As the day approached for the Trans Pennine Trail tour, the weather forecast changed each day and it was difficult to tell if it was going to be warm and sunny or wet and windy – so we packed for both.
We traveled independently to Southport on Thursday. Barbara was first to arrive at the Premier Inn but the clutch on her car gave up the ghost in the middle of Southport and had to be towed to a garage by the AA for repair – at least this sorted out what to do for parking the car during the ride! Len and I has an easy journey by train from Basingstoke arriving about 3:00pm. Mark and Ray were driving to Southport, staying at the Travelodge and meeting their old swimming coach who had retired back to Southport for the evening. The other three, Dave, Mick and Brian traveled up to York where Dave used his charm to persuade Ibis to allow him to leave his car there until Tuesday. From there they took the train to Southport arriving before 7:00pm. Because we were early, Len and I had lunch and then toured around the town on our bikes for a bit of sightseeing and an enormous ice cream cone before returning to the hotel.
About 7:00pm we met up and headed towards the town centre for a meal. Walking down the main street towards the Wetherspoon’s we came across Mark, Ray and their friend walking in the other direction – they were headed elsewhere for a meal. We were able to secure a table for the six of us and enjoyed the craic over a drink and meal before walking back on a fine warm evening.
Day 1
In the morning, those of us in the Premier Inn met up for breakfast at 8:00am downstairs – we did not accept Mark’s offer to meet them at Wetherspoon’s for breakfast at 7:45. The weather forecast had been changing and it looked as if we would catch the southern edge of a rain belt – so once clear of Southport we should be OK. Because of this I suggested meeting up half an hour earlier at the TPT start monument at 9:00am – I thought 30 minutes was enough time to get ready. There was some grumbling at this and when I phoned Mark to let him know, they were only half way through breakfast and said that they would be about 10 minutes late. The Premier Inn crowd assembled at about 9:05 and Mick and Brian headed off for the start about 2 minutes away by bike. When the rest of us got to the start a couple of minutes later, there was no sign of Mick or Brian. After a bit, I phoned Mick and found that they were at another trail sign further down the route. Whilst they cycled back, I called Mark as they had not turned up – Ray had lost a bit of his bike in the bedroom and were still looking for it. By the time we had all got together and taken lots of group photos and set off, it was about 9:45 – so much for an early start!
Start of the TPT in Southport
It was a bit breezy and overcast but dry as we headed south down the trail on the separate narrow roadside cycle path towards Ainsdale where it was on road for a section before turning off onto the Cheshire Lines Path. This section is mainly gravel path through a field system well away from roads and runs for miles until the edge of Aintree where we turned onto the Leeds and Liverpool Canal towpath for a short section. We had to push/carry the bikes up the stairs onto the bridge over the canal where we ran along the side of the A59 opposite Aintree Race Course and then some back streets before turning onto the trail again. This section follows a disused rail line through Liverpool, though only glimpsed from bridges or through trees. It was about this time that it started to drizzle and when we approached Alder Hey, as the rain was getting heavier, we stopped at a Sainsbury’s store and headed for the café. By the time we had eaten the rain had stopped and as we went back to the bikes we noticed that Ray had a puncture. Bringing out his new inner tubes, they had the wrong valves and would not fit the rims, so we just fixed the puncture there.
Fixing a puncture in Liverpool
Once this was fixed, we set off again back on the trail. This section is still a tarmac surfaced rail trail with mature trees on either side. On a bend in the track, Len who was riding at the front skidded on some wet leaves and crashed across the track. Mick and Barbara following close behind crashed into Len – just like in the TdF. Len came off worst, banging his hip and shoulder and straining his groin. Barbara and Mick had road rash on arms and legs. Len did not seem to be bleeding, but the cut on Mick’s knee required first aid. Although sore, all said they were OK to continue.
We continued on the rail trail until Halewood where it ended and it was onto back roads, through a park, then alongside the old Ford works and then onto the road through Hale Village. By this time the sun was out and everyone was shedding layers and putting on the sun screen. Len was feeling pain in his groin from the crash, but OK to carry on. To make it easier Len very reluctantly agreed that one of us would carry his backpack.
