Day 148 Southport to Neston

 

Date: Saturday 21^st September 2013   Distance: 47.73 Miles

 

We had breakfast at 7.30 and left by 8.30. It was a long straight road, busy and by the dunes once we had left the promenade. Although the wind was still against us it was lighter but still a bit chilly.

 

We soon left the road for the Ainsdale Forest trail beside the nature reserved dunes. It wasn’t really well signposted but we managed to make the right directional decisions. The tall pines could have had red squirrels but we didn’t see any. The trail ended at a golf course where we had to walk and 2 bouncers in yellow coats made sure cyclists waited for the golfers to make their shot before walking across the green. What a crazy route for a path. Then we had to cross a railway line before taking the path beside the line towards Formby.

 

Bob navigated through the residential, quiet roads to the National Trust Red Squirrel Sanctuary at Formby for just before 10am. Nuts had not long been put out and we were lucky enough to spot at least 5 different red squirrels, some with black tails which surprised me. It was quite a country idyll with scampering squirrels in the pines, rabbits, jays and magpies all jostling for food.

 

Satisfied squirrel spotters we stopped at a petrol station with a Greggs attached for a break. It was easy to park the bike and watch it while we had tea and cake. It was inundated with mini footballers caked in mud. That shows parental dedication. The match had already taken place!

 

High grassy dunes separate Formby from its beach so we couldn’t see the sea without deviating from our route. The dunes suffer from water based erosion and every year disguarded Christmas trees are planted to try and stem this. Rare Natterjack toads breed in this area and their song in the evening has the local name “Bootle Organ.”

 

About a mile inland, passing a recycling centre for garden waste and then signs saying the compost was free to take in bags or boots, we came to Little Crosby with its 17th century houses and Georgian Crosby Hall. On into Crosby, along the sea front and all across the 2 mile stretch of sand were the Anthony Gormley iron statues of himself, some with clothes now. It didn’t seem there were 100 but some figures were almost covered by water so might have not been visible at all. I really liked them though when I first saw one in the water I thought it was a person struggling in the waves. They all look out to sea across to North Wales.

 

The path here had sand mounds across it so it wasn’t easy to cycle. Apparently the council clear the dunes on the houses side but left the shifting sand high at the sea side and it just drops through the railings. They have to clear it every 2 days. This must eat a lot of council money so a solution is definitely needed here.

 

The route was lovely till Bootle when we found ourselves on a really busy A road and not seeing any cycleway we ended up going over a flyover with several lanes of traffic that we had to cross to get to the dockside. Someone kindly stopped and let us in and we were back on a quiet but very industrial dock road. It was mostly derelict or smelly. Huge piles of aluminium and cubes of rusty car remains waited to be shipped abroad. At the Liverpool end some of the massive Victorian warehouses had been reclaimed and made into smart apartments. We came into Liverpool and headed for the Liver buildings near where the ferry leaves for Birkenhead and other places on the little tours as it happens.

 

There was a fund raising event on and there were a lot of people about. As the next ferry didn’t leave till 1 we decided to get a sandwich- not easy. I queued for nearly half an hour at a mobile cafe and then we gobbled our baguettes just before embarking on the boat with hundreds of others for Space Port, at the top end of Birkenhead. Our tickets had cost £21 which was the worst value out of all the ferries. The boat went down the docks where we had just been and then crossed to go back up the other side. An automatic commentary seemed out of phase with where we were and no one seemed to listen though it was very loud and distracting. I liked the music as we set off- Ferry Cross the Mersey which sent me back to my youth.

 

At Space Port I nearly got left on the boat as I was chatting to other cyclists. We’d been told to wait for the pedestrians to leave and hadn’t noticed they already had. A panicky Bob yelled my name and we scooted off. There were sounds of children having a great time but we couldn’t see them. It consists of themed galleries with hands on exhibits, an observatory and today there was a Dr. Who exhibition.

 

We were on the 35 mile circular cycle path around the Wirral, though we came off at Neston where we finished the whole tour. There was a very wide promenade at new Brighton and it looked like there was plenty here for tourists to do, a mixture of new and old like the privately owned 19th century Fort Perch Rock. We especially liked the pirate boat made from driftwood that had children playing all over it. We saw another further along the route so the council must have commissioned it.Brilliant idea!

 

 It was open sea after this and in the sunshine the views were lovely. Most of the last bit of today was traffic free and extremely enjoyable. Passing Gunsite and Leasowe Dunes where there was an anti aircraft station during the 2nd World War. There are special guided tours at Leasowe Lighthouse on the common. It was built in 1763 and was probably the first building in the world to use cavity walls for insulation.

