Discussion
Had a lovely 35 mile ride today, got a lift to Audenshaw (near Bellevue, east side of Manchester) from a mate, onto the canal, all the way up to Diggle where the canal enters the Standage tunnel. Turned around, all the way back into Manchester. Through Manchester, down into Trafford Park. I'm about a mile outside Stretford and about to get back on the road to head the 3 miles home, when I cycled past a group of lads on the towpath doing some fishing. One of them, tracksuited and lookin' well 'ard innit has his £50 Halfords bike lain across the towpath, with a 2 inch gap either side of it. Well I'm not about to stop and climb over it, and he wasn't about to move it, so I went around it, and just so slightly clipped the back tyre. You can imagine the reaction "Oi watch de wheels man, how would u like it if I did tha to your bike?"
I really wanted to turn around and push the fecker in the canal, while telling him that he never would be able to do it to my bike as I wouldnt leave it lying across and blocking a towpath, but that would have spoiled my ride.
In fact, its only soured it slightly. Still, a cracking ride on a staggeringly beautiful day has been fouled slightly by the gobshite from a scally.
Which political party supports a cull of this low-life?
Some piccies from my phone:
Heading to Stalybridge:
Scout tunnel (you have to walk this, its long, wet, dark, and a bit scary!):
Somewhere between Stalybridge and Delph:
Series of locks (loads and loads of these heading up into Yorkshire):
Canal heads under a railway viaduct:
Heading back through Manchester, just past Canal Street (gay village part of Manchester, the roadsign altered to Anal Treet
)
You know what the best part of this ride is? Right before the end, just before I turned back to head to Manchester, near Diggle, there is an ice cream shack on the towpath. A BLOODY ICE CREAM SHACK ON THE TOWPATH I TELLS YA. Staffed by two extremely pretty young blonde girls wearing precisely the weight in clothing of one of my dustcaps. Shame I couldn't get pictures, as that would have got me arrested a bit.
One of them was utterly utterly gorgeous, honestly a roasting hot day, a beautiful canal, a mint-choc-chip ice cream cone with a flake, a beautiful girl and a bike - what could be better?
I really wanted to turn around and push the fecker in the canal, while telling him that he never would be able to do it to my bike as I wouldnt leave it lying across and blocking a towpath, but that would have spoiled my ride.
In fact, its only soured it slightly. Still, a cracking ride on a staggeringly beautiful day has been fouled slightly by the gobshite from a scally.
Which political party supports a cull of this low-life?
Some piccies from my phone:
Heading to Stalybridge:
Scout tunnel (you have to walk this, its long, wet, dark, and a bit scary!):
Somewhere between Stalybridge and Delph:
Series of locks (loads and loads of these heading up into Yorkshire):
Canal heads under a railway viaduct:
Heading back through Manchester, just past Canal Street (gay village part of Manchester, the roadsign altered to Anal Treet
) You know what the best part of this ride is? Right before the end, just before I turned back to head to Manchester, near Diggle, there is an ice cream shack on the towpath. A BLOODY ICE CREAM SHACK ON THE TOWPATH I TELLS YA. Staffed by two extremely pretty young blonde girls wearing precisely the weight in clothing of one of my dustcaps. Shame I couldn't get pictures, as that would have got me arrested a bit.
One of them was utterly utterly gorgeous, honestly a roasting hot day, a beautiful canal, a mint-choc-chip ice cream cone with a flake, a beautiful girl and a bike - what could be better? Edited by Parrot of Doom on Monday 24th July 20:37
Edited by Parrot of Doom on Monday 24th July 20:38
Great stuff POD sounds like you had a good day in the glorious sunshine,i love the combo of country and 'old city architecture',old brickwork bonds from way back,i once worked on and built a lock on the river Kennet and would of found your route very interesting.
Then theres the ice cream parlour
.
Then theres the ice cream parlour
.You know what the great thing about canals is? Its that for the most part, the architecture and history is untouched by modern developments. Most of the industry is still there, albeit in the form of broken walls and derelict buildings, but signs of modernity are few and far between. Its like finding a cobbled road thats been blocked off for 100 years, complete with the buildings and facilities. Its fantastic.
There are piccies of the ride on this site, which inspired me to do the ride today:
http://bikerides.dsracing.me.uk/canal
There are piccies of the ride on this site, which inspired me to do the ride today:
http://bikerides.dsracing.me.uk/canal
puggit said:
Parrot of Doom said:
Nokia 6680 (bought for the satnav).
