A Shifty couple of days in the woods

So, as any good session starts out, it was a little later than planned, but no worries when Roger S found the right end of the street! We piled in and headed off to the first spot of the day a place called Castle Ring...

Castle Ring: what it lacks in runs it makes up for in hair-raising descents on service tracks.

As we dropped in for the first run of the day I wondered to myself if not knowing how to stop could be an issue but too late to worry now, The first track took me round a winding single track that started to slow as you reached the bottom (Damn rain) while the other two took a right and dropped onto the service track while I disappeared out of site, So back to the top time to find the others.

As I looked down the service track I found myself wondering about how I was going to stop at the bottom I knew there was a stream (that’s an option) how about that bush (that could work too) but by this point I was already rolling and as soon as I travelled ten yards I knew neither of those options would work out too well so option 3: carve it up round the bend and out onto the flat, caked in mud, just as Roger and Dunstan emerged from the stream!

So time to get going then along the flat section until we find some more suitable looking slopes that join up with startly lane, so time to switch it up. The results are fairly wobbly, as I reach the bottom I find Dunstan eyeing up a horizontal tree so after a quick jib it’s back to the car park and head for Lunch.

Seven springs

So the afternoon takes us to another of the better spots on Cannock chase, Seven Springs. It’s a great place to ride;  you can head in any direction and find somewhere to drop in, only problem car parks not at the top!

So we kit up and head up, half way up we spot a track heading into the woods so it’s time for a play...

Afterwards back on to the top for the longest track of the day I believe get to the bottom Roger and Dunstan have disappeared again afterwards we head along a different track only to decide we are on the wrong side of the valley so we head back sit down for what Roger described as “some of the best bum boarding ever” I would have to agree, then we head up to the top for the last run of the day and god it was a good one fairly steep and winding its way to the bottom just need to work on traversing a bit more so what better time than on a wide open track.

All in all not a bad days riding, so back home for the night ready for hemlock the next day...

Hemlock stone

Get up as yesterdays aches kick in, look outside, its raining- great.Bundle in the gear and head off. As we get close to the spot we end up lost, wonderful, the sat nav took us to a pub :)  When we eventually found the place worries set in- it doesn’t look that big, what if it doesn’t keep us entertained all day? Oh well too late now we're here, but where’s everyone else?  We head straight up to the top... so much hard work dragging roger’s pro downhill behind me!

Reach the top and roger heads off for a nose around but Dunstan has found a line he likes and so it’s time to whip the camera out...

I strapped in for a couple of runs on Roger’s NoSno - God I forgot what it was like to ride these things... Turn damn you!

We hung around for about an hour when we noticed a figure walking up through the woods- it’s Ade, another rider (and indeed Mr. Dirt-box). Things are starting to pick up...

We carried on riding for an hour or two- there is some wicked lines through the trees over several dirt jumps, round the bend and past the fence at the bottom and onto the field so as the things start to slow down, we decide it’s time to head down and find food. Instead we find another 3 Riders heading up! So with renewed vigor we head  back up with Jay, Lucy and Jasper in tow.

As we stand around having an idle chat (while the new riders kit up) we find Roger has a thing for trees...(see video!)

As the new kids on the bloke start to drop in they catch a new line that’s grabbed everyones attention, so we end up queueing up to drop in and before long a miniature train emerges with Roger and Dunstan trailing each other down...

Everyone was hitting the jumps, with Jasper really stomping trick after trick and both him and Dunstan trying to get down their 3’s.

By this point we felt that we needed to spice things up a little so there was only one thing left to do really!

But there was plenty more to see at this place, so we packed up and moved round to the far side of the spot where there was definitely more easily navigated tracks (but where is the fun in that?!). We went round anyway for the last few runs of the day...

All in all a good days riding with a decent turn out!

Check out a cool video of the day by Lucy & Jasper on youtube here

Find a bit more info from Ade's write-up on `the dirt box' here

Words and Photos by Adam Preece

Cheers everyone!