Last day of this first 5-day section and then home for 3 nights! That’s going to feel different! Going off route today to head for home and making our way over the first of the Lancashire hills.
Still sore, but maybe a couple of days off the bike will help!
Getting out of Manchester was not nearly as difficult as getting in was We took the cycleway along Princes Street and Deansgate and then we turned left along the River Irwell and then that was the city - done! We followed a single track along the river and then through the woods which was a bit of an obstacle course really, some extra gravelly paths and really muddy bits and then we went onto the Outwood Trail -happiness is a smooth bike path!
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| Rail trails have typically been really good |
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| Just like in Italy |
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| A pretty good trail |
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| Passing over a motorway |
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| A random mounting block |
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| How nice when we don’t have to wiggle and lift our way over the gate! |
First day of rain, real rain! Oh, wait a minute! We’re back in Lancashire! Soaked, absolutely soaked, really soaked. Got off the path in Tottington and asked an elderly gentleman where there was a cafe. He pointed to the library and said, ‘Just there’ Okay, we’ll try a library cafe, especially when we’re soaked and freezing! Had a very nice Full English second breakfast (better than the first, btw) and realised that part of the reason that I was so cold was that the vents in my jacket were halfway open and the rain was pouring in. I piled on the clothes afterwards - my ‘windsheeter’, neckerchief, full finger gloves and closed vent jacket. As we left town, I was blowing on my fingers to get them warm, but after the climb out of Tottingtom I warmed up and after several more climbs over the moors, I was toasty. This was the first time when Steve said, ‘We’ve got a climb coming up,’ when I said, ‘Great, let’s go!’ We went up over the remote, rainy, windy moors up above Blackburn on our last push (well, okay, there were a couple more last pushes) to the house.
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| Top of a climb photo (aka rest stop) |
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| Looking over the moors |
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| At the top of the climb |
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| It’s amazingly beautiful up here |
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| Gorgeous views all the way up |
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| Misty but can still see for miles |
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| This canal is no longer in service.. |
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| Time for the rain shoes, he says.. |
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| Okay here we go! |
Amazing to get home!!! 568 miles so far and we’re calling this our half-way point. Throw all the laundry in the washer, turn on the fires and go to the pub for a late lunch! Now we’re going to relax for a couple days (well, Steve is pulling out the lawnmower) and heal…
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| They were pretty when we started |
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| His rain jacket blocks the view |
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Shower caps are good for pedalling
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We made it, half way there!!
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As per the earlier comment our first real wetting of the trip, proper biblical Lancashire rain. There is an amber weather alert for the next two days for heavy rain 😳. Ever time I bring the lawn mower out the heavens open, maybe letting the gardener go as a retirement saving was a bit hasty!! Katherine did great, mind me getting my helmet stuck in the branches of a low tree and her having to free me made her laugh 🤣. And did you see those “Smurf Boots” we were wearing. Can’t take yourself too seriously in them!! There is wet stuff all over the house but that will be sorted by the morning. Some bike maintenance to do in terms of cleaning, lubing and adjusting ready for the second half. Bring it on !!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on halfway! Always fun to see the pics...I love zooming in on what's on tap and available behind the bar over there. ;-) How's Steve's bee sting?
ReplyDeleteHe likes zooming in on what’s on tap too! Bee sting took 4 days for the big swelling to go down, pretty much gone now. Nasty place to get stung - did you say that had happened to you?
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