Yaugher Trails

After peeling myself from my frozen bed, I grab a wholesome breakfast and a trail map from the Forrest General Store and then pop next door to get fitted for my mountain bike.

Just a few minutes north of Forrest, the Yaugher trail head is the starting point out for all the fine cross country trails. The Yaugher Super Loop is the longest trail in Forest and it provides access to the entire Yaugher trail network. It is a mixture of single track and fire trails with a full range of trail features. The start is fairly easy, but soon I learn first hand what is awesome about the Forrest MTB experience!

After a short breather, next up is the Grass Trees trail. Loaded with features the short trail includes log rides, rollovers, step ups, drop offs, big berms and jumps. 

Named after the man who started the Forrest MTB dream is Foxtail, Forrest’s quickest run. This trail takes me from the Yaugher trail head to Tabletop and rejoins the Yaugher Super Loop. Long fast straights and open corners provide a fun flowing ride with well-spaced technical features.

My legs are now feeling heavy, but I choose one final trail. J2 is another long flowing descent trail from the Yaugher trailhead. This trail has plenty of features along the way and once again rejoins the Yaugher Super Loop which returns me to the trail head.

I return to Forrest to clean my bike and myself, refuel with another tasty morsel from the Forrest General Store and head back out in search of some more adventure...

Located 7 km from Forrest is the scenic Lake Elizabeth, famous for its population of platypuses and surreal scenery of dead trees jutting from its glassy waters. I yomp around the circuit searching for the reclusive platypuses and avoiding the poisonous snakes.

Back at the carpark, Harrison and I head to Apollo Bay, where I find a bed for the night and spend an evening in the new tap house of the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse. A fitting reward for all my hard work ;-)

Distance: 53.8km

Bike-X-ing Schwarzwald: Day 6

I step out into the damp mist of the morning, repeat my morning routine for what I hope to be the final time. I make the cold and long descent to meet the route. As with the previous morning, I have chosen to cut a corner from the route to protect my knee as best as possible and try to finish in the daylight.

On the descent, I see a crowd on the vertex of a switchback. Sadly, they are not here to cheer me on my way, but to watching a massive tree being removed from a rather precarious position. On the valley floor, I rejoin the route and begin another steep climb out of Schlechtnau. The faint, familiar buzzing sound alerts me to the fact that I am entering the domain of the lumberjacks. I occasionally to a short break to watch their skillful work. Once I reach Todtmoos, the buzzing sounds fade away and the scenery changes back to a more rural landscape.

The final descent of the day, and hence trip, is through a wonderful guard of honour given by the autumnal trees that were fighting to keep their golden brown leaves. For the final time, I race the sun down towards the horizon. Today, the sun wins. I reach the valley floor as the sun disappears behind the ridge. I am just south of Wehr and follow the River Wehra southwards towards Bad Säckingen - the end point of the entire trip.

Whilst following the river, I lose the sign for the route several times and become so frustrated that I resort to simply following the river. When this was no longer an option, I begin to follow the road, which rapidly becomes a huge mistake.

Suddenly the quiet little B-Road became the backstraight of a F1 circuit, or as they are more commonly known in Germany, a derestricted zone. Motorbikes, cars, trucks and lorries come flying past me at breakneck speeds. Some drivers helpfully opted to use their horns to point out my mistake.

Having survived what was truly the most life threatening moments of the journey, I find the train station and the tiny plaque attached to a random lamppost that signifies the end of my journey.

A journey pedaling through the vast nature playground of the Schwarzwald. Self-propelled, I have explored the breadth of sights and landscapes, meandering through river valleys, traversing nature reserves and venturing into challenging mountain terrain. This journey, just like this country, will occupy a special place in my heart.

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Bike-X-ing Schwarzwald: Day 5

Another morning begins with a steep climb up the densely forested ridge. Breathing heavily in the fresh morning air, I look across the undulating farming heartland of the Schwarzwald and begin to push my pedals round...

I cross this mountain plateau and then descend to the touristy focal point of the Titisee. It is bitterly cold, so I layer up as I contour around the lake, ahead the imposing silhouette of the Feldberg. At 1493 metres the Feldberg is the highest mountain in Baden-Württemberg, and the highest in Germany outside of the Alps. It is taller than Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, which only stands 1345 metres high.

