I'm half way! Yarrow Valley Country Park is half way in terms of the number of stages I have done and have yet to do, and almost exactly half way in terms of distance as well (I admit that was a happy accident). Amazingly, I am almost half way to my fund raising target too. Thank you so much to every one of you for your support, your donations, your comments on the blog, and your encouragement. Please keep it coming, because I still have a long way to go.
It took me two hours and fifty three minutes to do the 83km from Little Moreton Hall in Shropshire to Yarrow Valley Country Park in Lancashire, with 45km of it uphill (at 4 gears of increased resistance). I was pleased with that, and although it was hard work, it wasn't quite as gruelling as the 85km on Monday. Also, even though it's not reflected on the MotoMed photo, my leg symmetry was generally much better today, often hitting 50/50. All in all a good ride.
The
Yarrow Valley Country Park seems like a lovely place. The land has only been a park since 1987 after lying derelict for thirty years. Before that it was industrial, primarily being used for bleaching and dying as part of the famous Lancashire textiles industry, and also used for mining. Since then it has been carefully restored and managed, with input from The Woodland Trust to encourage the ecological development of the park and surrounding area. As well as the extensive woodland there are wildflower meadows, several lakes that they call lodges, a big children's play area, a cafe, facilities for canoeing and fishing, loads of wildlife, and a visitors' centre. Lucky for me there were plenty of options for pitching my tent.
Isn't it remarkable how I manage to place everything in exactly the same position each time I take a photo of my new camp? It's a skill I've perfected during the journey. I'm sure it'll come in handy some day.
Anyway, rather than rabbiting on about my new super-skill I'm sure you'd much rather hear about the park and what I've been up to. So, after I set up camp I went for a wander to the visitors' centre and picked up a leaflet about the place, which is only marginally helpful as the print is tiny and some of it is upside down. I'm hoping this isn't some kind of omen for my stay here.
Semi-useful leaflet in hand, I went for a wander, and there was lots to see...
Pretty bluebells...
Duxbury Woods...
A stunning kingfisher...
Birkacre Big Lodge...
Fluffy, munchy squirrels...
Super-duper play area with tunnel and sandpit (of course I don't know how super-duper it is by giving it a go, honest, guv)...
What do you mean, you hope I didn't get stuck in the tunnel? What makes you think I might be tempted to crawl into a child's tunnel in a play area and find that I'm too big for it...
No, of course I didn't need to be rescued...
That would be ridiculous!
Okay, okay, so the photos prove otherwise, but it was just as well that I did end up needing to be pulled free because it turned out that I wasn't the first adult to crawl in there and find it a bit of a squeeze. Look...
The play ground got a bit crowded once the rescuers got to work, so I crept off, pretending not to have been the instigator of all the commotion, and toddled into the woods for another mooch...
I found this little chap, perhaps wondering what all the noise was about...
...and a more peaceful meadow (more peaceful than the melee in the play area, not more peaceful than the blue tit. The blue tit wasn't the rowdy sort)...
Then on through the trees...
...and back to the lake...
Back into the woods and I reckoned this bridge would be perfect for playing Pooh Sticks, only I didn't have anyone to play with, having snuck off from the emerging crowds...
This weir is one of the big draws to the park...
And next to Drybones Weir is the fish run...
I didn't see any fish running up the steps, though I'm told it's meant to make it easier for trout and salmon, and the likes, to get up the river instead of being blocked by the weir. A marvellous idea, it's just that I don't understand why they make it with steps. Surely it'd be easier for the fish if it were a flat run, unless they're assuming the fish have feet...
Oh, okay.
One of the lovely things I noticed while I was going around Yarrow Valley Country Park were all the carved sculptures...
I think the last one is my favourite. He was by the children's play area so I didn't get a photo of that until today when the throng had depleted.
Now then, what's the one thing that you think about when you've done a loooooong bike ride and then got stuck in a tunnel? Other than your aching muscles and the embarrassment of needing to be rescued. Yet again. Yep, food! Lancashire is a great place for good local dishes, so when I got back to my tent yesterday evening I lay the dining table...
