Nicola Minimicroadventures

So cold, but extremely beautiful on the Tramway Trail today!

This was the first time I’ve ever been to a skatepark!!! I was so nervous about going, but actually really enjoyed it and excited to got to more skateparks 🛹☺️🤙

Brilliant Blue Route at Snibston!

Mince pies and fudge! 🎄💁‍♀️

I set off at sunrise into damp foggy mist, full of anticipation for blue skies and sunshine….😅 I knew I wanted to spend all the daylight hours outside, and I’m so glad I did that, but I would’ve really appreciated more sunshine! 😁🥺 Enjoyed hot chocolate and mince pies at regular intervals along the Tramway Trail 🥳🧑🏼‍🎄🎉

Another trip to Calke to see the festive lights! 🎅🏼🎄🥾🫶🥳

My feet were swimming in freezing water, and I felt sooo tired, but I cycled as fast as I could to warm up! Bonked after the canal and had to shovel chocolate biscuits into my face to get to Melbourne 😅

Left Castleton YHA is a downpour, regretting all my life choices as I steamed up the NCN and down into Hope 🤣🥶☔️ I’m not sure what I was expecting when I arrived in Hope, maybe a sense of accomplishment, a small fanfare from a band to cheer my efforts, or a crowd of well wishers to applaud my ride? Ego centric much! lol the reality was that I arrived in Hope, found the Adventure Cycle cafe, sat watching my bicycle drip forlornly outside as I sipped a Diet Coke and tried to reflect on my adventure. I felt a bit underwhelmed if I’m honest, and I could really have done with more challenge? It felt a bit too easy? I did think a lot about what Hope means to me, and I think I’ve concluded that for me it is a positive state of mind to be hopeful. I am hopeful that I will Continue to ride challenging routes, that I will get through winter riding, and that no hill lasts forever.

I woke up an hour before dawn, packed up and brewed coffee with legs dangling out of the tent porch. I realised at this point that I had very little food to eat, so I rationed breakfast and said a prayer to the adventure goddess that the campsite shop at Beech Croft Farm would be open 😅 The ride over the tops was entirely in thick cloud, huge puddles on the trail to wind my way through. I bought a quite frankly ludicrous collection of snacks at the campsite shop, and set off feeling like this was a good way to set off into the wild on unfamiliar territory. The great north trail after Chee Dale in amazing!! Some excellent hike-a-bike sections and gravel trails that should be classed as boulder trails. There were a few occasions when I felt overwhelmingly temped to take short cuts, but my sense of adventure won every time! Scariest moment was facing a section of trail with a herd of bulls on it, jeeeeez! I think I was just lucky to make it through in one piece!! Decent in to Castleton via Cave Dale….. holy moly! I seriously questioned my sanity and choices at that stage! lol “my feet got wet” doesn’t begin to describe what it’s like to haul a bike down a steep rocky stream! 😬😆 Stayed at YHA - met some brilliant folks and had dinner with them all, swapped adventure tales and laughed all evening 😃 YHA’s are just the BEST!

Ashbourne to Hurdlow on a megamix of the Tissington Trail, High Peak and NCN 548. Rode to Hope was an idea that formed a while ago when I experienced SAD. The clocks changed and I panicked about the lack of daylight for rides and adventures. The Great North Trail has been a fascination for years now and I finally plucked up courage to cycle further along this trail I have explored in my mind for so long. On the first day I cycled as far as the Royal Oak pub at Hurdlow and camped there for the night. There were blue skies, and a tailwind took me all the way up the hill! I was SO COLD 🥶 seriously considered hiding in the toilet block next to the radiator