On the picturesque, slow and steady ascent of the Feldberg, I feel a sudden, sharp, stabbing pain in my right knee. I hobble off my bike and double over, feeling nauseous from the pain. I pause for a moment, wondering how I can solve this problem and continue my journey. I simply drop the saddle slightly and tentatively begin to pedal...

As I begin the ascent in earnest, I no longer feel pain in my knee. I guess that I have one leg ever so slightly longer than the other, which means I have been over-extending my right leg for the past four days. I am surprised that my leg has lasted this long!

Just below the summit, I rest and eat some soup at the ski station. Feeling a little refreshed, I contour around the summit and maintain height until I am above Todtnauberg. I descend gently to my accommodation for the night. On the descent, the pain returns to my knee along with the sickening feeling in my stomach as start to worry that this could be the end of my adventure...

So near, yet so far?

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https://www.relive.cc/view/1258126160

Bike-X-ing Schwarzwald: Day 4

Huge farmhouses with smoke billowing from their chimneys in the still warm morning air nestle between the rolling hills. The sights, sounds and smells of the idyllic bucolic Schwarzwald are simply beautiful, but I do not have time to leisurely soak it all in as I need to cover about 90km today!

In order to ensure that I finish in daylight, I take a short cut before rejoining the main route and winding my way - mainly on tarmac - between the many farms of the rural Schwarzwald countryside. The tarmac suddenly falls from beneath me as the abrupt descent to Triberg begins.

Landing in the middle of a busy centre, I pick my way through to the train station, behind which starts the climb to Schonach im Schwarzwald (home to the World’s largest cuckoo clock). Somewhere between the recent logging activity and poor signage, I loose the way and end up back in Triberg - albeit the western side, so I power along the road in the heat of the midday sun!

From Schonach im Schwarzwald, I head into the forest where I get hopelessly lost. As I am staring up at the signpost hoping for the names to change and it all make sense, along came a friendly German chap to see if I need help. I do and Caleb kindly offers to lead me back to the route. When I travel, life affirming things like this remind me that the World is not as bad as you see in the papers or on the news. I am not sure if it was sweetened by Caleb’s random act of kindness, but the descent to Simonswald puts a huge grin on my face. This is rapidly removed on the next section...

The climb up to Kandel was relentless. Just under 10km of steep, strenuous, sustained climbing in the shadows of the forest covered peak. The torture is made worse as just when the trail looked to be flattening out, another steep section would come into view. It is easily the worst two hours and fifteen minutes that I have spent on a bike.

If time seemed to grind to a halt as I climbed, then once I reach the small church where the descent begins, literally flies by. With the moon appearing in the sky and the sun dipping below the tree covered skyline, I arrive, exhausted, in Buchenbach.

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https://www.relive.cc/view/1256633204

Bike-X-ing Schwarzwald: Day 3

Through the cool crisp autumn air my pedals whir as the pleasant climb from Bad Griesbach rejoins the bike-x-ing Schwarzwald Trail just above the Sexhauer Hütte. The wide gravelled tracks weave through the forest and then descend into the next valley. The shadowed descent has a cold bite to it and the temperatures drop further as I zoom along the bottom of the heavily shaded valley to find the start of the next ascent...

The steep climb through Burgbach brings my fingers and toes back to life and I work hard along the undulating route through the forested peaks to keep warm. The descent towards Wolfach is again on the shaded side of the mountain and makes for another bitterly cold descent. Fortunately, tucked on the far side of the valley is Jakobsberg, where part of the Jakobsweg Pilgrimage climbs out of the valley. The steep ascent is lined with creepy depictions of St. James, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and traditionally considered the first apostle to be martyred.

High above Wolfach I reach the top of the climb and contour round more forested peaks until the trail meets a road at Moosenmättle. From here on the route becomes a blur as I follow the road for a long time and reach some eye watering speeds along the descent. My teary, blurry vision causes me to miss the turning for the final piece of trail, so as I fly down the ribbon of tarmac to warm up in Lauterbach-Schramberg.

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https://www.relive.cc/view/1255018467

Bike-X-ing Schwarzwald: Day 2

My breath freezes and my clothes, still damp from yesterday’s torrential downpour, stiffen as I step outside to load my bike. Winter is coming...

