Moonrise over burbage

About 3:30, Dec 23rd. Taken with phone.

quick trip

Got to work on time, for once, and realised that although I had brought the works laptop in with me had neglected to bring power supply & mouse. Team leader needed it for high-level meeting so only option was to leap back on bike, go home and get it. Did the trip in under 30 mins (it's 2.2 miles each way) and am sitting nonchalantly at desk when TL wanders in at 9:35 to pick up the machine. It could only be done by bike! Only casualty was my shirt that was soaked and needed an airing.

Busted p.s.

Further to my earlier post would like to say that an LBS whose name begins with L did a perfectly good job on my rear hub. It took them a while because they didn't have a campag hub in stock, but otherwise it was fine.

Derby to Sheffield the long way round

Self & Spouse dragged ourselves out of bed on Sunday morning and headed down to the station. Having missed all the fast trains to Derby, we found ourselves on a very slow one, and 1 1/2 hous later we dragged ourselves & our bike off. The plan was to follow the Pennine Cycleway up as far as Parsley Hey and then head across to Sheffield - we would have liked to have got back before dark but with our late start this was going to be tricky, no matter, we set off on the bike route which bizarrely starts off heading south-west out of Derby - it's part of the route to Burton-on-Trent, which after threading through the houses finds a rail trail on the outskirts, and then splits off to head north.

The well-signed route takes you through pleasant countryside to Ashbourne, with its spectacular tunnel (complete with train sounds) taking you right to the start of the Tissington trail. 10 miles of steady climbing follows with the trail in good condition after the dry autumn we're having. We came off at Biggin, took to the main road for a mile or so before heading on thw back roads towards Bakewell. This takes you above Youlgreave and down to Lathkildale, with a stiff climb back out before the descent into puddingtown. By now it was dark and there was nothing for it but to grit the teeth and carry on to Sheffield, it being too late for the infrequent train from Grindleford.

The ride back was fine apart from the swine who won't dip for cyclists, and the chill factor you get from the long downhill from Fox House. Home around 7 and straight on to the next fireworks party. Endless fun!

The Good Ship William Wilberforce

On the way back to Sheffield from Rotherham I travelled on the Good Ship William Wilberforce. This is not really a ship but a train, in fact a Class 158, and I do like the cut of its jib. The point I wish to make about this fair vessel is the excellent cycle storage facilities, a cut above many of its marque.

Here you see the main storage area:
















Whilst opposite is a flexible space area, where you could fit another couple of bikes:-
















The reason I blog this is that Northern, our excellent local rail operator, has taken delivery of a quantity of these class 158 units. They are certainly a cut above the Pacer trains, up with us poor Northerners have had to put for many years, but some of them have inadequate facilities for cycles. prams large suitcases etc. On this train the problem looked to have been solved, partly by cutting out the cycle cubby-hole that these trains used to have, where even with one bike you had to remove all bags before you could get it in the space, and partly by getting rid of the second toilet, not really needed on the local services these trains will now operate.

Well done Northern! For further ID here is the carriage number of that train:-















(The cycle sticker could be a little bit bigger, but at least there is one)

The Tale of the Lost Boy

I was cycling along the Rotherham canal at dusk, (don't ask) when an elderly Glaswegian stopped me and asked whether I was looking for a boy. I assured him I was not, whereupon he explained that there was a lost boy wandering along the towpath just a but further ahead and enquired as whether I would be so kind as to look out for him. I assured him I would, and sure enough a little further ahead there was a little lad in a bit of a state. I asked him whether he was lost and he explained that he had been fishing with his da and somehow they had got separated (it did rather seem as though aforesaid Da had buggered off somewhere and left him.) So I called SY's finest and explained the situation. They had the usual problem that unless you are on a road with a name they can't locate you, but eventually they worked it out and we arranged that I would take him to the nearby road bridge and a police car would pick him up.

First though we had to look for his fishing gear, which seemed to have disappeared, so I gave him a lift on the back of the bike. Soon enough a young PC turned up, and I have never seen a kid get into the back of a cop car so fast! I hope he got back home OK, and that someone had words with his so-called Da.

Go east young man

What is it about the East? West of Sheffield we have the fabulous Peak District, an easy ride with just a little tussock of a hill betweeen us and there, or the Hope Valley train if you want to cheat. To the North lies the Rust Belt, forty miles of post-industrial wasteland before the Dales beckon. South lies the Promised Land, where the cycle routes are paved with gold or at least tarmac. But east? East lies an hours (at least) worth of suburbia before you so much as see a hint of countryside. If you take the trail it's a litany of broken glass, stolen cars, roaring motorbikes and rough surfaces. On the road, the man with the biggest 4x4 rules. You'd take the train, but on a Sunday morning that train don't run here anymore.

Still the east calls to me. There's something about that corridor of green running along the Parkway, those patches of ancient forest amongst the urban squalor, the shoots of renewed vigour in an exhausted and depleted scene.

If you manage to make it out of town, Rother Valley will offer you a cup of your favourite beverage, and once you've made it up that last hill, there is rolling countryside to enjoy. Worksop might not have too much to entice you, beyond an easy canal route through town, and you might not want to linger long in Manton town, but beyond this Clumber Park and Sherwood Forest await, with plenty of off-road to tire you out and greenery to sooth your aggravated brain. Lincolnshire and the Wolds await you further east, and if you head south through Nottinghamshire you might just find yourself in Nottamun Town, sampling the ales in the Trip to Jerusalem or the Lincolnshire Poacher.

So I say - head east young man! you won't regret it.

Different trains

Got a ride out to Gainsborough with my brother to look at the 'O' guage model railway. This is a quite amazing mythical re-creation of a muthical East Coast steam railway. There are a few anomalies like Hitchin being stuck between Leeds & Doncaster but it's great.

Then set off to cycle back towards Sheffield, since Alex was heading south. The National Byway runs alongside the A631 and takes you down towards West Burton before it heads off south, ;eaving you on the road to Retford which is quite reasonable. At the bottom of the hill there's a route avoiding a low bridge which takes you on a quiet road to Retford - particularly so at the moment since it's closed for sewer replacements. Then on through Retford towards Worksop, passing Ranby prison. At Worksop got on the canal which takes you through town, part of Route 6 . Stopped to replace some signs on the bridge. Onward to Shireoak, passing the Lock-Keeper where there is a spring ride next year. Stopped off at Shireoak station to see when the next train was, and it came in, so given that it's a two-hourly service I got on it! This is one of those free services that Northern like to run, no-one collecting fares although all the stations are unstaffed. It had just got dark (at 6:30) so it was just the right time to end the ride.

Enjoyed this video

Busted

Set off merrily for Huddersfield for the Northern Rail Cycle Forum yesterday morning. Having negotiated the City Centre I had the bike pointing north at Shalesmoor when I heard an ominous sproing from the back wheel. Had a quick look & thought "bust a spoke". Was not far from a bike shop who's name begins with L so thought I'd pop it in there for a quick repair - had booked it in when I realised that actually about a quarter of the spokes had come out of the hub. This sort of repair on my expensive touring bike is not normally something I would take to that particular shop, as I prefer a shop whose name begins with B. so it will be interesting to see what they do with it. Anyway, got the tram back to the station and and the next Pacer to H'field, so made the meeting in plenty of time.

