Dirty Girls do the Isle of Man 2009

Still Monday 10th August, before lunch...

Just a few words about 'The Dreem' -

Although the lane is labelled as a foot path on the OS Landranger map # 95, it's a perfectly legal 'Greenway Road' and accordingly sign-posted on location and in the 'Public Rights of Way' map:


Apparently, it can be ridden easily and pretty fast when you enter the trail from Laxey. Well, we didn't know that (Matt omitting this vital information? Tina not paying attention? Will we ever know?) and started from Glen Mona...

A few hundred yards into the lane I had the uncomfortable notion that Emmsy would not be amused...


And I think I mentioned it before, it can feel quite lonely up in the mountain...


Well, Tina came after me on foot and together we looked round the corner if the terrain would get any easier. Et voilà - the trail levelled out a bit and eventually became more dirt than rock.

So we thought we'd gather some strength first, have some lunch and then decide if we should carry on or turn around...


The weather improved by the minute and the views were absolutely stunning


Emma's spirits lifted rapidly and in the end it was her who came up with the best strategies to tackle the ascent...


We would do it in stages: first bring one bike after the other up to the point where mine was stationary - and then repeat the exercise until we were all at the top


Tina didn't need a lot of 'guide lines'...




Emma going strong


Sarah spent the first break adequately in some lovely gorse...


... while Emma had more practical things to do...


On the second stage the rocks got smaller and we rode the bikes a bit further up than necessary to find a comfortable parking spot


Not the best idea as it turned out when the little Honda wouldn't want to start anymore. Well, I had jump leads in my tool pack - but no one really fancied riding back down the lane, turn their bike round and get it up again. It was hot, we were boiling and knackered and therefore resorted to the second best option:

Out came the tow straps...


... and in a combined team effort we pulled Emmsy's bike up to the operating theatre...


... where it was successfully resuscitated.

Phew, that hurdle was taken - it couldn't get any worse, could it? :evil

To be continued...

tinatrim said:

My high standards wont allow me to stoop so low to blackmail, plus im sure you both realise that there will be servere conciquences out on the trails if you pursue this childish game

Click to expand...

You asked for it!

Im rubbish at this blackmail thing, Im sure I should be threatening you some more, but its too much fun listening to you squeal (and twice in one incident), you are such a big girls blouse!!

<embed width="448" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i110.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid110.photobucket.com/albums/n102/emmsy_poo/TinaSqueal.flv">

Brave Emmsy said:
"You asked for it!
Im rubbish at this blackmail thing, Im sure I should be threatening you some more, but its too much fun listening to you squeal (and twice in one incident), you are such a big girls blouse!!"




I dont believe you just did that
There's only one out come now............see you on the trails EMMSYPOO and STUNT MONKEY, game on!

tinatrim said:

Brave Emmsy said:
"You asked for it!
Im rubbish at this blackmail thing, Im sure I should be threatening you some more, but its too much fun listening to you squeal (and twice in one incident), you are such a big girls blouse!!"




I dont believe you just did that
There's only one out come now............see you on the trails EMMSYPOO and STUNT MONKEY, game on!

Click to expand...

Bring it on SQUEALER TRIM!

Emmsy Poo said:

Bring it on SQUEALER TRIM!

Click to expand...

:: ...... sorry Sq.. I mean Tina!

Sarah Teach said:

:: ...... sorry Sq.. I mean Tina!

Click to expand...

Don't show her you're scared - that's when they pounce!

Anyway, after a wee chat with said squealing Tina it's me she's after not you!?!

Uh oh!

Monday 10th August - after the rocky climb


... the lane levelled out and turned from rocky into dirty


Taking us into a lovely swathe of heather...


The temptation to practice some 'Heather Diving' seemed to be irresistible...


The gradient was still quite reasonable, so we needed some good momentum to get up the hill


O Sister, Where Art Thou?


Here they come...


Mmm, that rut over there might be better...


Naah, I stick with mine...


Emma in the fast lane


... and our trusty tail end Tina


Relict of another old mine - if you ever fancied living somewhere remote...


I'm a bit afraid of heights, so I let Tina go first...


... and assist with the tricky bits


It seemed to go downhill from here...


So many ruts, so little time...


As much as possible we tried to stick to the orginal track...


... which was often easier said than done...


... when there is so much choice...


Emmsy about to get stuck...


... and then roosting poor Tina who rushed to her aid - disgraceful!


We had a few more incidents, the clouds looked really daunting sometimes and it was getting late, but finally the trail became faster and soon we could see Laxey in the distance


But first we had to get over to the other side - through the bomb hole...


I am really sorry that I didn't take any pictures or videos of Emmsy who bravely went first - we will have to go back and do it again...

My video editing skills still need some refinement - so here is just the raw material:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QrHKGmPbyXU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QrHKGmPbyXU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PWzoJQLYIJI&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PWzoJQLYIJI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

After that the lane was really quite easy and fast - and if we had done it the 'right' way round we might not have perceived our uphill stretches as such a challenge. The question is: would we have had so much fun and team bonding then?

However, if you ever want to ride 'The Dreem' yourself, we recommend that you start at the Laxey end


I think it was already 19.00 when we emerged onto tarmac again. So after a stop at the services to top up Sarah's brake fluid we headed straight home.

Soon we were nice and clean again and settled down for Emma's delicious 'Spicy Singapore Noodles'


Then there was only one day left...

To be continued.

Excellent
But what was Stunt Monkey looking for before the bombhole......gears or gorse stuck to her seat

tinatrim said:

But what was Stunt Monkey looking for before the bombhole......

