The Meanderthals: CLEVELEYS/FLEETWOOD

OH...THE WHEELS OF THE LADS GO ROUND AND ROUND....
12ish Miles??

PEDLARS :- Mike H, Mick K, Jams, John R, John W,

Anthony, Martin, Danny, Jim C.

"round and round"…… but not all day long. That would have been too much for us non-cyclists.

9.30 am and a fleet of bicycle carrying cars was assembled at the home of our leader for today - Mike our much maligned..Oops sorry..that should have been... "RENOWNED" cyclist.

Not time for lunch yet Mike !

We were soon on our way and 40 minutes later were offloading cycles on the front at Cleveleys. Mick Kilgallon was already there waiting patiently.

Bikes assembled we set off north along the prom with a strong wind at our backs tumbling the waves onto the shoreline.

With the strong wind helping us along and the lack of "hills" we made steady (NEVER rapid progress. We are Meanderthals remember.) towards Fleetwood. It wasn't long before we arrived at an old friend we had visited before on our walks - the "Watchtower ".

COFFEE TIME !!! We parked our bikes and went inside.

Here we were warmly welcomed by the "warden" and one of the volunteers who happily told us about the tower and their role around it.

So warm was their welcome that they even offered us "cake" which we politely declined as it was early in the day. ('onest...we declined..though it was tempting.)

Before leaving one of the staff told us the tale of how his daughter had been proposed to next to the "Leaning Tower of Pisa". When she brought her new fiancé home she insisted on taking him to see the "Leaning Tower of Fleetwood". A charming tale.

Fleetwood itself next. Here we stopped by the "Beach Lighthouse" for a group photo. Several bemused passers by nervously refused our request to take a group photo for us until a lone cyclist, unsolicited, offered to do the honours. Obviously a fine fellow. (He came from Preston !!)

We continued along the front admiring the curving façade of the famous " North Euston Hotel".

Mike in the mode of all good leaders stopped from time to time to gather us together, warn us of hazards and tell us what was coming next. (I remember doing this with classes of infant children -- there are many similarities !! )

Here is one such stop. Close to the Knott End ferry terminal.

We now followed the main road for several hundred yards. As we arrived close to the entrance to Fleetwood's "Freeport". we turned left and headed towards the River Wyre. Before reaching the Wyre we had to cross a swing bridge as it crossed the entrance to the large marina flanked by the Freeport complex.

Once across the bridge we soon emerged onto an open area with a clear gravel track with the wide stretches of

the River Wyre running to our left.

As we no longer have a "Resident" botanist in our group we could not identify what this archway was supposed to represent.

This was not to be a long ride and it this point a decision had to be made. Do we plough on and have lunch at the cars or do we look for a suitable lunch spot along the way ? Lunch en route was the popular decision BUT ….. our ageing bodies do like to have at least a minimum of comfort as we dine.

As we crossed a small "Lagoon" no seats presented themselves and the group cycled onwards.

A short halt to reconsider our decision allowed us to glance back and a path off the left which we had passed seconds before looked promising.

A willing "Scout" was sent back to investigate and soon signalled for the others to follow. No seats but an abundance of seat sized rocks with the bonus of a wildlife spectacle to behold were on offer.

Our very own "Hard Rock Café" !

Does our leader look a little perplexed as he considers what to do next ?

And who is this ?

Lunch over we carry on our with our ride leaving behind " Fleetwood Marsh Nature Park" which your writer at least was unaware we had entered in in the first place.

Now on tarmacked roads, albeit very quiet ones, we pedalled along for perhaps half a mile before arriving at a set of traffic lights which allowed us to cross over both a main road and the tram track to Blackpool.

On the other side of the road we waited as a group of young children boarded a tractor and trailer for a tour of Farmer Parr's . The guide, come tractor driver, was an elderly, behatted, bearded gentlemen. "Look ! John's double." came several cries. … Couldn't see it myself !

As the excited group of youngsters squealed their way off down the road we followed behind and waved as they turned off across the fields.

Across another even busier road...….

Again another short distance along this side road before we took a right turn to pass close by Rossal School.

A final short stretch of vaguely rough track to a short steep rise up onto the promenade overlooking the grounds of the aforementioned school.

Back along the promenade now and we would arrive at the cars and so home, No, no, no. There is more to enjoy on this our first ride for sometime. If once, we get back to the cars, we continue beyond for a similar distance, a delightful café awaits.