Across the woodhead

Friday 28th took the afternoon off, due in Litton early evening for caravan close-down party , thought I'd cross the Pennines on the TPT and work my way down to the White Peak.

Did the 5WW out to Meadowhall & up to Ecclesfield - this was OK apart from the closed Cobweb Bridge & Thessco sections, and the very poor surfaces between Warren St and Thessco. The Chapletown Greenway was particularly good.

Thought it would be a good idea to check out the state of the TPT through Parsons Cross - this really is very poor and not suitable for road bikes. I knew Iwas approaching PX as I heard the sound of gunfire and off-road motorbikes gunning up. If we are to maintain a bike route through this area I think it should be on Deerlands Ave, Hartley Brook Ave & Butterthwaite Rd.

Up into Greno woods which was fine as ever, then the Woodhead Rd down to Wortley - conscious I had wasted some time in the suburbs I stayed on the road through Thurgoland, down to Oxspring where I rejoined the trail. Stopped in Penistone for some snap - cycling culture seems to have taken off in this area, saw quite a few kids cycling home from school, either by themselves or with an enterprising dad who had cycled down to collect them. Headed onwards in the drizzle towards Dunford Bridge.

Up the hill and onto the Woodhead itself, with time slipping away I decided to stay on the road
and avoid the trail this time. It was whilst thrashing down the road I heard the familiar hissing sound that indicates a puncture. I ground to a halt and got out my tools, to discover a spare inner tube, a pump, a multi-tool - damn! no tyre levers! Managed to pry the tyre off, probably detroying the old tube in the process, and get the new tube in and the tyre back on by hand - my thumbs still ache though! Luckily the whole thing held and I carried on into worsening weather continuing on the Woodhead Rd into Glossop. It was around 6 and it was apparent Iwasn't going to get to Litton for my 7:30 dinner date by cycling. A quick examination of my rail optionds reveled that if I went to Man Picc I could get to Hope by 7:35 and up the hill by around 8, so that's what I did. The trains worked and I emerged into heavy rain at Hope, put on all the waterproof gear I had on me, and struggled up the hill in the dark, with drivers more than willing to put full beam in in my face. My fellow diners had already ordered a steak for me and rarely was a meal more appreciated!

August Rides

No time for full ride descriptions but just to note where I've been this week :

Saturday Chilterns (in the rain)
Sunday Vale of the White Horse (in the rain)
Monday Derbyshire (Litton - Cromford & back on trails)
Tuesday Bamford Moor with the council
Wed Carr Walk

Phew!

Fat Cyclist Blog

He isn't very fat really...

Cycling serendipity

Spent all Sunday morning cleaning and fettling my bike, set off the peak only to find something was seriously wrong - the freewheel just wasn't freewheeling properly. So limped back to the garage, swapped it for my town bike, about three hours later than I should have been to get to my secret hideout. Imagine my surprise when, turning up on spec at Dore Station, there was actually a train approaching! Leaped on with a couple of other cyclists, ( there was one on already, no problem) popped off at Hope and was in the White Peak in under an hour. Serendipity!

Tour De France Blog V

Saturday morning dawned bright and breezy - a lie-in, hooray! Actually I was woken up by Tim & Matt bickering about whether 6:45 was a lie-in - Tim is plainly an early riser! "Do you mind" I said "I'm trying to have a lie-in!" Staggered around a bit, had a wash, a couple of cups of tea and a sosmix & cheese sandwich and all was good. Tim packed up and set off for Maidstone, allegedly to meet up with us later. Matt and I sat around for a bit and took stock of the surroundings.

The Lea Valley Country Park campsite was actually pretty nice. Having been brought up in the LV I've always hada bit of an affection for the place, although I couldn't wait to get out when was 18. The entrance to the camp-site, in one of the grimmer parts of London, off the busy Meridian Way with the railway the other side of the road, past a multiplex cinema - there aren't many campsites with a multiplex on-site are there? - and a leisure centre doesn't look too promising but once on site it's fine, with a golf course behind to provide a bit of greenery. I imagined it would have barbed wire all round and a controlled access, which was why I was a bit concerned about getting there before it closed, but it was actually just like any other camp-site, and that doesn't seem to be a problem.

We decided it was time to head for town. A quick pootle up the Meridian Way and we found our way to the River Lea towpath, through some of the extensive parkland and marshes that border the river. We pedalled through Hackney Marshes & on towards Bow, unfortunately missing the cut-through at Victoria Park that would hsve got us onto the Hertford Union. Realising our mistake however, we got onto Mile End Rd and headed for town. A motley peloton passed us, plainly heading for Hyde Park, and we tacked on the back as far as the City, where I veered off for Euston whilst Matt stayed with the pack to get to the Prologue.

I got to the CCN Meeting where the salient points were as follows.

Next conference to be in Oxford = will we get Boris there? Maybe. Theme is "Changing the climate on our roads"

Some groups are struggling - Tyne bikes is on the way out, Leicester has become a social only group. Now that the board has a few members on it - Rod King from Warrington has just joined - perhaps we can do a bit more development work.

The National Cycle Planner project is making progress, with OS agreeing to supply base data.

Board was duly impressed that I had cycled down but unwilling to pay cycle expenses!

Following the meeting made for Marble Arch, the next meet-up point. Caught up with Mike Edgington, who having finished his course has moved to Birmingham - we'l miss you Mike, come up and visit sometime. Matt was stuck in the crowds somewhere but eventually made it and we went down to catch a bit of Prologue:
















Eagerly waiting the next rider















Yes we made it to the Prologue!

Watched a bit of riders zooming past, then got bored and decided to head for the Pub,
as originally planned. Most of central london has been closed to motor traffic, so althugh it was still very busy it was a pleasure to wend our way through the crowds, and on to the embankment which was gloriously free of traffic. We got to the George, grateful for a drink, and Ruth and her friend Alexei turned up, so it all worked out pretty well for meeting people. They headed off for a bbq, and we headed up to a Turkish retaurant at the top of Brick Lane, which I would recommend to you if I could remember what it is called. We ate well and headed back up through Stoke Newington & Hackney to the riverside, witnessing some pretty hairy cycling on the way. Back on the river at Lea Bridge, and we stopped at a riverside pub for a nightcap, watching the moon rise over Hackney Marshes and the last trains glide over the landscape, before heading home.

Sunday morning I set off to see my brother - a mere 13 miles or so up the valley, nothing really - and then set off back through Broxbourne Woods, re-visiting some of the haunts of my mis-spent youth (I'm not kidding) got to Cuffley just to see the train leaving , so continuing over to Potters Bar (there are some hills in this area, I can tell you) for a train to Kings Cross, which meant I could just stroll over to St P. for the train back to Sheffield, in the company of Ruth and Trevor Mayne our fellow pp from Penistone.

Saw this couple of excellent Goths at St P.


























That's all folks!

==posted by Simon

Tour De France Blog IV

So we dropped Matt off at Leagrave station to make a train-assisted dash to the campsite and headed off around Luton. Tim navigated magnificently although I suspect we could have just followed the blue route 6 signs on the off-road path beside the ring road - the map I have for this area dates from 1976 I think. No matter, as we left Luton we passed the sign for Hertfordshire, and I knew I was near home, like Moley in the Wind in the Willows.

