6th July 2017
Journey Length 17.5 ml
Click Here For Route Via Ride with GPS
The text had arrived from Val “on his way” so get the bike out of the garage and do the final preparations after repairing it during the week, ready for its test ride. Preparation done, just closing the garage door and Peggy Louise arrived home from work “going playing out?” she asked, just then Graham arrived a bit cautiously he’d fallen off before we’d even started, a bit of a grazed leg and a few scratches but more his pride, falling off on a busy road.
Now we were ready to go, but where to? Again we hadn’t planned anything so we set off towards Bolton to see the progress of the new bus and rail terminal. Following the route of the old railway line over St Peters way we arrived at the side of the police station. Crossing over Manchester road we climbed the steps up the bridge over the railway leading to Thynne St, stopping off to take some photos of the electrification of the line.
Around the roundabout at the junction with Orlando St we continued towards the town centre down Trinity St past the station then left along Bradshawgate before entering great moor St, which is the site of some major development in the town. Here we stopped off to take a look at the progress of the new rail and bus terminal. Whilst taking some photos, this is where it happened, I took my extreme biker glasses off placing them on a road barrier, never to be seen again, in all the excitement of our adventure I forgot to pick them up and by the time I had realised I made the decision to continue without them, Graham suggesting we could pass this way on our return journey, good idea if they re still be there.
Now we had our route outlined , head up towards Chorley new road to Beaumont road and follow the middle brook trail back. Following this plan we rode through the town centre stopping off at the town hall , magnificent building.now it was off to queens park to catch up on our events over the weekend, Graham going paint balling and picking up a few bruises and myself a meal and a few beers with Billy and some friends to celebrate his retirement after we had worked together for over 28 years ( a good night was had) Graham is also doing the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride on Sunday, but unfortunately I will be unavailable due to a stag do on Saturday night, but I would like to wish him good luck and that I will be with him in spirit
Over the bridge on Beaumont road we picked up the Middlebrook trail but instead of heading back we turned left towards Lostock station from here we turned up Regent Rd, where we came upon a sign familiar to us extreme bikers iron man competition, time for a selfie. On a serious note though a close friend of ours Phil is competing in it this year and we would both like to wish him good luck.
We now decided we may as well continue on up to the macron stadium as we still had plenty of time and the weather was ideal. Once we arrived at our destination we planed our route back including picking up my lost glasses but we chose to go along Lostock lane to join the A6 towards Chequerbent round about and four lane ends, but on a whim I took a left turn up Wingates lane. At the bridge over the motorway we stopped and noticed a sign for public footpath on our left, after a quick conflab we turned off down the track heading towards a farm, it turned off to the left as we followed it down but it only led to a gate with a large “no entry “ sign on, as we stopped on the rutted track Graham fell over shouting “ careful it drops away here” once he’d picked himself up , not for the first tome tonight, we backtracked up to the bend in the track , seeing what looked like a motorway subway across a large field surrounded by barbed wire, we took the decision to head for it, unfortunately the grass in the field was about 6 inches high and very even, our bikes had left a swathe right through the field, we fell t like Steve Mc Queen in “The Great Escape” instead of Germans it would have been a farmer with his shot gun.
Our next obstacles were some very high stiles before we could get to the subway. Under the subway we entered another field, through the gate and into the field, but it led nowhere . Seeing a line of bushes we headed towards them looking for the path, drawing yet another blank, Graham now suggested we continue down the field towards the farm, but I said hold on there was a sign on the gate “ beware bull in field”. Hence to say we found another path which eventually led us out onto chew moor lane.
The A6 now led us to Chequerbent roundabout, here we should have turned left on a route to pick up my lost glasses, but Graham said we should go down A6 and then on towards plodder lane, not being one to kick up a fuss I agreed. Soon we were on plodder lane cruising down the hill, not before stopping off for a breather, a quick chat and to watch the machine that wraps bales of straw in shrink wrap, a very clever bit of kit. Once we were at the junction with Bradford road we parted company until next time, once again with prerequisite of texting once we were home.
