TRANSPORT – Page 2 – Graham and Ebay's World

16th July 2026

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Another glorious sunny Thursday could only mean one thing , it was time once again for a classic Graham & Ebay adventure! We’d enjoyed a lovely little wander around the Outwood Trail just seven days before, so this week we decided to switch things up and head over to Longsight Park and the nearby countryside, places we hadn’t explored together for a while. The ongoing heatwave was still in full swing, with the sun beating down intensely, so we carefully chose a relaxed, easy‑going route ,one that would let us hopefully enjoy the fresh air and scenery without leaving us totally exhausted by the end of our adventure.

I’d successfully replaced that ruined inner tube from last week’s rather dramatic puncture incident, job done! I even went one better and stocked up on a couple of spares too, safely stashed in my backpack. Us Extreme Bikers are supposed to be fully kitted out and ready for anything, right? Well… tell that to me last week , I’d just totally winged it and hoped for the best.

England had battled their way through to the FIFA World Cup semi‑finals , and were drawn to face Argentina. It was always going to be a fiercely charged, clash, stoked by the deep‑rooted history and rivalry stretching back to the Falklands War. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, England fell short, and once again we missed our chance to reach the final. I’d drowned my sorrows and ended up having one too many beers . I still wasn’t feeling 100% when Graham turned up. But , as the old saying goes the show must go on.

Peggy Lou came out to say hello to Graham and wished us a great adventure. We set off through Leverhulme Park heading towards Harwood via Longsight Park. Shortly after we started Graham’s bike began making a clicking noise. “What’s that?” I asked, Graham replied jokingly, “I think it’s my chain but it could be my knee.” At the top of the hill we stopped for a hydration break on one of the benches there. It was here we spotted our first wildlife of the evening, a little squirrel scurrying around the trees.

We chatted about various things, including the saying “ he’s going a fair lick” which refers to someone travelling fast and how the word “ lick” is used for touching up paintwork, “ I’ll give it a quick lick of paint, ” how can it be used in 2 totally different contexts. As usual, there was no outcome. We also discussed Star Trek, with its phasers and teleport machine. This came about after Graham had asked whether we thought our jobs could be done by robots which we both agreed they couldn’t at least not in our lifetime . After taking our selfie, and as Graham pointed out, unusually we hadn’t got our helmets on, we set off exploring new territory.

As we rode along Graham told me that he was a little concerned that he hadn’t seen the family of swans on the canal near him for quite awhile. I said that maybe they’d moved on due to the works on the canal, “ can’t see how they can pal , Swans can’t fly can they?” referring to my stupidity a few weeks earlier questioning whether swans could fly, I think this maybe a recurring theme on our adventures.

We turned right out of Longsight Park but not before stopping to help avoid an accident between two cars reversing, always alert as Extreme Bikers. Shortly, we took a path on our left that was an area we hadn’t explored previously and here Graham took a wrong turn. He managed to catch me up. “Blinking, eck, pal, I made hard work of that,” he exclaimed.

As we turned a bend through a large wooded area, I could see a large fallen tree across the valley that concerned me because we would have to ride under it. Just as I was assessing the situation, Graham pointed out it was a large pipe crossing the valley, ooooopps, should have gone to Specsavers.

The path led us onto Hough Fold Way where a sign indicated we had exited Harwood Vale. We followed our route along various roads until we reached a stile at the end of a pathway. Some of the pathway appeared to have been encroached upon by the adjacent house, which made the getting over the stile particularly challenging. Stiles are not designed for bikes but with cooperation and considerable effort we successfully navigated the obstacle but this wouldn’t be the last.

We managed to spot the path through the long grass which looked like it hadn’t been used for a considerable period. It led us to a small gully which I managed to negotiate successfully but Graham didnt, he managed to get stuck and put his foot down on the floor to balance hiself , the little gully had almost dried up but had left behind this mud like substance. Then I heard a shout ” Oh crap it’s not mud, it’s cow slurry !” He wasnt happy. But he soon cheered up when we managed to spot a deer just up ahead , staring back at us . Sadly for Graham it got worse we immediately came upon another stile. This one was as tight as the last one but with the added hazard of holly bushes and stinging nettles. As Graham lifted his bike over he got the muck everywhere, on his elbows and knee. “ it’s all over the place “ he complained, but as an Extreme Biker he didn’t give up and battled on until we were successfuly on our way again. Thankfully I was leading the way and didn’t have to inhale the aromatic smell.

At the end of the field, our planned route led us through another field. However, this one was devoid of any visible path so we simply rode along the fence on our right. We continued along the field, which was filled with black plastic bales of hay. Further along, we spotted lines of cut grass waiting to be collected and bailed. Then we noticed a tractor equipped with the necessary equipment. As we stood and watched, a pickup truck entered the field. I was worried that this was the farmer and that we were actually trespassing. Thankfully, he simply chatted with the tractor driver. We watched for a while longer before heading down the hill and onto Branmhall Avenue. From here, we rode along the roads, weaving our way to Harwood Vale.

Graham had spotted an Electricity pylon and called out “ we’re piling on the miles tonight pal , get it pylon, piling . Oh I’m on form tonight I am” he said proudly. We shortly descended a large flight of steps into the vale, we followed the path on our return route that ran parallel to Bradshaw Brook but there was a problem, a sign – Pathway Temporary Closed Due To Landslip, nevertheless we ploughed on , it takes a lot to stop Extreme Bikers. After safely negotiating the landslide the path took us over a small metal bridge. As I reached the far side, Graham called out, “You didn’t do a risk assessment there pal before you crossed it , you could have had a nasty accident there .” I thought it was a bit over the top considering we’d just ignored a warning sign of a landslide but he explained that he had just completed a manual handling course with the AA. I sarcastically replied, “They must have a lot of manuals if they have to send you on a course.”

We now retraced our route home, but took a different entrance to Seven Acres Park, via the large steps down from the road. The steps had obviously recently been refurbished, which made our descent much easier and more enjoyable than I had anticipated. The sun was shining brightly, casting playful shadows on the ground, and I could hear the distant laughter of children playing. Shortly after entering the park, I spotted a bench nestled under a large oak tree and enquired if Graham wanted to take our final hydration break here. He agreed, but on seeing the bench exclaimed, “Not sitting on that, pal, it’s full of bird muck !” A little picky, I thought, from someone covered in cow dung. Nevertheless, I understood his hesitation and we continued our search for a cleaner spot. We did eventually find a suitable bench for our break, which offered a nice view of the landscaped gardens. We sat and chatted about everything from the weather to our fondest memories of past adventures, and had even had a game of Top Trumps about our aches and pains, etc. Graham won; he has a heart condition you know, which makes me wonder how he manages to keep up with me at all. The joys of old age, indeed! It was then that Graham recalled the time we were on an adventure when we saw a jogger ahead of us, with him suggesting we catch him up and pass him. We made an enthusiastic attempt to do so, but ultimately we failed to keep pace and had to admit to ourselves the frailties of age, coupled with a good dose of humility, reminding us to cherish these moments of camaraderie even more.