Wet again but intrepid

So,

I decided to check out the route out of Manchester since on the bike trip Sheila wont be able to pick me up from Knutsford on the Wednesday and drop me off again the following morning. I discovered a couple of cycle rides in the book 'Manchester Cycle Rides' by Neil Simpson,that mostly use National Cycle Network Route 6, and start from the Salford University campus.

It was great escaping Manchester on cycle tracks but they were muddy in places and when a downpour occurred I was fortunate to be passing through an underpass in Bury so I took an early lunch there. The going was even slower muddier and wetter after that. However, I had brought some overshoes the day before and put them to immediate and effective use.

I did only 33 miles in about 4.5 hours which is too slow for my LEJOG plan of 70 miles a day. I am sure it would be quicker if the going was not wet but I guess these tracks are mostly just not as fast as tarmac so their needs to be some trade off between speed and enjoyment especially of the view.

However, if I do bike to Manchester the night before that will take 10 mile of the trip to Bentham the next day so a slightly slower pace would not be the end of the world. I should be travelling this bit of the route with my mate Richard so we can decide the night before in the light of the weather conditions at the time.

Incidentally when the Eye column in The Friend ran a story on me recently based on an email I sent them they referred to me as 'the intrepid William West'. I like that word 'intrepid'. So I can now call myself the 'intrepid and liminal cyclist on the bike with too many names'!