This morning at 11am, Tom came over from Manchester to spend the weekend with me. After some lunch we started out at 12.15pm, bound for ‘Somewhere’.  It was raining hard, but that is a light matter as far as cycling is concerned.  Reaching Chorley we decided to go to Southport, for he had never been to that ‘delectable’ spot?  Soon the rain ceased, and as we neared Croston, it turned out a glorious day.  My crank (offside) began catching the frame, and as it had troubled me before (the spindle is too short) I decided to have it bent.  Meanwhile we reached Southport at 2.45 giving us 2.5 hours for the journey.  As we could see nothing of interest in the place we left for Scarisbrick at 3pm.

Near Ormskirk we turned into a bylane for Burscough, and, from there, for Newburgh, where the Red Lion made us a good but expensive tea.  At 5.30 we started to climb the 394ft Parbold Hill. The gradient at 1 in 7 is rather too steep to ride, but from the top we had some fine views of the level country to Blackpool Tower.  At Standish I had my crank straightened, and in the process my pedal spindle broke.  As it is brazed in it meant my riding home on a bare spindle.  At Westhoughton a terrific shower came on which soaked us despite the capes.  When we got home we changed and hung our clothes in comical array before the coal fire, disporting ourselves in the most comfortable manner.

75 miles, 8.5 hours