Trans Pennine Trail NCN 62/65

Following our second, and this time successful, attempt at completing NCN7, Ricky and I decided that a second short tour would be in order. We particularly fancied going back to Scotland and cycling from Oban to Inverness, but because of time pressures and the like we ended up riding the Trans Pennine Trail instead. It was a really simple job to organise and what a good decision it turned out to be, too. 

The Trail runs from Southport to Hornsea and it was really easy to organise as we simply got train tickets to Southport the day before departure. Despite Northern Rail having a really bad name we have previously found them to be good with bikes. Everything else we organised as we went along. We didn't even think about where we would spend each night. In general, and this was something I had forgotten, the TPT is mostly made up of tracks and trails, with odd bits of mostly quiet roads thrown in where required. This does mean that there are an awful lot of gates to get through. The gates vary in ease of passage, especially if you are carrying panniers, and some were quite awkward. We were very fortunate in that we were encouraged to go by a weather forecast promising something on an Indian summer, which did, in fact, turn out to be accurate. As a result, we only had odd bits of muddy track to contend with. In fact, most of the track was of good quality with a fair proportion being tarmac, especially those tracks recovered from old railway lines. We also noticed that the western parts of the route were more likely to be tracks and trails whilst the further east we pedalled towards the Yorkshire coast, we were more likely to be riding along quiet country roads.

Day 1

Leeds to Southport

Southport to Widnes 37.1 miles

https://www.strava.com/activities/2717176476

The train left Leeds at 10.20 but an express it wasn’t. This was the modern version of the old stopping train and it took almost 3 hours to get to Southport. Once there, however, we were straight off. We only had a cursory glance at the sea, which always seems a long way off at Southport anyway, before following a cycle path at the side of the coast road south and then picking up what looked like an old railway line that took us down to Aintree. Here I had my first of many mechanical issues as my rear brakes died. Fortune smiled on us as we came across a McDonalds for a coffee stop and immediately behind it was a Halfords. Strange, that although Halfords are looked upon with some disdain by the cycling fraternity, I must admit that they have got me out of a fix a couple of times, and this they did again. I reckon £15 for a set of new brake blocks, including fitting, is a bargain and one I was happy to accept.

We also came across some poor, hernia inducing, infrastructure in the guise of Wally's Steps. Just before the McDonalds/Halfords stop, we came up from the canal path to the roadside at a bridge. To do that, we had to push the fully loaded bikes up the steps using a concrete groove. Not an easy one, but to be fair, it was the only poor infrastructure along the whole route, so well done Trans Pennine Trail!

Repairs complete and coffee drunk, we set off again, but we were lost within a mile. Signage became confusing in that there were two signs to take a left turn 200 yards apart, one of these was on to a path, but that path had been fenced off. This was also the route indicated by my Garmin. We followed the remaining sign but then either there was a sign missing/obscured or we missed it, but suddenly we were on a very busy road. The Garmin showed me where the track was (it turned out to be a railway track) but it was underneath the roads we were on. We were helped by Jimmy who took us to the entrance to the track, but not before he had put the wind up me by asking if I was from Yorkshire! We found common ground in football, something that we had both given up on, but we had both loved the game when Don Revie and Bill Shankly had reigned supreme. I have to add that other than this one incident, we found signange throughout to be excellent, much better than along other routes that we have followed. 

Once found, the railway track took us clear through Liverpool to Halewood without problem although we did see a few scallies smoking prohibited substances at various points along the way. That said, I suppose it could have been old socks that they were smoking. We came off the track at Halewood before deciding to head towards Widnes where we knew we could find some hotels. In the event Travelodge came up trumps at reasonable cost, and with a discount voucher for the carvery across the way thrown in foor good measure.

I think we were both quite surprised that we had managed 37 miles pretty effortlessly when we hadn’t started out until about 1.30 (although it was going on for 7.00 when we stopped), but we were grateful nevertheless for such a good start.

Day 2

Widnes to Hattersley 45.45 miles (Total 82.55)

https://www.strava.com/activities/2719912499

The day started cool but sunny. After breakfasting on Tesco's finest we re-joined the trail with the River Mersey on our right and the St Helens Canal on our left. The canal hadn’t seen a boat for many years, such was the crop of bulrushes within it, but we then found a sea lock a few miles on that housed a small marina. We swapped allegiances to the Manchester Ship Canal and then stopped for coffee at Stockton Heath after 7 miles of cycling. We crossed the Manchester Ship Canal using some locks that must have been very grand in their heyday, but they now looked forlorn and dilapidated with not a ship in sight.

From rivers and canals, we went to railway lines before taken a loop around Sale, stopping for ice cream at a very pleasant country park. Onwards towards that great metropolis of Stockport - here we had a navigation error as we departed the trail along the riverbank. We decided to pick the trail up again further down the road rather than retrace our steps, but it took a little while to do so. Once back on the trail we then had another diversion, this time an official one through the centre of Stockport. This was signposted, however, and good as this was, spotting quite small yellow signs across busy junctions isn’t that easy, but we got through without difficulty. We did have a debate about one diversion sign that suggested we should go both straight ahead and turn right at the same time.

