NP&SP Sunday26 May 2019

SANKEY VALLEY PARK TO SANKEY VALLEY PARK

What a wet morning, travelling the M62 the rain was belting down and the atmosphere felt colder. What a start for our first RSF ride after the Easter Meet and our holiday in Southern Ireland.

We were on our way to Sankey Park to meet up with our leader JK and riders. When we arrived it was to find a height barrier preventing us getting into the park in the van, we managed to park up without much difficulty on the road outside, not too far from the meeting point. Soon everyone started arriving flashing lights and waving a welcome, to us as they entered under the barrier.

Most of us setting off in waterproofs and heavy jackets, all except the Iron Men John Kemp and Grayham in shorts.

Meandering through the trees in the park on a good tarmac surface made it easy going, looking out for the lake we had to go around. Eric on his e-bike rode up a man-made hill and had a panoramic view of the lake and brook. Following the Sankey Brook through the woods, we found the bridge JK was looking for. The last time we travelled this route the towpath was a quagmire thick with mud. Someone had spent a lot of money putting Tarmacadam down.

Finding the Visitor Centre closed we took the short way to lunch at a pub on the A580.

The weather improving all the time, the sun which was getting hotter after lunch, soon had us taking jackets and waterproofs off. Crossing the A580 and following through, in a roundabout way, the built-up area Haresfinch and the outskirts of St Helens. We seemed to take a lot of left turns.

On towards Burtonwood, following the canal around Moss Nook to getting back to the Sankey Brook. We ended up on the Cromwell Road, with its many roundabouts which were a little hairy with its lots of autos. John's GPS seemed to have packed up after giving him grief all day and he was having to use back up from his old fashioned paper maps. At this point Big Alan decided to come to the rescue and a little further down the main road he found a snicket which leads us down into Sankey Valley Park, everyone feeling more comfortable in familiar scenery, passing the lake with its yellow water lilies just poking their heads through the water. As the weather had improved it had brought out a lot of folks who were enjoying the afternoon sunshine in the park.

Soon back to base and goodbyes for our journey home. What a good cycle ride, thank you once again, John, also everyone for their company.