Herts did not disappoint, as we dashed down a pretty valley, stopping at a village store for more refreshment, passing by old Welwyn and the railway viaduct (Tim was convinced he started his survey of the New River here - I knew better but kept schtum) on up the hill and down the other side through Bengeo into Hertford. the country town treated us kindly and we were soon on to Ware, passing the real source of the New River (neither new nor a river, having been built by King James to bring fresh water to London, and not cyclable but a very pleasant walk) with the A10 viaduct rather than the railway as the landmark. We could see the results of the survey Tim had done as various parts of the New River embankment had been shored up, and at St Margarets we joined the River Lea towpath, part of NCN1 if I recall correctly and a good cycling route into London. It was 7:30 by now and I thought it was time to check up on how Mat was doing. It transpired he was a quarter of an hour from the campsite, so we still didn't know whether we were in or not, but we carried on as well as exploring other options. Soon enough though the call came from Matt that we were in, so it was time for a last spurt. I however was flagging by now as well as thinking we should get up to the camp site and keep Matt company so was strongly in favour of getting the train, so we called in at Broxbourne (my old home town, and we passed the house I was brung up in) to check out the trains.

Having 20 minutes to go before the next train we figured we could make it to the next station along, Cheshunt, and so we did. Tediously it looked as though they weren't going to lift the level crossing gates in time for our train, so we carried the laden bikes over the railway bridge, but then of course they did. De-training at Ponders End, the campsite was a short schlepp along the off-road route alongside Meridian Way, the campsite was far from rammed out and easy to cycle in, so why the person I spoke to had given me so much bullshit was beyond me.

Matt had popped up to the local store (a giant Tescos, and of course if you believe in shopping local you have to go to Tescos in this area, as they originated in Cheshunt and their Head Office is still there) and bought a large quantity of Meat (vegebangers for Tim) and a BBQ. So we ate well with no vegetables spoiling the purity of the meal. It was a beautiful evening, a hot shower was very welcome and we all slept well.

..to be continued...

Tour De France Blog III

Well, the downpour did lift slightly and we moved along, Matt & me thinking we could always jump ship and get the train back from Harborough if things still looked bad. We did about 10 miles and passed a pub - it looked like a good bet for dinner, and we noticed a spacious beer garden, the landlord was very friendly and took pity on us - it was quite a smart pub and not everyone would have welcomed three soaked cyclists! But they were quite interested to hear what we were up to. A few beers and a meal and we were in better shape, and tucked down to a dark and squally night. My new lightweight tent proved not to be the best design ever, but stayed up most of the night!

The morning dawned, grey but not raining.Tim with his lightweight cooker fixed us hot drinks and Ready Brek, which got us into a fit state to hit the road. Leicestershire country roads rarely disappoint, and we got in a good few miles before finding a cafe for a spot more breakfast. Back on the road, we were soon reaching the outskirts of Northampton, on the main road which was getting a bit hairy. Tim wanted to head in and find a bike shop to replace his stock of inner tubes, whilst Matt & myself preferred a more leisurely route in on NCN6, so Tim sped off and we headed for the trail that takes you along an disused line that is being brought back to life as a steam railway. Where the disused railway joins the live one there was a subway that had turned into one enormous puddle, and then there was a bumpy track for a bit. We got a bit confused coming into Northampton but that was really our fault for not trusting the signs which were fine, and stocked up on sandwiches & juices in the town centre, chatting to a busker who had moved from Sheffield (he played "it's all over now baby blue" one of my favourite Dylan tunes).

Leaving town, again a certain amount of confusion ensued (sustrans routes do often seem to lose direction in town centres) , but once we had got to the river and pointed in the right direction we were fine. By this time the sun had come out & we came across some brave souls practicing river rescues:
















...and there was certainly plenty of water in the Nene to go at. We pressed on, got a bit lost in the industrial estate at Hardingstone (first the signs had slipped down the pole and got overgrown, then there was an access barrier that was nor clearly signed - had to rein in Tim a bit who had developed a tendency to power off past junctions where we needed to check the route - apparently he has a tremedous sense of direction ) but soon we were off on the country lanes again. following the blue signs. Tim & I swapped again so I had the pleasure of his lightweight bike for the next few hours.

We called in at Salcey Forest which has a visitor centre, picnic tables & cafe, next to the M1 but still very pleasant, and worth hanging on for if you're doing this ride. It was at this point I thought it best to check whether we had a campsite for the night in the Lea Valley, and the conversation went like this:

"hello, just checking whether you've got room for three cyclists tonight".

"We're totally rammed out mate. Have you booked?"

"Well I did email you a few months back and you said it would be no problem"

"Oh well, I suppose we might be able to fit you into a corner. What time can you get here?"

"About seven?"(I said optimistically)

"Can you get here before that? only we close the shop at 7:30"

"Well it's a bit tricky because we're cycling, but we can always get the train I suppose"

"Alright mate, see you later"

So the time pressure was on. This was also where Tim, aka the Duracell bunny, for some reason decided he should take Matt's panniers instead of mine. Since Mat had been involved in an accident where one of his panners had come off in the path of a cycling companion who ended up in hospital, and we all know how we make adjustments to ensure that our own stuff all workd together wit the bike, he was a bit nervous about all this, & I don't blame him.

Things went well until we reached Castlethorpe where the route took us down a seriously overgrown path, got well nettled, then the next section had recently been flooded and ws covered with gravel - Matt & Tim found my attempts to control Tim's bike on this surface somewhat amusing, Vernon and Matt's converted MTB negotiated the surface with rather less fuss.

(Matt & Tim alongide the Nene)















Matt















Matt & Tim


...past the hairy bits, we were on the riverside heading for Milton Keynes. I have long wanted to visit MK and check out the controversial "redways", so this was my chance. The routes are certainly fine but there didn't seem ot be much utility cycling going on, while there was plenty of traffic on the roads nearby. We made made a slightly wrong route choice by blindly following Route 6, while Route 5 looks to be a better choice on the map - however we did power along an old railway line, stoping briefly to remove a fallen tree (Tim & self putting our Sustrans rangers hats on for a moment) and then followed the route alongside the Grand Union, pleasantly scenic if a little bumpy, and it did bring us out on the right side of MK, at Bow Brickhill, following the redways for the last part of the urban transit. From here we climbed up at 1:8 (what is that in percentages again?) into beech woods on the edge of the Chilterns, aligning ourselves with Woburn.

A fortuitious wrong turn saw us correctly placed for the spin past Woburn, and having got ompletely disoriented when we came out at the wrong place, I handed over the navigation to Tim (after all he already had my bike and I've got it set up so I can read the map as I go along on my own bike - see my comments above). With a strong following wind (We'd had a lot of that, the pay-off for the rough time we'd had on Thursday) we zoomed along towards Luton, aware of the need to get to the campsite in good time. Having discussed the options, it was clear that one of would have to get the train in to London, and Matt volunteered - I suspect he was ready for a break, the pace having been pretty hard over the day. As we approached Luton & crossed the M1, traffic got heavy, & some joker threw water at me from a van - I'm sure he though it was funny, but I didn't. We passed Leagrave station and this looked like a good spot to send Matt off on the train.

to be continued...

