This is the blog of the westcork trail man and he likes to be out doors either on his road bike, mountain, running on and off road and also has a passion for putting a leather ball through a hoop with his friends. I happen to live in an area (Westcork) that allows me to walk out my door with bike or runners and i can end up in the wilds of the Maughanacleagh Hills or the rugged sheeps head , trapezing across the country side, usually with map in hand looking for some long lost bog road from before the famine that i noticed on an old black and white map, searching for the ultimate loop and link.
These reconaissance missions are usually done on my own but occasionally i bring some poor unfortunate 'friend along' to 'share' the experience, i have found that most of the people i know, whilst having a love of the sports i do, really dont enjoy the random nature of exploring trails, lots of the time, the link or trail is over grown, lost to time and or Coillte! and there damn planting of the bastard spruce everywhere or a house or houses have been built and changed everything. All this in my head just makes the rare times that i do find an excellent trail and link all the better, sure if twas easy all the time i probably would not have any interest in it. I am a treasure hunter and my treasure is trails both old and new.
I have after nearly 3 years of wandering managed to complete and find some super rides and runs, the biking trails being much more difficult to get right as you can run most anywhere. I have shown my treasures to many, keeping one or 2 real beauties to my self mostly due to access issues and not wanting to destroy the oppurtunity to use them. I have organised 2 long distance mountain bike marathons on the sheeps head, the last one in august 2010 being perhaps the highlight of my course configuration, 62km of all types of surfaces and a true test of the hardened biker. Running wise it has been limited and perhaps this is due to the fact that i believe that if one heads off into the hills and has the neccessary fitness then anyone can come up with an enjoyable run as the compulsory and very important flow graph of mountain bike routes is not as important. However of late i have been running much more and plan to share these as well as the biking routes i do/have done.
It is important to observe the country code and park appropriately in these areas as it reflects on all outdoor users. If i am ever asked to leave a field, bog, forest or hill side, i do so immediately and no argument is made by me. I have found that it is pointless and only serves to further antagonise the owner. My routes cross all sorts of terrain, most of which you will get no complaints from the owners, however some do venture onto private land and just because it is described here does not give you or anyone a right of way. I have seen land owners observe me and so long as i behave in the correct manner and there is not a large group (6 or more) and i greet then if appropriate then i have never had any animosity with them, indeed most if not all are just curious and courteous. Few golden rules i have, Never go into a field with live stock, always keep to the verge of fields, leave all gates as you found them.
I will give insights into my wandering's and journeys (including a few races) i will also talk the odd bit about basketball, politics, religion and parenthood.
Westcorktrailman :)
No comments:
Post a Comment