Our accommodation in Stroud |
Parked bike in Cheltenham |
Heading due north from
the city, along the A443, my route led me towards the tiny riverside town of
Bewdley and beyond it, the lush Wyre Forest. Like the morning, the day’s ride
ended with a climb or two (and the following descent), all the way to our
accommodation in Telford.
Not 10 kilometres to the south of Telford was the village of Ironbridge. Something of a tourist attraction, its Iron Bridge which crosses the River Severn after being built in 1779, is known for being the first major bridge in the world to be made of cast iron.
Ironbridge, over the River Severn |
Our accommodation in Telford, the Lord Nelson Hotel |
Telford to Chorley. Despite the occasional hill, the 80-plus kilometres to the town of Northwich, seemed relatively easy compared with what lay ahead. So far, I’d spent most of the morning cycling through peaceful small villages and rich rolling farmlands towards Cheshire’s Delamere Forest.
Less than 20 kilometres
later, I began skirting the edge of the town
of Warrington, in Britain's industrialised north. Stretching across most of the country from Liverpool in the west
to beyond Sheffield in the east, the urban sprawl provides few direct
opportunities to the north bound cyclist.
While meandering and in all likelihood not in the right direction, a bike-path along a narrow waterway seemed a much safer option. The 34 kilometres to our overnight accommodation in Chorley, proved a much longer ride, but with the Lakes District less than a day away, it wouldn't be long before the less travelled roads would feel much more to my liking.
Ironbridge |
Not
in the heart of Warrington for very long, but long
enough to feel unsafe, the late-afternoon traffic was as frenetic as I’d
seen on my 5 days of riding so far. The number of cars and the multiple
signs along the road, each
displaying the high number of road deaths in recent years, was an
uncomfortable reminder of just how much a life is in the hands of
not only yourself, but other motorists.
Roz, at a cafe along the route |
While meandering and in all likelihood not in the right direction, a bike-path along a narrow waterway seemed a much safer option. The 34 kilometres to our overnight accommodation in Chorley, proved a much longer ride, but with the Lakes District less than a day away, it wouldn't be long before the less travelled roads would feel much more to my liking.
Our stopover in Chorley Somewhere between Lancaster and Kendal is the half-way point of the Lands End to John O’Groats ride. But not only is half the journey behind you, so are most of the busy roads that, at least temporarily, squeeze the pleasure out of riding. The A591 from Windermere to Ambleside takes you to the most difficult climbs in the Lakes District. Wrynose Pass soars 278 metres in less than 3 kilometres, while Hardknott Pass, just a few kilometres up the road, climbs 298 metres in just 2.25 kilometres. Should you be an avid cyclist, you don’t need to be a mathematician to realise that these passes are far tougher than their short-climb counterparts in Belgium. |

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