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.

Route: Rufford to Chorley
Distance: 36 Miles
Time: 3h:50mins

The ride started off with decent weather and the 10 mile journey to the start of the canal part was a pleasant ride through Ecclestone and Mawdesley. The Rufford branch was as bumpy as it always is and the ride towards Parbold was a scenic as ever. We came across a group of DofE'ers heading towards Parbold who were kitted out with rucksacks almost as big as they were! We stopped at the Parbold coffee shop for 15 mins for some hot chocolate:

Relaxing at Parbold Coffee Shop

From the coffee shop we headed past Wrightingon and stopped for a break before heading towards Wigan:

My new Merlin Malt 4

Simon and his GT Palomar

We stopped for lunch at the top of the Wigan locks (23 in total) before pushing on to home. It took us around four hours in total

I've cycled up and down the Leeds and Liverpool canal for over 20 years now and I've always said I'd do the full length one day. The only trouble has been finding someone else to do it with as I never fancied doing it on my own.

I also want to do it over two or three days with a couple of nights camping along the way, meaning the bikes would be carrying sleeping bags, mats, tent etc.

Well, I finally found someone who is as keen (if not more) as me to do it!

It turns out that one of my sons school friends dad is into his outdoors as much as me, so we have decided to "attempt" this in July.

We have already had a couple of runs along the canal for some practice:

Ride 1: 20 miles - Chorley towards Blackburn
Ride 2: 36 miles - Rufford branch to Leeds/Liverpool to home.

Route: Withnell Fold
Distance: 14 Miles
Time: 1h:22mins

I'm only posting this one as it was the first ride on my new bike. It's a Merlin Malt 4 and was the top spec model when it was bought (not by me). When my old trusty Marin was stolen last year I decide to wait for the right second hand bike to come along. I waited almost a year before I spotted this one (my list of requirements was quite high) and sat there nervously waiting for the clock to tick down on my highest bid!

The main thing I wanted was remote lockout suspension forks which would come in handy for the not so good parts of the canal but I've always fancied a Merlin bike and at one point I almost bought a frame so I could swap over my Marin parts.

I have to say this bike is really, really nice to ride, but I still miss my old bike (sad I know).

Out (not by choice) with the old:

in with the new:

If anyone happens to come across the Marin pictured at the top, then please contact me. Any info leading to the bike being returned will result in a big kiss and a few £10 notes (at least five). You can of course, just take the notes!

Route: Chorley to Church (and back)
Distance: 46.5 Miles
Time: 4h:40min

This started out as a run to Withnell Fold, but turned into my longest trek on the canal somehow!

I've already posted some pictures of my run to Blackburn, so I wont bore you with the same ones and it got a bit non-photogenic in places after that.

This was the first time I can remember ever cycling "over" a motorway while on the canal:

Aqueduct over the M65

The scenery got better towards Rishton and I had a quiet chuckle when I came upon a sign that read "Welcome to Church". There are some coke ovens around Church which would make handy shelters if it were to rain.

Just after Church I came across the canal's half way marker. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting to see here, but it seemed a bit of an anti climax as it was just there... with a row of houses behind it.

Half way marker

I got about 5 miles past this point and thought I'd better start heading back before it got dark!

25 Miles! Time to head back

Cycling back turned out to be quite difficult as the wind was blowing quite badly in my face all (nearly all) the way back. Now if you notice the mileage on the computer above you'll see I got to 25 miles, but the distance at the top of the page is 46.5. Needless to say I never made it back.

I got as far as Withnell fold when my right leg started to ache... quite a lot, and I made it as far as Bottany bay before I decided to phone the household taxi service!

Route: Home to Blackburn (and back)
Distance: 29 Miles
Time: 2h:55Mins

At the time, this was my furthest trip up the canal. I'd always turned around just before Blackburn, but this time I decided to see what was there. I came across a bunch of kids fishing on the canal at Feniscowles who stopped me to show me the size of the "gold fish" they were trying to catch. I thought they'd got mixed up with their types of fish at first, but there was actually a huge Koi carp in the canal!

I came across a cyclist in Blackburn that was actually slower than me!

I decided to turn around and head home when I got to bridge 100...

but made the most of the nice weather at Johnson's Hillock locks.

Route: Withnell Fold
Distance: 14 Miles
Time: 1h:30mins

This is one of the runs I do if I'm out of practice (or done too much previously). It's always a good run in the summer as it's very green and there are a couple of good pubs along the way :)

Withnell Mill