mickc
Summer Biking in 2020
Mountain Biking Summer 2020
Now the dark nights and dark mornings are truly established, I’ve been longing for some warm sun on my face whilst blasting through the trees on my bike. Looking back on the summer of 2020 it has been a vastly different one. Most things have been different in a bad way, but for me, the biking has been amazing. I’ve been able to get out on the bike loads more than I normally do, having plenty of time on my hands. In fact, at the time of writing I’m on target to beat my highest mileage in a year.
I’ve been
through the footage and photos I’ve captured in the summer of 2020 and pulled
together some my favourite bits.
I got loads of cracking footage on some amazing sunny days and have pulled together into a video. I mainly took this footage on a blazing day, in fact if I remember one of the hottest, right at the start of August. I headed out through the felly and on to Hucknall and Newstead to complete a fast-flowing loop.
One of my favourite sections is across the field of corn. I hope you didn’t miss it. It made me feel like I’m abroad as it is such a varied little trail for the local area. Unfortunately, the corn doesn’t last forever as I found out when I went back in October to find the trail gone.
Earlier in the summer, in July, the weather was sparkling, especially at the end of the month. I captured some amazing shots through Thieves Wood. Thieves is amazing when the sun is blinding down. Just like Sherwood Pinesthere are certain sections where the sun flickers through the trees creating some amazing light.
But this summer wasn’t just about re-tracing my favourite biking loops. I had time to plan and try out some new loops. One which has turned into a favourite of mine takes me in a totally different direction of unknown tracks. It took me three or four runs to get the loop I enjoy. The loop takes in the Blackwell Trail and then touches Alfreton, Codnor Park Reservoir, Codnor Castle, round to Eastwood hall and finishing at Colliers wood and Moorgreen Reservoir. Early one Sunday morning in the middle of July I caught the Codnor area in its glory. The sun was blazing down, and the camera loved it.
I also managed to re-trace a Strava route of someone I follow. To my amazement I came across an area within a few miles of my house which is a developed nature reserve containing three large lakes. It’s somewhere I’ve never been and never even knew about. The bonus of re-tracing this route is it creates a link between other routes making them extendable if I’m feeling good.
The bonus of 2020 was that summer didn’t just end in August, it extended into September when I got some of the best biking in. Most of the month I rode different routes through to Sherwood Pines as I found the ‘ Kitchener Trail’ had been developed.
…but one day I hit the Pig Hill loopat it’s best. The views from the top were excellent and Newstead looked stunning. The trail between Ravenshead and Newstead was so fast. The trees at this time looked dark and quite sinister.
The summer ended with another route I planned, a 70 miler through Chesterfield, Rother Valley, Clumber Park and Sherwood Pines. It was a full day out with plenty of coffee stops, lunch at clumber and a few beers at home after. A great ending to a great summer.
While there hasn’t been any amazing adventurous trips abroad or weeklong bike treks, 2020 has given me a chance to get to know my local trails even more. Here’s another mix video of some 2020 highlights…Like me I hope you have some good memories of 2020, not just those of the dreaded C19 which has defined 2020.
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