Riding Marple on a Sunny Day.

Last Saturday I went out on a mountain bike ride with Dave around Marple, which is located just south of Stockport. We were really lucky with the weather given the summer so far, as it was quite sunny but a good breeze kept temperatures down.

Here's Dave making really important decisions like which sunglasses to wear on the ride.

The route started off with a very steep and rocky climb. We didn't really get very far up the climb before we had to get off and start walking. I tried to ride as much of it as I could but had to stop for a hundred yards or so when I started to lose momentum and traction on the rocks.

In fact the ride started off with a few of good ascents. Here's Dave cycling up a hill past some parked cars.

I felt really good all day throughout the ride and managed to ride up all the ascents bar the first one. There was the usual fantastic scenery on the ride and at one point it did get quite muddy and the smell of cowpats was all over the place, yuk!

One of the muddier sections of the ride.

We eventually climbed up to a height of 1250m to the top of a hill along the Pennine Bridleway in the Peak District.

There were some even better descents, one had rocky trail with a small stream running down it which made it more exciting as it was quite slippery with the water on the rocks. I really enjoyed the descent as I made quite a good pace rolling over the rocks.

Here's a good view over a village along the Pennine Bridleway.

Me with a cheezy thumbs up.

We did see a few other riders and plenty of walkers along the same route. All of them were quite friendly and ready to offer us directions if needed.

An example of the tarmacked hills and some of the stunning scenery on the ride.

About three quarters along the ride just after ascending a good hill Dave started to suffer from cramp. I think his legs had finally had enough of the climbing. At this point we both decided to cut the ride short and took a quicker path along the roads back to the car.

Fortunately Dave had his lucky heather on his bike to avoid any injuries. :-)

We stopped at a local pub on the way back for a quick drink and a light lunch. I think it was one of the best ham and cheese toasted sandwiches that I've ever eaten, mainly because I was very hungry at the time.

I was really happy with this ride, not only because no one was injured, but because my fitness levels were finally back to what they were before my big accident and swollen ankle. Can't wait for our Canadian canoe trip and mountain bike ride around Ross on Wye in a couple of weeks. First I have to survive turning 38 next week.

Dave was quite tired after the ride and flaked out once we got back to the car.

On Sunday we went out for Wagamamas lunch in Manchester centre. We met up with my friends Claire, Bethany and Jeff from Preston.

It was really good to catch up with everyone for lunch. For some reason though Bethany only started to cry when I had hold of her. I guess she must have been unhappy that she couldn't see my handsome face when I had hold of her. :-)

From left to right Claire, Debbie, Anne, Dave, Jennifer, Bethany and Me.