I set out from Liverpool at the extraordinary hour of 0730 trying to beat the weather (heavy rain ) that had been forecast. I overshot the mark heading up the Mersey and had to back track to make sure I rode along Penny Lane. t was entirely unremarkable and I nearly got skittled by parents in Jaguar sports cars dropping their kids off at Liverpool College. I managed to get on to the Trans Pennine Trail and basically it was flat and rather boring until along way out of Liverpool. The St Helens Canal sound rather nice but the trail was narrow , gravelly and on either side were vicious looking fences and slimy water. Hovering over this scene were the 4 towers of the Fiddler's Ferry Nuclear Power Station. The trail then became more rural with no fences and some pretty villages. The sun was boring down and despite the pathetic effort of 35 km in total today I was seized by pangs of hunger at 1100. I was ejected from a Morrison's shopping mall when I tried to take my bike in but fortunately , in the town of Wilderspool there was Jasper's Cafe where I could sit outside in the sun, keep and eye on Betsy, and have a lovely cup of tea with coconut cake...which was very much needed. I could have sat for longer but the clouds were thickening so I hatched a cunning plan to ride only as far as Alchricham then catch the train to Manchester where I would stay to wait out the rain. At least I could get out and look at stuff in Manchester even if the heavens opened. This plan worked so I am at the Premier Inn, St Peters Square , Manchester and its raining cats and dogs with lots of thunder. I went to the bar to buy a bubbly drink ...guess what...only one was Jacobs Creek sparkling rose.
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