mickc
The Summer Starts
Blue skies, golden sun and dry land means a faster bike
There is nothing like bursting through one of your favourite trails to clear the cobwebs away. Some trails can be exhilarating, some can be challenging but most favourite trails provide a great feeling at the end, be it achievement or pure adrenaline. There are loads of great short bursting trails in and around robin hood country that I use to link rides.
This is one of my favourite local downhills in the dry summer conditions. It starts just behind St Wilfred’s church and the fastest section is purely straight and downhill. If you take a look around, the views across the landscape are very cool, especially in winter when there is a frost or snow. The trail runs south, from the back of the church, parallel to the B6018. Pass the graveyard on the right and then come out into the open where the trail drops downhill between two fields. At the bottom there is a sharp left and if there has been any rain it collects water and gets slippery, so beware. Then duck right into the wooded area and cross the multitude of paths that cross. Take the path straight opposite into a singletrack between two fences. At the end of the trail, you can swing a right and head toward the Portland Park by crossing over the train line to pass the wild rabbit. Here is the trail in full view:
As you enter the trail you pass the beautiful church of St Wilfrid. The church and the start of the trail stands on a site believed to have been first used for a church in the seventh century AD and an ancient church is mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086.
The church has survived some disasters, including a lightning strike in the eighteenth century, prompting the spire and tower to be rebuilt in 1866, and a fire which destroyed much of the inner church structure in 1907. But by 1908 the church as it stands today was ready for worship once again.
The money for the rebuild was raised by the people of the parish, and the architect, Louis Ambler, was entrusted to recreate the old church.
The new church was noticeably different, with the north aisle emanating the style of the 12th century, whilst the south aisle reproducing the style of the north aisle. A new porch was added, and a beautiful carved wooden screen was erected in place of a chancel arch.
Over the years various gifts have been made to the church, including the carved oak panels given in 1928 in memory of Miss Hodgkinson.
Before the fire there was always a Lady Chapel in the south aisle. In 1962 the present side chapel was consecrated. This chapel is dedicated to St Hilda, and all cost of furnishing was generously donated by an anonymous parishioner.
The trail is best tackled in the summer. I always start a lot of routes in the summer with this trail. We have had some fantastic summers in the UK over the last couple of years. It made me think why we like summer so much so I had a quick look at some facts about summer on the met office website. Here’s a few I picked out which made me smile:
It's the most thundery time of the year:
More thunderstorms occur during the summer than at any other time of the year. The warmth of summer often provides the perfect conditions of rising air and moisture required for the creation of thunderstorms. In the UK, they are most likely to occur in the East Midlands and the southeast.
Crickets get chirpy:
Next time you hear the sound of crickets chirping on a balmy summer evening, why not try this simple trick to find out the temperature. The frequency of a cricket's chirps is consistent with air temperature, so you simply need to count how many chirps there are over 25 seconds then divide by 3 and add 4 to tell you the temperature in Celsius.
Snow in June:
On 2 June 1975, snow showers forced the abandonment of several cricket matches across the country. The coldest temperature ever recorded in summer in the UK is -5.6 °C recorded on 9 June 1955 in Dalwhinnie, and again on 1 and 3 June 1962 in Santon Downham in Norfolk.
Height of summer:
Did you know that on a hot day in Paris, the Eiffel Tower grows taller? The tower is constructed from iron and when this is warmed it expands, causing the structure to grow by up to 17 cm.
First day of summer:
The astronomical calendar determines the seasons due to the 23.5 degrees of tilt of the Earth's axis, in its orbit around the Sun. The meteorological summer begins on 1 June. The meteorological seasons are split into three months each. They coincide with our Gregorian calendar, making it easier for observing and forecasting to compare seasonal and monthly statistics.
The longest day of the year is in summer:
The summer solstice marks the point when the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky. This is the longest day of the year and after this point, the days slowly begin to get shorter until the winter solstice which occurs around 21 December. At the same time as the Northern Hemisphere experiences the summer solstice, the Southern Hemisphere has a winter solstice marking the shortest day of the year.
So, when you are out riding, sweating through your helmet have a stop and count the cricket’s chirps to know what temperature it is, if your phone doesn’t work that is.
To be a bit repetitive, as I say, there is nothing like bursting through one of your favourite trails. I have loads of favourite short and long trails I like to add into my routes. Do you? if you do let me know where and I’ll look them up.
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