 

Golf is the main attraction at Hoylake though the 2 mile beach is attractive and today at the end of the rail by the sea was a huddle of twitters. In amongst a colony of waders on the sands there was a solitary bird, that sounded like a lesser spotted sandpiper from South America but I could have got that wrong, and these trophy hunters were after a shot of it to tick it off their lists. There didn’t look as if there was a Bill Oddie type among them.

 

We had to ride through the town of West Kirby, which was full of black and white buildings and had some interesting shops. I thought it a good place to live but there is controversy over a possible large hotel being built to encourage regeneration. A lot of people want to retain the present character and I can see why, being of an older generation who really value the simple things in life like views!

 

At West Kirby we took the Wirral Way which is on the old railway line and is 6 miles in length. We passed under the iron bridge of Edwardian Ashton Park and came to Cubbins Green, a grassland area fronting the River Dee, us having turned with the land and left the Irish Sea.  From here you can see Hilbre Island which can be walked to when the tide is out.

 

There were lots of cyclists on this route and one party was a big group of junior school children racing along to a barbeque at one of the boy’s grandparents. We hope they knew where they were going because they ended up being very spread out and we could hear the adult in charge booming out instructions. Still it’s all character building stuff!

 

There was a bit off the path, along Davenport road, where houses had been built on the old rail line site. Then it was back on it again.

 

At Thurstaston, at another railway arch, we went to the visitors centre with its outdoor coffee booth, little shop and loos. It was 6 miles to go but it took longer than expected as we couldn’t decide which way to go just before Neston village. We believe now we could have gone to the pub, The Hart, via Parkgate which was right on the coast but we chose to go through Neston itself and then got a little disorientated. Bob found it with the ordinance survey map and we were cheered by friends Chris and Will when we arrived. The best pint I have ever tasted! The bike came apart and surprisingly the larger bit stood up between the back seats while the front part went in the boot. We all went out for a slap up meal and now we’re planning our next venture- a hundred islands in 5 years, starting with the tiny island of Hilbre that we passed earlier today.

It took us 148 days in all to cycle 4,711 and a half miles!

Day 147 Blackpool to Southport

 

Date: Friday 20^th September 2013   Distance: 41.22 Miles

 

Despite a creaky bed we were so tired we put up with the noise every time we turned over and slept OK. It was a good buffet style breakfast and we left at 9. It was across the car park again then left onto the road with a right turn a bit further down which took us between the 2 sections of Pleasure Beach and underneath the rails of the monster Big Dipper.

 

We went south down the promenade that Bob described as technical because of all the obstacles like seats and pillars. As we came out of Blackpool, on a spur on the prom nearest the sea we passed a man holding a very long aerial (that I thought to be a fishing rod) and a back pack radio. If he had been more clandestine we would have thought “spy!”

 

We came out onto the road with high sand dunes on the left that leaked sand, blowing across the way. There was a holiday camp in a state of being demolished and then we were in Victorian St. Annes, built for the better off with flat sands good for sand yachting today. The characterful pier seems to be mostly well preserved, unlike many we have seen.

 

St. Annes led into Lytham St. Annes where it was lovely cycling by the sea with views across to Southport over the Ribble Estuary. Lytham is picturesque with old fishing boats, a grassy, muddy beach full of waders and an enigmatic windmill standing on Lytham Green. The mill ground flour until 1919 but is now a mill museum, closed today from early September. The placid town is full of Victorian buildings and has famous championship golf links.

 

We were soon next to a main road with markings for cycles at the side taking us to Warton. Jets occasionally deafeningly zoomed by from BAE Systems. A dyke hides the river at this point. The old road took us on to Freckleton where we turned off route for a tea at my brother’s house- really nice for a catch up.

 

We rode alongside the main road (584) then turned right on cycle route just before the road junction- not well marked. There was a huge crow cut in wood on a thick pole that I was sure had water level markings on. We were now on the 20 mile Guild Wheel circular route around Preston and we took it to the first bridge, a swing bridge by the boatyards. We could see the steeples that were probably in Preston. As we went through Hutton,boys in blue blazers waved from upper floor windows of the old school.

 

We were almost giving up on finding a pub open for food when we came across the Ram’s Head at Longton. Apparently renowned for its huge portions (we noticed no one ordered any puddings) the pub served unusually presented fare in such a way that we had to use two tables for our steak pie and my soup and pate. Bob’s pie was so tasty I had to help him finish it when he was beaten. The menu was novel, designed as if it was a 19th century newspaper but I found it hard to decipher.

We’ve vowed to come back!

