Following on from my recent post about the Outwood Trail, its possible resurfacing and the fact while this new surface will be welcome, it will not magically change it into cycling infrastructure fit for everyday use, I decided to film a cycle trip using said route. I wanted to show a typical journey using it for a normal activity...so chose to do a trip to the Movies cinema.
I live in Prestwich and the nearest cinema is four miles away by road in Bury. The National Cycle Network (NCN) can be joined within a mile or so of my house and there are dedicated cycle lanes and bridleways to use as well, so I thought why not try to make the journey as car free and safe as possible and use these and some quiet roads to make my way to the silver screen. It didn't matter it was more than double the road distance, I got very wet and muddy (despite mudguards) and could have broken my neck and not been found for hours - this is cycling provision in the UK and I wanted to show it in all its glory.
The Garmin detail and map are here. The fall was genuine. I could have avoided it by walking or riding down the steps using my MTB but hey, where's the fun in that? Not everyone has a choice of bikes and I decided to use my everyday workhorse for the trip - the Santos Travelmaster equipped with Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tyres and touring ratio Rohloff gearing. Probably more capable than the average bike and able to carry a pannier with a change of clothing and tools in case I needed them...which I did!
I live in Prestwich and the nearest cinema is four miles away by road in Bury. The National Cycle Network (NCN) can be joined within a mile or so of my house and there are dedicated cycle lanes and bridleways to use as well, so I thought why not try to make the journey as car free and safe as possible and use these and some quiet roads to make my way to the silver screen. It didn't matter it was more than double the road distance, I got very wet and muddy (despite mudguards) and could have broken my neck and not been found for hours - this is cycling provision in the UK and I wanted to show it in all its glory.
The Garmin detail and map are here. The fall was genuine. I could have avoided it by walking or riding down the steps using my MTB but hey, where's the fun in that? Not everyone has a choice of bikes and I decided to use my everyday workhorse for the trip - the Santos Travelmaster equipped with Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tyres and touring ratio Rohloff gearing. Probably more capable than the average bike and able to carry a pannier with a change of clothing and tools in case I needed them...which I did!
about NCN v Road.
ReplyDelete'The movies'?
ReplyDeleteWe call it going to the pictures or the cinema don't we?
I know Prestwich is in North Manchester and they do things differently there, but surely not to the extent of calling films movies.
Pete
ReplyDeleteSorry. What was I thinking of?
I've corrected the post.
Thanks