Day 1

After a few days of feeling we were "ready", of course the last few hours turned into a bit of a rush. All the things you couldn't do until the last day; window locks, bins, fridge etc, so our 11:50 departure became 12:10. Not so bad.

Much of the route (especially in Belgium) will be on cycle paths with no cars, or on lanes dedicated as cycle routes with minimal traffic. However our first 12 miles today was a straight run to Macclesfield on the main roads. It would have been possible to get there the back way but as it was day 1, the idea was to keep it short and direct.

We called in at church to say goodbye to several friends at a Weds morning discussion group (which is on 10 till 12, hence the plan to leave home at 11:50). Anyway, most were still there and sent us off with enthusiasm. (and a prayer!)

After Macclesfield we joined an old railway line which was of course very long and flat, and took us almost into Marple. There, we followed the canal and cycled on a pathway parallel to the Marple Staircase of 16 locks. As the canal crossed under a busy road, we saw the chance for a coffee stop. Within a 100 yards of our route, we found a Costa Coffee and spent about an hour there at an outside table in hot sunshine. Bikes locked and leaning on the rack nearby (see photo).



After Marple with only about 12 miles to go, the route went up and down quite steeply as we passed through Hadfield, Padfield, Glossop and eventually arrived at Torside at 6:05pm. Just a short day to start with, 38 miles on the clock and just over 4% of the ride completed!

Steep uphill tomorrow for an hour and a half then a relatively downhill run once we get onto the other side of the Pennines.

Thanks for lots of messages as we set out. Texts. Emails. FaceTime. Even a couple of cards in the post! Much appreciated :)