 

At Hoole, one of the little villages we came to, there was a sound like loud wind chimes that turned out to be a class of children sitting cross legged in the school playground each doing their own thing on glockenspiels. Perhaps they made too much noise to be inside.

 

 

The church here wasn’t open like it said it was but a kind lady in the churchyard thought it might be from the 1600s with an 18th century  stone tower added on. The warm red bricks are thought to have come over in Dutch ships where they were used as ballast. Darker bricks make diamond and cross patterns on the walls. She said the north facing door was locked to keep out witches, a superstition surely from the 17th century. There was a trig point marked on the wall and the earliest grave was from 1728.On the tower is a sundial with an inscription from Horrocks, saying “Without the sun I am silent” in Latin. Horrocks who died when he was only 22 was born in 1618 and was the first to demonstrate that the moon moved in an elliptical path around the earth. He observed the transit of Venus in 1639 using a helioscope and in 2012 another transit was marked by a celebration in this church that was seen on NASAs website worldwide.

 

We came to Banks, a larger village with farms, like in East Anglia with flat fields of cabbages. Across the fields we could see the white ball on its iron tower marking BAE Systems at Warton, only 5 miles away as the bird flies, but 20 miles by way of road because of the river.

The long road we took was strangely named Ralph’s Wife’s Lane. I have found several stories as to why it was so called. Ralph was either a smuggler or a member of the Eliza Fernley lifeboat and when the boat sank his wife went looking for him on the marshes and died of exposure.. Wickepedia tells of a ghost that holds a lantern around the marsh reputedly Ralph’s wife looking for him still. Another story says Ralph was a local landowner who divorced his wife and gave her land at the end of a private lane. Later Ralph’s wife’s land became Ralph’s wife’s Lane

 

We went through a bit of the marsh as this was designated cycle path but it was surprisingly short. Back to the road we could see Blackpool Tower and the Big Dipper across the estuary then we were by open sea with marshlands close to the road. The wind was against us again as we followed the road left to Southport. Along the seawall there was bladderwrack (seaweed) strewn for some way across our path and as we rode over it, it sounded like bubble wrap popping. Then it was promenade

and we came to the pier, which has a train to take holidaymakers to its end and disappointingly is closed and gated at 5 pm. Opposite the pier is a leisure complex behind which is another Premier Inn, our B and B.

 

We ate in a Chinese buffet restaurant as we only felt like picking after The Pie. We had a cabaret of flocks of geese noisily doing flypast towards their roost. The buffet was a good choice but the drinks were very expensive. Our bike went under the stairwell in the Premier Inn and we had a quiet night despite the various night time activities on offer opposite.

 

 

 

 

Day 146 Lancaster to Blackpool

 

Date: Thursday 19^th September 2013   Distance: 34.75Miles

 

We caught the 9.29 train from Manchester Airport after riding there from home in the dry despite the weather forecast saying how awful the weather was going to be. The guards on the train looked after us well, interested in the tandem. We arrived in Lancaster just after 11 and decided to have an early lunch as it was being deluged with rain. It was still awful when we left through Sainsbury’s car park and then onto a cycleway that eventually took us along the river Lune by St Georges Quay and out towards Glasson. On this 6 mile stretch we passed a rejuvenation project of Redrow houses. Dog walkers were in abundance even in the wet and wind. Blackberries hadn’t ripened yet and either side of what we think is ex railway line are bulrushes and sedge.

 

When we turned off for Glasson on another cycleway the tide was very high covering the grass on the banks and swans and ducks were feasting here. Glasson has working docks, a barge lined canal and a marina for yachts. We could see their masts from way back. It was tricky finding our way to the coast road. In the end we went through a work yard and out through a pub car-park, turning right to a concrete path into works and then left to meet the road. Hurrah- sea on our right again!

 

We could see the 2 power stations at Heysham across open sea now. We had to cycle on a not too busy A road and then back onto lanes into Pilling. There was a strong wood burning smell and then we passed a building being pulled down, obviously from fire damage. A sign on the front wall said Northern Kilns. A small shop close by had lovely pottery in the window and signs saying they gave lessons in throwing pots.

 

Noisy flocks of geese flew North with the wind and a work of art in the children’s playground seemed to portray geese or swans. We must have seen thousands of geese between here and Southport and I believe them to be the pink footed variety because of location and flight patterns.

 

Bob took off my toe clips here as my knees were aching and we thought I was peddling with the top part of my foot too much. Without them I could vary which part I pushed with and it certainly helped. The wind made it so hard especially with great expanses of exposed flat fields of the Ribble valley. Pilling is a pretty village with some thatch and a spired church. Next we were in lanes with no view of the sea because of a high dyke. Towards the sea the weather looked promising but landward had heavy cloud.

