Yesterday was a long ride from Lancaster to Frodsham - over 70 miles after I had taken a wrong turn. For the most part it was flat but there are a couple of nasty hills at Appley Bridge.
It was incredibly hot but we managed to keep hydrated and arrived at Jane's Dad's in Frodsham at 7pm.
The Mersey crossing route we chose worked well and we followed the Trans-Pennine trail through a network of cycle paths called Sankey Bridges. There were a few dodgy characters including an obvious drug dealer but we got through in one piece and it was definitely better than traffic.
These cycle network paths are all very well and good but have the designers ever ridden a bike? Every few hundred yards there was an obstruction designed to let bikes through but not motor bikes. Trouble is that Jane's 'Butterfly' handlebars wouldn't fit requiring a two-person effort to lift it through. The other bug-bear is those oversized kissing gates that are designed to let bikes through. They may work OK with kids mountain bikes but not with tourers/panniers (Sustrans please note)
Today is a day off and we will probably get the train to Chester to try and find Jane some new cycling pants (she left a pair in the Lake District).
Peter
No comments:
Post a Comment