New Years Coffee in the woods
I think I may have said this before but bear with me. There are those who ride bikes for the freedom and the pure joy of moving through the landscape. For them it is as close to the feeling of flight that you can know as you descend, pulled on by the tug of gravity. But there are a significant number of us who ride because we love cake.
The bike is transport from A to B,and a form of exercise you do without counting it as such. But perhaps the most wonderful thing that a bike can be is a time machine. It takes you back to being a kid and at the very least it keeps you young. You get to play on your bike, which is what we do and with a flask and some cake it becomes an adventure. You can raise your game and pack a stove and some fine coffee too.
Every time I think we have exhausted the loops we can do from home I put together another one. We have dozens of loops, and planning each one is a thrill given the constraint of starting and ending here.
I am trying to get the coffee making equipment to the optimum of low weight, small size and barista level taste. A sunny day and not too cold and a new water filter to test and some recently ground coffee and we were outside the door on rather wonderful new gravel bikes. We had the perfect plan and it was time to Carpe Diem.
Drop down to cross the River Dee and the A75 and then we head for Barstobrik and the obelisk of Neilson's Tower. A few wiggles through the lanes and we are on gravel after climbing away from the coast. Storm Arwen hit a few weeks ago and it came from the wrong direction. Most fallen trees here can be used as a compass, pointing NE away from the gales that always come from the SW. Not Arwen though and it took the trees by surprise, thousands of them possibly millions.
Our route holds onto most of the height we have gained as we track parallel to the coast and then we throw it all away on one glorious fast descent that is at the limits of our bike handling. It throws you out close to Laurieston and Kenick Burn where it trickles down a series of waterfalls at Woodhall Woods. This is a quiet paradise of a thousand shades of green. The perfect spot, under some old Beech trees to brew up Coffee. We cross the stream on a very doggy footbridge. It features on the OS map, but I am far from sure it is permanent enough to justify it.
If you don’t ride a bike much then the one thing that you can do is visit a wood and make some coffee or simply bring a flask. Sit and give yourself time to think, time to listen, you will love it. Forest bathing is now being prescribed as a therapy, it works.
I have a new water filter to try out - it is thrillingly perfect and a joy to use. We sit and boil a Moka Pot and soon the damp and still air of the forest is full of the rich aroma of barista quality coffee. Of all the things that we do on bikes this is my absolute favorite. Note to self “ Do more of this “- HAPPY NEW YEAR...
We love sharing these moments. Have a look at our Gravel options and either book a day or holiday with us. We have a few new Gravel bikes for rental now, too. https://www.gallowaygravelholidays.com