 

 It was no more than a mile alongside the sea at Knott End till we reached the ferry for Fleetwood. Knott End is quiet with trim bungalows and a wide beach of sand and stretches of mud. As we reached the quay where 2 other people waited we saw the ferry coming across. The tandem easily went on and we paid £1 each and 50p for the bike. There were lovely views out to sea while landward, survival training for the people who work on ships and boats was taking place in inflatables, like inshore rescue craft. One came up really close then did something like a handbrake turn to draw up immediately beside the ferry as we docked. I was sure he would hit us.

 

 It had taken 5 minutes to cross and we were soon riding away from Fleetwood passing the North Euston hotel with its Victorian grandeur. Along -side the beach there were strict rules for dog owners which is good. Dog walkers could only have a maximum of 4 dogs! No dog mess here. There is plenty of sandy beach though some not suitable for swimming. Fleetwood boasts 3 lighthouses, one, Pharos, is well inland. Fleetwood is the terminal for Blackpool trams and we could see the Blackpool Tower in the distance.

 

Cleveleys has amusement arcades and jubilee gardens behind the promenade but is more sedate than Blackpool. We liked the metal ship funnel lights. The street furniture was very modern with people stretched out across stone (or maybe concrete) seating taking the afternoon sun.

Just before Blackpool we passed a cream and mauve hotel that we could see from Fleetwood and from the distance it looked like an impressive castle. Up close it looked less so and we learnt it was owned by Pontins- Norbrek Castle Hotel.

 

About a mile from the Tower we were riding behind the tableaux light display. We could see the complex wiring. We went by 2 piers but we were told there are 3. We stayed at the Premier Inn here not too far from the Pleasure Beach. The bike went behind the reception desk and we had a Brewers Fayre meal. After we walked to the Pleasure Beach across the car park behind, then down a road with cheap hotels (saw one at £12 per night) and beside the ghost train to the heritage tram stop in a rather odd unlit spot. Children were insisting on riding their favourite, the train, but the next one, still with quite a wait was the boat. It came, well lit in fairy lights and it cost the same for all ages £5. We were surprised that they stopped the special trams at 9 o’clock as it only got dark just before 8. Ours was full to capacity and it was a late night for the small children on board particularly as we were held up by an ordinary tram blocking the way for their tea break-not good coordination. We did enjoy the lights and it was nice to do a communal “thing”. We got back to our room at 10pm quite stiff from sitting so long on the tram.

 

 

 

We liked Blackpool for its razzmatazz and colour. Maybe things would be different in the winter. It is said there are 3500 places for tourists to stay of all shapes, sizes and prices. We saw a lot of Vacancies signs. The tower was having maintenance across its middle but the lights on it looked impressive in the dark. There seems plenty to do and some of the beaches looked inviting.

 

 

Day 145 Hest Bank to Lancaster

 

Date: Sunday 1^st September 2013   Distance: 17.03 Miles

 

We left the house in Lancaster at 9am and rode down the canal which is part of the cycle network towards Carnforth then we turned off towards Hest Bank where our official starting point was. It was lovely cycling through Morecambe along the seaside. The tide was out leaving a lot of sand behind. There had been a festival and although many people were packing up and leaving there were still lots of fairground rides and activities left on the promenade. Someone had given the statue of Eric Morecambe a patch- worked coat and on his shoulder was a stuffed material seagull. They were beautifully made so we hope no harm comes to them.

 

The promenade is 4 miles long, and it was all into a very strong headwind, its curve gives a panoramic view including Piel Island to the Lakeland hills. We rode alongside the sea till Heysham village when we had to go on the road or walk with the bike. As we turned right off the road (preferred to walking today) we spotted a cafe open and had bacon butties.

 

The village is twisting with narrow streets dating from the 7th century. We didn’t cycle by the tiny Saxon chapel that is high on the headland but we saw St Peters church set among the trees on the hill, when we diverted to the road. Beside the chapel are some ancient graves cut in the rock, shaped for the body with a socket cut to hold a cross and the church has many interesting features of Saxon, Norman and even 17th century origin in its architecture and stone effigies. Our legs ached too much to climb today but we had seen the church before.

 

 Modern Heysham  is centred on the freight harbour and ferries to the Isle of Man.  Heysham has 2 power stations and they are both like square concrete blocks. We have noticed that where there are power stations there are usually nature reserves nearby to give perhaps some compensation to the land for the ugliness of the building and the possible ecological effects it might have on the land. Nature does seem to thrive near them though, particularly birds (and seals at Hartlepool!)