Zigzag steps beside the Mersey
From Hale, the NCN62 heads down a track to the riverside and after a short way there was a set of timber stairs that the bikes had to be carried up. Len found walking up the stairs hard work – we carried his bike up for him. We continued alongside the River Mersey and underneath the Runcorn bridges and onto Spike Island. When we got to the far end of the island the trail was closed where they are building the new Mersey Gateway Bridge. It started a very slight drizzle again, so jackets were back on. We rode back to where we had crossed onto Spike Island and there was a diversion sign that took us on the main road in heavy traffic. The signing was poor and it took a little time to pick up the trail again.
Len was finding it harder to pedal and although the trail from here runs alongside the St Helens Canal and is generally flat, he found any slight incline hard. After Fiddlers Ferry, the trail runs through parkland at Sankey Valley Park on the outskirts of Warrington. As there were some slopes in the park, Len found it increasingly hard and as we got onto the road, he could go no further. It was about 5:00pm by this time and I called my daughter who lives in Warrington and had just got in from work and asked her to collect Len to take him to A&E. I asked the others to carry onto the hotel about six miles away whilst Len and I waited there.
In the meantime, I had a text saying that Mark had a puncture on the way to the hotel. It took my daughter nearly an hour to reach us due to traffic chaos in the middle of town. We helped Len into the MPV and bundled his bike in the back and then set off for A&E not far away, whilst I chased them by bike. Len was put in a wheelchair and we logged in at the desk. By this time Len was cold and his hands were shaking, but despite chasing the reception up it took more than an hour to get to see the Triage Nurse – and they were not busy. There was another wait at the minor injuries department before we could see a nurse practitioner. She made an initial assessment and felt that Len would be let out that evening. So I phoned David who was just about to eat dinner and asked if someone could relieve me at the hospital so that I could get to the hotel before dark and then come back to the hospital for Len. I headed off to my daughters house in Grappenhall at full TdF speed through the town until I got stopped at the swing bridge whilst a ship came up the canal. Once the bridge was opened again, I got there, put Len’s bike in the shed, picked up his bag and headed off for the hotel, a round trip of 9 miles. Just as I got there, now 9:00pm, David and Len arrived by taxi, so I did not have to go back. Len was on crutches but looking much better, bandaged, a groin strain but nothing broken. The early arrivals had eaten but the rest of us enjoyed a well-earned drink and evening meal.
Statistics
· Distance cycled = 50 miles
· Rolling time = 5 hours 25 minutes
· Punctures = 3
· Injured = 3
Day 2
In the morning, Len was feeling better but in too much pain to continue and preferred to go home by train alone. We organised a taxi to take him to the station where there is a good service to Basingstoke with only one change at Wolverhampton.
From the hotel we retraced the route to Latchford Locks on the trail that runs beside the ship canal. When we got to the locks, I went off to drop Len’s bag and kit off at my daughter’s whilst the others waited there.
Crossing the Manchester Ship Canal at Grappenhall
The weather was dry but the rain yesterday had left lots of puddles on the trail. The TPT towards Manchester follows a rail trail – this section of the route had gritty mud that caked the bikes for most of the rest of the trip. There are lots of gates across the track on this section to stop motorbikes. This means stopping whilst we manoeuvre the bikes through these, considerably slowing us down. After a short while we came to Lymm where we stopped at the bike shop on the trail for Ray to stock up on inner tubes with Presta valves for his rims. Although a coffee stop would have been welcome, we had not covered much ground, so pushed on. Just outside Altrincham, the route goes back on road for a section then back on the trails beside the River Mersey. This wanders about a bit and we had to keep checking we were on the correct route as it passed through Sale Water Park. We stopped at an ice cream van to regroup as there were no other options but as Didsbury was only another three miles decided that would be the lunch stop even though it was about 2:00pm then. In Didsbury Village, Brian was eyeing up a pub across the road whilst the rest of us opted for the Mud Crab Diner as it might be quicker – very trendy and bit pricey. We ate on the tables outside on the narrow pavement with the bikes stacked against the window. David, in charge of the kitty, went in to pay for the meal, but tripped up on the way out and almost fell onto the road adding to the injury list. It was then that Mark saw that he had another puncture which we fixed whilst Brian went in search of some spray plaster for David’s cut.
