BHF Manchester - Blackpool 2012 - anyone doing it?

[DCLane]

I'm looking at doing the BHF Manchester-Blackpool 2012. Why? Erm ... not sure, but it'll make a good reason to explain to SWMBO why I'm planning on the FNRTTC rides in York/Manchester

Did anyone do this last year?

It's at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved...bike-rides/manchester-to-blackpool-night.aspx and is on 29/30 September 2012

 

[Dogberry]

Me !
I'll be there next year.

I'm planning on doing the Bike Events one too. Yes, I know, I've read all the comments about charging etc but it's not everyday I get to pass hundreds of others on bikes

 

[DCLane]

Thanks - daft question time ... how are you getting back then?

My cunning plan (thinking ahead!) was to drive to Blackpool on the Saturday, train/bike it down for the ride and have my car waiting in Blackpool thereby avoiding the mayhem.

 

[Dogberry]

Not a daft question at all. The logistics of it are a problem but I'm quite lucky.

My plan is (although SWMBO doesn't yet know it) to get the Mrs to drive me to M'chester, I ride the event to B'pool and carry on cycling home.

Fortunately for me, I live just up the coast from B'pool. So two hours plus (and miles) after the event I'll be home.

Your idea sounds good though.

 

[DCLane]

The thought was to find a nice house to park outside and pre-book the train. Hopefully that should work?

 

[Dogberry]

Hmmmm, I'd be parking my car outside B'pool then !

 

[Kestevan]

Leave the car in Manchester and cycle back from Blackpool.
Makes for a nice 125m round trip.

We did that for the Bike Events ride earlier this year. Took it reasonably easy on the way back, we may have stopped for a pint..... and had a decent day out.

 

[fossyant]

My brother want's me to take him on it - me I'd cycle back, but the logistics at the other end are going to be tricky - may need to ask my dad to collect us.

I am not putting my bike in any train/shuttle bus with 'other' bikes

 

[DCLane]

I am not putting my bike in any train/shuttle bus with 'other' bikes

That was the thinking behind leaving the car at Blackpool and either train/riding to Manchester before the event rather than with all of the other bikes.

Alternatively, leaving the car at Manchester and riding back makes similar sense!

 

[ColinJ]

That was the thinking behind leaving the car at Blackpool and either train/riding to Manchester before the event rather than with all of the other bikes.

Alternatively, leaving the car at Manchester and riding back makes similar sense!

Or ... you could park in Hebden Bridge and do what I did for the 2004 edition - ride from Hebden Bridge to Manchester via Rochdale, do the event, then ride back to Hebden Bridge via Longridge, Whalley and Padiham - about 138 miles in total! (See this post.)

Knowing some of the nutters very keen cyclists on CycleChat, you could probably get a few people to join you for that if you made a forum ride of it!

I decided that once was enough for me - too many riders and too many cars competing for road space, and not enough road sense and tolerance shown!

 

[DCLane]

Or ... you could park in Hebden Bridge and do what I did for the 2004 edition - ride from Hebden Bridge to Manchester via Rochdale, do the event, then ride back to Hebden Bridge via Longridge, Whalley and Padiham - about 138 miles in total! (See this post.)

Knowing some of the nutters very keen cyclists on CycleChat, you could probably get a few people to join you for that if you made a forum ride of it!

Ah! But if I do that I might as well start from Dewsbury, making a total of about 175 miles.

 

[ColinJ]

Ah! But if I do that I might as well start from Dewsbury, making a total of about 175 miles.

I thought that 138 miles would be enough for you! It certainly was for me ...

 

[DCLane]

Colin - anything over 100 would be enough for me!

Thinking through this, leaving the car in Manchester or using the train (preferably as I'm on the main line) seems more sensible.

 

[ColinJ]

Colin - anything over 100 would be enough for me!

You'd still be well over 100 miles (more like 120-ish) if you cycled to Blackpool and back from Manchester!

Thinking through this, leaving the car in Manchester or using the train (preferably as I'm on the main line) seems more sensible.

Trains are okay for you on Sundays, but they don't start early enough from Hebden Bridge for me to travel by rail to do organised rides. My only option would be to cycle to Huddersfield and catch a train from there.

You could have a problem if lots of people had the same idea as you because only a few bike places are officially available per train. If a train was half empty, then you could probably stand with your bike if the bike compartment was full, but I failed once to get on a crowded train with my bike. You can make bike reservations on most mainline trains, but the bike storage on small sprinter type trains is often not reservable and available on a first-come-first-served basis.

 

[DCLane]

Thanks. Hmmm - some thinking to do, once I've got myself registered.

It's a night ride - so I can see some sort of 'forum ride to Manchester Sat pm, joining BHF to Blackpool Sat night, back across Sun am' or 'night ride to Blackpool, morning ride back to Manchester' type thing.