 

Turning back towards Lancaster beside the river Lune we were met with a road closed sign despite us being on the cycle route. Cars were turning back and we were told they were working on the electricity pylons. We travelled a few miles before we saw any sign of the works that would block the road but the cycle-route turned off yards before them anyway. It was lovely to have traffic free road but we wonder how many people had been put off by the initial road sign.

As we rode we noticed flotsam by the side of the road where the river must flood. In the distance we could see the castle that began life in Norman times then became a prison and courthouse for centuries. On another hill, we know to be in Williamson Park, we could see the high domed Ashton Memorial built in 1902 which I think is more of a landmark than the castle as it can be seen from the motorway.  

 

Across the river, where a jet ski tossed up the water as it powered by, is St Georges Quay with its tall, gabled 18th century warehouses. Then we reached the bridge that would take us into the city and we finished the ride there.

Day 144 Morecambe bay walk

 

Date: Saturday 31^st August 2013   Distance: 9  Miles

 

Instead of riding we walked across Morecambe Bay to Grange over Sands. It had to be this way round as we joined the team from our son Andrew’s walk and the guides vary the direction probably according to tides.  It would have been easier going the other way round because of the head wind, and the sea would have been on our right as usual.

 

We arrived at Hest Bank Railway station not knowing what to expect. There seemed to be a lot of people trying to find parking spaces and we parked quite a way down the sea road. Dogs, children and adults of all ages started to mill around expectantly awaiting the guide, one of the 2 people authorised to cross the bay with, today, about 200 people in tow.

 

The group from our son’s workplace were walking for Marie Curie nurses and 2 of them were there to see us off. We were shivering in the wind and were glad of our coats but some people only had T shirts and most of us were in shorts expecting to get wet. Worrying a bit about the tide the minutes seemed to go by slowly and we eventually set off following a guy in a pirate headscarf and a white coastal walk T shirt. He said something about survivors catching buses back to the cars and to follow him closely heeding his instructions. How was he going to keep control of us straggling out in a long broad line behind him?  Aah, he had helpers! He had people marking the way with flags when we walked over the quicksands in groups of ten and at intervals.” Don’t stop, whatever you do” was his advice and no one seemed to get stuck. It was like walking over jelly that was just beginning to melt at the edges.

 

Some people walked bare-feet but today the sand was compacted and hardened into ridges by the waves and it was uncomfortable even in our trainers.

 

We walked through water several times and at one point there a mass howling of dogs, who may be picked up on the anxiety of the walkers expecting the water level to be high especially for the smallest of us.

 

 There were several tractors, polluting the air with their diesel, running back and forth with groups of children and some elderly people especially on the very long stretch by Silverdale, with Grange seeming to never get any closer. This bit was more a push than a walk, the wind being even stronger. It should have taken 3 hours with the buses at 4 pm but we still had more seaward river to wade through and the buses left at 5.

 

Everyone agreed though that 4 hours went quickly (in retrospect!) and the sea air was lovely. There must have been a lot of sun as some of us were sun burnt. Our socks and trainers took ages to clean but Bob’s eventually went in the bin. A tidy sum was raised for charity.

 

We stayed in Lancaster with our son and next day, limping, rather, we did the peninsula cycle ride down to Heysham and back to Lancaster where we’ll start from next time.

 

Day 143 Barrow in Furness to Grange over Sands

 

Date: Sunday 18^th August 2013   Distance: 33.13 Miles

 

We left our son’s house but it was bucketing down with rain again as it had been when we arrived the night before. We would catch the 10.52 train from Grange over Sands (with bike) and we arrived there in sun, a pretty place with a park and hanging baskets everywhere. The journey back to Barrow was lovely right on the coast and we arrived by 11.30 again in bright sunshine. The wind was behind us when we set off on the bike and for most of the way to Ulverston.

 

We soon had the sea on our right and we could see Piel Island off Barrow, that Bob hopes to visit, as the pub landlord, by tradition, is crowned King of the Island. We could see across the estuary to the power stations at Heysham. There are warnings all the way along the coast of tides and quicksands.

We cycled 10 miles along mudflats. Sun and the views made up for the fairly busy traffic with cars overtaking us on bends so any chance to get off the main road we took so long as we were by the coast that is until Ulverston.

 

We passed the beautiful  modern Temple for World Peace  on the coast road before Ulverston. It was once Conishead Priory and within view of the road is an enormous Buddhist Temple which is free to enter except for guided tours which are £3.50 or free for children. The Priory now belongs to Tibetan Mahayana Buddist Monks who have restored the 1820s Gothic revival building. It and the temple seem to be a place for anybody of any faith to visit and is open till 5 in the summer from late morning and till 4 in the winter.