Lunch stop in Didsbury
Eventually we set off again on the back roads and path following the tram line for a section before turning back onto the trail alongside the river. At Stockport, the NCN signs disappeared at a busy road junction and we had to resort to the maps to try to find the route which we picked up shortly that lead through Stockport Town Centre past the Hat Museum – no time to stop then. This was not the route in the GPS that followed the main NCN62 but another section also marked as the NCN62. The signing disappeared again but we picked it up after a bit of searching before climbing up Penny Lane and then onto the trail alongside the River Tame to Reddish Vale Country Park. This trail proper starts with a climb up from the valley then further on drops back down again to the river to the Visitors Centre – closed so we missed out on a coffee stop. The route follows a trail gradually climbing away from the valley then more steeply as it heads past the livery stables to Mottram Old Road where it runs downhill to cross the railway line before a steady climb beside the A560 road to the junction with the end of the M67 and the A57 main road across the Pennines. This is off the TPT but taking this route avoids some stiff climbs around Werneth Low. This way involves cycling in heavy traffic, albeit one long traffic queue, until a fast downhill to the Glossop junction, keeping up with the traffic. We regrouped after the junction and took the road into the centre of Glossop and our overnight stop at the Travelodge.
The Travelodge was in a converted mill and newly opened as part of a retail development. The reception was on the first floor so some of the bikes went in the lift one at a time and others were carried up the stairs to our rooms. We met in the Wetherspoon’s next door but it was heaving and no spare tables, so after a look around settled for a bar/brasserie just along from the hotel, which though also busy we were able to get a table for seven.
Statistics
· Distance cycled = 44.8 miles
· Rolling time = 5 hours 28 minutes
· Punctures = 2
· Injured = 0
Day 3
In the morning most of us met up in the Wetherspoon’s for breakfast for an early start. The route took us on the back roads up to the TPT at the old Hadfield Station, up being the operative word, as it was a steady climb. By this time, it was warm and sunny. The TPT here is the Longendale Trail, a disused rail track that rises gently up the valley with the reservoirs feeding Manchester below in the valley bottom. The trail stops at the tunnel portals at the Woodhead Road Pass where there is a stiff climb up to the road on a rough track. Once across the road the track climbs steeply requiring the bikes to be pushed up, which we did in company with another group. Once the track levelled out a junction with another track, we stopped for a team photo with the signpost and the views down the valley in the background – one of the other group helped out with that. This is the same signpost with my bike in the photo that I used in the preview details on the website.
Top of the Pennines at Woodhead Pass
The track is approximately level from there across the moor to meet the road again. When there was a gap in the traffic we wheeled the bikes across the road to the track on the other side that ran downhill to a small stream before a stiff climb that we pushed the bikes up. The track continued to a junction on the main road where we crossed onto the road to Dunford Bridge with a gentle climb to the high point on the route – more team photos in glorious weather with extensive views over to Sheffield. From there the road runs downhill where we were able to get up to 40mph to Dunford Bridge where the TPT turns off on the Upper Don Trail, another disused rail track. This trail is mostly tarmac surfaced and runs gently downhill for about 8 miles towards Penistone where we stopped for an early lunch at a café beside the trail – lots of other cyclists on a Sunday run also used this café. This is a typical local café where a cooked lunch was £5 including drinks.
Lunch stop at Penistone
By this time it was very sunny and quite hot, so we slathered on another layer of sunscreen before we set off again downhill. We had decided to take the alternative TPT route via Tankersley to visit Elsecar Heritage Centre so continued past Oxspring to the Timberland Trail where there was a steepish on-road climb up to Wortley before taking an off-road trail through the Tankersley Estate. The gravel surface was a bit rougher causing Mark’s mudguard mount to fall off – easily fixed with a zip tie. Just past this point we missed a turn-off on the track and ended up at a road junction. A quick reference to the map showed a potential on-road shortcut to meet the main TPT at Wentworth. Unfortunately, there is more than one TPT trail and the route we took involved climbing uphill past the Wentworth Estate before a nice long downhill to rejoin the TPT along the River Dearne at Rockingham. This part of the trail follows the river to meet the main trail at Old Barn RSPB nature reserve where we stopped for afternoon tea, albeit a quick one as it was just before closing time at 5:00pm [originally intended as a possible lunch stop!].
