What will we cycle in 2016?

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Chester - Whitchurch. 36 miles

Chester - Whitchurch. 36 miles

21st sept.2013

Today we cycled part of the Mercian Way. It runs from the Wyre forest to Chester through the former ancient Kingdom of Mercia, once ruled by the powerful Offa, the first man to claim the title of king of England. Special cast-iron way markers have been commissioned in the form of Anglo-Saxon warriors. Set up at strategic points along the trail, these soldiers will be on duty all year round to ensure that travellers can easily get their bearings.

We intended to cycle all the way to Shrewsbury, but found that it was too much. In fact we have decided to call it a day and go no further. The trip in 2011 was so different, seem to have much more energy and enthousiasm. We are making mistakes. The traffic is much worse. On the minor roads it,s ok but much hillier and also signs are missing. We both find that the fun has gone and are not truly enjoying it. We pretended for a while but have to be honest. We so much wanted to do this, the mind is willing, but both our bodies say 'stop'.
We may well have another go in 2014 as it seems a shame not to finish. There is only 1/3 to go and possibly in May we could try.


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Croston - Chester 45 miles

Croston - Chester 45 miles
19th September 2013

It has been a really hard day. As the weather forecast was rain in the morning we did all the manoeuvring first. We drove the van to Frodsham. Took the train back to Croston. It still rained but we got on with it. We had lunch in the 'Robin Hood' and after which the rain had stopped. We took a B road to Dangerous Corner, on to Appley Bridge, Orrell then Haydock. On to Burtonwood road, across the M62 towards Sankey Bridges, through the Nature reserve on the Pennines cycle trail, cross over the River Mersey, the Manchester Ship canal, unfortunately on the congested A56 until we reached Frodsham again. After Haydock it was difficult. Signs were missing, and I am convinced a minor B road on the map was also missing as a fact. This does spoil the magic of cycling, especially with horizontal rain. Apart from that nothing very exciting happened. For this reason we are taking a day off and move the van to Shrewsbury, ready to take the train back in the morning. It should be good tomorrow as we will cycle the Mercian Way from Chester to Shrewsbury. Looking forward to it.


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Carnforth - Croston 48.18 miles

Carnforth - Croston 48.18 miles
Wednesday 18th September.
After 3 days of atrocious weather with storms and rain at times sideways, we decided we have to make the move. Carol, the beautiful weather girl on TV, who we have been listening to intently over the last days, said that Wednesday would be a better day. And so it was for most of the time. Straight away after arriving at Carnforth we took ourselves to the Lancaster canal, which has the no. 6 running alongside. What a treat this was. We had been looking forward to this and we weren't disappointed. North of Lancaster we crossed the viaduct and continued cycling next to the river Lune which then became the Lune Estuary. At Conder Green we turned right on to the Lancaster road, the A588, then the B5272 to Garstang. On to the B6430 to Catterall, the A6 to Broughton, the B6241 to Preston, crossing the River Ribble, on to the A582 to Leyland, B5253 to Moss Side, turn right on to the A581 to Croston, where we are staying.
We did have some showers and used the underneath of the canal bridge to shelter. That gives you the opportunity to have a chat with some of the locals, who are very generous with their advice. Although I always use my Philips Navigator, I did get it wrong in Preston. We usually look for other cyclists to ask -they always know-.
Well, the first day is over. Hope the weather will hold for tomorrow, so far it doesn't look very promising.


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The second half...

We will start cycling the second half of John O'Groats to Land's End on Sept 17th. Our starting point is Carnforth, the place we left off after the knee injury back in May this year. There is about 550 miles left to L.E. and our aim is to finish on Sept. 30th. We will see.

Back home again and taking it easy. Just worked out that we have cycled just over half way - 561.54 miles to be exact and 520 miles left. We will do the other half next September. First get my knees back to normal. Won't take long.
On reflection the route we took in Scotland in 2011 was less hilly and more straight forward, however this years route was more beautiful and the scenery was awesome.
The point to make though is, that the only and most sensible way to do an End to End is to have support or be part of a team who will support you with all your luggage and organising. Most riders we met en route do just that. They carry nothing. They can then cycle of course 100 miles or so a day. Also, they often take the A roads which are dangerous, even more so with a heavy laden bike. So, to sum it all up it takes a lot of working out when you make a decision on the course you want to take. Any would be End to Enders read as much as possible on people's blogs in order to make your choice.


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Milnthorpe - Carnforth 10 miles
We decided this morning that the cycling was becoming too difficult for us. The hills are too steep for us with the panniers and the pressure on my knees is becoming painful with hill climbing after I had my fall last week. I don't want to ruin them, they have to last me.
Feel very upset about this decision. We have seen awesome scenery, met many fellow cyclists and had a good time. So, we are sorry folks, but that's life.


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