Tour De France Blog II

Thursday morning dawned and I found Tim bright and ready for the off at my door at 8 a.m. After a spot of coffee we were ready to roll. Tim seemed to like to ride my heavily laden tourer better than his ultra-lightweight carbon racer, so I was happy enough with that so we swopped and took off up to Meadowhead. On the way down through Dronfield Tim realised he was only wearing one glove, and I was missing my SDP clips so we stopped in at James's Chesterfield where they were just opening the doors. I merrily fitted my new spd's while Tim inspected the stock and off we set, choosing the short section of the canal in preference to rush hour traffic to get us to the station, with only a slight glitch when I realise I couldn't get out of the SPD's as I negotiated the access barrier to the canal - quickly grabbing the wall was only to prevent a disastrous topple.

It transpired I hadn't done the bolts up tight enough and one had come out. A bit more adjustment had us on our way, emerging out of the canal, back on the road, negotiating the intimidating A61 roundabout and heading up towards Clay Cross (see my May 20 blog entry)
we enjoyed the ups and downs of this section, swopping bikes again near Ripley, stopped as is traditional at the co-op in Little Eaton for sustenance, and got onto the cycleway and through Derby in short order. Following route 6 now - what a blinder this route is, anyone who hasn't done this and still claims all sustrans routes are pants should really put up or shut up.

Following the route of a disused canal out of derby, then on a real canal for a bit before joining a disused railway, mostly tarmacced, then linking with the Cloud Trail and minor roads through rolling farmland, we kept up a good speed, despite a bit of headwind. Nevertheless our estimate of a 2 p.m. arrival at Leicester was optimistic - we saw off Loughborough in reasonably short order, chasing down the old A6, but it wasn't until 4 that we hit Leicester and found the Cycle Park, that excellent facility in the Town Hall where you can leave your bike, have a shower, get your bike fixed and buy some spares, meeting up with Mat who was to join us for the rest of the ride. We refreshed with tea & cake and as the market was closing I was able to pick up a tray of bananas which stayed with us for a few days.

However, as we left Leicester on the Great Central Way the heavens opened. Things got worse when, in the outer suburbs, Tim got a puncture which took 5 attempts to fix, and we spent 1 1/2 hours in a bus stop in in the rain trying to sort it out. Morale was low and both Mat and I were thinking of returning to Leicester (Mat would have been very happy to put us up) but Tim was determined to press on.

..to be continued..

Tour de France Blog

The first leg of the ride to london for the start of the Tour De France was ignominiously cancelled due to the weather - not so much because of the rain itself but because all the camp sites in Derbushire are flooded. So me & Tim are going to set off early in the morning, either getting the train to Derby or cycling all the way depending on the weather.

Topiary cyclists in hyde park

...for the tour de france london stage.

Source: bbc

Cycling to Derby

Was going to go down on Friday for the conference drink and camp at Elvaston. However a call to the campsite revealed that it was flooded, so a quick rethink ensued & I decided to cycle down, have a drink and get the train back, returning in the morning.

Took the pedal pushers recommended route to Derby. A strong south-westerly blasted in my fact as I headed up Abbeydale Rd to Owler which I didn't lose until I turned left at Curbar Gap. Following that the route zig-zags so I was either blasting along with the following wind or struggling against the breeze. Suffice to stay that it took me an hour to get out of Sheffield, and I covered an equivalent distance in a quarter of an hour once I had turned. The last bit into Derby on the B6179 was particularly taxing - however , I soon found myself pootling along the river and ending up at the Brunswick about 9:15, where I met the first bunch of people who were "just leaving" going upstairs I found some more folks "just off for a curry" - however there were still enough folk around to have a discussion about the merits of Sustrans vs the CTC etcetera, and after a few beers headed off for the train home and the comfort of Myy Own Bed.

In the morning , up early to head to the conference (report to follow - it's stuck on my Palm at the moment) Had a good day and once again a couple of drinks at the Brunswick. Decided to take a different route home, following the B6179 out of Derby, but continuing up to Ripley, (which has a greenway that might be worth exploring) then via Oakerthorpe onto the B6013, which links up with the A61 at Higham and onwards through Clay Cross to Chesterfield. Looking at the map you might think that as this more or less follows the railway it would be fairly flat, but this is far from the case! the B6013 is a stonking road with plenty of ups and downs., and views looking over the Amber valley towards the route I had taken to get down.

The A61 is a road of character wih some great downhills and it was good to see ex-mining townss like Clay Cross obviously having recovered somewhat from the mine closures.

At Chesterfield where the big roundabout is being rebuilt I found myself in a throbbing town centre at 8pm, lots of revelry, but I headed to the station to pick up the TPT route out of town as recommended in another of our bike routes, Sheffield to Chesterfield.

The tow path whilst bumpy was reasonably fast & I was soon back on the road climbing up towards Dronfield. My dinner date at 9 in Nether Edge beckoned, and I made it for 9:15. The journey each way took 3 1/4 hours, regardless of the wind direction - anyone care to beat that? I hear it rained in Sheffield - I didn't see a drop in either direction, or in Derby.

Solid Air is gone

After several days of feeling like I was cycling through treacle, the air seemed a lot thinner today as the bike shot along down a clear bus lane on London Rd, and I gave the cycling police a cheery "good morning" in the Moore St subway. Must've been last nights Jaipur...

Great advice from a car driver

Avett Bros link & vids

My favourite band at the moment..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dREqDHBg6KI

Old Joe Clark/How Many More Times

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM_FdQIe4MA

TV - Paronia In B Major

Lots more vids on Youtube if you search for Avett Bros but beware - a lot of 'em are audience tapes and an Avett Bros show is a noisy affair!

Avett Bros Website

2 ride weekend

Saturday 12th May:

Four hardy souls - Gary, Simon Ian & Richard - set off from Hillsborough Park at 10-ish (Simon was late) After calling at Butties to pick up Essentials - water bottle, new rear light, we set off up through Oughtibridge up to Stockbridge (the last bit being the route described in the solid air posting below - could've called in at Andy's house to make ourselves a cup of tea but forgot the key - and the milk - and the teabags, and the duster - doh!) Hence up to the balcony road to make our way to the Flouch, plenty of hard climbing and solid air involved, plus a bit of storming downhill, on to the Holmfirth Rd,

Simon's confident prediction that it would all be downhill from there turning out to be false. Plenty of showers to keep is refreshed as well. On the first proper downhill there turned out to be a farmers market going on, cars and people everywhere, but soon afterwards we were on the proper downhill into Holmfirth, Ian & Richard doing strange things to get past the inevitable queue of traffic heading into town, whilst I found the offside the best place to be. Soon eating breakfast in the cafe - Gary popped off to see a friend - and then we were fully prepared for the climb ahead - and it is mega.

The April/May CTC mag said it was a "Northern classic". The hairpins on the approach I found not bad - having done a few of the classic French climbs, and some in the Pelopennese - but the last section was definitely painful.

It was a relief to get to the car park and sit down for a while.
However, some of us took it in their stride...














Ian strolls up Holme Moss...

Whilst others weeped with joy when they got to the top...

