 

The approach to Ulverston was headed by Hoad Hill with its monument in the form of a lighthouse commemorating Sir John Barrow, geographer, explorer and Secretary to the Admiralty who was born here in 1764. It is 435 feet to the summit and leaving Ulverston we were on a road right up by the top of it. We had a lunch break at Booths but the town might have been better, full of cobbled streets frustratingly one way but with many interesting little shops.

 

As we climbed out of Ulverston the views of the Lake District were lovely and we left the sea for a bit, taking the quieter high road. This is the cycle route to take us eventually over the river Crake and Leven which joined roughly where we crossed over. We liked the pretty lanes with glimpses of the sea at odd times. Then it was off road through open land and then woodland. A road used by walkers and cyclists took us down to the B road going round the bottom of the peninsula taking us to Grange over Sands. Then it was winding and busy so not a lot of fun. We took a diversion at the end along another country lane and met with a long, long ford caused by the heavy rain. Again we managed to get through before the wheels stopped turning with our feet high above the pedals but even so mud splattered over my helmet. It was with some relief we came into the Victorian town of Grange over Sands in sunshine yet again. It had been 33 miles.

Day 142 Askam in Furness to Barrow in Furness

 

Date: Saturday 17^rd August 2013   Distance: 15.85 Miles

 

The weather forecast said it was going to be clear of rain by 3 pm though it wasn’t raining at home at all in the morning. After taking the grandchildren swimming we decided to go for it, after all we’d cycled in rain before so we took the bike in the car to Dalton in Furness, where we arrived in a deluge!

 

We visited Dalton Castle NT, a square tower with very enthusiastic guides of not a lot. There was a dungeon hole, latrine, some armour, a cannon and unusually a left- handed spiral staircase. It was still raining!

 

We sat in a lovely little cafe in the semi dark because of the cloud cover and said if it was still raining when we had done a bit of shopping in the supermarket then we would leave for Lancaster where we would be staying the night with our youngest son. Amazingly in the ten minutes we took to shop, the rain turned from full on to an occasional drip so we moved the car to the rail station and built the bike, eventually setting off at 4pm.

 

We set off up the hill out of the town and past the wildlife park. Water cascaded down the road as it drained off the fields. Luckily no cars passed when it was at its worst but we were in the low clouds which was making us wet. Our first port of call was Askam in Furness which is at the opposite end of the old bridleway across the sands from Millom, where we finished last time. It looked feasible as a route at low tide, even today but the map warned of danger as did the signs dotted about the area. A pier comprised of slag from the old steel industrial works juts out towards Millom. We thought the name Furness might have had something to do with the iron furnaces but it seems it relates to the Railway instead.

 

The picture is of a view across to Millom from Askam.

Askam is conjoined with the older village of Ireleth whose name is of Viking origin meaning hill-slope of the Irish. Wickipaedia says Roanhead is the point for crossing Dudden sands by the ancient road into Cumberland.

 

After these rather puzzling villages we set off with the main road for a bit until we were able to leave for the old main road as a quieter option. On this we had to free wheel twice for some way with our legs stuck out because of flooding, making it the other side of the expanse of water just before the wheels stopped turning.

 

We then were back at the main road on a grassy strip at the side then having to cross the traffic to get to the cycleway on the opposite side of the busy road. Crazy! This took us by a tank parked at a house like a family car. Then it was industry, chemical factories, a huge fire station, having missed the turning for more cycleway, all the route into Barrow.

 

We made it a circular trip which added 4 miles unnecessarily but it wasn’t worth taking the train back to the car. It would have been worth a detour to Furness Abbey, only second in importance to Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, if we had more time. Plenty of cyclists were riding that way on the Sunday when we rode by on the train from Grange over Sands.

 

We arrived back at the car in Dalton without any more rain and set off just after 6 for Lancaster.

Bob enjoyed the day but I felt cheated that we didn’t get very far today, just 16 miles altogether.

 

Day 141 Ravenglass to Millom

 

Date: Saturday 3^rd August 2013   Distance: 22 Miles

 

It was all local produce used for breakfast and very tasty. There had been lots of nice touches at this B and B with a bowl of fruit, a water bottle by each side of the bed and a little box of 2 handmade chocolates.