(I thought I'd keep with the Tudor table for now)
...and set about making a Lancashire hotpot
It's a good job I packed the better camping stove
The hotpot was very tasty and set me up well for a good night's sleep. I expect the 83km bike ride had something to do with that too...and maybe the tunnel entrapment.
I was rather hoping that today would be a quieter day with less 'excitement'. It started well with a meander to the Visitors' Centre...
I wanted something for breakfast, and on chatting to the person behind the till they suggested I try the local Chorley cakes. Now, when I think of cake I think of something like this...
I wasn't sure about having cake for breakfast, but then I thought, 'Oh, what does it matter? I'll burn it all off on the bike anyway.' I agreed to try the chorley cake, which it turns out is this...
...which, I am sternly warned, is completely different to the Eccles cake, which looks like this...
I think the basic differences are that Chorley cakes are flatter than Eccles cakes, and made with unsweetened shortcrust pastry rather than flaky puff pastry. Going by that description, I reckon I'd rather have an Eccles cake - the one with all the butter and sugar, and bulked out with more currants - but the thing that threw it for me was that Chorley cakes are often traditionally eaten smothered in butter and served with delicious crumbly and creamy Lancashire cheese. Mmmmmmm, cheeeeeeeeese. So, I slathered on the butter...
(I couldn't resist a little nibble, sorry)
...and I got out the cheese. I opted for the amazingly scrummy and strong Lancashire Bomb cheese...
There was a problem. I appeared either to have got a rogue cheese in my selection pack, or been subject to a terrible practical joke, because my cheese was ticking. I've never had a ticking cheese before and I didn't really want to cut into a ticking cheese. If I'm completely honest, I didn't want to be anywhere near a ticking cheese. I mean, it's not like it's normal for cheese to tick, is it? I wondered if perhaps air had somehow been caught in the wax and was gradually seeping out through a tiny hole, but surely that would 'tick' at an irregular rate. This was rhythmic. You might think I was being irrational, but I suddenly got rather scared, and in my fear I tossed the delicious but ticking cheese into the lake, which caused a bit of a stir...
...and then this happened...
Oops!
After that happened, then this happened...
Yes, most unexpectedly it began to rain fish. I don't think the anglers were too happy that their planned relaxing afternoon was scuppered by a ticking bomb of cheese in the lake lodge, and that now anybody could go and pick up fish for their supper without having to put in the effort of catching it. But that's exactly what I did - gathered up enough fish to feed myself and those who'd seen me toss the ticking cheese into the lake, because I thought it might placate them somewhat...
Unfortunately, there were still rather a lot of fish left around and about, and even though we all clubbed together to toss as many fish as we could back into the lake lodge, we couldn't do it alone. I'm not sure that the local fire fighters expected to be sweeping up fish when they came into work today...
I apologise. Not that it was my fault that I was sold a ticking cheese! Speaking of the cheese, I have a few more of the Lancashire Bomb cheeses as I'd bought a selection pack...
After what just happened I was somewhat apprehensive about slicing them open so I enlisted the help of the bomb squad. Cutting cheese isn't usually in their remit, but given that the park had inadvertently almost been blown to pieces by a rogue ticking cheese bomb, they agreed to help, and I am pleased to say that I can now have Chorley cakes, Lancashire Bomb (non-ticking) cheese, and free fish for dinner. If anyone else fancies some free fish then head over, there's still plenty that hasn't been swept up yet, just be wary of any Lancashire bomb cheeses and check them for rhythmic ticking before you cut into them. That said, if you get the real thing, it's truly delicious!
Now then, it'll be time for bed again shortly, and then tomorrow I'm off to Lancaster. It's a much shorter ride tomorrow, which is a welcome relief, but please keep your support coming, and please do keep up the sponsorship. It would be fantastic if I could reach my target of £2,500, and every penny donated contributes to that total, so a sincere thanks to all who have or intend to sponsor me. It's all in aid of Pop-Up Gym who provide facilities for exercise and rehabilitation to those like myself with a spinal cord injury or with other neurological conditions or stroke rehab. If you have yet to sponsor me, and would like to, it's easy to do at my Just Giving Page. Thanks for reading and I'll see you in Lancaster.
**All photos, except those of the MotoMed and my tent, are taken from Google Images.