Whilst we were all pleased to have a sit-down...















..and some of us had a spot of bother with our Kaggies in the breeze (Richard actually)


























& Simon just pretended it was nothing to him, whilst harbouring aching muscles he previously didn't know he had.

The downhill run made Alton Tower's Oblivion ride seem pretty tame. Simon's topbag came open risking jettisoning his possesion all over the peak district, so a stop was required. At the bottom the Woodhead road offered the usual stream of cars & trucks; fantasies of a button you could press that restricted traffic to 20mph "whilst lights flash" for the 10 minutes or so you need to get to the Glossop Rd ensued. The Woodhead Road over to Glossop really is a cracker - we were musing on what a shame it would be if cyclists were dissuaded from using it by the stupid revisions of the highway code, because the transpennine trail runs alongside and is therefore "available".

Rolling into Glossop, and you know you're on the wrong side of the pennines. The cafe was indicated, but according to Ian we were not allowed to go inside the cafe because we would only get too warm and comfortable and not want to leave. This leads me to Ian's Rules of Cycling, as I understand them:

• Cyclists should use main roads whenever possible.
• Putting your bike on the train as is as bad as putting it in your car - if you go for a bike ride you should cycle.
• You should never go inside a cafe because you will only get too warm and comfortable and not want to leave.
• Only 8.5% cider should be drunk on bike rides.

Any more Ian?

Having sheltered outside the cafe for a bit there seemed to be a minor letup in the torrentiality
so we set off up the hill and towards the Snake. At first the rain was bad enough, but then it cleared as we reached the top. However this was a false friend and as we started to descend the Derbyshire Monsoon commenced. For me, my brakes didn't work as we were aquaplaning, the road was a river, I couldn't see a thing and the traffic wasn't all that forgiving.
Eventually the torment ceased and we emerged to a reasonably clear vista as we descended towards Ladybower. However we were now soaked as wall as aching in those unknown muscles. When we got to Yorkshire Bridge I decided to check the trains from Bamford - there was one in about 12 minutes so ignoring Ian's strictures I went for it. Got to Bamford with a minute or so to go, just time to smugly text the still-cycling, detrained at Dore and half an hour or so later I was relaxing in a Radox-enhanced hot bath. Bliss!

Gary & I decided that this would be known as the f***ing h*ll ride, as this was the most frequently offered comment!

Sunday 13th May - The Rhubarb Ride

This was a slightly different kettle of rhubarb. It was an opportunity to meet up with pp & pedal Ready trainer Mike, in his relocated town of Wakefield (he actually lives in Crofton) With a projected meet time of 11:00 I went for the 09:36 train only find that this doesn't exist - the 09:42 to Huddesrfield got me to Barnsley & I set off from there. (train info follows) This was one of the class 158's relocated from Central, as you could tell from the grubby interior and faded green exterior.

Having had the experience of the TPT in Barnsley, allegedly it's spiritual home but where some othe most-abused sections reside, I hit the A61 from right outside the station, with a stonking downhill run getting me out of town, heading for Royston.

Here I came across some of the most inconsiderate road users you can ever hope to meet. Yes, I had the misfortunate to meet..a cycle race. Why a pack of cyclists think they can pass you with milimetres to spare, whilst offering patronising comments like "eh, you're doing quite well really" is beyond me. If a motorist offered such behaviour I would (a) try my best to D-lock 'em
(b) take their numbers and 101 'em.

Any, took the first opportunity to de-stress by getting onto the lovely Barnsley Canal section, of the TPT past Cold Hiendley and before you know it you are Walton just outside Wakefield. The TPT skirts around Wakefield through up-market Heath, but it was time for me to bite the bullet and head for Wakefield central, passing this excellent candidate for Cycle Facility of the Month:


























Rolled up at Wakefield Westgate to find Mike waiting around, after a cup of tea and a chat got the call from P&T, "We're at Kirkgate. where are you?" It seems rail confusion continues.

So, we set off through Thornes Parkwith its Motte & Bailey, Mike filling us on the local political situation. It seems there is an ambitious plan for a BMX park and other facilities, although local residents are concerned that this could lead to young people hanging around together engaging in healthy activity and and enjoying themselves when they should be stuck in their bedrooms IMSing, eating takeway pizza and drinking coke. Also Wakefield recently got rid of its healthy travel initiative and cycle forum , so the place really is in trouble.

This got us down to the Rhubarb route. Wakefield is of cuurse famous for its Rhubarb production, although I have yet to see a Rhubarb farm. There's a rhubarb sculpture along here that you can see quite clearly from the train, but I have yet to see from a bike. Maybe its all a myth? However, we did come across this rhubarb painting, which as Tony said made it the vegetable seem quite exotic:















Then we found this one a bit further along in Horbury:
















Soon after this we found ourselves at Horbury Bridge, where all routes collide. (see earlier blog entries on this topic) Then a sharp climb to get onto the valley road toward Cridgington, a bit of a roller-coaster, over the motorway, a sharp climb and lots of roads with names like "vCliff RD, and it was here that Polly Blacker found her spiritual home:















But by now the rain was definitely setting in as we headed for Newmillerdam. We thought we had spotted a bench under a tree where we could eat our sarnies in a slightly soggy setting, but it turned out that the bench was in the open whilst the tree was obscuring the view, so there was nothing going for it. However, Mike was kind enough to invite us back to his place, a mere half an hour or so away, so off we set. The route back took us past Walton where the TPT passes through again This was a chance to chat about the cycling situation in Sheffield and elsewhere whilst eating our sarnies in the dry.

The time came to head home sowe set off to find the main road into Wakefield. Simon thought he'd left hi goggles back at Mike's so I returned, but then found them in my bag so was able to shoot off to town. Headed to Kirkgate but missed the train there so the next stop was Westgate.
Sure enough P&T were there & with a chat about stuff with the booking clerk we were on the next Virgin to Sheffield despite not having bike reservations. Anothe great pp ride! Don't miss it next year!

Solid Air

Around 4 yesterday we noticed that the pedalpushers server was apparently down. Andy was in Italy - what to do? So I agreed to go up to Stocksbridge and reboot it. A slight complication was that the key was at Ian's house in Walkley (if he could find it) Anyway, home after work, stuff down some pizza & spinach (toot toot) don some vaguely appropriate clothing, switch bikes and off I go. (could have driven or got the bus of course but what would be the fun in that?)

Thrash up to Walkley, already so driven that I shot past Ian's house (must've had the autopilot set to Walkley Cottage) and have to turn round and come back. Ian & family are out messing around in the garden. Switch keys (he's got Andy's I've got the stall garage key as sorted out by Tim). Come out of Greenhow St onto South Rd into a stream of cyclists, including a guy I know called Simon who works for HSE - not wearing a helmet I note. Storm down Walkley Bank , round Malin bridge and up on the hard route via Worrall (having already had the punishment of going to Walkley thought I might as well finish to the job) That brings you out at Wharncliffe Side, so thrash up to Stocksbridge from there - this is where I experience the phenomenon known as "Solid Air" or sometimes thick air , where it literally feels like you have to push the air out of the way as you cycle. Still, get to Andy's house, try the modem, looks OK, and re-boot the server, acting on SMS instructions from Andy in Italy. Get Ian to check the site is back up (first he has to give the batteries in his wireless keyboard a rub) all, OK, get back to town in 40 mins, that solid air now pushing me along.

