Thursday 4 January Ride report
/Six hardy men set off from the Boot & Shoe in heavy drizzle, which accompanied us for most of the day.
Taking the cycle route over the “Col de Piccadilly”, we descended the wet leaves of the Royal Albert Playing Fields and joined the A588 at the Islamic College, traversed Haverbreaks, passed the rail station and crossed the Millennium Bridge. Riding to the end of Morecambe Prom, we continued northwards. Although it was not going our way, the north wind accompanied us all the way to Milnthorpe.
We avoided the canal path and continued along Coastal Road, to take a left turn to traverse Red Bank, where 10 minutes’ trainspotting ensued at the Bolton-le-Sands level crossing, before a wiggly ride through the houses to turn left to “Allium Cafe” at Bay View Garden Centre for our coffee and cakes (a bit early for onions!).
There, we joined another half dozen of our riders for socialising and a mini committee meeting. Leaving some of the early party behind, we picked up others for our onward voyage through the puddles, punctuated by occasional bits of wet road.
Some started to peel off after Over Kellet and when we reached the Burton Road, 4 riders continued, in drying conditions, via Burton in Kendal and Holme to whizz down in the rain into Milnthorpe for our lunch at the Cross Keys. A straggler, who’d missed our embarkation from coffee, met us there, having taken a short cut.
Avoiding the flood tide on the Sandside road, we ascended through Dallam Park. Stopping to attend to a “mechanical”, we encountered several cars, rat-running this narrow road to avoid high tide. We continued above Storth and passed the RSPB, splitting off to return home.
Riding along the A6 north of Bolton-le-Sands, one of our riders fell off after hitting a deep pothole hidden by a puddle, and fell into the road, gladly, not under a vehicle. Fortunately, his football-sized knee is now back to normal size.
LCC’s money-saving seems to be putting lives at risk these days.
Returning through Lancaster a sudden spasm of sunshine woke up gusts of southerly headwind for the last 3 miles. But we all, falling off excepted, enjoyed the ride and were glad to get out.
Mike Codd