First autumnal ride

After riding on Arran last weekend with the Stirling boys, we were keen to head up and ride in their back yard, and Aron very generously decided on taking an afternoon off work to show us round. After stopping off at sprockets on the way, to pick up the mega after its latest breakage, we left behind shire sunshine, and instead were met with a wall of rain and gloom.

And that's why there are no pictures, it was so wet, the camera was left in the car.

Parking up at cambusbarron, myself, Des and the newly rejuvenated Robin ventured out thought the quarries and headed in search of the picture perfect trails of the north third cliffs. Well it would have been picture perfect, if you could see further than twenty feet ahead. The trails that followed our poring over the map were well worth it, rocky, rooty, steep and lots of fun. It's pretty up and down, and at only 10 miles long, harder than it sounds. We all agreed to a return visit in better weather.

A quick sandwich, and we headed over to Logie kirk, just outside bridge of Allan, to meet Aron and Charlie for the afternoon ride. Putting wet back gear on is horrible, but the climb soon warmed us and tired legs soon make you forget wet clothes.

An hour later, we summited onto Dumyat, at nearly 500m altitude. We managed to get the odd wee view down toward Stirling castle and the Wallace monument between clouds, but not much to be honest. So, we headed back down and a cracking descent followed, and then another cracker through Mine woods and into Bridge of Allan. Another climb followed, back up round the reservoir, back along the initial dumyat climb, but this time heading down yellow crags, above Stirling uni, for a peach of a flowing rooty descent back to the car. Another ride at around 10 miles, but over 1000 metres of climbing between both rides had us as hungry boys.

The fish and chips were poor - tripadvisors number 1 eatery in the town was a huge letdown, but eat them we did, and home for a well earned hot bath. We'll be back up there soon.

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