No real incidents although we did have to traverse a flooded underpass, which was fun. I was also impressed by Ricky’s courage when we stopped for a cuppa at a roadside catering van. It wasn’t the cuppa that impressed me but having decided to tuck into his pork pie carried all the way from Leeds, he asked the vendor (who was a big lad) if he would cut it in half for him, and the lad did cut the pie. Nearest bike incident was almost being taken out by a dog chasing a ball thrown by its owner in the central pedestrianised area, but, hey, that’s Stockport for you!

We rumbled on with no particular idea of where to stop (although it wasn’t going to be Stockport) and various folk suggested a Premier Inn at Hattersley, which wasn’t too far from our trail. We had a bit of climbing over the last few miles, which was a change given that most of the day had been pretty flat. A stop was called reasonably early, before tucking into a carvery next door to the hotel.

Day 3

Hattersley to Mexborough 43.41 miles (125.96 total)

https://www.strava.com/activities/2722644061

The day started cool and misty, but we were away just turned 9.00 as this was the “going over the top” day. Ricky had done the route before and he had assured me of gentle climbs followed by a trip through a tunnel before descending back into God’s own county of Yorkshire. Not quite how it turned out! If there is one thing I remember from Mr Cox who did his very best to teach me geography way back in the 1960's, it's that the Pennines are an assymetrical anticline. I have no idea why I remember this, but it simply means that one side is steeper than the other. We were going up the steeper side. 

We backtracked about half a mile up the road to get back on the trail. Within the first couple of miles we had quite a steady climb out of Broadbottom then another steady climb into Hadfield and a coffee stop. We climbed up Hadfield main street to pass a well placed funeral director’s premises at the very top of the climb. A quick left turn and we were on the Longdendale Trail heading up to the top of the Woodhead Pass. By this time, all the mist had burnt away and the day was filled with sunshine once again. The ride up Longdendale was extremely pleasant, the track being an old railway line at a gentle gradient all the way. Not only that, but the views across towards the very busy A628 were quite spectacular too. After 8 miles of very acceptable cycling we arrived at the Woodhead Tunnel but, instead of being able to ride through the tunnels, we were forced steeply upwards to climb a very rough path before joining an equally rough road that took us a couple of miles further down the A628. This we found exceptionally hard work. The track crossed the A628, but we could see that another very serious climb would be involved to get back up to the road again, so we opted to join the lorries on the A628 for a mile or so before turning off and careering downhill into Dunford Bridge to re-join the railway line towards Penistone. I have to say that cycling on the A628 is not recommended. It was very busy and we got tooted a few times (can't say I blame them) but it was only for a mile or so and it did avoid climbing what looked like the north face of the Eiger, from where we were stood. 

Having survived our “over the top” experience we enjoyed the tarmac track all the way to Penistone and a snack stop before heading off once again. We were very impressed with the network of cycle paths around Barnsley and along the Dearne valley which gave us a very pleasant afternoon of cycling. Again, we had no clear plan about where to stay, but a few folks mentioned the Pastures hotel at Mexborough which was a real winner, although I’ve still not worked out why such a small place has such a big hotel. And, there was no need for a carvery next door. The hotel had various dining options and the meals we chose were very much cyclist sized potions. So, no complaints there!

Day 4

Mexborough to Selby 40.03 miles (165.99 total)

https://www.strava.com/activities/2725221804

We had talked overnight about the rest of the trip and had made the decision to stop at Hull. The extra 15 miles or so going up to Hornsea made a big difference to the logistics of getting home whereas getting to Hull in two days and a train home on the Saturday night was simple. We decided that a short hop to Selby would give us the chance to buy advance train tickets and get the bikes booked on to the train too.

The ride was just about flat all the way. Much of the day was spent along rivers and canals and what roads there were had very little traffic. We did touch on Doncaster, so taking advantage, we stopped for coffee at Bentley and then carried on, wondering when lunch might appear. We arrived at another canal at Brathwaite after some 17 miles of cycling. The morning had been very social as we had met and nattered to a multitude of cyclists out enjoying the weather. At Braithwaite we met another chap who advised us of a café just over the M62, near Snaith, which was duly visited and where we found Curry and Chips to be just the job. The one dark cloud of the day struck at this point as I found that my front tyre had deflated so we had a few minutes investigating and pumping it back up again.

Happily, the tyre held up for the afternoon and we got to Selby in time to have a proper look at the tyre and to buy train tickets for the following day. My memory of Selby having a Travelodge turned out to be as accurate as Ricky’s memory of the Woodhead Tunnel, so we ended up at The Wishing Well just outside Selby, but again, a mere half mile or so from our route. Once at the hotel, I took the tyre off the front wheel while Ricky went to buy train tickets. It turned out to be a leaking valve that wasn’t seating properly. I put everything back together and then put the front wheel in the sink to be sure that the problem was fixed. I had to do a bit of cleaning up after that!

