Overnight in Cheshire

Since getting the Sherpa home just over a week ago the idea of an overnight camp's bin bubblin' away. 

Yesterday morning, with no urgent demands on my time and a half decent weather forecast, I perused the road atlas over breakfast. Where to go? The Peak District? Not sure I fancy the hills for a first trip. How about trundling downhill into Cheshire then? A quick flick through our Camping & Caravanning Club guide revealed that their Delamere Forest site's open all year. Plugging into Garmin Connect told me a direct route from here to there was about 36 miles, but nob'dy in their right mind would go by the direct route on a bike. So, very rapidly, I linked a couple of NCN cycle routes and came up with a journey of about 43 miles. I transferred this to my Edge Touring then reversed the route and transferred that too. And with help from Chrissie, bless her, I was packed and out of the house by 11am.

First then, from Hayfield, through New Mills for a short few miles down the A6 before I joined the Macclesfield Canal at High Lane. And only a little way along here I found this floating cafe; the Tea Cosy.

'Seemed too good to miss, so I stoked up on coffee an' carrot cake before carryin' on.

I soon joined the Middlewood Way, following a former railway line and running towards Macclesfield. I found this bench along the way.

After six or so miles you find yourself atop the spectacular Bollington viaduct with a view over the village's rooftops up to the local landmark of White Nancy on the hill in the distance.

A short way further on I left the trail and headed out across country through Prestbury. I don't like riding through here; the obscenely expensive homes revealing the thinly disguised chip on my shoulder, a result of my working class roots. Never mind, the scenery's beautiful and I grind up the hill onto Alderley Edge and find my route's guiding me onto this bridleway. 'Looks a bit rough but hey, this is one of the reasons I bought this bike so, let's go.

The bike's up for it; my skills aren't stretched too much an' we're back on tarmac all too soon.

Hitting the Cheshire plain now, another local landmark rears it's head against the autumn sky. The Lovell telescope.

And as I pass the entrance to Jodrell Bank I make note of the fact that there's a cafe on site; maybe for tomorrow?

My journey continues westwards. Bypassing Goostrey I encounter another narrow bridleway. It's fun but I do resort to pushing round the muddier sections; more to do with my nervousness I suspect rather than the capabilities of the Marathon Mondial shod Sherpa but it's all good, clean fun. Actually, it's not - the Sherpa's looking reassuringly mucky as we meet metalled roads again, then it's onwards to this lane ...

... whose photo I took cos "Crowder" is the original, medieval spelling of my surname. Crowders were travelling fiddlers, playing for their supper in fairs and the like. 'Shame I didn't inherit this ability; the most I can manage is a dubious rendition of the Streets of Laredo on my harmonica.

And eventually, having passed through the charmingly named Lach Dennis, Hartford and Norley I finally arrived at my destination, still in daylight. Me an' the Sherpa had done just fine and the tent was soon up and coffee on the way.

After a rainy night, the morning dawned dry but overcast and, having breakfasted on "Expedition Porridge" I was off on the reverse of my outward route.

Leaving Davenham, I stopped to update Chrissie of my ETA at home.

I tackled the bridleway near Goostrey again. It was wetter today but I was a little more confident.

I enjoyed lunch at Jodrell Bank's cafe; the bacon sandwiches are a joy, not to mention the apricot, white chocolate and frangipan sponge. Then it was back up over Alderley Edge towards the Middlewood Way. On the trail, here's a section of the route which would make a challenging ride; the turns clearly not designed for a fully laden tourer!

Back on the canal towpath, I simply had to stop for tea and apple pie at the Tea Cosy again before stopping for a call of nature in anticipation of returning to the delights of the A6.

I returned to the village via the Sett Valley Trail and Chrissie captured me arriving with a grin.

My gorgeous, red Thorn Sherpa had ridden like a dream, carrying around 20kg of luggage across a multitude of surfaces with aplomb it had met, if not exceeded all my expectations.  A future of bicycling adventures beckons.

Life is good.

Smile!

