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@larsenroad
Prologue
First challenge was a text message from SAS late Saturday evening cancelling our 8 AM flight the morning after. The four of us subsequently got rebooked to three different flights on three separate days, which would’ve made the trip impossible by losing 2,5 days of our 7 planned days of riding. We managed to make some changes and finally got all four of us to Manchester a good day after what was planned, but at least we got there. Not wanting to make changes to the carefully planned route, we figured we’d have enough time to make it in six days instead of seven. First day would be short because of the flight to Manchester, and the last because we had to make it to London in time to pack our bikes. So the four days in between would be long, but hopefully manageable.
Day 1: Manchester Airport – Chester
67 km / 470 m
With the fragmented team finally back together, we based at Holiday Inn by the airport and assembled our bikes after a crap meal at the hotel. With all bikes ready and boxes safely delivered for recycling we set off VERY carefully on what to us is the wrong side of the road. After looking back and forth nineteen times in the first roundabout we felt like we got the hang of it and immediately rode into a dead end next to the airport. Subsequently, we rode a few kilometers on some horribly trafficy roads, questioning our whole mission. But we persevered.
Quickly enough, the route led us into beautiful and quiet roads and we started enjoying ourselves more confidently. Hedges started appearing more frequently and suddenly we did a hard left and went through a gate. We found ourselves – to our surprise – in a huge park. Reading up after returning home, it was Tatton Park, which includes a 2000 acre deer park. We saw a bunch of animals and it was the first of many highlights to come.
Onwards we found a place to have dinner and a beer called The Leigh Arms. Maybe it was the stoke of finally being on the road, but the meal was amazing. Wished to have stayed for more beers, but we were only halfway to our intended campsite. So with bellies fully charged we chugged on and got to Chester where we camped at a farm.
https://www.strava.com/activities/9382795856
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