I start the day by following the road for a short distance along the valley. I soon rejoin the trail for my first climb. The ride through the forest is a blur of amber, yellow and green hues ending in a farmer’s field! Besenfeld, home to a herd of local llamas, is surprisingly easy to navigate though. I am making good time and it really is a joy to be out on the bike. The signage is much easier to follow and the views are stunning as I head up and over to Huzenbach.

All good things eventually come to an end and the sign that pointed off the side of the mountain into the crisp autumnal air signalled the end of the easy start to the day. Roughly translated the sign said: “Here endeth the signage, we will see you at the bottom”. I peer over the edge and smirk to myself; this sign is clearly an attempt at humour as nobody would ride down that! I ignore the sign and continue on the track until it was blinding obvious that I was going the wrong way. I return to the sign, all the while scouting down the hill for signs of a trail...

I drop in, my heart in my mouth, as the bike bucks underneath me. The loose, green, wet boulders do not offer much traction, and throw my bike every which way but loose. I grip my handle bars, throw my weight back and surf down the green, rock strewn wave. After what seems like an eternity, I meet a track, orthogonal to my direction of travel, I pause for breathe and am happy to have survived the first section. The next few sections of single track were drier, browner, but no less bumpy. The camber of the trail and exposed tree roots keep threatening to throw me down the hill, but I manage to maintain my balance. Finally, I reach the bridge that crosses the River Murg and takes me to Huzenbach.

Another lung-bursting climb along a road brings me to the pretty Huzenbacher See, where the climb continues into the forest and, before I know it, I reach another descent. Another single track trail, but in much better condition than the first of the day. I cruise down the trail enjoying the switchbacks. The loggers ruined my fun though as, a few hundred meters from the end, the descent is blocked by piles of debris from the recent tree felling. Scrambling over the discarded logs, brings me to the path that takes me through more farmer’s fields, down steep grassy slopes and through downtown Baiersbronn. It was clearly rush hour as it took me ten minutes to cross road! Thankfully the S8 tram disrupts the flow of traffic, but it also reminds me how close to KA I still am :-/

The long shallow ascent out of Baiersbronn soon steepens for the final large climb of the day which, I soon discover, has one unwelcome surprise in store. Sand; the enemy of a mountain biker. Loose, heavy with no traction and completely energy sapping. By the time I reach the top, I am broken. My wheels roll to Kniebis, by which time some of the power has returned to my legs. I find enough strength to contour around, parallel to the road and under a huge wind turbine. Here, I leave the main track and descend, legitimately, through someone’s back garden to Bad Griesbach for some much needed rest and recuperation.

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https://www.relive.cc/view/1253598974

Bike-X-ing Schwarzwald: Day 1

Grey, damp and with a cold bite in the air, I roll along the banks of the River Enz, through the centre of Pforzheim, to begin my journey across the Schwarzwald.

With all the biking routes through Pforzheim, I get a little confused, but a short, steep, strenuous  climb, put me back on track, which soon disappears into the trees. Nature is kind enough to provide  an autumnal goldeny-brown guard of honour on the route to Würm. A lung-busting climb through Würm takes all my focus, resulting in me carelessly missing a turn and dropping to the river. I lose so much height unnecessarily; and then the rain begins...

I climb away from the river to get myself back on track, if only for a short while, as I then get a little lost again in the dark and densely packed pine trees. The torrential down pour continues as I ride through the undulating forested terrain. I have often ridden into a headwind, but I have never ridden upstream! I eventually pop out of the trees at the beautifully decayed abandoned buildings of Charlottenhöhe.

The rain finally stops as I descend to Calmbach and then follow the route along the valley floor to Bad Wildbad. The final major ascent of the day snakes away from the southern end of Bad Wildbad. With fatigue setting in, I take a break at the Grünhütte and then continue to pick my way between the trees. The temperatures drop as the altitude increases. I reach the edge of a cloud-filled valley, somewhere below me, hidden in the clouds, is Enzklösterle - the finish line for today. I cycle along the ridge, skirting the edge of the clouds. Eventually I descend into the mist, racing the sun towards the horizon.

