Day 9 – Ellesmere to St Helens

What might have been one of the easiest cycling days so far turned into a mud bath. The day started and ended in the rain, stopping after the first forty miles, only to resume for the final ten.

There’s not much to enjoy about setting off on a bicycle into heavy rain, but all in all the day wasn’t too bad once we’d accepted the fact that we just had to keep on pedalling.

Our route took us through Malpas, Beeston and on to Runcorn. Not sure what we’d have done without the Sustran’s app on my iPhone as Runcorn wasn’t built with cyclists in mind. It was a struggle but we eventually found the cycle path over the Runcorn Bridge.

We decided to follow Trans Pennine Trail, then on to the Sankey Canal Trail. It was a mistake. The tow paths were muddy and waterlogged. Some parts were literally more puddle than path. Navigation was difficult and we made slow progress. Then on through some housing estates. A scary moment was when two people on a motocross bike, no helmets, just balaclavas, came straight towards us on the wrong side of the road, through a red light. Police, Camera, Action!

After 62 miles we arrived at the Premier Inn, St Helens caked in dirt. The place is lovely – friendly staff who have let us store dirty bikes in our spotless, purple-themed room – and just £29.