PaulXC
Registered user
Well it started off pretty well. Loaded up the XC Friday for an early Saturady morning start aiming to get To Lumb Farm, pitch the tent and join the 10 am rideout.
My mate Simon came by at 7am and we set off, over the Cat & Fiddle, through Buxton, worked over to the A6 and on to Ripley. Pulled in for fuel at the Texaco garage at Ripley and managed to break the key in half in the fuel cap.
Bugger ... half the key stuck in the filler cap. Just then Clive stopped on route to Lumb Farm and lent me some fine tipped pliers. That pulled the half key out.
Still all is not lost ... called my wife and she set off with my spare key and Simon headed back to Buxton to rendezvous with her at the station car-park.
I sat in the Texaco station and Spout's rideout called for fuel, then MickDB1 came by and gave me his mobile number and we loosely arranged for me to jump on Skygods rideout at Yonderman Cafe, Wardlow at 12.30.
Simon returned with my spare key at just before Midday, went to Lumb dropped off my gear and turned around to meet at Wardlow. Simon decided to hang out at Lumb rather than do the ride out. Took bloody ages to get there (about 27 miles I think) but manage to catch Skygod's crew just as they were leaving at about 1.15pm.
Cool - I was back in business, Did some great old favourite lanes and worked over towards Abney Gliding club to do the long lane that gets real steep at the end. Turned at Abney, went up the narrow tamac lane by the phone box. Stopped the engine for a young girl on a pony to pass by and that was it ... dead ! Just electrics, no lights nothing. Completely dead.
We pulled the plastics off & checked everything visible but no joy.
I couldn't get any phone signal on 02 up there so I figured I'd roll back to the call box at the end of the lane and call for recovery. Sounded like an ideal plan so the guys carried on. I rolled to the phone box but it wasn't accepting any money!!! Arrrrrgh!!.
There was no one around to ask so I thought for a while and then set off to walk to Great Hucklow - which I figured was about a mile or so - and reckoned on getting some mobile phone signal at some point along the way. In fact I didn't get a signal until I was nearly in the village - must have been about three miles. Not good in Enduro boots - big blister on my ankle now.
Got a signal and then realised I didn't have my bike recovery number with me - it was on my phone but I'd reset it the other week and hadn't synched the number back on ....... so I called my wife out again ( for the 2nd time ).
I went to sit in the pub at Great Hucklow - this was about 4pm. Helen turned up with car and trailer about 6 ish and we went to recover the XC. I was planning on driving home, dropping the bike and hoofing it back to Lumb Farm in the car.
First thing Helen said was ... I think the car is playing up.
In fact it was ... after a couple of miles it went into 'limp home' mode with lots of flashing lights and messages saying take to dealer.
Limped home for 8pm.
Called up my mate Simon who was still at Lumb farm and explained I couldn't get back over.
So all in all - didn't really get to catch up with anyone and did an hour of laning.
Oh yeah - was gonna take a few pictures .. brought the camera but left the battery pack at home.
Hopes your Lumb Farm worked out better than mine..
Paul
My mate Simon came by at 7am and we set off, over the Cat & Fiddle, through Buxton, worked over to the A6 and on to Ripley. Pulled in for fuel at the Texaco garage at Ripley and managed to break the key in half in the fuel cap.
Bugger ... half the key stuck in the filler cap. Just then Clive stopped on route to Lumb Farm and lent me some fine tipped pliers. That pulled the half key out.
Still all is not lost ... called my wife and she set off with my spare key and Simon headed back to Buxton to rendezvous with her at the station car-park.
I sat in the Texaco station and Spout's rideout called for fuel, then MickDB1 came by and gave me his mobile number and we loosely arranged for me to jump on Skygods rideout at Yonderman Cafe, Wardlow at 12.30.
Simon returned with my spare key at just before Midday, went to Lumb dropped off my gear and turned around to meet at Wardlow. Simon decided to hang out at Lumb rather than do the ride out. Took bloody ages to get there (about 27 miles I think) but manage to catch Skygod's crew just as they were leaving at about 1.15pm.
Cool - I was back in business, Did some great old favourite lanes and worked over towards Abney Gliding club to do the long lane that gets real steep at the end. Turned at Abney, went up the narrow tamac lane by the phone box. Stopped the engine for a young girl on a pony to pass by and that was it ... dead ! Just electrics, no lights nothing. Completely dead.
We pulled the plastics off & checked everything visible but no joy.
I couldn't get any phone signal on 02 up there so I figured I'd roll back to the call box at the end of the lane and call for recovery. Sounded like an ideal plan so the guys carried on. I rolled to the phone box but it wasn't accepting any money!!! Arrrrrgh!!.
There was no one around to ask so I thought for a while and then set off to walk to Great Hucklow - which I figured was about a mile or so - and reckoned on getting some mobile phone signal at some point along the way. In fact I didn't get a signal until I was nearly in the village - must have been about three miles. Not good in Enduro boots - big blister on my ankle now.
Got a signal and then realised I didn't have my bike recovery number with me - it was on my phone but I'd reset it the other week and hadn't synched the number back on ....... so I called my wife out again ( for the 2nd time ).
I went to sit in the pub at Great Hucklow - this was about 4pm. Helen turned up with car and trailer about 6 ish and we went to recover the XC. I was planning on driving home, dropping the bike and hoofing it back to Lumb Farm in the car.
First thing Helen said was ... I think the car is playing up.
In fact it was ... after a couple of miles it went into 'limp home' mode with lots of flashing lights and messages saying take to dealer.
Limped home for 8pm.
Called up my mate Simon who was still at Lumb farm and explained I couldn't get back over.
So all in all - didn't really get to catch up with anyone and did an hour of laning.
Oh yeah - was gonna take a few pictures .. brought the camera but left the battery pack at home.
Hopes your Lumb Farm worked out better than mine..
Paul