Having not done any of the usual evening rides for a few weeks there was no gradual noticing of the day getting shorter for me. Instead it was a case of making sure my helmet light was charged and a last minute rummage in the shed to find and attach a rear light.
The second half of the ride on Thursday was definitely going to be in darkness as Steve and I set out for a couple of hours riding in the Burrough on the Hill area.
We did a few of the usual trails, making it up as we went along. The evening was pleasantly warm and the trails still bone dry. I saw on the TV the other day that this has been the driest summer since 1976 and I have to agree. People keep saying we've had a rubbish summer but they're talking bollocks. The amount of local riding we've done this year and the fact the trails just keep soaking up what little rain we get prove it.
To get to Burrough we decided to do the "Fields of Pain". As ploughing is well under way and we were both on hardtails we were expecting them to be particularly "painful". However all the fields have been harvested but not ploughed and the bridleway across them was probably as smooth as it ever has been. The only "pain" was my lack of fitness. Still: "no pain no gain" as the saying goes!
Descending Burrough Hill itself was time to actually use my lights for the first time since last winter. It is always a bit weird riding off road in the dark when you've not done it for a while. Familiar trails seem totally different. It's great fun though.
We got back to Melton in the dark negotiating a few stubborn and confused looking cows on the way. A good evenings ride.