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https://www.relive.cc/view/1252489200

Back on the road...

As I stand, ankle deep in warm water, watching the tide roll in, images from the events of the past few days drift through my mind.

First,  the undulating green hills of Middle Earth with the hobbit holes and the wonderful Green Dragon Inn. Next, the magical Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest, home to some of the best mountain bike trails in the country (and probably the World). The highlight of the week, and maybe the whole road trip, was the adventurous Black Abyss Tour through Ruakuri Cave to see the gruesome glowworms. Quietly drifting along an underground river on a car inner tube, in a wetsuit with my headlamp turned off, under the soft turquoise light from the luminescent bumhole of the glowworm really was something special.

Back on the road, the drive between Waihi and Paeroa (the birthplace of L&P), through the Karangahake Gorge is one of the best pieces of tarmac of my road trip. All of which brings me to the justifiably famous Hot Water Beach, where I take my spade, dig a hole to produce my very own spa pool. I dunk my feet in the warm water and watch the tide roll in...

Tunnel of Trees

The lung-bursting, heart-thumping climb out of Portage Bay to rejoin the ridge line certainly woke me up! The tarmac disappeared at Torea Saddle, where I rejoined the clay-based track, which continues to be given a guard of honour by the native shrubs and trees. Yesterday they protected me from the rain and drizzle, whilst today I was being protected from the burning sun. Shamrock Ridge offered up more stunning views from the day's highpoint and the start of the rocky, exposed switchbacks that descended towards Te Mahia Saddle.

From the saddle, the track followed old bridle paths above the water - marking a shift in grade to a more forgiving intermediate. Narrow undulating tracks then transformed into a wider more moderate mid-section. The long descent into Anakiwa passed through some particularly beautiful virgin native bush and, before long, Anakiwa came into view and so does the end of the Queen Charlotte Track. Next up, the long slog to Picton...

The 21km ribbon of mind-numbing tarmac gave plenty of time to reflect on a mountain biking experience that is like no other. The track is very rideable, albeit steep and challenging, especially with a well-worn rear tyre and rain to render the clay-based track very slippery. That said, the meandering 70km track offers gorgeous coastal scenery and so there is little wonder why this is rated as one of the Country's twenty greatest rides.

Queen Charlotte Track

Sitting on the edge of a cool crisp Picton Harbour, my breathe froze to my beard as I waited for the water taxi to my starting point along the Queen Charlotte Track. Whilst the Queen Charlotte Track is highly regarded as a classic New Zealand walk, the longest piece of continuous single track in the country now ranks as one of New Zealand's best mountain bike rides. The track is graded as intermediate (Grade 3) and advanced (Grade 4) mountain biking, which for me will probably mean some pushing of the bike. When I looked at the daunting climb out of Punga Cove, I can see why...

As I slowly climbed away from Punga Cove to join the Queen Charlotte Track, the sweeping views began to appear as I struggled up the mud-coated, tree-strewn trail. At the Kenepuru Saddle, I joined the ridge line which separates the Queen Charlotte Sound from the Kenepuru Sound. Despite the grey weather, I am treated to stunning views all day, but the terrain - as promised - was challenging. The longest and most arduous stretch of the track had lots of sharp corners, steep drop offs and, of course, hills. Whilst the inclines were not long, they were gnarly, sharp or both, and likewise the descents can be both.

After whizzing through the DOC campsite at the Bay of Many Coves and Black Rock, the track eventually descends - through a series of steep, and exhilarating switchbacks - to Torea Saddle. My wheels then hit tarmac, which descended further to my accommodation in Portage Bay.

Losing my bottle...

...in Gisburn Forest

Jones is almost old!

To celebrate, we took a ride around Stainburn Forest...

Shorty is old!

To celebrate, we took a ride around Swaledale...

The Highland Wildcat

The trail is the longest descent in the UK from the summit of Ben Bhraggie (1300' to sea-level) and the longest technical singletrack climb...

Balblair

The Black Route.

Bike, hike and climb An Teallach...