Saw some very hairy driving on the way in, some guy in a volvo undertakes a load of cars waiting att he lights then gets in between the two cars at the front of the queue and hoots at them to get out of the way so he can roar away from the lights. Don't know what was going on there, but was quite relieved to get off the dual carriageway and onto Old Penistone Rd and then the cycle track, although this has its hairy moments at the junctions - at Neepsend Lane was nearly mown down by someone turning left without indicating. Toucan crossings please mr. council!

Anyway made it to the Boardwalk for 9-ish to see KEITH JAMES & RICK FOOT play THE SONGS OF NICK DRAKE - he also threw in the John Martyn song "Solid Air" apparently written about Nick Drake, hence the title for this post.

(Then I hear it was probably the ISP that was down and not the server - Oh Well!)

Revalatory Ride

Last night SWMBO asked me to pop into the Sainsburys for some veg on the way home, so I thought, oh well I'll go via Ringinglow then - that way its all downhill to Archer Rd.

So fought my was up past the lemmings on Carterknowle Rd -how does anyone put up with it? -
upEndcliffe Vale to Fulwood Rdm, stormed up to Fulwood. Out of interest decided to go up Crimicar Lane that legendary destination of the no.60 bus - just another suburban street really
- then Crimicar drive took my fancy - it must have been the really steep uphill nature of it plus the no through road sign, but I was confident there would be a gennel to get me out to the west. There wasn't but there was one to the east that got me back onto Crim Rd. There is some land at the top with a footpath - took that, OK for the first section but the next one is prett narrow and rocky with a deep narrow drainage ditch on one side - like a mega-tramline, quite hairy really. The next section has walls crossing the path to keep bikers out I suppose - fair enough , so not recommended for cycling (some footpaths are OK as long you defer to walkers) Up to Ringinglow and discovered that the Norfolk Arms has reopened, so popped in - nice decor obviously a bias towards eating but they have kept a stone-floored public bar for hikers and the like. Deuchars & Black Sheep (& landlord but not tonight) Interestingly was trying to work out whether it was a no-smoking pub or not - with two months to go before the ban there were no signs and no-one was smoking. I guess this is the pub of the future - no point in putting up signs, no point in ruining the nice decor for the sake of two months. Will re-visit on a pp ride.

Just I'm leaving, herself rings up to say whe'll get the veg, so I've got a bit more time. Over Sheephill to Hathersage Rd, and thought I'd try to locate the CTC centenary tree. This involved
pootling along the de facto footpath & peering over the wall - slow work but it wasnice not to have buzzing past your ear for a moment. The tree & plaque are actually located just past the gate to the Blackamoor bridleway & was in good nick -
















so that was the second revelation. The third was that this footpath has now been upgraded to a bridleway on a trial basis - open to horses and ramblers but not bikes at the moment as the surface is pretty poor - having said that I managed to get up it Ok. When complete it will create a loop for MTB'ers off Blackamoor, but could also be useful for people who have had enough of the uphill on-road slog. So those were the three Revelations of the Ride!

Heron on the River Don, Sheffield

Heron on the River Don, Sheffield at Walk Mill Weir (near the Cobweb Bridge)

Easter Monday ride

Took Vernon up to Wakefield Kirkgate by Northern's Fast service, then off to Horbury via the cycle path that takes a bit of finding, but if you head for Thornes park you won't go far wrong. The path follows the railway and dips under the motorway before bringing you out in the village - then you can head down the A642 and end up at Horbury Bridge.

This is a vital navigational point for the area - whether you've come down from the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, tried to avoid Wakefield by going through Criggleston and Netherton, or made your way along the Calder and Hebble Navigation you will come through here. I took to the Navigation - although narrow at first the towpath is rideable in the dry and soon opens up. On reaching Savile Town, fooled by some green dots on the map I took the loop - mental note, follow the main canal next time.

However, I was soon back on course, stopping to berate some boys who were pulling bricks out of the wall and throwing them in the river - whether I made an impression on them in my Sustrans tabard I'm not sure, however, here you get the turn off to the Spen Valley Greenway. The bottom half of this hasn't receive its spring clean-up yet, and there was the odd bad boy around trying to get an illegal motorbike started, but in the main this is a fine route and I made good speed.

















Things go pear-shaped when you reach the end of the SVG though. The trail comes to an end - if it didn't you would end up on the Bradford - Halifax railway - and although there are other sections of this route as you make you way into Bradford there are no temporary signs linking them. How about it Bradford Sustrans Rangers? I made a few exploratory trips and eventually made my way via Oakenshaw via a steep climb up to Brierley, and enjoyed a fast descent through Bowling Park, hampered only by a gaggle of park rangers gathered on the cycle path for a chat. once through the park however the signed route petered out in an alley strewn with broken glass - the true show-stopper for any cycle route. I completed my entry to Bradford with a run down the three-lane A642. Stopped for lunch in a square in town, but soon started getting harassed by drunks so it was time to move on.

As luck would have it Bradford F.C were at home and the traffic wasn't moving in Forster Square retail park, so I made my way along the imaginary cycle route - alleged to follow the route of the old Bradford Canal, but it's hard to spot. Stopped at Frizinghall for a station survey - no cycle stands here - and as a train was announced thought I might as well hop on and go to Keighley in hopes of a pint of Tim Taylors. The clientele on this train consisted mainly of cyclists - showing how important we are in filling trains on off-peak services however little thanks we get for it.

Enjoyed watching the Worth Valley steam train set off...

















...then looked for a decent pub but no joy. So, headed for the canal and a fast run into Leeds (stopping for a pint of Cumberland Ale on the way) on a fine cycle route with the wind behind - bowling along at 18mph most of the way. It's beautifully clean and litter-free as well - congrats to whoever it is who keeps it that way.















Pirate boat on the Leeds-Liverpool canal

Came across a chav casualty who had done too much booze, and was lying on the towpath with his eyes open but not seeing anything. His pals had got him into the recovery position and seemed to have things under control, so I left them to it - I have to say I have no interest in whether chavs live or die, they have given me too much grief in the past for me to care. Anyway the paramedics were just along the way, rushing along with their stretcher - I wondered about the wisdom of leaving their ambulance in such an isolated spot for more Leeds chavs to trash though.

Stopping off at Leeds City station for a crayfish and rocket sandwich from Marks & Sparks - us affluent cyclists can afford that sort of thing, or is it just the money we save not buying petrol? -
and although I could easily have caught the 18:15 fast back to Sheffield was determined to end up back where I started.

So, found the start of the Trans-Pennine Trail - Leeds is making attempts to join the routes together but hasn't managed it just yet, any more than Sheffield has.

First impressions not good - I pictured myself zooming along brick cycleways beside swanky city-living apartments, but found myself bumping along a pitted towpath alongside a burnt-out warehouse. At least on the next section the authorities had the good grace to direct me back to the road - however after that there were some steep steps to negotiate before getting onto a good clear track along the Aire, and it is an impressive navigable river. With the wind behind I was getting up to the 18mph level once again. Had a strange encounter with another cyclist who just wouldn't move over and let me past no matter how much I shouted - when I eventually did overtake I gave him the fright of his life, turned out he was plugged into his ipod! He was going pretty fast himself, obviously not expecting a CTC Refugee on a fast tourer to outgun him.

