After an intense meeting involving multiple beers, a 5-day route has been established with an estimated overall mileage of 280 miles. This will involve traversing Manchester, heading up past Pendle and onto Kirby Lonsdale, Kendal, over the steep pass between the Howgills and the southern fells before dropping down into Carlisle. The final few legs will take place over the Scottish lowlands, with a particularly hard day planned for day 4 - not by design I might add; the landscape is pretty wild and the opportunities for sleeping limited when utilising hostels and the like!
I will generate a route map soon and post it up on here.
Monday 13 February 2012
Sunday 12 February 2012
Chapter 1 - Trial Time!
An ideal opportunity arose this week to actually try out the idea of loading a Brompton up (or at least trying to) and then pedal it somewhere. This would be an educational experience as I've never ridden it further than 10 miles and never carried anything more than a pizza.
So my plan was simple - carry what I need for an overnight camp (this is winter though, so a bulky winter sleeping bag needed rather than my tiny summer one) then cycle to a campsite in the Peak District, eat/drink in a pub and have breakfast in a cafe, the result would be no need to carry any cooking clutter.
I awoke yesterday to a gloriously crisp and sunny winter morning. Excellent start, the bike was carried outside and unfolded.
Then the thinking began. I am used to loading up a conventional touring bike; they're easy as you can strap stuff anywhere and everywhere. On a Brompton it's a little trickier - no front rack and the rear rack is so close to the ground, only panniers the size of a small loaf of bread would fit. Fortunately, a colleague had allowed me to borrow his wife's Brompton bag. This rather nifty luggage holder attaches to the front of the bike and is about 30L, so I reckoned on getting most of my stuff in there.
Hmm, but I still had a tent and my Thermarest to fit on. Five minutes of bungee cord lateral thinking later, I had everything on the bike.
I was quite surprised how light the bike felt and owing to the fact the front 'pannier' is attached to the frame, rather than the forks as on my conventional touring bike, the Brompton actually handled remarkably normally. One thing I did discover when trying to pilot it down the road was the bag did clash with the handlebars, limiting my steering somewhat . . . mental note to not attempt any sharp turns.
Wardlow Mires - Here I come!
My destination was the camping field behind an excellent pub, the Three Stags' Heads, at a place called Wardlow Mires in the Peak District. This is only about 25 miles cycle from Macclesfield, but as a first attempt I thought it wise to start slowly in case I encounter any major issues. My journey there would take me past the Cat & Fiddle pub on the A537 (a pretty lofty location) and across some very nice scenery to reach my destination.
Here the bike is on the long climb out of Macclesfield, with a snow capped Shining Tor in the background;
This sort of climb is not a great challenge on my 27-geared touring bike, but with just 6 speeds to play with (and bottom gear not really that low either), it was a bit of a different story this time! Let's just say even though the temperatures were sub-zero and I just had a single layer on, I was quite toasty when I arrived at the highest point of my journey.
Leaving behind many confused on-lookers, I at last had a very welcome downhill section where normally I would expect to be hitting 30mph . . . it was more like 20mph on this bike, but that's fast enough on a loaded folder! As I approached the junction where there is the option to travel over Axe Edge (a minor road and not on the gritting routes), the lane looked to be snow free so I decided to proceed with what is undoubtedly a more scenic route. Hmmm, well the bit I could see was snow free, but this wasn't the case for the whole section . . .
First lesson of the day - 16" wheels and deep snow do not mix. Not at all. Fortunately nobody was around to see my antics as I attempted to push my precariously loaded bicycle along the snowy road! I feel I should point out the above photo was taken on one of the easier sections. In the midst of a particularly snowy section, a rather nice view did open out though.
After yet another hair-raising icy descent, I rejoined the A53 having almost forgotten what it was like to cycle upright for more than 10 seconds at a time. My journey continued across Harpur Hill and then onwards through Millers Dale via a superb descent, which of course meant a gruelling climb out of the other side. After reaching the top of the hill, my home for the night was visible as I then descended the final stretch of road.
After, perhaps unsurprisingly, being listed as a lunatic by the campsite owner, I pitched my tent on the frozen ground.
Some of you may have noticed a small bear seems to be accompanying me - this has been my cycle touring mascot since last May so he was entitled to grace the Brompton on this trip.
I unpacked everything and amazingly managed to fit it into the tiny porch in my tent. Don't worry, the bear didn't sleep outside in the end.
So off it was to the pub, and following a hearty meal I managed to bag the perfect seat by a roaring fire, complete with the obligatory dog and a pint of house beer, 'Lurcher' at 8.0% abv!
And here I am enjoying said pint (rather merry by this point):
Today I returned home by a combination of train and cycling, but I'm afraid as I was suffering the after effects of the 'Lurcher' and the weather had deteriorated, I didn't take any more photos.
The trip was certainly interesting and despite a few shortcomings, I was pleasantly surprised by the Brompton in a touring capacity. There was something just that bit more entertaining riding this rather than my normal touring bike . . . so the Edinburgh tour is now very much on . . .
So my plan was simple - carry what I need for an overnight camp (this is winter though, so a bulky winter sleeping bag needed rather than my tiny summer one) then cycle to a campsite in the Peak District, eat/drink in a pub and have breakfast in a cafe, the result would be no need to carry any cooking clutter.
I awoke yesterday to a gloriously crisp and sunny winter morning. Excellent start, the bike was carried outside and unfolded.
