FNRttC Manchester-Blackpool 3rd September 2021

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Andrew Br

Still part of the team !
Also posted on yACF.

We missed the 2020 ride (for reasons........) but we're running it again this year.
The previous thread on CycleChat is here:- https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/manchester-blackpool-7th-june-2019.248841/

The travel info from the thread is still relevant:-
"You'll need to get to either of Manchester's main stations (Piccadilly or Victoria) in time to ride to Victoria Station for a midnight departure to Blackpool.
Most trains back to home depart from Blackpool North station. There is a direct
Avanti service to London Euston and Northern Rail run direct to Manchester. Other destinations are (probably) best served by travelling to Preston and changing there.
You must have bike reservations for
Avanti and Trans Pennine Express. Northern don't care as long as you're not creating too much of an obstruction. If you're going to use another train co. please check their bike policy."

As is the route info:-
"It's hilly but most of the hills are long and not too steep although there are exceptions to this. It also means that the descents are the type where you can just let the bike go.
This year I'm going to cut out some of last year's gravel section as we exit Manchester; we'll use the best surfaced section of last year's route before we climb to Prestwich. It'll mean we have an extra climb but it'll keep us off potentially busy main roads and we do all the initial ascending in one go. The main road goes up and down several times.
The mid-way stop is at a 24 hour BP Garage on the outskirts of Blackburn. It has a shop (sandwiches, chocolate bars, fruit etc) and a coffee machine.
The final part of the ride takes us down Blackpool Prom to the Tower and drinks*. Taking the line of least resistance, it may well be a Wetherspoon's but I'm going to try very hard to find an alternative.
Whatever I come up with, it'll be a few minutes ride from Blackpool North.

A few final things to consider about the route; it's in the North and it goes up high on to the moors so there is the possibility of weather and not the good kind. We've had most things on previous rides including, briefly, snow. It's also been glorious all night......
We go through some remote areas so a bike failure could mean a long walk and/or an expensive taxi ride.
There tends to be a small group on this ride so everyone gets to know everyone else; we suffer and enjoy together.

Finally, we'll have a brief stop in Bury to remember jogler/Alan S.
I'll bring flowers."


What has changed is that I'll need to find another place for breakfast in Fleetwood since Frankie's and Bonnie's cafe has closed. IIRC, we got to Fleetwood just before 08.00. If anyone with local knowledge has any recommendations then please let me know.
I also need to check that the restaurant at Blackburn McDonald's is 24 hour and not just the drive through. Update: only the drive through is 24hr so we're going to a 24hr BP garage just around the corner (see above).
As for drinks in Blackpool after the ride I'll try to find somewhere with outdoor seating since I still don't fancy sitting indoors with loads of piss-heads slightly inebriated people. Again IIRC, we got to Blackpool at just before 10.00.

Admin:-
Read this:- https://www.fnrttc.org.uk/manchester-to-blackpool-3-september It contains the registration form.
If this is your 1st Friday's ride, you don't need to be a member of The Fridays (there's a "try before you buy" option) but you'll need to pay £2 in advance for the insurance.

Other stuff:-
As I've mentioned above, we often get weather on the ride as evidenced by this video (courtesy of Josh, one of the Chorlton(CH) massive):-


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-FtxXkm7qg


Surprisingly, Josh is still talking to me. Whether he shows up for this year's ride is another matter...........

Also, as I've said in the past, depending on numbers and if the tides are favourable, we'll take the ferry across from Knott End to Fleetwood. If it's not running or we're too big a group, we'll follow the "standard" route into Fleetwood.

Finally, the Strava for 2020:- https://www.strava.com/activities/2434201682 and the yACF thread for 2019:- https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=111883.msg2391393#msg2391393

If you've got any questions please just ask.

I've just realised that Avanti have taken over WCML trains from Virgin so I've corrected it above.
 
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Location
London
As for drinks in Blackpool after the ride I'll try to find somewhere with outdoor seating since I still don't fancy sitting indoors with loads of piss-heads slightly inebriated people. Again IIRC, we got to Blackpool at just before 10.00.
said it before maybe.
excellent spoons in saint annes, 30 mins away, often has bolton's finest brews, loads of outdoor seating.
opportunity to doff the cap to the Les Dawson statue and quote a line.
 