 

We had hoped to cross the ford over the Esk leaving across the beach, yards from the B and B but we were warned, as it turned out quite rightly, that the water was too deep with currents. This put an extra hour on our trip today as we had to go up a hilly busy road. Muncaster Castle, built in the hillside above the Esk, looked impressive as we passed by but it is closed Saturdays for weddings. The gardens, owl centre, playground and castle are probably worth visiting but £13 seems rather expensive.

 

We took a lane off the main road for 5 or 6 miles. At a place called Lane End we saw a little butchers shop selling cumberland sausages, that had a sign saying By Appointment to The Queen.

Then we rode out closer to the sea at New Biggin where we came to the other end of the ford that confirmed it was an impassable depth.

 

At Eskmeals we soon were passing yet another military area  with no red flags flying today but signs warning of gunfire. At a nearby farm there looked to be a bomb crater in the field next to the road.

 

We rode by Bootle Station and then on to Millom finishing with a section of main road without anything of note. It was clear the road to Barrow was going to be winding and busy as well as hilly.

After stopping at a cafe here we decided to catch the train to Barrow and then go home. With some time to spare we looked around Millom first. There is an old bridleway marked across the bay to Askam in Furness so we rode the path down towards the water and next time we would ride from Askam. This saved 20 miles of stressful riding. Local people said that the bridle way can’t be used now.

 

The train, though delayed, got us to Barrow in time for our train back to Manchester Airport. Today was a bit of an anti climax but we were pleased with the ground we had covered overall this holiday.

 

 

Day 140 Maryport to Ravenglass

 

Date: Friday 2^nd August 2013   Distance: 36.92 Miles

 

It was a good night and a great breakfast though the stay had been the most expensive this trip. They had put the tandem in the cellar for us overnight.

 

After leaving at 9am we were cycling against a 20 mile an hour wind but in the sun.  The Sustrans route had some silly gates for us to contend with but the surface was good. Later the gates were all left open so we thought on the waste of money in the first place, though it was better for us. We passed Siddick Pond Nature reserve. There was a lot of old railway line on this route, taking us by massive works and wind turbines coming in to Workington, where we stopped for coffee.

 

There was a lot of rubbish and many dog walkers. Cyclists were blown by going the other way.

We came into Whitehaven next to the railway line that is right beside the sea. It was a beautiful ride in and Whitehaven itself a surprise being larger and much more elegant than expected with its Georgian heritage. Apparently in 1730 it was one of the major British ports. It looks prosperous with its up-market shops, there are many nautically themed art works along the promenade and the marina was full of sailing boats, sometimes anchorage for Tall Ships. We particularly liked the decorative fish bike racks.

 

The way climbed a lot out of Whitehaven and because the cycleway veered inland ,we had to take the road. We thought the map should have shown arrows for it was so steep. Then it was a fast down into St.Bees. This is the start of the Wainwright way for walkers through Cumbria. The name of the village is derived from St.Bega or Bee an Irish princess of the 7th century who took a vow to devote her life to God and established a nunnery, later to be destroyed by the Vikings. The Normans rebuilt it and today, much restored, it is part of the parish church. There is a beautiful 16th century school on the way in founded by the then archbishop of Canterbury and on the headland RSPB reserve is the only breeding ground for black guillemots in England.

 

We had a good meal in the Queen’s Hotel and Bob enjoyed his real ale. We’d left the tandem locked to some railings. When we got back to it a lady was deadheading the begonias and petunias in hanging baskets attached to them surrounding the bike. It was a mammoth task and she said she was registered blind. I helped her for a while and found it quite therapeutic. The streets were lined with flowers, which say a lot about the small community here.          

 

Up again and out of St.Bees we turned right onto a little lane, single track without passing places and a recognised cycleway. Soon we could see Sellafield Power Station with views of Lakeland hills on the left and the sea on the right. It was open road as far as the railway station, still cycleway. Razor wire atop wire fences and a solid police presence discouraged us from stopping. Railway line then was to the right of the power station and rails also leading into and behind the fence. It was lovely beside the sea though with a smell of fresh seaweed. We talked to a lady walking her dog with a ball and sling and she said she has often touched the fence by accident and police came each of those times to check her out.

 

The path became very narrow and sandy with sea thistles growing by the sandbanks. The path became 1 foot wide with sharp long grass on the left and wild roses on the right emerging at Seascale. Here there were people on the beach. We stopped at a teashop cum ice-cream parlour under a conference hotel. Some gorgeous looking ice-cream had just been delivered topped with fresh fruit. I was tempted and had some delicious tasters while Bob was spoilt with fresh lemon crepes and cream.

 

We took a busy B road to Drigg up by a church under noisy renovation, to Holmrook Hill. There was a steep down to the A road with a river running along the bottom. We rode ¾ mile along then back off into the lanes. We wondered why we couldn’t use the bridle-path as part of the cycleway.

