30 Days Wild: Day 14 - Bicycle Behind!

We made it!  100 miles or so of cycling over 4 days may not be an achievement for some folks, but it is for us.  Prior to kicking off on Thursday I'd been on my bike once this year, so to say I was under prepared was an understatement.

This morning we left a slightly soggy Silverdale and immediately tackled our final big hill - Warton Hill - which, I'm amazed to say, I managed to do without getting off and pushing.  We've both been surprised at how our legs and bums have held out - though the padded cycling shorts and ibuprofen for me have certainly helped!

This fantastic event wouldn't have been possible without the wonderful Sustrans volunteers who guided the group, offered wise words of advice and generally kept us on the straight and narrow.  For our group our ride leader was Jenny and she was ably assisted by Vince, David and Pete.  I feel Pete deserves a special mention for 2 main reasons, firstly because he was the back marker so for four days my backside dominated his view and secondly because we were trying to take photos for the blog and social media - this meant that I was prone to "random stopping manoeuvres" which tested his reaction speeds and brake pads to the fullest.

Thanks Pete!

And of course ENORMOUS thanks must go to Susannah Bleakley and her amazing team at Morecambe Bay Partnership who are the driving force behind this and many other projects promoting and improving the Morecambe Bay area - they do such a fantastic job, and this cycleway is something they should be really proud of!

Thanks Susannah!

As we headed for Morecambe we picked up the canal towpath for some lovely gentle cycling and gorgeous views.  Although we took up most of the track we tried to let other cyclists through and whenever they approached the cry of "bicycle behind!" rang out - as I shifted gingerly on my saddle it occurred to me that it may have two meanings...

Then it was just a quick hop down onto Morecambe Prom and an appointment with Eric before we startled the shoppers in Morrisons by descending en masse for lunch, before they knew what had hit them 50 or so soggy cyclists darn near cleared them out of sausage rolls and bananas and created a queue for the loo which is probably still clearing.

Pete re-conquering the final hill!

From Morecambe we took the greenway to Lancaster - I was most impressed that the route ran right next to Dominos pizza and did consider the possibility strapping a large Texas Barbeque to my handlebars - sadly I didn't have chance as it was onwards to Lancaster and a reception on Millennium Bridge.

At Lancaster we were joined by around 150 other cyclists for the final five miles to Glasson Dock - a fabulous turnout as folks of all ages joined in.  

At Glasson we were greeted with music, balloons, food, drink and entertainment for everyone.   I think the balloon shapes from Bongo Balloons were meant to be for the kids, but I couldn't resist one little daisy to decorate my bike.

And that's it - all over.  I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown.  We have both had an absolutely brilliant 4 days and I'd recommend this scenic cycle route to anyone.  Who cares if you're not a lycra clad cycling pro - just push you bike up the couple of hills and have a cake and a couple of well earned beers afterwards at the many pubs and cafes along the route.  Although we're locals we've discovered a couple of routes we didn't know of before and will most certainly be back out on our bikes again soon - just as soon as my bicycle behind has eased a little.

Final team photo at Glasson

Bike and daisy balloon at Lancaster station.