Bike!

I got a bicycle for christmas from my stepson, Alex. I wanted one, and he had quite a good one that was surplus to requirements.

It has gathered dust in the hall ever since, but I had a day off yesterday, and since my mate Pete was still in Neston (his flight back to Thailand having been delayed by events in Iceland) I thought I'd go see him one more time before he left.

So I've been good. I cycled to Bidston station, and got a train to Neston, then off we went on our bikes. We went along the marshes to Deeside, just as I went on foot a few weeks ago, but this time we went a lot further, crossing the new bridge before turning round and heading back.

For me, it was a mixture of pleasure and pain. Pleasure because I had time to stop and really enjoy my surroundings. Pain because I didn't have a gel saddle, and because it's been ages since I got any exercise. My legs, wrists, and especially, my bum were either aching, bruised, sore, or swollen.

The end of the marsh road is blocked by some M.O.D. buildings. We got through by climbing over a fence, just as a security guard was locking the main gates a bit further on. He waited until we were through and didn't seem too bothered that we'd climbed over an M.O.D. fence. We had to go back a slightly different way though. Up onto the railway embankment for a couple of hundred yards before getting back on to the marsh track.

There were some wonderfully derelict buildings to explore. A pigeon in the roofspace was startled by my presence, and in turn caused me to duck, thinking the roof was coming down as it flapped rapidly away.

Some points:

1. Next time, take a camera. I'd love to post some pictures of the bridge, the buildings, etc.

Here's how they look in google earth anyway.



This is the derelict building. The black bits are holes in the roof.



And this is the bridge.

2. Taking the train was good. There's a cycle track virtually from my front door, right to the station.

3. You can do stuff on a bike that is impossible in a car. Just try lifting your car over a fence, or squeezing it under a gate. Or stopping in the middle of a bridge with traffic whizzing past at 70 miles per hour, while you enjoy the view. Here's a picture I lifted from panoramio...



4. Get a gel saddle cover! And possibly be a little less ambitious with the choice of route when you've had no exercise for donkeys years...