The trail carries on beside the river with a diversion [unsigned] through Harlington to the Denaby Ings Nature reserve. As we got close to Consiborough Castle, we noticed that half the group were missing and phoned to find out what had happened. Mark, who is diabetic, needed to stop to take on some glucose as the hot weather was affecting his insulin balance and David had kindly stayed with him. When he had recovered and the group reformed, we carried on alongside the river for a couple of miles until a road crossing. As we rounded outside one of the bike gates, Mark lost his balance and fell off very gently in slow motion, but a cut opened up on his finger that needed attention. Whilst we were doing this we noticed that Ray and Brian were missing – Ray had another puncture and Brian was keeping him company whilst he pushed his bike along the trail towards us where we quickly fixed it for him. The track continued along the river to just outside Doncaster where we stopped at a riverside pub for a welcome drink before continuing to the Premier Inn opposite Doncaster Minster. The hotel stored our bikes in a service corridor avoiding the need to take them up to our rooms. After a quick shower, we met up downstairs and headed for the Wetherspoon’s for our evening meal.
Stopping for a beer near Doncaster
Statistics
· Distance cycled = 51.4 miles
· Rolling time = 5 hours 46 minutes
· Punctures = 2
· Injured = 1
Day 4
We met up in the morning for breakfast and an early start to give us more time in York. It did not go quite to plan as on loading the bikes, Mark found he had a puncture. It was another hot day as we headed out through Doncaster into the countryside around Bentley. When we stopped to check the route, it was Ray’s turn to fall off his bike – no damage done. There was a section on a rough track before the route was back on road after a unmanned level crossing until joining the towpath to the arrow straight New Junction Canal at Braithwaite for a few miles to Sykehouse. The route then follows back roads and tracks through the villages until we stopped in Snaith for morning coffee in a village bakery where there was a fantastic selection of cakes, bread, pies, sausage rolls and made to order sandwiches. It was too good an opportunity to miss, so we stocked up for a picnic lunch stop. From Snaith the route wanders on road through more villages with a section across an old wartime airfield before the TPT joins the Selby Canal towpath into Selby.
Coffee and cake at Snaith
We were going to stop alongside the canal to eat our lunch, but nearer the centre of town there was no access to the canal or river so we ate our lunch in a small park whilst trying to find some shade from the hot sun. As our bikes were still caked in mud and grit from the first two days and the transmissions were noisy we headed into Selby to find a supermarket to buy some cleaning brushes with the intention of cleaning them at the river. Having stocked up, there was no access to the river alongside the trail and we continued along to Ricall where the TPT follows another disused rail track into York. We stopped at a shed beside the track for a cup of tea where they told us how to get to a slipway to the nearby River Ouse. There we washed the bikes as best we could in the river and oiled the chains – they felt much better after this. We headed back for the rail trail but Ray’s bike needed some fettling to the front derailleur where it had become twisted during the cleaning. With this fixed we carried on to York Racecourse where I headed for the Holiday Inn nearby where I was staying whist the rest followed the trail into the centre of York alongside the river to their respective hotels.
In the evening we met up in a pub adjacent to the main railway station before heading into the old town for a spot of sightseeing and an evening meal. In the morning we made our separate ways home after a further bit of sightseeing.
The Shambles, York
Statistics
· Distance cycled = 51.5 miles
· Rolling time = 5 hours 11 minutes
· Punctures = 2
· Injured = 0
Thank you to all who took part for making it an enjoyable trip. Next year a tour down the Danube from Passau to Vienna?
Trip Video
When we got back David compiled a video of the trip - it is too large for online viewing but can be made available to group members