We had a great ride yesterday, me, Dave and Simon. Starting in Staveley we followed a route that took us through some of the finest boggy marshland the Lakes has to offer, before a lovely hike up a massive rocky hill with an overbuilt mountain bike and super-stiff soled shoes on….

Then the downhill from the top of the Garburn made the journey all worthwhile. Certainly one of the rockest downhills I’ve ridden, and a bit worrying given the number of rocks clouting the downtube of the bike. Anyway, it’s stuff like this that suspension bikes were invented for. You could do it on a rigid, but not at 30-plus mph.

The last time I rode the Garburn Pass was with Garry several years ago. We did it the other way around last time and I remember being a bit scared by the scale of it all. We encountered a group of riders yesterday, some of whom looked like they were absolutely petrified whilst locking both wheels on the way down the steep slopes and rock steps. One of them said it was her “first ride”. Hmmm. Baptism by fire. Hopefully they made it.

As a finale, I was bitten by a Shetland Pony. Little bastard.

 Go over to http://www.industrialfellbiking.co.uk for bollocks and more photos from this ride.