Click to expand...

My pants were caught on the right peg where they were ripped, so I was untangling myself and straightening the front wheel in preparation for riding it .......STANDING UP ON THE PEGS !!!
I had already secured THAT gorse to my bike with THAT piece of tape- both items which had mysteriously appeared on different and inconvenient parts of my bike earlier in the day !!

Sarah Teach said:

My pants were caught on the right peg where they were ripped, so I was untangling myself and straightening the front wheel in preparation for riding it .......STANDING UP ON THE PEGS !!!
I had already secured THAT gorse to my bike with THAT piece of tape- both items which had mysteriously appeared on different and inconvenient parts of my bike earlier in the day !!

Click to expand...

As I hadnt witnessed you coming through the bomb hole, can I just say how proud I am of you for doing it on the pegs - you looked ACE!!!

Guess I can't procrastinate ~ The End ~ any longer...


Tuesday 11 August

While Emma was doing the family thing with Auntie Jan, Sarah, Tina and myself had to find something else to keep us entertained - and show our new travel companion around...


There were still a few trails left in the south and so we headed to Castletown, the old capital of the island


Also home to Ronaldsway Airport, the main civilian airport of the IoM with scheduled services to the UK, Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands (just in case your were looking for an alternative transport)


Our first destination was St Michael's Isle, a small island at the end of the Langness Peninsula to which it is linked by a causeway


St Michael's Isle has been used by humans for 8,000 years and was a site for both religious and military activities

Photo courtesy of Jon Wornham - because for some strange reason I didn't take one myself... :scratch

The 11th century chapel was erected by Norse-Celtic Christians on the site of an even older Celtic keeill (that's the Manx term for chapel)


Fascinating - 900 years old and still braving the elements...


The round fort was built about 1540 as part of Henry VIII's coastal defence system...


... and re-fortified in 1640 by James 7th Earl of Derby, a strong royalist, against the ships of Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War


Nowadays the island is mainly visited by tourists and birds...





The planned trails turned out to be not really exciting - either paved or sign-posted as dead ends - and we didn't have enough time left for trial-and-error that morning.

So after a few fruitless attempts we quickly went to Douglas to buy some pressies for our loved ones at home - ever heard of Manx Knobs?


And then it was back to Ballasalla to clear Auntie Jan's domicile from muddy biker boots and countless other personal utensils...


Can't remember what insults Tina and Sarah were exchanging here again...


... but I'm sure it involved a particular piece of gorse that kept re-appearing in the most curious places - mostly intended to inflict pain...


Finally Emma's aunt had enough of our bickering and pushed us all out of the house...


Thank you so much for your hospitality, Jan - for putting up with us, eating all our cooking without complaint and even inviting us to come again!


Off to the ferry port is was...


Not without taking a special souvenir home, of gorse...


The weather deteriorated drastically and immediately as soon as we had boarded the ship...


... and it kept raining for the rest of the crossing


Welcome to Liverpool...


Back 'chez Sarah & Timpo' the girls helped me getting the DRZ on the trailer...


... Tina and Emma headed off to North Wales and I took the beaten track back to Oxford where I arrived just before midnight. Possu had stayed up late to help me unload the trailer - and endure a surge of enthusiasm, tales and emotions...

What a weekend! What a beautiful island! What wonderful people! What delightful trails! What great camaraderie! What a fantastic time we had!

And I learnt such an awful lot of things which I had often watched or done together with some-one-in-the-know - but never on my own: How to unload the trailer, bump-start a bike, jump-start a bike, top-up the brake fluid without trapping air in the system, upload the trailer, etc, etc...


Thank you, my Dirty Sisters, for one of the best weekends ever!

Where do we go next? Wiltshire? The Peaks? Scotland? The Pyrenees? The Dolomites? Romania? Mongolia? Colorado?

Last but not least: thanks to all our readers for your lovely comments.

Gura mie eu!

Ela

The Isle of mann looks great

Sad we never got to meet

Hey Guys ... well you did yourselves proud and showed off the island with grand effect ... fab reports.

I am sad tho' eh? Sad that you were in Kirk Michael and didn't say 'hi'. Shore Rd where you had your lunch? I live above there.

If you come again ... I hope you will get my number and meet in the pub. I may not have me bike at the moment .... but I would still have loved to meet the woman who bought my panniers and the woman, again, with whom I did the PWA eh?

Glad you had such a great experience! Its a brill place to be and to visit.

Just spent about half hour or so going through all your pics.. great pics and report as Moo says..if your coming back it would be good to do a few tracks with yer... well done girls....

Hi all

I'm a rock dweller and trail rider that was searching the web for something (Totally forgot what now, cheers!) when I stumbled across this thread and had to read it.

So I've ended up signing up just to say how much I enjoyed reading the write up of your trip over here to the rock, was a pleasure to read comments from visitors who've enjoyed themselves so much, along with some great pics and embarassingly, details of one or two tracks I didn't know about (or thought were only footpaths).
I want to take my supermotos off again now and get out laning again!

Well done anyway with the whole account of the trip, and glad you all enjoyed your visit.

Jim

PS (edit) wise move not doing that track from Eary Cushlin down into Glen Maye that you mentioned. Fun on a fantic maybe but not a traillie. I had to go and rescue a pal a few years ago after he broke his little TW125 trying that one!

Cret said:

I want to take my supermotos off again now and get out laning again!

Click to expand...

Go on, you know it makes sense.....!

Glad that you enjoyed reading the thread. We had the best time- puts a big smile on my face whenever I think about it!!

Regards,
Sarah T