We met up in Chilham on a very pleasant Sunday morning.
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And straight off up into Kings Wood. Bluebells in abundance. But are they the English or the nasty invading Spanish variety?
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The ground was firm here - but then it usually is on this part.
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The TRO'd long lane through Kings Wood (Byway AE36) seemed to be open, but we chose not to do it this time. If the gate is open and the sign not showing does that make it ok to use? Maybe.
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On to Molash and a bit of surface water made for dramatic picture or two. Steve (DRZ400) and Chris (YZF400).
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Dave (DRZ400).
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Chris (KLR250).
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Francis (XR400)
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Steve (KTM 300)
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On towards Charing. Shaun (XL250R) makes a splash.
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And the rest catch up...
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A quick photo over Pete's head. That's John (BTS200) about to enter the puddle.
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Then it was around the gliding club and along the Pilgrims Way to the Memorial cross, where we had a break. The Pilgrims Way is so well surfaced now that it means we can make good progress. Well, we could if it weren't for all the walkers out for a stroll.
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A quite idyllic resting place. Pity about the dog poo that seemed to be everywhere...
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Compare notes.
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And have a bite to eat. And then off again.
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Well, very off, in Chris' case. Even managed to break his Rehthall handlebars! He was OK though.
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I thought these bars were meant to bend, but this just cracked clean through. He found a spare locknut inside the bars!
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We rigged together some support bracketry.
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But Chris thought it best to ride carefully home. He made it ok.
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This shows how smooth the Pilgrims Way has become. Wish they did footpaths like that and guided the walkers down those instead...
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At the bottom of Drake Lane. Another 2-stroke, a CRM250!
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Is this asking walkers to wear dog leads?
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Ruts everywhere...
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John
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Chris
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The 4x4 brigade were frying up eggs and bacon - lovely smell and we were getting hungry, too. At this place we had a little discourse with a couple of grumpy ramblers who insisted that we were on a footpath, but had never heard of a thing called a Byway. He said "We'll see about that..." :-)
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Round a very muddy corner, meet a surprise muddy hill, get stuck in a rut and, smack, you get a bush in the face as well - sometimes it seems like a conspiracy!
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A mud hole made by something heavier than a trail bike, although a lot of ramblers seem to think it's US that make them... yeah, right.
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Shaun takes the plunge.
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Thanks to some guidance from a Duke of Edinburgh marshall , who was waiting for a group of girls to turn up, and happened to have a copy of the map that I'd forgotten (ahem), we found our way back down to the Pilgrims Way via Allington Farm.
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Here are the gates on the Pilgrims Way where it is meant to be closed at Boxley, but there're no signs or barriers, so we carried on. No flytipping still - amazing.
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Here's a quad from another group of trail riders that we (nearly) bumped into earlier.
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And here's the gap in the fence that still gives access to the forbidden woods. It's said that the landowner doesn't mind, even though English Nature do...
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After a lunch stop at the petrol station on Bluebell Hill we thought we'd take the short cut to the rest of the Pilgrims Way under the main road. Bit wet it was...
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One or two of us took a tumble as there was a hidden kerb in there. Ah, here's the flytipping.
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Nice bow wave there. Gently does it...
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Bit dark in there, too.
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Chris' bike packed up.
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Turned out to be the sidestand cutout switch that had shorted. Thankfully not a hydraulic lock.
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Quite un-nerving in a way.
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Francis is a blur...
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Ever so gently does it...
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Shaun makes it through.
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We weren't all wearing bin liners like Geoff...
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John took a tumble (and I was just too slow with the camera).
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That reflective beading really works.
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Onward and up the byways on the side of Bluebell Hill. One of the overhanging brambles caught the back of Francis' neck as he ducked to avoid it. Gave him a couple of nasty cuts - yes, that is blood... (or is it Chateau Neuf du Pape?)
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But it soon healed.
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And if you can't see it then it's not quite so bad, is it?
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"I'll be alright... won't I?"
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This van is not suited to green laning, so just blocked the old roman road byway. It has been reported...
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On the way back now. This is the north end of the lane at Hazeldean Farm. Very rutty. Geoff on his Chinese bike.
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Managed to bend the gear lever in the rut. A deft kick and it was sorted.
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What all this? Markers? A section? Yep, we'd bumped into the Owls Long Distance Trial. A bit of confusion, but we all got passed. Met Aidan going the other way. He did well, apparently.
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It was kinda cut up, but I suspect not by trail bikes.
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Hello, Steve.
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"Is my neck still bleeding?" That's Aidan disappearing in the background.
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One of the many competitors.
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Very slippery mud.
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An impass...
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John gets through ok. He had just spent the last ten minutes trapped under his bike, but being last no one knew!
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But there's still more deep, gloopy mud to get through.
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But John's bike bent its gear lever, too.
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Right, who's got the big hammer then?
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Bit more leverage required... sorted in the end though.
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Rape is in season. Matches the DRZ (I think - I'm colour blind!). The Yamaha blue lavender comes along later.
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Getting quite dusty now. Yep, we're headed for a drought (again).
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My bike, in all its muddy glory! One day maybe I'll clean it.
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Kent countryside sticks...
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Erm, yes, I did fall off...
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Where's the glue???
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