Dropping into Edensor....

The proposition:

[Click for bigger map]

One that's been on the hit list for a while.  Dropping from 325m to 125m in 1.4 miles.  Surface seemed okay when walking it early last year.  Didn't think anyone else knew about it till I found this earlier today:



Great minds and all that.  Anyway, watch this space.  Fingers crossed I can get someone parked at the top to head North, take the first right and collect me from the bottom, and head back up and do it all over again, and again, and again. . . . . . . .

Wet Weekend Wander: Colwick Park, Nottingham

Bank holiday Weekend = Rain!  And this weekend was no exception, but keen to stretch my legs and go for a trail search....
Jonathan Rimmington on the Mountainboard Derby Facebook page suggested a couple of sites in and around Nottingham.  I got a bit confused and wrote down the name of one and the directions to the other but eventually ended up at:

...just off Greenwood Road, plenty of parking space!

Bar the obvious grassy slopes, several possible trails were found.  Nothing too long but a nice mix of tighter grassy channels, tracks, grass slope to wood tracks and wood tracks to grassy slope.

Some pics below so that you don't have to imagine....

[A Grassy Slope]

[grass to track]

[Path to drop]

[Grassy Channel]

[Nice track]

[Nice bottom, 200m or so further down]

[More grass!]

[Nice, short bit of track leading to the grassy slope shown above]

Okay!

In summary, Colwick park has a good number of tracks that would suit people who are bored of the open slopes and want to start hitting some tighter tracks instead.  A lot of the tracks are straight and narrow and could be a bit of a squeeze with all the dog walkers around, but nothing a good spotter wouldn't sort out.  I reckon there's possibly a bit more to discover around by the reservoir though the woods generally are a bit dense so its the footpaths or nothing.  A nice location though and I'll certainly be back if I want a change of scenery at any point.

Route Recce: Farnah Green, Over Lane

Had this route in mind for a few days now after being reminded of it by good-old dad.  A downhill section of track that used to form part of a circular walk that we used to trek when a lot younger, incorporating a couple of pubs along the way.  Although this was over 15 years ago, a vivid memory was of us climbing the path, overtaking a Landy that had made it half way up in an attempt at some off-road action!

Todays weather was blizzardy, so parked just off Over Lane and hiked across as I didn't fancy getting stuck on the side road.

First impression was good - a good, not completely straight path of reasonable gradient wide enough to scrub speed accordingly of about 400m in length, looking promising!

But just at the point where the most speed could be achieved was the above gate.  Real shame as it breaks right at the worst point possible.  Made worse that it is padlocked with no obvious indication as to who would have a key.  (not that I'm normally one to seek permission, where's the fun in that?!)

So a nice walk, just a shame that it won't be a route that I follow up with the board in tow.  Fortunately on the to-do list are a couple of runs I have already scouted and at the next opportunity will be run, one on Drum Hill, Little Eaton, the other a 1km run just North of Chatsworth, will update blog as appropriate.