Wheeling in the White Peak

This morning I dropped Chrissie off at Middleton Top near Wirksworth in Derbyshire, the official start of the Pennine Bridleway. She's walking from there to our home in Hayfield over the next three days, camping along the way; planning on picking up the rest of the route north later.

I took my Sherpa in the car having sourced a good looking route from a new cycling guide book.

Having waved Chrissie off I sorted my kit and head off down the road towards Brassington in sunshine. It was cold though and I was well wrapped up.

I left Brassington on a narrow road I'd never been down before, passing the limestone outcrop of Rainster Rocks.

Past Balliden and the scar of a large scale limestone quarry I found myself on a track, barely tarmac, climbing easily up towards Royston Grange farm. This strange sign was by a gate across the road.

The lane ran up a peaceful valley.

Along the way I passed this disused 19th century pump house, once used to serve the quarries along the railway line that's now the High Peak Trail.

The route took me onto Cardlemere Lane, a rough track heading up and over the hill towards Hartington. The roughest, most challenging bit was through this gate, being scattered with loose stones. Me an' the Sherpa coped well, with little fuss.

This was the lane heading down to Hartington.

After lunching in the sunshine in Hartington, my route took me up the beautiful dry valley of Long Dale. I found myself wondering at the water running through the limestone, somewhere beneath my wheels.

Long Dale led me up to Parsley Hay on the High Peak Trail/Pennine Bridleway/Midshires Way; they can't seem to decide what it's actually called. I've been here many times for the start of bike rides. Today the cafe's closed, so no coffee. I linger for a few minutes, then set off south down the trail, back towards Middleton Top. Along the way I met Chrissie, making her way steadily north. 

I passed by the remains of a lime kiln ...

... and admired the sunny view back towards Parsley Hay.

Before arriving back at the car I had to descend the Hilton Top incline, at 1 in 14, once the steepest incline in Britain, regularly used by steam locomotives.

Back at the car I'd covered a very enjoyable 30 miles in fantastic, autumn weather. Bliss!

Next on the agenda; load the Sherpa up and go camping. Weather permitting, I might follow Chrissie's lead next week and make a start on the first section of the Pennine Cycleway.

Chrissie goes road riding

Chrissie's had her new, first road bike for a few weeks now. She already has a Giant hybrid she's had for yonks and is very happy on, but envied my Cube road bike. She's bin quite nervous on it up to now. I had to fit spacers so she could reach the brakes (no thanks to the local bike shop who failed to do a final fit cos she wanted flat pedals!) and stick some prompts on the hoods so she could tell which way the indicator was moving i.e. up or down.

I've left her to pootle about round the village for the last few weeks but yesterday she said she fancied a proper ride somewhere flat; Cheshire. It's v.hilly hereabouts. So we loaded the bikes on to the back of our Scooby Do and set off for Knutsford. We had a lovely, gentle, level ride through Tatton Park; actually no we didn't - it's closed today, then round the lanes towards Mobberley.

The first smiley pic was taken on the way, moments before Chrissie had a puncture in her "puncture resistant" Schwalbe Lugano! Never mind; I fixed it with a patch (ages since I've done one) then we were on the way again ... for five minutes, before I got a flippin' puncture in my "puncture resistant" Schawlbe Ultremo. Bu**er! This time I just stuck a new tube in.

We both set off again ... waiting for the next one. But it never came and we found a bench outside the church in Mobberley for lunch.

Then we carried on our merry way back towards Knutsford. A nice, relaxing ride.

So, Chrissie's first proper ride out on a road bike and her verdict? For the first hour, she was contemplating selling her lovely new Cube Axial, so disconcerted was she with the handling and position. However, during the second hour, she changed her mind completely, finding herself really enjoying the ease of pedaling a lightweight road bike, but the last half hour or so brought the dreaded sore bum. Never mind, hopefully, with more practice, she'll get accustomed to the seat (she'd already changed it for a more comfy Specialized item). I reckon she did really well, 'specially with the unusual, for her, STI shifters, and we're looking forward to lots more fun on the bikes together.

