Crispin's Guide to Stirling Cycling
Bike Right 007
Wooler – 26-28 October 2001
Where were you ?
Bikeright 007 was a gathering of the cycling clans at Wooler Youth Hostel,
taking place on the last weekend of October. Bikeright is in its seventh
year and is popular with cyclists inhabiting the more extreme ends of the
social spectrum - for want of a better phrase. Many travel from London,
but the majority were from within riding distance of Wooler.
On arrival, it was obvious that this was not going to be a typical weekend.
Recumbents, folders, Moulton's and other such bikes were far more popular
than their diamond-framed cousins. Bikes were everywhere: mine found a
home in the drying room. A young lass scooted up and down the corridor, body
swerving the obstacles we had carefully placed in her way. In the common
room, an exercise bike was being pedalled frantically to power a Scalextrix
track.
At 10pm, the first ride commenced. Five miles in the dark along an
undulating dead end track to nowhere, with nothing more than bike lamps for
company. On arrival at the pre-designated bit of turf, mulled wine was
handed out and we attempted to identify the star constellations. We then
rode back to the hostel, scattering sheep widely.
11pm – Friday night, 5 miles
from nowhere
Mulled wine ride
Saturday dawned bright and cheery. Beans on toast was supplied to prepare us for a 40-mile ride via Coldstream. I'd forgotten how superb this part of the world is for cycling - a maze of roads and no traffic. Plenty of tea shops too. And hills. We visited the battlefield at Flodden and also the neighbouring menagerie of life-size concrete animals - quite bizarre.
Roadkill
Coldstream
We’re dropping John !
Linda in the concrete
menagerie
Saturday night was a BBQ, cycle jumble and video session.
Did anyone understand what the Geordie cyclist was on about ?
Sunday was the annual pilgrimage to Kirk Yetholm. Only 15 miles away, so
the gang added some fun miles and hills.
Afternoon tea was after only 5 miles - I skipped this to cycle 20 miles
on deserted roads back to Berwick for the train to Edinburgh and then Stirling.
An excellent weekend - there will be a Bikeright 7.5 in February in Berwick on
Tweed and a I guess Bikeright8 is already pencilled in for October 2002.
The gang
See you next year ?
Crispin
All photos © John Broughton
2001