November Rain...

Its usually the month of rain,dark,dull,grey sky's and well a bit rotten really...
and this month it has lived up to its reputation!,
certainly its been wet and also windy...but it has its moments



I filmed this a year ago in November 09 but never used it, November is the month we start to see big swell`s and storms come in from out in the North Sea...
Time for me to spend weekends mostly beachriding now and riding local xc nightrides through the week with friends...despite alot of areas very wet now there is still alot of places ok to ride without causing unnecessary damage here in East Lothian,
This weekends 2 days beachriding didn't go to plan...due again to the foul weather...
It has poured down since Friday evening and has hardly let up now on Sunday evening..
Saturday was mostly spent in the man cave tinkering with bikes and i fitted a new framebag to the Pugsley which arrived from America on Friday...

Its a JannDD frame bag and what i have been looking for...i had seen some on Pugsleys over the water on forums and blogs and i was looking for a cheapish smaller frame bag big enough for a pump,tools and spare tube and at $39 & P&P payable by paypal its ideal. Quality seems good and i only had to cut a small gap for a fastener strap on my camera `gas tank` bag to fit.
With pugsley in the kitchen ready to go i put off going out in the sideways rain and instead opted to relax in front of a roaring fire and some cider Saturday affy...

I awoke to rain on the window Sunday morning and lay wondering if you can do a 2-3 hour bike ride and stay bone dry and warm underneath all the layers?
well you can if you dress right for the occasion...
I headed along to my local coastline via the woods ready for the weather,
no helmet I'm afraid-instead a pitcap under the hooded North Face paclite,under that was a sleeveless and long sleeve merino wool tops,lowers were Altura long trousers with Montane paclite over trousers, these are only showerproof but as i have found body heat keeps legs warm and dryish...hands and feet were kept warm and dry with Scott Adventure gloves and my trusty Viking dry boots with thick Bridgedale wool socks...
excuse the picture quality as due to the rain i used the Tachyon XC camera for pics...
headed along to the coast via Binning Woods...

glad to see some nice new fencing and gates...

time for some swamp biking and it was fun ploughing through flooded forester tracks though here i got a bit over excited and out my depth...


it was pouring down as i rode through the woods and quite a noise on the tree canopy above aswell as on the beech leaf covered ground...i went for a bit off piste riding through the woods for a bit,always good fun...

a couple of miles of this and crossing the road and into Tyningham Estate and soon i was at the coast...

it was very wet and only a a few folk braving the weather-excellent!

quite a swell out to sea as can be seen by the froth washed in...


here you can see how the Pugsley`s tracks leave less imprint than a Human...

heres some film hand holding the Tachyon camera along the coast...



up at St Baldrads cradle i enjoyed the view of a big sea...


Along the secret trail then home again through Binning Woods...i was still dry despite the weather an again enjoyed the woodland trails...




The new frame bag has been fine,and it was dry inside after nearly 3 hours out in the rain...so was i and part in thanks to my trusty Viking Dry Boots...ideal for weather like this...

A hot bath then a Whiskey in front of a roaring open fire nicely rounding off another Sunday...