A686 - a warning - bad trench

[docevi1]

Hi,

I was up the A686 which runs from the Hexham area to Penrith via Alston and Hartside and nearly came a cropper when braking for a corner.

As you leave Alston and head up to the moors towards Hexham you come to two very long straights seperated by a twisty bit (they start where a mat for Foot and Mouth was for nearly 2 years). At the end of the 2nd straight is a tight right hander which sits below a large black house (see here - well about there).

Anyway, as I was braking into the corner I hit a huge trench in the road (looks like road-works unfinished), it unsettled the car and the back end considerably as the car dropped in and then was sent skyward to come back down to earth with considerable force.

Fortunately it is a decent distance in front of said corner so I managed to control the resulting moment, but is still a very dangerous approach in my car, never mind a biker who is getting ready for the corner.

I know the A686 is very popular with bikers and with the good weather approaching fast I thought I'd pass on a warning, you may wish to pass this on to other boards...