Finnan decided to take it on. The hill was extremely steep so he stayed on the brake most of the way down. The fact there was a tree right at the bottom was neither here nor there. He managed to skid around the tree then it was my turn.

I thought I could go faster than that, I set off down on the break then released when I had a good line, I picked up some speed and began to think about avoiding the tree, unfortunately my wheel got stuck in a ridge and I couldn't turn to avoid it, I slammed on the break but to no avail, the bike flipped, I went over the handle bars and smacked square into the tree, bounced off and hit the ground then the bike landed straight on top of me.

My first thought was I must have broke something, but to my surprise there wasn't a scratch on me. Finnan came running over thinking the same and couldn't believe it when he saw me get up.

If my bike thought it was ready for the scrap heap before, then what would it be thinking after whacking into a tree at high speed. Luckily though it was in full working order, I could hardily believe how lucky I had been.

It brings a new meaning to "being close to nature."

ROUTES! coming soon!

2006-11-13T11:37:00.000Z

A new feature to the blog will be arriving shortly. I will be posting up local routes of where I mountain bike. The routes will include a map indicating key features such as downhills, jumps etc. The first map to be posted will be White Coppice near Heapey in Chorley and features a number of downhills.

A Lap of Loch Lomond

2006-11-05T18:19:00.000Z

After hearing my mum and dad were planning a holiday to Loch Lomond in Scotland, I instantly thought of taking my mountain bike.

We stayed in a beautiful log cabin by the edge of the Loch in a place called Ardlui. On arrival we got talking to a guy who worked at the resort and he told us about a ferry that goes across from the resort to the opposite side of the loch, from there you can get onto the West Highland Way. He had taken a couple of mountain bikers across and they said it was completely impassible.

The Challenge

This sounded like a challenge to me, and I wanted to check it out for myself. I had the idea of cycling around the Loch and ending up on the West Highland Way.

The Day Arrives

I filled up water bottles and packed up all the necessary food for the journey. The weather was good so I didn't have to worry about it raining. I set off down the A82 which is a main road down the left hand edge of the Loch. The road is 24 miles long and takes you to the bottom edge of Loch Lomond. From there I would stop and have dinner. The journey down was relatively quick and I managed it within 2 hours. I stopped in a town called Balloch for some dinner and filled on sweets to keep my energy up.

The next leg of the journey I cycled towards Drymen. From their I took a road which led up the opposite side of the Loch. This ended in a place called Balmaha (picture at top was taken in Balmaha a couple of days later). From their I got onto the West Highland Way. I was now almost 3/4 of the way round and so far it had taken over 4 hours.

West Highland Way

I joined the West Highland Way which weeved in and out of forests onto flat plains and back into forests. The going was like a bridle-way, and I began to think this is easy. As I entered Ross Wood the path started to become a bit more rugged, and narrower. The path was becoming more mountainous, so much so that it wasn't really a path at all. On stretches it was impossible to cycle and I had to carry my bike, this led to other problems in the fact that the path just blended into the surrounding landscape, so actually navigating became a challenge.

As I got half way up the opposite side of the Loch I was carrying my bike more and more, It was now impossible to cycle, and carrying the bike was becoming a real burden. I was increasingly frustrated as my bike bounced of rocks and boulders. I thought it couldn't possibly be like this all the way back.

I plodded on walking, at one stage the path led right to the edge of a cliff over the Loch, This was extremely hazardous and summed up the West Highland Way to me. The path was now totally gone and was just big boulders and rocks. Time was now ticking, it was taking ages to walk and carry my bike over huge obstructions. I started to think if I would make it back before it went dark.

What the Hell????

The path became to reappear but I was still walking, It began to wind up and around to a bridge over a ravine. I crossed and the path then led down to a hotel of all things. By this point I was really frustrated and I couldn't believe their was a hotel in-front of me. I had been walking for at least 3 hours and I looked like I had been to hell and back.

The thought of not actually making it back before dark was becoming more real. I had to press on faster, I began to think I could always catch the ferry that leaves from Ardlui (where I set off from), but this stopped operating at 9pm. The time was now 5pm so I had 4 hours to reach the ferry port.

The last stretch

I managed to jump on my bike for 200 yards then it was back onto the West Highland Way. It was back on foot again, and I was becoming more weak due to carrying my bike. The West Highland Way didn't get any easier I thought it mite ease of and I would be able to cycle a stretch. This was not the case. I eventually made it to the ferry port, by this point i'd had enough and it was now becoming dark, the time was now 8pm. I walked over to the ferry and realised that it wasn't running. I had got my times wrong, it runs till 9pm in summer and had finished at 7pm.

I stood at the end of the pier looking out across the Loch to Ardlui, I had no energy left and I had missed the last ferry.

Ship Ahoi.

As I stood at the end of the pier a man shouted from a sailing boat confirming I had missed the last ferry. He slowly sailed over to where I was stood and offered to give me a lift across. I couldn't believe it. He helped me place my bike in the boat then we hoisted up the sail and set off. The whole journey was worth it just for this experience, it was so calming sailing back across the Loch especially after a day of huge frustrations.