Wind, rain, hail, sleet and snow and we still did it!

Departure: Irish Sea - Southport. Good Friday 21^st March 2008

Arrive: Hornsea - North East Yorkshire. Easter Monday 24^th March 2008

I decided to ride the Trans Pennine Trail after discovering that the route spanned the width of the country from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. I saw it as a challenge and an opportunity to raise some money for Marie Curie Cancer Care Charity. The people who work for this charity are remarkable people who looked after both my mum and dad in the early 2000's.

I needed a partner to travel with me and could think of no other person as mad as myself other than Mr. Kevin Millington. The very same Kev I know who would laugh at my plan. However after some gentle persuasion he agreed to 'tag along'!

We trained from about ten weeks before the set off date: 9.00am at Southport on Good Friday morning. We were prepared, with maps, energy drinks, accommodation paid for and the right equipment.

SOUTHPORT TO SALE

Most people will remember Easter 2008. Blizzards hail storms and high winds were forecast and we were to expect the worst weather at Easter for over 40 years. Brilliant! 40 years and we were cycling in it on what we considered one of the easiest legs of the route. The wind generally assisted us in the open spaces, but in the main, it was hard work in the hailstorms and gusty winds.

The route along Southport Coastal Road is comfortable as was the rest of the route up until Warbreck Moore / Aintree access point. This was confusing but after getting on at the right point it's a great cycle to Halewood Park. At the end of this off road section the path goes through Speke and onto the village hamlet of Hale. Onto Pickering's Pasture and along the Mersey Estuary. This is an enjoyable part of the trail but you are met at the end of this section with a serious flight of steps, which, with panniers, can prove awkward. On through Runcorn and along the canals in Warrington. We had lunch at the Fiddlers Ferry pub and received over £5.00 off people just putting their hands in their pockets and giving us their change. Thanks to those guys. Further along the trail we rode along the Manchester Ship Canal and this was amazing. The trench cut out of the rocks and the high bridges makes for an impressive sight.

Lymm to Altrincham was along a very muddy trail and was energy sapping, as were other parts, but not as bad as this section after all the rain. The rest of the journey was not too bad. Only a few navigational errors and we arrived in Sale around 5.00pm, approx 58 miles later.

We stayed at the Eskdale Lodge on Harboro Road and met some great people. The food was lovely and the staff were great. There was a family feel to the pub and we were made to feel very welcome particularly from an elderly gent (50's I reckon) cracking ancient 'one liners' one after another. We didn't catch his name but Kev & I decided Les Dawson was most appropriate. Thanks to the guy with three kids who very kindly, gave us a fiver for our sponsorship, wished us the best of luck for the rest of our journey and then winked and enlightened me on what Manchester United were going to do to Liverpool. Unfortunately his prediction was all too uncanny. After day one we ate, had three beers and were in bed early. We were tired and knew tomorrow was going to be tough.

TO BARNSLEY

Be prepared for this section of the trip. I was a little concerned about covering this part of the trail and the weather wasn't looking great. The journey through Didsbury was OK and Stockport was a little awkward but we moved confidently onto Hyde. We got to Hyde and became totally lost due to a 6-foot metal fence stopping our progress. We tried various routes through the woods but to no avail, and we were being battered by a hailstorm. I was not having an enjoyable moment! Kev was hopping around with one leg in his waterproofs and the other seemingly stuck fast at the top of the other leg. We were in a small wood wishing we knew Ray Mears! We found our way through to a main road and followed this right through to the foot of Woodhead Pass. We were not sure if we were on the trail but we new that Barnsley was on the other side of this hill and time was not our closest ally. We had always planned to eat a healthy carb filled meal at this point and came across a sign for a pub. We asked a local for clearer directions. I think the poor lad was a bit startled as he flapped with his answer. “Yes there's somewhere up there about a mile up” Afraid not mate.

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