Day 5

Selby to Hull 43.87 miles (209.86 total)

https://www.strava.com/activities/2728069617

Another sunny day greeted us but today we had a wind out of the east, so we had a headwind all day. We were away at 9.00 (despite me doing a return to the hotel to look for mitts) as we had train tickets from Hull to Leeds at 18:40. We knew we had plenty of time, but you never know what happens! Given the mechanicals I had suffered during the trip, erring on the side of caution seemed a good idea.

A short half mile back into the town centre and we are away, heading towards Howden, 13 miles down the road, as our first designated coffee stop. We found the morning fairly heavy going as we were riding either by the river or in very open country. Either way, there wasn’t a lot of shelter from the wind. The coffee stop at Howden came and went as we battled on. A further refreshment stop was called at a garden Centre in Ellerker, almost 30 miles into the ride which gave us a rest before we left the shoreline and tackled the hills around Brough before dropping down to North Ferriby and the Humber Bridge. I don’t know why, but those hills around Brough always seem a slog and I did notice on the TPT map that there was an odd chevron suggesting a degree of steepness, so maybe my legs were vindicated.

Riding the track down to the Humber Bridge was most enjoyable in the sunshine (despite the wind) and we had enough time just to stop and simply enjoy being there. The last few miles took us through Hessle and then via a very twisty route around the back streets of Hull, although it brought us straight to Paragon Station. We were in good time, having a couple of hours to spare, so we spent a little time by the Waterfront before getting the train home to Leeds.

Postscript

Riding the Trans Pennine Trail was something of an afterthought for me as it's close to home, and it was the only cross country route that I hadn't cycled. I have to say it was tremendously enjoyable, possibly because of the excellent weather, but maybe because being on trac

ks and trails so much gave an entirely different perspective on the places we rode through. Being an unapologetic Yorkshirman, I have to admit that I found Lancashire more built up than east of the Pennines, but the ride up Longdendale was one of the highlights of the trip, although hauling the bikes up past the Woodhead Tunnel and the A628 was probably the lowest point! Since the ride I have been told in no uncertain terms that Longdendale is not in Lancashire, but is, in fact,  in Derbyshire, a fact I am happy to correct!

Further Postscript

It turned out that it wasn't a leaky valve that caused my tyre to deflate. It was a rather tough little thorn that managed to penetrate a Schwalbe Marathon Plus, generally regarded as pretty much bomb proof tyres. It took several weeks and quite a few rides for this to become apparent when my tyre deflated rapidly twice within a few miles about 20 miles from home. A roadside repair fixed it but finding the thorn proved difficult as it didn't quite penetrate through to the inside of the deflated tyre, and it also took a bit of fishing out once found. I was grateful that I had a multi tool with some long nosed pliers attached that I used probably only for the second time in ten years, but it saved me a long walk!

And Finally
https://www.strava.com/activities/3756306631
Hornsea - Hull - Hornsea 34.41 miles (total 244.27)

We completed Southport to Hull in September 2019 but we didn't get to complete the entire trail until July 2020, some 9 months and a pandemic later, and even that took some organising as several dates had to be postponed.

We decided to go to Hornsea for the start as parking the van was easier than parking in Hessle or Hull. We set off from home for the drive over nice and early and we were away on the bikes by 10.30. The final section of the route is so easy to follow as it is almost entirely reclaimed railway. From the Hornsea end, a couple of miles of the trail is tarmac, and at the Hull end about 7 miles. The bit in the middle is a proper track with some parts being stony and other parts, especially those under trees, being a tad muddy, but we had just experienced a few days of rain so that had probably contributed to the bits of mud we came across. The whole of the route is easily rideable and we were struck by its popularity, especially by the number of folks we recognised in the afternoon as being seen in the morning headed the other way!

The ride itself was without any incident of note. We did lose the track briefly coming out of Hornsea as we thought the directions for the route took us through a graveyard which seemed highly improbable, as indeed it turned out to be. The track itself was lurking behind some bushes and an extra sign at that point would not have gone amiss. We both thought that the ride was a little boring as we were essentially riding through flat land, on a straight and level track with not a great deal to see, other than the odd disused and sadly overgrown railway station. We found the ride towards Hull a little tedious in this respect, although this might not have been helped by a minor "on the nose" headwind, which later made the return journey much more enjoyable. That said, we were impressed that the route into Hull was traffic free and on cycle paths for all but the last mile or so. We had intended to ride along the waterfront towards the ferry terminal, but this was closed off due to what looked like major works all along the frontage.

We lunched at the same cafe where we had finished our ride in September to ensure continuity, and we detoured for ice cream overlooking the sea on our return to Hornsea. All told, a good day out.

The most exciting part of the day occurred after dropping Ricky off at home as all the electrics on the van ceased to function, but the RAC mechanic fixed it within 5 minutes.

Our next adventure is still on the drawing board and planning has not been helped by pandemics. We had planned to go to Holland in March, but that has gone by, and we also had a loose plan to go to Scotland again in September, but that looks doubtful as matters stand. In effect, Covid means that we still don't know if we can have an adventure at all this year, but we shall be looking for the opportunity, even if we can only manage something shorter and closer to home.