Then the thinking began. I am used to loading up a conventional touring bike; they're easy as you can strap stuff anywhere and everywhere. On a Brompton it's a little trickier - no front rack and the rear rack is so close to the ground, only panniers the size of a small loaf of bread would fit. Fortunately, a colleague had allowed me to borrow his wife's Brompton bag. This rather nifty luggage holder attaches to the front of the bike and is about 30L, so I reckoned on getting most of my stuff in there.
Hmm, but I still had a tent and my Thermarest to fit on. Five minutes of bungee cord lateral thinking later, I had everything on the bike.
I was quite surprised how light the bike felt and owing to the fact the front 'pannier' is attached to the frame, rather than the forks as on my conventional touring bike, the Brompton actually handled remarkably normally. One thing I did discover when trying to pilot it down the road was the bag did clash with the handlebars, limiting my steering somewhat . . . mental note to not attempt any sharp turns.
Wardlow Mires - Here I come!
My destination was the camping field behind an excellent pub, the Three Stags' Heads, at a place called Wardlow Mires in the Peak District. This is only about 25 miles cycle from Macclesfield, but as a first attempt I thought it wise to start slowly in case I encounter any major issues. My journey there would take me past the Cat & Fiddle pub on the A537 (a pretty lofty location) and across some very nice scenery to reach my destination.
Here the bike is on the long climb out of Macclesfield, with a snow capped Shining Tor in the background;
This sort of climb is not a great challenge on my 27-geared touring bike, but with just 6 speeds to play with (and bottom gear not really that low either), it was a bit of a different story this time! Let's just say even though the temperatures were sub-zero and I just had a single layer on, I was quite toasty when I arrived at the highest point of my journey.
Leaving behind many confused on-lookers, I at last had a very welcome downhill section where normally I would expect to be hitting 30mph . . . it was more like 20mph on this bike, but that's fast enough on a loaded folder! As I approached the junction where there is the option to travel over Axe Edge (a minor road and not on the gritting routes), the lane looked to be snow free so I decided to proceed with what is undoubtedly a more scenic route. Hmmm, well the bit I could see was snow free, but this wasn't the case for the whole section . . .
First lesson of the day - 16" wheels and deep snow do not mix. Not at all. Fortunately nobody was around to see my antics as I attempted to push my precariously loaded bicycle along the snowy road! I feel I should point out the above photo was taken on one of the easier sections. In the midst of a particularly snowy section, a rather nice view did open out though.
After yet another hair-raising icy descent, I rejoined the A53 having almost forgotten what it was like to cycle upright for more than 10 seconds at a time. My journey continued across Harpur Hill and then onwards through Millers Dale via a superb descent, which of course meant a gruelling climb out of the other side. After reaching the top of the hill, my home for the night was visible as I then descended the final stretch of road.
After, perhaps unsurprisingly, being listed as a lunatic by the campsite owner, I pitched my tent on the frozen ground.
Some of you may have noticed a small bear seems to be accompanying me - this has been my cycle touring mascot since last May so he was entitled to grace the Brompton on this trip.
I unpacked everything and amazingly managed to fit it into the tiny porch in my tent. Don't worry, the bear didn't sleep outside in the end.
So off it was to the pub, and following a hearty meal I managed to bag the perfect seat by a roaring fire, complete with the obligatory dog and a pint of house beer, 'Lurcher' at 8.0% abv!
And here I am enjoying said pint (rather merry by this point):
Today I returned home by a combination of train and cycling, but I'm afraid as I was suffering the after effects of the 'Lurcher' and the weather had deteriorated, I didn't take any more photos.
The trip was certainly interesting and despite a few shortcomings, I was pleasantly surprised by the Brompton in a touring capacity. There was something just that bit more entertaining riding this rather than my normal touring bike . . . so the Edinburgh tour is now very much on . . .
The Folding Adventure - Inception
OK, so plenty of people have heard of folding bicycles (especially those of you in London). Many of you have probably seen them and the chances are if you have, you've seen a Brompton. These eccentric machines are typically used to travel short urban distances and this is the use mine has seen until now (apart from one frenzied ride in a storm to get to another train line as my local one was blocked . . .).
As I do annually, I am due to spend a long weekend in the Scottish Highlands at Easter and had been toying with the idea of cycling part (or all) of the outward journey. No issues, I have a touring bike and the cycle would be pleasant. However, the travel logistics cause problems for the return journey so I was a little stumped, at least until I spotted my Brompton winking at me from the corner of the room. The idea was born: Macclesfield to Edinburgh by folding bicycle! Furthermore, I reckon it is a quirky enough idea to be able to raise a few quid for charity along the way too - more on this later.
Before any of this though, there is a slight question mark hanging over this; can I actually get everything I need for a cycle tour onto a little folding bike?! There's only one way to find out . . .
OK, so plenty of people have heard of folding bicycles (especially those of you in London). Many of you have probably seen them and the chances are if you have, you've seen a Brompton. These eccentric machines are typically used to travel short urban distances and this is the use mine has seen until now (apart from one frenzied ride in a storm to get to another train line as my local one was blocked . . .).
As I do annually, I am due to spend a long weekend in the Scottish Highlands at Easter and had been toying with the idea of cycling part (or all) of the outward journey. No issues, I have a touring bike and the cycle would be pleasant. However, the travel logistics cause problems for the return journey so I was a little stumped, at least until I spotted my Brompton winking at me from the corner of the room. The idea was born: Macclesfield to Edinburgh by folding bicycle! Furthermore, I reckon it is a quirky enough idea to be able to raise a few quid for charity along the way too - more on this later.
Before any of this though, there is a slight question mark hanging over this; can I actually get everything I need for a cycle tour onto a little folding bike?! There's only one way to find out . . .
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