BTW got home fixed tube, no success, second hole ... a classic snakebite methinks. Should be dry now, so I'll check again.

The coming of the Sherpa

Today is my birthday (61 since you asked) and it's here ...

; my beautiful Thorn Sherpa.

It was born on Monday, in Bridgwater, Somerset. I hurtled down in the car on Tuesday, camped overnight near Cheddar Gorge, then picked up the bike on Weds morning.

I'll see how much of the spec I can remember.

It's a red, 530L frame.
Flat track bars with Ergon GP5  L anatomic grips and bar ends
Schmidt dynamo front hub.
Ultra wide range gearing (26/36/48 chain rings and 11-36 cassette).
Deore gears with rapid fire shifters (30 speed).
XT V brakes and levers with cartridge shoes .
Rigida Grizzly lightweight rims (26").
Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tyres (2" wide) with appropriate black mudguards.
3 Profile bottle cages.
Thorn expedition rear rack and front lo-loader.
Topeak Mountain Morph pump.
Cateye  TL LD1000 rear lamp.
Thorn Velo saddle.
Shimano M520 "clipless" pedals.

Plus, since getting it home last night, I've fitted a Busch  Muller Luxos B Lumotec IQ2 dynamo front lamp, the lead for my B&M E-WERK charging device, the bracket for my Click Stand and the bracket for my Altura bar bag.

Despite my age, I feel like a silly schoolboy again. I am stupidly excited. Been out on a trail/towpath ride for a couple of hours this afternoon with Chrissie, Kim and Hamish. The bike is so, so comfy and capable; like no other bike I've ridden. It feels a bit like a mountain bike, but much more comfortable. I love it.

Here's some more pics.

I must say, Steve at Thorn made a superb job of measuring me and fitting the bike to suit cos it felt just right as soon as I sat on it. The half hour test ride was uneventful, save for the silly grin on my face ... in the rain! And through this afternoon's two hour ride the only problem was, it got filthy.

Rest assured, first couple of days of fine-ish weather and I'll be off on a trial camping trip.

Now ... must wash my precious new bicycle ... so I can go an' get it mucky again. Tee hee!
P'raps I should grow up?
Nah!

From one end to t'other; the planning begins

I'm gonna cycle from Lands End to John o'Groats next year.

There ... I've said it and committed it to black and white type here. Now I'll HAVE to do it.

Here follows a few random bits 'n' pieces of planning I've done so far, in no particular order and, right now, not necessarily in any order of importance.

I'll be riding my new Thorn Sherpa, which I ain't got yet. It's due to be born down at Thorn Cycles in Bridgwater, Somerset, next week sometime and I'm hoping to collect it in the first week in November. More details when it arrives, but, in the meantime, here's a photo of the same model belonging to a lady called Jackie who's, like me, on the CycleChat forum (thanks Jackie). Mine'll be red too.

Jackie's bike's pictured, coincidentally, during her own End to End ride this August.

Basically, it's a custom built, off-road capable, touring bike; steel-framed with 26" wheels, mountain bike sized tyres and mountain bike gearing.

I'll be camping, primarily cos I'm tight-fisted but also, I like camping with a bike; it gives a feeling of independence and there's no need to plan accommodation so no deadline for how far you travel each day.

For the route, I've bought this book.

This'll give me a starting point for a route. There is no fixed route but the one chosen by Nick Mitchell claims to use quiet roads and cycleways as much as possible, so looks appealing, and if I do use his route it means I can get by with my satnav and this book, since it contains all necessary maps and directions. The distance is around 1000 miles; haven't yet found the exact mileage in the book.

The date's on our year planner, starting at the beginning of May 2015 and allowing the whole month. I'm hoping this'll mean reasonable weather BEFORE the Scottish midges arrive. Nick Mitchell says 14 days but that's not taking into account the 20kg or so of luggage I'll be carrying for camping and ... what's the rush? I want to enjoy the journey. I'll know how long it took when I get to John o'Groats.