Soon enough a route choice came up, and chatting to some locals explaining that I wanted to get to Wakefield I was bit dismayed when they said "well it's back there" - pointing back the way I had come!. That's the motorists mentality for you - although they were on bikes at the time. I took to the road anyway, although I found a very good section of relaid TPT between Methley and Bottom Boat, and with a stiff climb on the A642 found myself back in Wakefield, made it to Kirkgate with 72 miles on the clock and a quarter of an hour to go before the next chuffer (complete with jobsworth guard who was paranoid about having two bikes on a train with 5 other passengers) back to Sheffield and dinner with the Orc and his good lady wife.

All along the cycle route bits of this ride I saw loads of people out cycling, families, couples young and old, bunches of lads, women in pairs, as well as loads of people out jogging and walking - maybe some of them had come out in cars to enjoy these traffic-free routes, so what, who cares?

TPT Clean-up

Had quite a successful clean-up day with Mike Beaumont along the Canal towpath at Tinsley. Check it our next time you're passing. Buzzed by a heron and found a toad.

Other rides, other places

(i) Had to get to Longley Park quickly so took the quickest route I know. Over Brook Hill roundabout (motorists always surprised to see a cyclist there so they tend to treat you with respect), hurtle down Netherthorpe Rd. First problem - cycle lanes put you in the wrong position to cross the tram tracks. Oi, Council, No! An opportunity to do something radical on tramway safety, missed.

Next problem - with three lanes of traffic bearing down it's impossible to get over into the right turn lane to go up Rutland Rd. There is a cycle crossing here but there is no slip lane to get you off the carriageway. Oi, Council, No! Rutland Rd itself is horrid - heavy traffic, dirty, polluted. A bit of protection for cyclists under the railway bridge would help.

Coming down on Barnsley Rd, those pesky traffic islands make life difficult. Always a danger of getting squezzed by drivers going through. Not so bad beyond Herries Rd junct.

Coming back, tired of the traffic so took the Osgathorpe Rd diversion. Still no dropped kerbs to make it easier for cyclist on the closed roads and no sign of the city centre - NGH route via Ellesmere. Spital Hill downhill still closed so a bit of schlepping required here. Wicker still clogged up - Pond Hill - Flat St (Who called it that?) - Paternoster Way - Kettles Route leading to Devonshire Cat - pint of Pale Rider worked well.

(ii) Nottingham - Derby, 4th April 07,

Coming back from AUA conference, figured the trains between Notty & Sheffield would be pretty horrid so decided to pedal to Derby using the University Pool Bike. Have done NCN route 6 before but it used to fizzle out beyond Breaston before = with promises of a route along the old Derby canal but "please don't try it at the moment as it could affect delicate negotiations with the landowner." Anyway had cycled out the night before to check it out so I know it was now OK.

(Interlude - there are some arsehole git cyclists out there who think that all sustrans routes are pants. In Sheffield we have a phrase for these people. There are some crap Sustrans routes but then again there are some crap roads to cycle on, some crap bands, some crap beers (Carling Black Label for one) and some crap restaurants (McDonalds and KFC for example) In many cases Sustrans routes are the ones you would work out yourself before you left home, with the benefit of some engineering work to help out with the tricky bits crossing railways and rivers etc. I accept that they are sometimes slower than the equivalent road routes, but sometimes time isn't everything.

What I really like about good Sustrans routes is that they put you into a different head space - as you no longer have to worry about the rules of the road or that truck that's bearing down on you ahead, you can really start to think about things or just dream as you pedal along. The Nottie - Derby route has some anomalies- you wonder why they didn't use the canal instead of going around the houses as you head out of Nottie - but then again both routes, as well as the tarmac road are available so why worry? In Nottingham itself, where a lot of not-very-good off road routes were put in a few years back, the situation seems to have re-balanced, with many cyclists re-asserting their right to be on the road, whilst others are happy to use the off-road alternative. I did think the barrier of the inner ring road needed to be broken though. Freewheel cycle shop still going strong.

Anyway I had already used the NCN route to get to the Uni from Beeston station so I retraced my steps, thinking I would catch a train from B. to Long Eaton & continue from there, I just missed one when I got to Beeston so I continued using the bike route, which takes you through some very pleasant parkland around the north of Long Eaton as well as a few rather dull housing estates.

Also checked out Elvaston campsite which we plan to use on the Tour De France ride - looks good, very nice spot with Elvaston Castle nearby and GBG pub in nearby Thurston. From here you follow the Derwent up into Derby itself, and was pleased to see a lot of young people out on their bikes, it being the Easter hols. Derby has excellent cycle-friendly approaches to the city centre & the station from all the main directions.

SWMBO's blog

So anyway he drags me out for a bike ride. Quelle Drague! Firstly we have to go on the train - why can't we go in one of our two motor vehicles? - on time & with plenty of room for bikes for once, so he got away with that one - but then we have to go to New Mills! Christ what a dump, and there were at least three cars on the roads we had to get round. And we have to go and look at how many bike racks there are at the stations, Jeezzuz pannezzas! So then he makes us cycle along the canal - well it's a bit slow and we have to be nice to walkers, "couldn't we go along the road" I say. Then we go past a canal basin that's an ancient monument apparently - Well I didn't know they had canal basins in pre-historic times and I'm an an archaeologist, so there - actually I'm a Customer Service Manager, you've got to earn a crust haven't you? - but he says we can't stop and have a look 'cos we've got too far to go, miserable git. Then we get to Chinley - another shithole, even worse than New Mills - hasn't even got a decent shop! Anyway things get worse as we have to go up some bastard of a road - it's called Rushup Edge but I certainly wasn't going to rush up it!

He wants to go down Winnatts but I soon put the stoppers on that - it's Edale or nothing I said, so over Mam Nick we go - I hate going downhill, it's even worse than going up I reckon. The next bit wasn't too bad but then we have to go up some other bloody fucking hill to Yorkshire Bridge - he wants to go over the dam, what's wrong with going all the way down into the valley and back up the other side I say! Then we have to go practically all the way back to Bamford so we can go over Bamford Moor - that's a bastard of a climb, no-one in their right mind would want to do that - well the views were quite good but what's wrong with seeing them from the comfort of a 4x4? Not bloody soon enough we're getting back into Sheffield but he says we should go on the back streets as going down Ecclesall Rd Sth at dusk can be a bit hairy. Then he takes us on some lunatic route that involves going up as well as down! And we end up going down Sheldon Rd which is the second worse road in Sheffield to cycle on, after Brocco Bank - normally we go along the back streets but of course I moan about that as well because it's too bloody far - and then to cap it all we run into our fool of a son who's mooching about meersbrook trying to borrow a bike to get to his pal's house because he had his stolen-ed from his pal's house (yes the same one)the other day. Well we gave him short shrift I can tell you.

Anyway when we got back I told him it was a great ride but we know better don't we!

This is what happens if you don't put the cycle parking in like you promised guys....

