Rain splattered my hotel window as I woke up. Happily several apps reported it was due to clear in a couple of hours. It was a very comfortable bed, so I gave myself another hour.
I binned everything I wouldn’t be using again and packed a little lighter for my final day. Then set off into town in the sunshine. I got a replacement bar end mirror from the wonderful chaps at Southport Cycles on Shakespeare St and directions to somewhere to get sunglasses to replace the ones I dropped yesterday.
I left Southport along it’s impressively busy main street. It looked like a thriving seaside town with some class about it. It’s war memorial is something to see. A huge obelisk flanked by two impressive colonnades that hold the names of the fallen. All in the brightest of white Portland stone. The inscription on the obelisk reads “Look upward standing mute salute”. It is so grand, I think it has to be a national memorial of some kind, a placque corrected me. It was funded entirely by local fundraising.
Back on the seafront cycleway, I could see Blackpool in the distance. The unmistakable curve of the big one rollercoaster at the Pleasure Beach and the point of the tower 10 miles away across the Ribble Estuary. It’s more than four times as far by road.
At Crossens the cycleway ran out and I was back on the roads. I followed Marsh Road and Shore Road out to Hesketh Bank, motoring along a lovely flat road pedalling easy with a generous wind assist. Between Hesketh Bank and Tartleton I got a free lesson in the road position a driver expected me to hold with a punishment pass aimed at forcing me towards the kerb. I demonstrated my discontentment with some expansive gestures and a stream of involuntary expletives. Just along the road I passed a steam roller and trailer was making its way sedately along the road.
Riding on the A59 to Much Hoole wasn’t pleasant. When the road was wide and traffic had plenty of room to pass, there was a cycle lane. When it was narrower, there was no cycle lane. I turned off at Walmer Bridge to follow roads closest to the coast.
At Hutton where I joined the A59 again, there was a proper cycleway. I followed that through Penwortham and all the way into Preston, including experiencing a brilliant car/bike/pedestrian interchange, one of the best pieces of cycling infrastructure I’d encountered on the tour.
Say what you like about Preston, I’ll say nothing but good things. The city really impressed me while I was looking round. I found a lovely cafe for lunch and sat outside enjoying some people watching and route planning in the sunshine.
Back through the impressive interchange and on along the north bank of the Ribble through one of the most idiotic pieces of cycling infrastructure I’d encountered on the tour, kissing gates, at Preston Dock swing bridge. Loved the bridge, naturally.
The next few miles, I got something wrong. I was on the A583 and promised a cycle lane. It was there sometimes and not others. I’m sure I’d followed the cycle route signs. The traffic was uncomfortably fast, so I rerouted to some lovely country lanes up into Kirkham.
Signs to Lytham St Anne’s meant I was nearly done. I stopped to admire the windmill on St Anne’s seafront and met a cyclist with a lot of bags on their bike. I assumed she was touring, I was wrong. She is training for the self-supported LEL or London-Edinburgh-London a 950-mile ride in August that riders have just over five days to complete. It was lovely finding out about her training rides and she inspired me, I’m happy to confirm I am seriously considering… volunteering to support the riders.
I had a lovely ride along St Anne’s promenade. I’d assumed I’d be able to ride along the seafront all the way into Blackpool, the cycle route moved onto the promenade road out of town and past the dunes the tram tracks and a sun-bleached sign welcomed me to Blackpool.
The sun was out and the tide was in as I pedalled up Blackpool promenade. I stopped at the Mirrorball to take a picture and got back on the bike for the final stint.
I was struggling to believe I’d actually completed the adventure I’d planned and thought about for so long. I was elated. I arrived back at Blackpool Tower 27 days, 7 hours and 1,432 miles after I left. Shortly afterwards, I was asleep.
Day totals: 48 miles, 670ft of elevation gain
Tour totals: 1,432 miles, 58,388ft of elevation gain