YS - Grosset Diary

We left Burnage in Manchester and travelled by train to Southport, arriving at 11am. We set off following the cycling route towards Liverpool, passing many golf courses on the way. The wind was into our faces and not too much sun, but definitely not cold! We did not do the variation into the City Centre but headed due south to the Mersey Estuary. We went under the blue bridge and stayed at a truck stop in the outskirts of Runcorn called the 'Roll Inn' - it is mentioned in the Accommodation Guide and probably the only accommodation in the guide to offer erotic dancers three nights a week!

Editors note - We haven't found the Roll Inn in the guide - maybe it's a recent name change - we have however notified the publisher.

11th July 2003

We left the 'Roll Inn' early and headed along the disused canal to the Manchester Ship Canal at Warrington. Again, no rain and not too much sun, but the wind was now on our backs. After a short break for tea at Lymm we were off again along a railway line towards Sale, Chorlton and Stockport. We passed under the M60 on our way into Manchester past the Water Park and back onto the banks of the Mersey. As I live in south Manchester, we stayed the next night there. Today was a short day by design as the next day was not only longer but also passing the highest point on the Trail and earlier today we were still within sight of tidal estuaries.

12th July 2003

An early start and we were back on the Trail by 9am. There was no messing about with the weather today. The sun was out with full effect and no wind all day. The first hour or so was along the river valley in the shade of trees. After that it was the start of the climb up to the reservoirs. There was a lot of down as well as up at the start but as soon as we reached the main valley into the Peak District it was a steady and gradual climb up to the Woodhead Tunnels. That was where today ended and we retired for refreshment.

13th July 2003

Sunday dawned as clear and bright as Saturday had been and it felt even hotter. After a serious climb out of Holmfirth to gain Saturdays finishing point and today's starting point we set off. We rode along the railway lines which made up the majority of the route today, stopping every hour or so. At the junction of the east / west and north / south routes, we took a break from our normal route and headed north towards Wakefield where we stayed the night. Some of the route finding was tricky in this area, as there were so many disused lines to ride along. We past a model aircraft club at one point, Motocross clubs, disused canals, wildlife reserves and lots of families out enjoying the weather.

14th July 2003

We encountered our biggest obstacle of the first part of the trip almost as soon as we got going today. A large blue bridge loomed out the mist; it had a 'u' section welded onto the stops, which took the wheels of the bikes. It was our only way of crossing the Aire and Calder Navigation which we followed all the way into Leeds and the northern terminus at the Armouries, this was actually the temporary end as there was a lot of new building in the area which meant we could not reach the 'proper' end. From Leeds we caught the Trans Pennine Trail Pennine service back to Manchester at the end of the first stint on the TPT.

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