Hello all
Last year myself and friends ( 4 forty somethings + 2 twenty innits), who ride locally together when were not working( which isnt often) decided to be a little more adventurous.
In June 2012 we decided to take a few days from our routine and ride from Liverpool to Leeds on the canal , we planned on 3 days , mainly for enjoyment of the ride , not a case of just getting there.
I booked 3 rooms in 2 Premier Inns canal side in October 2011 at a princely sum of £29 a room.
Day 1 took us from Eldonian village, via lunch at the Waters Edge pub near Wigan, to Malthouse Inn at Chorley which is literally Canal Side and roughly 42 miles first day, good food good beer very hospitable.
Day 2 took us from Chorley to Bingley Premier Inn via a very good cafe just after Foulridge tunnel ( and the odd hostelry en route ) roughly 65 miles
Day 3 took us a swankering 20 ish leisurley miles into Leeds on a 3rd day of glorious sunshine, where we completed our journey , had a hearty liquidy lunch in Millenium square and strenghtened our friendships with each other , before setting off back to Wigan via Leeds and Manchester rail network early evening.
Discussed on that last day in Leeds in was the inevitable " whats next ?" sooooo I was left with the task of the winter months to "come up with the goods "
My suggestion of the Trans Pennine Trail the same week we did last year cos the weather was good! was met with, youre joking arent you ? Which meant everyone was on board !
We decided however to do East Coast to West instead, 3 reasons , we love being dropped off in the middle of nowhere, we love riding up very steep hills and love headwinds all the way !
Actually 2 reasons existed , its nice to ride homeward and the accomodation lent itself easier travelling west .
So by Feb I had booked 2 Premier Inns and a Toby Inn in Stockport all at prepaid low pices as before.
Day 1, 6 of us collected in Wigan by minibus with bikes and driven to Hornsea arrived roughly 930 , paid our driver in notes and watched him dissappear, we joined the trail , rode to Hull had lunch in town centre and then carried on to The Aire and Calder premier Inn at airmyn ( goole )for the night.
Day 2 Goole to Tankersley near Barnsley Premier Inn , Good lunch in village of Snaith then on to Tankersley for the evening , bit of a shock as Premier Inn pub and food was a Taybarns and absoluteley manic when we arrived ! however once showered and back down to bar it had quietende down and was not too bad !
Day 3 the BIGGY all up hill over Woodhead and down into Stockport , Best day of the lot in all our opinions the scenery the challenge and personal vendettas within our group ! We all had hidden agendas with each other ( racing a lad half my age from Dunford Bridge to the top of Woodhead was not one of my better ideas - outcome inevitable !) and with ourselves regarding the climbs , yet we all achieved what we needed to and always stuck together , to a degree !
The descent from woodhead off road downhill was so exciting we over shot the turning by about a mile a decided to wade across the river bikes on shoulders instead of tracking back up hill !
Arriving in Stockport at around 5ish we discovered our Jewel in the crown , the Innkeepers Lodge on the A6, Toby carvery , good food good rooms and sat out till kicking out time reminiscing the last 3 days with one to go , and the the previous years bonds forged even stronger !
Day 4 feeling a little jaded , last 70 miles into Southport along the Mersey via Warrington Speke and Liverpool ,as usual headwind all the way ! We battled the head wind tried to get a decent Peloton going but failed.
We all arrived safely together as a unit in Southport to a welcome yet unexpected bottle of champers from Shauns Wife Carla , nice touch thank you !
Photos few beers parting of ways , a few days later in work were wondering what to do next .....
Last year myself and friends ( 4 forty somethings + 2 twenty innits), who ride locally together when were not working( which isnt often) decided to be a little more adventurous.
In June 2012 we decided to take a few days from our routine and ride from Liverpool to Leeds on the canal , we planned on 3 days , mainly for enjoyment of the ride , not a case of just getting there.
I booked 3 rooms in 2 Premier Inns canal side in October 2011 at a princely sum of £29 a room.
Day 1 took us from Eldonian village, via lunch at the Waters Edge pub near Wigan, to Malthouse Inn at Chorley which is literally Canal Side and roughly 42 miles first day, good food good beer very hospitable.
Day 2 took us from Chorley to Bingley Premier Inn via a very good cafe just after Foulridge tunnel ( and the odd hostelry en route ) roughly 65 miles
Day 3 took us a swankering 20 ish leisurley miles into Leeds on a 3rd day of glorious sunshine, where we completed our journey , had a hearty liquidy lunch in Millenium square and strenghtened our friendships with each other , before setting off back to Wigan via Leeds and Manchester rail network early evening.
Discussed on that last day in Leeds in was the inevitable " whats next ?" sooooo I was left with the task of the winter months to "come up with the goods "
My suggestion of the Trans Pennine Trail the same week we did last year cos the weather was good! was met with, youre joking arent you ? Which meant everyone was on board !
We decided however to do East Coast to West instead, 3 reasons , we love being dropped off in the middle of nowhere, we love riding up very steep hills and love headwinds all the way !
Actually 2 reasons existed , its nice to ride homeward and the accomodation lent itself easier travelling west .
So by Feb I had booked 2 Premier Inns and a Toby Inn in Stockport all at prepaid low pices as before.
Day 1, 6 of us collected in Wigan by minibus with bikes and driven to Hornsea arrived roughly 930 , paid our driver in notes and watched him dissappear, we joined the trail , rode to Hull had lunch in town centre and then carried on to The Aire and Calder premier Inn at airmyn ( goole )for the night.
Day 2 Goole to Tankersley near Barnsley Premier Inn , Good lunch in village of Snaith then on to Tankersley for the evening , bit of a shock as Premier Inn pub and food was a Taybarns and absoluteley manic when we arrived ! however once showered and back down to bar it had quietende down and was not too bad !
Day 3 the BIGGY all up hill over Woodhead and down into Stockport , Best day of the lot in all our opinions the scenery the challenge and personal vendettas within our group ! We all had hidden agendas with each other ( racing a lad half my age from Dunford Bridge to the top of Woodhead was not one of my better ideas - outcome inevitable !) and with ourselves regarding the climbs , yet we all achieved what we needed to and always stuck together , to a degree !
The descent from woodhead off road downhill was so exciting we over shot the turning by about a mile a decided to wade across the river bikes on shoulders instead of tracking back up hill !
Arriving in Stockport at around 5ish we discovered our Jewel in the crown , the Innkeepers Lodge on the A6, Toby carvery , good food good rooms and sat out till kicking out time reminiscing the last 3 days with one to go , and the the previous years bonds forged even stronger !
Day 4 feeling a little jaded , last 70 miles into Southport along the Mersey via Warrington Speke and Liverpool ,as usual headwind all the way ! We battled the head wind tried to get a decent Peloton going but failed.
We all arrived safely together as a unit in Southport to a welcome yet unexpected bottle of champers from Shauns Wife Carla , nice touch thank you !
Photos few beers parting of ways , a few days later in work were wondering what to do next .....