Damn good pics for a 1.3 MegaPixel camera 
Well I wouldn't earn a living if I couldn't take a half decent picture or two
I am a bit knackered though, 35 miles on the road is no big issue, but 35 miles along towpaths does take its toll on your bottom crevice and knees
I love riding along canals and rivers with my kids because there are no steep hills to negotiate. My kids would love to cycle up and down hills but know it ain't gonna happen when they're out with me! Nice one POD, there are days when England is great - the weather, country side and the architecture.
ZR1cliff said:
Great stuff POD sounds like you had a good day in the glorious sunshine,i love the combo of country and 'old city architecture',old brickwork bonds from way back,i once worked on and built a lock on the river Kennet and would of found your route very interesting.
Then theres the ice cream parlour.
Then theres the ice cream parlour
.Do you mean the Kennet & Avon canal?
It's great along there.
maxed said:
ZR1cliff said:
Great stuff POD sounds like you had a good day in the glorious sunshine,i love the combo of country and 'old city architecture',old brickwork bonds from way back,i once worked on and built a lock on the river Kennet and would of found your route very interesting.
Then theres the ice cream parlour.
Then theres the ice cream parlour
.Do you mean the Kennet & Avon canal?
It's great along there.
I gave up!!!
moleamol said:
Phil Hopkins said:
Looks amazing POD. Next time you get the feeling to do something like that, drop me an e-mail as i'm only 20 mins from Manchester and enjoy a bit of the old bike riding myself!
Or in Wigan we have the Leeds-Liverpool. Maybe worth a jaunt. Not sure my full on DH or play bikes would be much use on a canal like but I'd have a go. Nor mine (Orange Patriot & Orange Aero jump bike), it'd be a laugh though
Excellent.....
Spent much of my mispent youth in the mid sixties cycling up and down the towpath between Stalybridge and Diggle, until one day I ran out of towpath in Greenfield and fell in complete with my bike....
www.penninewaterways.co.uk/huddersfield/index.htm
Spent much of my mispent youth in the mid sixties cycling up and down the towpath between Stalybridge and Diggle, until one day I ran out of towpath in Greenfield and fell in complete with my bike....
www.penninewaterways.co.uk/huddersfield/index.htm
Phil Hopkins said:
moleamol said:
Phil Hopkins said:
Looks amazing POD. Next time you get the feeling to do something like that, drop me an e-mail as i'm only 20 mins from Manchester and enjoy a bit of the old bike riding myself!
Or in Wigan we have the Leeds-Liverpool. Maybe worth a jaunt. Not sure my full on DH or play bikes would be much use on a canal like but I'd have a go. Nor mine (Orange Patriot & Orange Aero jump bike), it'd be a laugh though
I must be getting bored
Here is a bunch of kmz files for Google Earth that shows you the path of my ride. Just load them all in and you can follow the canal easily.
Here is a bunch of kmz files for Google Earth that shows you the path of my ride. Just load them all in and you can follow the canal easily.
Wacky Racer said:
Excellent.....
Spent much of my mispent youth in the mid sixties cycling up and down the towpath between Stalybridge and Diggle, until one day I ran out of towpath in Greenfield and fell in complete with my bike....
www.penninewaterways.co.uk/huddersfield/index.htm
Spent much of my mispent youth in the mid sixties cycling up and down the towpath between Stalybridge and Diggle, until one day I ran out of towpath in Greenfield and fell in complete with my bike....
www.penninewaterways.co.uk/huddersfield/index.htm
haha, no chance of that now, its all in excellent condition
Mind you, I wish they'd sort out the Bridgewater through Trafford Park, thats a bit of a mess. The Bolton/Bury/Manchester canal is in dire need of restoration as well (and just happens to provide the perfect ride to my birthtown
)puggit said:
maxed said:
ZR1cliff said:
Great stuff POD sounds like you had a good day in the glorious sunshine,i love the combo of country and 'old city architecture',old brickwork bonds from way back,i once worked on and built a lock on the river Kennet and would of found your route very interesting.
Then theres the ice cream parlour.
Then theres the ice cream parlour
.Do you mean the Kennet & Avon canal?
It's great along there.
I gave up!!!
You big girl
(admittedly I only came across a field of cows, no bulls, but still 
) I got to Thatcham last Friday before giving up and getting the train back to Reading.
I'll be aiming for Newbury this Friday
The second lock down the K&A towpath from Reading :
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