Route: Chorley to Blackburn (and back)
Distance: 28 Miles
Time: 4h:00mins (including stops)

This was a practice run with loaded panniers. I had pretty much everything I'd need aside from some spare clothes and the tent (which we'd be sharing out between bikes).

Simon, who normally wears a rucksack for all his "man things" had got himself a rack, so I dug out some panniers for him to use, which he quickly filled with his sleeping mat, sleeping bag, various other items and a tent and a bottle of Pepsi for "balance".

The tow path was quite wet and muddy in places, but we got to Blackburn without any issues, and we even found a good place to camp for the first night on our full trek!

"Are we there yet?"

"Leave him alone Simon!"

We spotted a shop just off the canal in Blackburn and loaded up with food for lunch, then set off back home looking for a place to actually eat it. The Boatyard inn near Feniscowles was ideal as it had canal side seating, although it soon got cold once we stopped.  Lunch sorted, we then stopped at Johnson's Hillock locks to help out on lock duty for some barges before heading home.