 

There was a ford or bridge into Ravenglass and we chose the bridge narrow and close beside the railway. As we crossed the wind whistled under the tracks and I held on with both hands, unsteady in the wind. The village is situated where 3 rivers converge, the Esk, Mite and Irt. Pretty though it has to be said bathing here is dangerous. There were many families on the grass verges either waiting for the next little steam train (Old Ratty) to leave for the Esk valley or having left it.

 

Our B and B is right on the end of the village street, an 18th century cottage that the owners had pulled down to basics and then modernised without spoiling the character. It used to be a pub and there were supposed to be tunnels for smugglers but they never found anything.

 

We ate in the Pennington Arms but we were recommended the Railway cafe. It was so busy with tourists we found the quieter Pennington Arms and really enjoyed our  enormous fish and chips.

We walked to the Roman Bath House situated at the end of Hadrians cycleway a couple of miles away past a camping site. The mortar was amazing. Did Romans invent concrete? The walls were still quite high even now.

 

The wind howled down the chimney all night but we loved the cottage.

 

Day 139 Carlisle to Maryport

 

Date: Thursday 1^st August 2013   Distance: 43.0 Miles

 

What a strange day! After breakfast we set off on roads to the city, onto the cycleway under the main road. The cycle-path followed the edge of the river for 2 or 3 miles. It was quite rough and shingly and then we had to climb stairs pushing the bike up a groove on the left side ( but surely most people are right handed!)

 

 At a cycle gate we had to take a pannier off to get through and another we had to go underneath- to what purpose as a motorbike would have got through too? We met several walkers taking the Hadrian’s Wall Path.

 

Burgh by sands, though not right by the sea, is a lovely village of stone and brick cottages. Burgh is pronounced Bruff apparently. Restorers were working on St Michael’s church, built from stones from Hadrian’s Wall and it looked interesting to visit if we had the time with its Norman doorway and 14th century tower. We passed a statue of Edward 1 in bronze in the village though a monument to his memory is older and in need of some attention in the salt marshes a mile north of the village. It marks the spot where Edward was killed.

 

We followed the Roman wall, though there are no stones left now only the grassy mound it stood on, alongside mudflats of the Solway Firth. As we came into a collection of buildings we noticed a tea and ices sign. It led to a farm with a little hut with a table, chairs and a self service drinks machine. There was a fridge with cold drinks, a sink, kettle and just one mug. An array of cereal bars were also there for the peckish. An honesty box and a book to write comments in were dutifully used and we whiled away our rest time chatting to fellow cyclists whose brother in law was in the same school and class as me in Lewes. Father and son were doing a coast to coast organised trip and we hope they enjoyed it. It was a nice little stop and the toilet facilities were good and surprisingly that was all we found until 4 pm when we stopped at a Garden Centre- nowhere for lunch. We’d just stopped at a churchyard and shared peanuts, bananas and a few oatcakes when we were desperate. A little shop later let us use their loo. Bob had earmarked several pubs, all shut until the evening.

 

We went by some radio transmitters sited on an airfield. We found out this was a NATO radio station at Anthorn which began life as an airfield for HMS Nuthatch in the 1940s. It later became a link between Flyingdale in North Yorkshire and United States air defence system when VLF (unaffected by nuclear explosion) was used to transmit orders to submarines. Anthorn had 3 Atomic clocks. From here we could see parts of Scotland that we had visited recently.

 

They had been building a new cycle path, parts nearly completed, on the left hand side of the busy road. We wondered why there had been so many big lorries, full of soil, going our way.

Next we were off road on the promenade past red slabs of stone on the beach. Perhaps the Sweetheart Abbey stones were sent from here by water to New Abbey. We were at Maryport soon after.

 

At the B and B, The Golden Lion Hotel, a little way up from the harbour we settled, then had a tasty meal in seclusion in their restaurant. Everywhere seems to be suffering from a lack of tourists. We walked down to the headland where a redundant rail line meets the coast for taking coal to the ships. The docks and harbour were built for the coal trade by Humphrey Senhouse in the 18th century and Mary was his wife, hence the name for the place. Maryport seems to have many pubs though some may not now be open. There are several museums and a brilliant climbing wall in something called The Wave. Youth seem to be wandering aimlessly here or in large hostile groups around cars playing loud music. We haven’t seen this much elsewhere.

 

There is an archaeological dig at the top of the hill- the roman fort at Alauna with the Senhouse Roman museum next to it. It opened too late in the morning for us to go in.