16 December, Lancaster and South Lakes Cyclists Ride to Thursday Riders’ Christmas Lunch at Knott End

Eight set out from the Boot &Shoe for the steady ride to Daisy Clough cafe.  We were not sure if we’d have some of our less manic riders so the pace and timing were moderate. The leader set off for the route through the Uni, with the peloton still chatting to one of our lady riders outside Booths.

One of our riders, noticing the sedate nature of the pace, decided to up the game and raced off ahead; rumour was that he wanted time to order a sausage bun without holding up the coffee stop (not true!).

As we had no sedate riders and two electrics, the rest of us took up the challenge, arriving in ridiculously good time at Daisy Clough and meeting six others there. Having earlier made such good time through Hollins Lane and the A6, the party now crossed the A6 with a recumbent electric tricycle in our number (At this time in December, its rider is often mistaken for Father Christmas, but that’s another story; readers may have seen him).

We now enjoyed a deliberately slow ride through the Fylde countryside to avoid landing at Knott End before 12 noon. This entailed a divergence at Pilling along Horse Park and past the Lane Ends Picnic area and right through Pilling Village. We braved Head Dyke Lane race track as far as Green Dick’s then headed back towards the shore, paralleling the shoreline to join the B5270 from Grasmere Road in Knott End. Having about 10 minutes of spare time, we cycled past the cafe and did a loop behind the houses to the ferry, then back along the main road to fetch up at The Knott End Squash Club spot on noon.

There were 12 at lunch who had arrived variously by bike and car or both. The 2-course Christmas lunch was enjoyed by all.  Yours truly had to leave for caring duties, leaving the navigation back to Lancaster in other hands. A thoroughly successful day!

Mike Codd