Today was a day to make progress rather than enjoy the journey. With the forecast suggesting continued strong gale force winds we opted to follow main roads into and out of Preston to reduce distance travelled and keep as close to 50km as possible. In spite of spending the day in the presence of noise and vehicle vibrations we had good surfaced cycle track pretty much all the way with sunny spells and no rain. Signage was a bit vague in to Preston but we finally crossed the Ribble on an old bridge and had a great pea and ham soup at the Beach Hut cafe in Preston Marina.
After a morning of tailwind heading back west on the north side of the estuary was never going to be easy.
It was a relief to see the sea again at Lytham after a day of traffic and satisfying to see the Southport bridge in the distance across the estuary.
In 1805 Richard Cookson obtained a lease from the Squire for a plot of land on which to build a ‘windy milne’. The posh houses that were later built behind it regarded this structure as industrial nuisance, an echo of the NIMBY attitude towards the wind farms that are appearing in our countryside.
With the wind more northerly we battled on to St Anne's and we pleased to finally see Mode Hotel right on the front and a stone's throw from the pier.
An earlybird meal seems to be a regular event in the 6 - 7 pm slot, so for under £10 we had 2 courses and a coffee at the Greek Flame Taverna.
Figures:
Distance:- 53 km
Cycle Time:- 4 hours 17 minutes
Average speed:- 12.2 kph
Total Distance:- 1100 km
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