...in the fog.

c2c - Penrith to Sunderland

Picking up the route where we left off. Richard and I left the gentle Eden Valley behind, unfortunately Soozy had to go to work :’(

We soon climbed steeply to the spectacular viewpoint of Hartside before beginning the traverse of the Northern Pennines. From Hartside the four mile descent took us to Garrigill and the bottom of the next climb. Soon after, we experienced the highest point on the c2c route, Black Hill. The scenery of the North Pennines became wilder and grander as we wound our way up, down and round to lunch.

After climbing away from the picturesque yet isolated Rookhope , we were told that we would have conquered the really mountainous part of the route and could look forward to some downhill cruising to our final destination.

Less than five miles later, the killer climb from Stanhope came as a bit of a surprise! At the top, we joined the Waskerley Way that brought us to the fork in the road at Consett. Left Newcastle. Right Sunderland. Before the choice, we had another puncture to repair! This time we were much more prepared :)

Physically the last section is the easiest, however navigating along the twisty route proved the real challenge. That said, the wonderful sculptures and monuments kept our interest as we cycled along the River Wear and on to the finishing point near Roker Pier.

The c2c takes in fantastic scenery. The mountains of the Lake District yield to the subtler but equally beautiful Eden Valley. The Pennines provide a starker contrast. Further on the landscape bears reminders of the defunct lead mining industry. It’s hardly surprising that, after negotiating two of the country’s main mountain ranges and at least one major city, and linking the Irish and North Seas in the process, a real sense of achievement in completing this epic journey is just about inevitable!

Distance: 79 miles

c2c - Whitehaven to Penrith

Our train pulled into the coastal town of Whitehaven. Soozy, Richard and myself began our journey by, as tradition states, dipping the rear wheel of our bikes in the Irish Sea. The Whitehaven-Ennerdale cycle path provided a gentle start, following the line of a disused railway that served the local mines. The true mountains of the Lake District soon came into sight as our wheels rolled through pleasant villages such as Lamplugh and High Lorton. En-route we suffered our first puncture of the journey, which was a little more trouble than usual due to a lack of sticky glue, a replacement inner-tube or a pump that worked :)

After a spectacular climb over the Whinlatter Forrest, the pedalling got a little easier as we headed to Keswick. The track through and out of Keswick was a little rough for our road bikes. Once we rejoined the tarmac, we whizzed along, parallel to the A66, through more charming villages. We ended the day with a well-deserved celebratory pint in Penrith.

Distance: 55 miles

Day Twelve

The final push...

(After another late start and another hearty breakfast!)

Altnaharra to John o'Groats

Distance: 74.33 miles
Time: 7 hours 3 minutes
Ave Speed: 13.8 mph
Max Speed: 39.1 mph


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The day started with a lovely road along Loch Naver and then followed the course of the River Naver to Betty Hill. Once there, we took a right and followed the coast which will take us all the way to John o'Groats...

There was a remarkable symmetry with this part of the trip and the first day - big ups and big downs :)

After a spot of lunch at the Strathay Inn, we cycled over the last rise and onto the flatter terrain. We covered the last few miles at a fair old speed - sailing past places like Castle Mey and Thurso, before arriving at the road junction in John o'Groats.

We took a left and crossed the finish line outside the derelict looking Groats In. We then phoned Peter to arrange the obligatory cheesy tourist photo and had a few celebratory drinks before Paul came to collect us.

As we were loading our bikes into Paul's car, I discovered that my back tyre had gone flat... Ah well! Perfect timing :)

For the first time on the whole journey, we then headed South...

Day Eleven

After such a long day yesterday, we had a late start and a big breakfast :)

Inverness to Altnaharra

Distance: 69.27 miles
Time: 7 hours 4 minutes
Ave Speed: 12.0 mph
Max Speed: 35.8 mph


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We managed to avoid much of the slog along the A9 by following a lovely cycle route and after crossing the Cromathy Firth, Dave noticed a strange shaped rock - it's a seal!


We then took a left turn and headed off into the hills...

We made good time getting to Lairg, where we "Nipped Inn" for some food and a short break.

Shortly after leaving Lairg the A-road turned into a single track for the rest of the way to Altnaharra. The section of road from the Crask Inn is the best road I have ever cycled on. I covered 9 miles in 14 minutes! These were the roads that I had been hoping for - Scotland hasn't failed to deliver :)

We came skidding to a halt outside the Altnaharra B&B, where we were looked after very well!