When we were invited to create an article for Cranked magazine it seemed to be the perfect opportunity to expand on something we’d been mulling over for a while. We’d had a draft title of ‘Home is North, North is Home’ knocking around in the ideas notebook slowly coming into focus as different strands of the idea were teased out in those mid-ride moments where the mind has time to wander.
Mountain biking is very much a location based activity, the quality of riding reflected in the topography, geography, and geology on offer in any one locality. The North just seems to have a disproportionate number of places where those three interact in a way that creates perfect riding opportunities.
We’re lucky enough to call ourselves Northerner’s, or more precisely Cumbrians (does it get better than that?) who relocated to the steep and gritty valley that is the self-styled peoples republic of #Calderfornia – an alternative community where attitudes to access have always been on the more, let’s say, Scottish end of the spectrum.
There’s a strong sense of place that develops around good riding spots and we’ve found ourselves located in a place easy to have pride in. So it was the obvious choice to tell the story of the place we’re proud to be a part of, but that’s only half the story. The North is more than a place, it’s a direction to head in and a universal destination wherever you find yourself in the world. The North – a promise of better things – a story worth telling, and we’re stoked to see how good it looks in print.
‘It’s Grim Up North’ is in Issue 10 of Cranked.
Issue 10 of Cranked is out now – Here’s how to get hold of a copy.