In the news

Jeremy Paxman on how britain has become a squalid filthy nation.
As a cyclist you spent quite a lot of time looking at road verges, and I certainly agree with him.
"We are a filthy island in which there is now an occasional oasis of cleanliness."

Also "Where cyclists dare" - Cycling in Birmingham & Manchester

Interesting article by respected journalist Christian Wolmar on road pricing

The Avett Brothers

I was driving back from the supermarket last night when I heard the Avetts for the first time on Bob Harris Country, When he said they were on in Sheffield that night I knew I had to be there! So I dumped the shopping and headed down. What a great show, what a great band. For an old fart like me the comparison was like seeing Old & in the Way or the Burritos for the first time. It's a sign of a great song when you can sing along with it even though its the first time you've heard it! Come back soon guys, I'll get the gang down.

Good article on why rail privatisation isn't working

Overheard in sainsburys

Sainsburys cash desk person talking to colleague: "I don't use my car for work any more, I walk to work and I feel a lot better for it".

That's the spirit!

Sunday ride

Just a little run-ette this Sunday: Set off with the thought of surveying Chinley/New Mills stations. Did a quick phone check* and the trains seemed to be running so set off up the hill to Fox House. At the Grindleford junction thought I'd check on train progress, so on to the GPRS again, but this time I did the correct drill down and discovered that what I thought was a train was in fact a bus. The buses don't carry bikes, so decided to divert, visited Grindersfoot which has not yet been covered, then enjoyed a Sainsburys taste the difference cheese&pickly sandwich on Froggatt bridge before pootling home again. Spent the afternoon clearing out the garage - what fun!

*You can check train times on Vodafone Live.

Adventures in Bassetlaw

Set off today to do a bit more station surveying. Those of you who follow my ramblings will know of my disquiet that the first train to the east of Sheffield on the Worksop line, on a sunday, is at 13:48. I had occasion to take this train and one thing I hadn't realised about it is that it runs fast to Worksop. My plan was to de-train at Kiveton Bridge, and take to the Chesterfield Canal into Worksop so I could check out Shireoaks and Worksop stations. However, I discovered that the 13:48 is actually FAST to Worksop. The first slow one leaves at 14:01 although I didn't twig that when looking at the departure boards. In the other direction, the first train from Worksop to Sheffield leaves at 15:01 on a sunday - small wonder then that people drive to Sheffield or Maadowhall for their shopping & sightseeing. Hardly what you would expect of a European city though is it?

Nevertheless a 20 minute journey time to Worksop was a pleasure and I decided to head on to Gainsborough to have a look at the stations there. Gainsborough Lea Rd is actually a Central Trains (CT) (shortly to be handed over to the East Midland Franchise) although more Northern Trains (NT) stop there than CT. Gainsborough Central, on the other hand, is a NT station, but actually no trains stop there at all. This is the most desolate station I've visited on the Northern network, located next to a steel stockholder and up a litter-infested track. However, there are signs of what we call re-generation in Gainsborough, with a shopping and leisure centre being build next to the station, so perhaps it will rise again one day. Surreally, there are oil derricks bobbing up and down next to the station.

So I headed out of town on the A631, which does have a cycle route alongside, starting off as bumpy pavement but getting a bit more professional -looking when the road turns into a dual carriageway. My attempt to use a bit of "old road" turned out to be a disaster when I came to a railway with no way across so I had to retrace my pedals. The A620, with some bits of off-road, took me down to Retford - the town has made a bit of an attempt to create a cycle route along the Chesterfield canal, but really, could do better.

Turning up at the station, I heard a train to Sheffield announced , so thought I might as well hop on and get down to Worksop to get with my original plan. This was a mistake. First-ly, the announcement had stated the wrong platform , so although I knew which platform the Sheffield train should go from I met a bunch of people off to find platform 1 - the fast platform for GNER expresses - then some people who had stayed uneasily on the right platform. Shortly after another anouncement advised us to switch to the opposite platform - always a pleasure whwen lugging a bike. A bunch of local youths had appropriated the adjacent field for a spot of off-road motorbiking, and I was joined by a chav family with double whining brats and yapping lap-dog (makes a change from child-killing pitbull I suppose) so the wait was less than relaxing. Anyway half an hour later the train arrived, already packed. No time left for a nice run along the canal, so back to Shef I went.

Reflective Jackets

Sourced without permission from the gmcc site, who reproduced it without permission from Private Eye

Check out the Couchbike!

Government as much to blame as First for Great Western fiasco

.. Says Christian Wolmar

Good ride today

Set off with Patrice and Martin the bus-man up through Holmesfield, down Cowley Lane to Commonside, then via Barlow and Pinfold up on to the tops. P & M set off home at that point, but I continued to Calver down the main rd (a few cars passed me but I passed them at the approach to the roundabout- quick search for a cafe in Calver, but nothing doing so settled on the Country Bookstore for lunch. Quick climb over the back road, down the main road and there you are! Good homemade soup as well. Was heading for the Hope Valley to do a survey of the cycle parking at stations (I am doing this for Northern Rail with Martin Bright) - so to get in the rail mood took the monsal trail to Gt Longstone and then Longstone Edge - starts as a punishing climb but gets better after a bit, big quarry at the top that doesn't add to the landscape at all. After you get over the top the world seems to tilt towards you, a bit like Google Earth (except this is the real thing) - down andacross to Foolow, skirting Gt Hucklow and then swooping down through Bradwell.

Did Hope, Bamford Hathersage & stations - would have done more but had to head for home as there were no trains. So it was up over Fox House and home via Dore where there is still no cycling parking. 52 miles total. Knackered now!

Reasons to be a Sustrans Ranger pt II

..the Decaux advertising sign at the top of Staveley Rd has been subjected to a sustained campaign of glass-breaking, presumably by local kids. This leaves bits of broken glass all over the cycle ramp leading to Abbeydale Rd. Streetforce are very good at coming out to clean up once its reported, but use a mechanical cleaner that leaves some bits of glass still on the ramp. Passing by with my Sustrans broom (kindly donated by Streetforce, and of a standard that leaves no prisoners) I was able to remove the remnants in a jiffy, so they won't end up lodged in your inner tube. Jobs a good'un!

Reasons to be a Sustrans Ranger, pt 1

Cycling home along the Upper Hanover Way cycle route (not a Sustrans route) on Jan 18th, the windiest, stormiest day of the year (transport chaos everywhere) my hat was grabbed off my head by a passing bramble (these are rampant despite it being mid-winter - nothing to do with climate change of course) Having my trusty Sustrans secateurs in the back pocket of my pannier, however, I was able to not only retrieve said headpiece, but give the bramble in question a right good seeing to with the old secs. There will be no question of another cyclist's hat being robbed by those anti-social brambles for quite a while now I can tell you.

Connoisseurs of the UHW bike route will note that not only has the broken-down tree been removed, it has been scrubbed clean and the fast growing nettles (nettles? in January?) have been removed due to my exhortations to Streetforce and their speedy response, as well as my own ministrations with the secateurs, particularly with regard to eye-level thorns.

First Great Western ARE shit

It's offiicially confirmed in parliament!

See this one also!

Blah Party

A refreshing bit of nonsense from Captain Sensible