Doctors gate
Bored with bashing the same old miles around the forest, week
in week out, back in 1997 on Univega Alpina hardtails, myself
and Col would regularly venture outside of the forest bounds,
armed with map and compass, looking for that special ride. Doctors
Gate in it's current (and final form) was developed and refined
over several years. Having shared this route with many, I'd like
to think it's a classic.
 I
distinctly remember the first attempt - a grim January day in
the depths of winter, occasional bouts of horizontal rain, greyness
engulfing us. Back then we took OS maps as gospel and with experience,
now know them to be nothing more than a guide, their accuracy
to be taken with a pinch of salt. That line on the paper across
the moor turned out to be one of those 'guides' ! Ankle deep in
wet, stinking bog, convincing ourselves that the half mile or
so of pushing/carrying we'd done would end soon. It wasn't to
be.
That day was the first time we experienced the bonk and an extreme
attack of it : that energy sapping, soul destroying feeling of
just wanting to lie down and close your eyes. By sheer chance,
one of us had a packet of energy tablets in our saddle bags (hydration
systems hadn't been invented back then as I recall) : a freebie
with a mountain bike magazine. That day, those energy tablets
probably saved our lives...
The Route
Doctors Gate is a 21.8 miles circular route, starting from the
forest, climbing 2821ft using quiet road sections to link the
off road sections. This should be tackled clockwise : start off
by going along the Grove Link. There are more road miles on this
route than ideal for a mountain bike ride but the blast down the
Weardale Way and the descent into the forest make up for this.
At the County Durham sign on the B6278, carry on, DO NOT take
the track on the right hand side which descends 916ft over 2.9
miles : this is not a legal right of way. The two foot wide/deep
drainage channel across the track near the top of this section
is an indication by the land owner that they do not want it to
be used.
Once you've descended down to Bolli Bottoms, continue through
Hill End. The road peters out into trail after White Kirkley,
turning left onto the Weardale Way, past the well known Elephant
Trees. (Please note, that turning right onto the Weardale Way
is not a legal right of way). Once past the climb by St Johns
Hall and through Doctors Gate, you'll descend into the forest
via a technical moors section. In practice, there's several options
open to you to get back into the forest after Doctors Gate but
I prefer the technical descent most days.
Ordnance Survey copyright restrictions prevent us showing a graphical
version of the route. However,
the route is available for download as a .gpx file. This can
be imported into any digital mapping software and also Google
Earth. (If you’re after a graphical route, drop me a private
mail via the discussion forum and I’ll be happy to help).
** I understand from Memory Map users
that this .gpx file doesn't display anything when loaded. The
fact that it works with every other mapping product points to
a limitation of Memory Map. If you're unfortunate enought to use
Memory Map, PM me via the forum for a graphical copy of this route
**
Craig ‘Rifty’ Cummings
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