While waiting for my new bike I've been shopping. The bike will have a dynamo front hub so I bought a very swanky, dynamo powered headlight from Germany,

and a clever little gadget to provide power from the dynamo to top up the charge on my phone, satnav and Powergen cache battery (I hope).

I turned this photo round by the way but the blogspot software's not co-operating ... sorry.

I've also got one o' these Click Stands from the US of A. Here it's folded,

 and here it's assembled and supporting my Cube road bike.

The route won't take me past home. I could alter it but I'm disinclined to stay at home along the way cos I think it'd alter the feel and flow of the journey.

I'm gonna journey to Lands End on my own, possibly by rail but, given the reported difficulties of booking a bike space on a train, my preference at the moment is one-way car hire. I know Enterprise have a branch in Penzance and understand they'll drop End to Enders at Lands End. It's a sad fact that hiring a car for one person is almost as cheap as the train journey; so much for green credentials eh? Incidentally, "End to End" is a frequently used phrase, as is "LEJOG". I prefer End to End; LEJOG sounds too French; I keep wanting to say Le JOG (as in French) not Lee JOG.

Chrissie plans to meet me with the motorhome (and the dogs) at John o' Groats, which'll be great and, hopefully, we can spend some time wandering and walking through the north west of Scotland once my journey's over.

Recent thoughts have turned to meals. On my cycling tours to date I've used freeze dried backpacking meals but they're expensive and not practical for a 3-4 week journey so I'm currently focusing on cooking simple meals with one pan and stove. Pasta, with a sauce chucked in when the pasta's cooked is straightforward but what else? Eggs? Will they survive in a pannier? Squeezy honey on bread sounds a good idea for breakfast, as does muesli, and I could enrich pasta meals with chorizo or the like, since it doesn't need cooking. Wonder if I can toast bread on my tiny stove? Any suggestions/ideas would be gratefully received.

I reckon that's it for now but I'll keep you up to date one here as planning progresses ... and when the gorgeous new bicycle arrives.

A short, sharp camp on Bleaklow

Our friend James was off on a quick overnight camp on Bleaklow with his staffie, Reuben. On a whim, I said me an' Tilly would join him. So James picked us up from home late Friday afternoon and, leaving his car in Old Glossop, we set off in the heat up, via Yellowslacks.

Did I mention it was hot?

James is off on a backpacking trip to Swedish Lapland soon. Concerned about the weight he'll be carrying over 8 days, he was using this as a trial. Expecting no water at our proposed camp, we were both toting around 5 litres of the wet stuff. Coincidentally, both our packs weighed the same ... 20kg! That equated to James' estimate for his Swedish trip.

Did I mention it was hot?

We arrived at our camp at about 8:30pm. It was VERY dry up there. Tents up ...

 ... stove on for a brew. Tilly waits to see what's in the pan.

Sadly, for her, it was nowt but hot water, to rehydrate my backpacking meal. To be fair  ... as usual, I'd fed her first.

We had a beautiful sunset.

At 4:30am Tilly heard noises from James' tent. She insisted on getting up for a pee. I forced her back into the tent and settled back into my bag. But Tilly was havin' none o' that. She wanted to get up. She whined, winged and pawed me. At 5am I let her out again for a poo and a drink. She came back but still continued to whine. I ignored her and slept fitfully until around 6:45 when I eventually gave in to her and got up.

The sky and the views were magnificent.

We had a leisurely breakfast and multiple coffees before packing up.

James planned to return to his car via Doctor's Gate, leaving Tilly and I to wander home across Featherbed Moss, then down William Clough back to Hayfield.

Here's my faithful pooch, trudging across the endless flagstones on Featherbed Moss.

Bless her! She'd carried her water, food and towel all the way.

We had a fine old time. The downside? I'd forgotten my trekking poles. And James and I both suffered dreadfully with hayfever. By the time I got home me and my best pal were VERY tired.

Did I mention it was hot?

Oh, by the way, what had Tilly heard from James' tent at 4:30am? It was the sound of James remonstrating with Reuben for vomiting spectacularly inside the tent. Don't we just love dogs?