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Today was my first ride in 3 weeks after surgery on my finger, back to work tomorrow so wanted to try it out and make sure it was OK.
I went up our local 'mountain' range, the Pennines which isn't too far but was damn cold and windy! Nearly lost a glove over the edge and my rucksack tried to bugger off as well..
First section of the road is a series of switchbacks which are fantastic in good weather but you need to keep a sheep eye out.



Just behind me is a track that leads back to my house, 8 miles with no tarmac and some waterfalls to climb. I'd go that way on the XR but I think the RR might be a bit heavy!



Up at the top is The TV transmitter station, well braced against the strong winds



which were extreme today...bl**dy freeezing!!



but worth the view back down over the Holme Valley.



I took off over towards Glossop after that and saw the only other bike out today, a 2up Beemer. Couldn't stop for a pic as this is a steep road and there's no way to park the bike facing downhill so I had to wait for the parking area futher down to get this photo of the way off the hill.



I parked up after this bridge on the Woodhead road, a great strip of flowing tarmac that runs from Sheffield to Manchester. Early mornings before the traffic hits are fantastic on this road and you have plenty of company from like minded bikers blitzing the smooth bends before the public arrive.



Had a walk around and noticed this next to the bike when I got back..



Set off back the way I came and had another break on top for this last shot. Trying a bit of artistic licence!



Some panoramic movies here.

http://beakster.jot.com/WikiHome/HolmeM ... 4046246004

http://beakster.jot.com/WikiHome/Holme. ... 4045474107

Very nice Chris. I loved your panoramic shots.

Question about the stone fences in some of your photos. Do you know the history behind them? Out here in northern California in the sierra foothills, we have very similar fences that were built by Chinese laborers during the Gold Rush era. They fascinate me because of the labor involved. My back hurts just thinking about them.

Cheers Michael,

I took a lot of those with the helmet and gloves on! It was freezing in the wind up there! That new camera is great, the wide shot of the road down is just cropped out of one shot. Two of the others are stitched.

Those stone walls are everywhere here, hundreds of miles and thousands of tons of 'em! I often wonder how they carried the stone up there when they were built. They're 2-300 years old a lot of them. I've built a few myself working on farms, once when a bull decided the ladies were just too attractive to wait for and made his exit by demolishing a section...

You wouldn't believe just how much stone is needed even for a short section when they're 3ft thick at the base and 18" in the ground as well. Takes a while even to get back above ground. They average about 1.75 tons per yard ...ouch!

Chris, I really enjoyed the ride, (and I didn't think it was that cold!!!)
Beautiful country!!! Den

Thanks Chris....great pictures....good job... ...I love the wide shots.

DJ

Excellent !! Great composition. My fav is the road with the potholes filled with water. I love that shot. My ride would be my F650GS for that road and I have not been on it since I bought the RR in April. Pics like that make me want to get on it for exploring those roads less traveled.

Cheers guys. Doesn't feel that cold now either Den!
Munch, here's a few more of the rest of that road less travelled on a more suitable machine!

Aaarrrgghhh !! Now we're talkin'

Looks like fun

munchmeister wrote:Aaarrrgghhh !! Now we're talkin'

Looks like fun

Certainly is!!

Someone's havin' tooooo much fun....

DJ