11 Feb: Springfield to Wharfedale Hut

We couldn’t verify that the route we had planned would actually get us anywhere, so we stopped by the Famous Sheffield Pie Shop to reinforce our supplies with a variety of vege and fruit pies and turned north toward the Oxford Forest. The dirt road led to narrower dirt road, and then to double track, single track, and, finally, paths that were at times too narrow for loaded bikes, or too steep to ride.

We continued cautiously, each nearly losing a bike or their person over the ledge at times. Pies were consumed. Going was slow, and we knew we wouldn’t hit our target mileage for the day.

We reached the Wharfedale Hut, a hikers’ hut along the track. Protected from the hornets we could hear droning in the forest all day, and safe from the swarming sandflies, this made a good stopping place for the day. A stream ran nearby, where we washed and collected water.

In the night, mysterious heavy footprints jolted us from sleep. Some banging, a crash, more footprints. A zombie sheep? Whatever the cause, our sleep was less peaceful after that.