OP
OP
Andrew Br

Andrew Br

Still part of the team !
said it before maybe.
excellent spoons in saint annes, 30 mins away, often has bolton's finest brews, loads of outdoor seating.
opportunity to doff the cap to the Les Dawson statue and quote a line.
Yes, we discussed it in 2019 Blue Hills.
I know the pub you're taking about albeit I've never been in it.
Asking the group to do an extra 30 minutes riding to have breakfast/beer after riding through the night is too much.
That most of them would then have to ride 30 minutes back to get their trains makes it even worse.
I'll hit the 'phones to try to find a cafe in Fleetwood and then visit a few candidates when I do the route checks.
As for end of ride pubs, I'm even more definitely of the "Neverspoons" persuasion so any recommendations that you can come up with near Blackpool North station will be useful. Requirements: outdoor space, decent cask bitter*, open from 10.00(ish) and bike parking visible from the seating.
Not too much to ask is it ? :smile:

*Personal choice but since I'm benevolent dictator ride leader I do have some influence.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Regret I will not be joining this one, as it's a corker. Even in the 2019 weather…Sadly, there are no bike reservations on the Saturday morning/early afternoon services to Euston. At all. Seriously, I checked seven or eight trains. What gives, Virgin? Gits. Oh, and you'll be changing at Crewe due to engineering work. Given the choice between Chutney and the Litespeed on those roads, the latter wins every time (oh, and mudguards and disc brakes in the event of rain)…so I've moved the day's leave I had booked and will look forward to seeing the ride reports. Hopefully it won't be grim up north. Shame about Frankie & Bonnie's, that was a cracking breakfast.
 

theclaud

Openly Marxist
Location
Swansea
Regret I will not be joining this one, as it's a corker. Even in the 2019 weather…Sadly, there are no bike reservations on the Saturday morning/early afternoon services to Euston. At all. Seriously, I checked seven or eight trains. What gives, Virgin? Gits. Oh, and you'll be changing at Crewe due to engineering work. Given the choice between Chutney and the Litespeed on those roads, the latter wins every time (oh, and mudguards and disc brakes in the event of rain)…so I've moved the day's leave I had booked and will look forward to seeing the ride reports. Hopefully it won't be grim up north. Shame about Frankie & Bonnie's, that was a cracking breakfast.
Go to a station, Stu. I've not been able to get a bike reservation online at all, but the nice person at Swansea ticket office has magicked reservations on the same trains.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Go to a station, Stu. I've not been able to get a bike reservation online at all, but the nice person at Swansea ticket office has magicked reservations on the same trains.
[Multiple expletives deleted]
Bugrit. Nope, I'll have to stick. 2022 hopefully.
 

CharlieB

Junior Walker and the Allstars
Wot @theclaud said, @StuAff .
It’s been that way for bike reservations fo a couple of years now.
The other tip I’d add from experience to that is that if you’re happy to queue at a big mainline station, they will in nearly all cases find cheaper fares on long distance trips than your going online.
C
 
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CharlieB

Junior Walker and the Allstars
Oh, and if it helps @StuAff, the train I successfully booked last night leaves B'pool North 10:28, and makes a connection for Euston train at Stockport 12:23. As I'm getting off at MK, I'm not sure what time it arrives at Euston, but my best guess would be about 14:35-ish?
 

Adam4868

Guru
Probally not much help but other than the Weatherspoons on the prom getting a bar that serves alcahol and food at 10am might be the sticking point,especially near to the station.If you could do without the alcahol theres a few cafes in ceder square(winter gardens area) with outdoor seating,room to lock bikes and literally 5 mins from station.Plenty of pubs around there but I doubt they'd be open at 10.
 

Wobblers

Euthermic
Location
Minkowski Space
Regret I will not be joining this one, as it's a corker. Even in the 2019 weather…Sadly, there are no bike reservations on the Saturday morning/early afternoon services to Euston. At all. Seriously, I checked seven or eight trains. What gives, Virgin? Gits. Oh, and you'll be changing at Crewe due to engineering work. Given the choice between Chutney and the Litespeed on those roads, the latter wins every time (oh, and mudguards and disc brakes in the event of rain)…so I've moved the day's leave I had booked and will look forward to seeing the ride reports. Hopefully it won't be grim up north. Shame about Frankie & Bonnie's, that was a cracking breakfast.

Nice to see that they've wasted no time in putting the "grates" in to "Great British Railways", isn't it? Something to look forward to: I haven't darkened a train door in 18 months, with or without a bike. What websites did you look at?

On another note, I'm tempted to put my name down for this. I'd probably bike it up to Manchester, thereby neatly side stepping the train issue. Alas, I can't make any commitments yet: I'm not yet sure whether or not I'll be in Scotland that week. And there's also the Bristol-Barry ride the week after...
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Nice to see that they've wasted no time in putting the "grates" in to "Great British Railways", isn't it? Something to look forward to: I haven't darkened a train door in 18 months, with or without a bike. What websites did you look at?

On another note, I'm tempted to put my name down for this. I'd probably bike it up to Manchester, thereby neatly side stepping the train issue. Alas, I can't make any commitments yet: I'm not yet sure whether or not I'll be in Scotland that week. And there's also the Bristol-Barry ride the week after...
Hull Trains, and SWR (both of which have ye olde MixingDesk ticket selector that allows bike reservations. If whichever SNAFU that meant bike reservations weren't possible online had been fixed that is…Won't be on Bristol-Barry either. Had leave booked, but there's a DJ Shadow gig in Brighton, so went for that instead.
 
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