Bank Holiday Monday.
This afternoon was the Whittle Duck race. Recent rain had raised the River Lostock level slightly so the ducks didn’t take too long to make the journey.

'Stone the Crows' dance group helped
to entertain the crowds

the ducks set off

the winners arriving

The weather forecast was a bit iffy but I made a last minute decision to go for a cycle ride to Halifax. Early rain had stopped but riding though Adlington I was battling in to a headwind, which I wasn’t happy about. I don’t know if it’s due to being a bank Holiday Sunday morning but the roads were very quiet. I headed through Bolton and Bury but on the approach to Rochdale I saw the flashing lights of vehicles ahead. The Police had closed the road due what they called an incident. It was two cars that had crashed in to one another. I dismounted and walked along the pavement to get by. There was nobody injured but I was amazed at the number of incident vehicles about. Ambulance, Fire-engines and many Police cars.

I carried on to Rochdale and then on to Milnrow. I wanted the A640 and the climb over to Denshaw but when I got to the turn off the signs had been painted out. I reckoned I was on the right route but asked a local to confirm. He said he ‘thought’ Denshaw was ahead! I was correct and like the last time I was here they had traffic lights on as stabilisation works were being carried out on two stretches of road. In Denshaw I turned left up the A672 over Bleakedgate Moor, a very fitting description as the summit was almost in cloud. It was also the original boundary of Lancashire and Yorkshire. The long descent to Sowerby Bridge was delightful. I then took the lower A6026 to approach Halifax from the south.

Descending to Denshaw with a nice new dry-stone wall

Bleakedgegate Moor boundary

I arrived at the Railway Station just after 10:30am and bought a ticket for the Blackburn train which left at 11:07. I noticed a couple of Police Officers with cameras. One had a Nikon D300 which I thought was very up-market for the Police. The officer told me it was for surveillance as some EDL (English Defence League) members may be passing through the station from their demonstrations in Blackpool yesterday. The rain held off but as I caught the train to Blackburn the rain started. The ride home from Blackburn was very wet and as soon as I got home my kit went in the washer and I went in the shower.

Halifax Railway Station

route of today's ride

altitude profile from my GPS

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In the evening I caught the bus to Chorley then walked home along the canal. The barge submarine U-8047 had re-surfaced and was moored up at Botany.

After a wet start I managed to get out for a cycle ride this afternoon. Riding though Horwich I stopped briefly to take a snap of a school and the information stone about its funding. Later I was riding through Darwen when I noticed the steam engine outside India Mill which was being re-painted.

When I passed this spot 3 weeks ago while out for a cycle ride the Fire Crews were working in shifts on the moors trying to put the fires out. As far as the eye could see was charred and black. Recent rain has helped nature which is well on its way to recovery. These pictures were taken by the A675 road near Abbey Village looking across to Great Hill and Withnell Moor.

green shoots of recovery

the blackened moors just 3 weeks ago

the same view this morning

This evening I walked to Withnell Fold with Eric for the short memorial service at 6pm to dedicate a bench to Lettice Harris, my mother, who died aged 94 on Sat 31 July 2010. The Rev's Graham Cutler said a few words of dedication and many friends and relatives of Lettice turned up to join in.

This afternoon visited Withnell Fold to give Mum's memorial bench a clean and brush up.

After a cycle ride out to Rufford I was heading home through Mawdesley when I stopped to take this picture of the War memorial. I've always been puzzled by its position as its on a dangerous bend with no footpath.

Today, Wed 18 May 2011 is the centenary of the first car to drive up Ben Nevis (highest mountain in the UK 1,344 metres 4,409 ft). The occasion was marked by repeating the ascent but this time the car, another Model T Ford, was carried up in pieces by around 60 volunteers. One was a friend, Sean Benz, who carried one of the wheels. Once up and reassembled it was taken apart and carried down again.

In 1911 a 20 horse-power Model T Ford was driven to the summit of Ben Nevis as a publicity stunt by the Ford agents in Edinburgh. Henry Alexander Jr., the son of the owner, was the driver. The stunt took 10 days of preparatory work on the track.
Mr Alexander was called a hero when the car returned to Fort William. After the brakes were adjusted no other repairs were necessary, and the car was driven back to Edinburgh.
Mr Alexander returned to repeat the drive in 1928, this time in a Standard New Ford (Model A Ford). The last quarter of a mile was driven with four passengers.
 

Thanks to Sean for the photo,
taken on his iPhone.

the first car on the summit in 1911

This weeks preparation for repeating the 1911 ascent.

Balloons and street theatre.

The Accrington Pipe Band

One of my favourite evening walks is along the old Lancaster Canal towpath. It's been here since the canal opened in 1803

A morning cycle ride seemed a good idea as rain was forecast for the afternoon. I got through Blackburn OK then had a puncture. As I repaired and continued cycling I had 5 punctures in total. This beats my previous record of 3 in one ride. By the time I was repairing my last puncture in Walton-le-Dale I'd reached my last patch so had to cut it in half just in case. It got me home. I don't suppose todays date had anything to do with all the punctures.

Higer Hodder bridge

just behind my bike is a metal ring fixed to the bridge.
There's another on the opposite side.

half way along the bridge parapet is the old Lancashire/Yorkshire boundary.
Since 1974 its all been Lancashire.

the route

I bought a pair of Regatta boots in Dec 2010 from Winfields, Haslingden. They were light and comfortable and it was the low weight that attracted me to them. Unfortunately their construction wasn't up to much and the soles had started to come off. I returned them and got a full refund. They were still coated in dust from the Jordan desert

Attended the CBA Council for British Archaeology Spring meeting at Winsford in the Wharton Library. After the meeting we went for a visit to Eddisbury Hill Fort.
Over 80 people turned up for the meeting.

Our last day of touring was a drive to Oban to catch the ferry to Craignure on Mull then a drive west to Fionnphort then the short ferry ride to Iona. I walked to the Abbey but was a bit disappointed to find that it was mostly reconstructed.
There are more and larger images from this trip on a separate page. Follow this link.

John MacFhionghain,
last Abbot who died 1499

An interesting sunrise from the hotel.

Bridge over the Atlantic
Clachan bridge built 1793

Cottages at Easdale originally
for the slate quarry workers.

360deg view of the tower from the inside.

After the Power Station we called for a short visit to St Conan's Kirk which I found fascinating. It was build by Walter Douglas Campbell and started in 1881. The first phase was completed in 1886 but he decided to extend it. The final version as we see today was completed in 1930, long after his death.

We then drove via the A819 to Inverary where I had a very enjoyable trip round the Jail.

St Andrew's Church, Moffat.