BURKEYS END 2 END : Day 10: The Long Long Road

Prestwich to Coalport: 87.66 miles

Time Spent Cycling: 7 hours 19 minutes

Average Speed: 11.9 mph

The longest day in terms of mileage was upon us though we felt kind of refreshed after seeing loved ones at the restaurant the night before. It almost felt as though it was day 1 all over again albeit a day 1 with stiff and sore legs, numb hands and saddle-sore backsides.

Unfortunately the day got off to a bad start when Ella complained her back wheel was rubbing on something. We stopped at Salford Quays to find her back wheel badly buckled and not only was it rubbing on her brakes but the tyre was rubbing on the mudguard. This wasn't good although we did make it rideable by fashioning a repair with a plastic cable tie. It'd have to do until we went past a bike shop. We negotiated the Stretford to Manchester rush-hour traffic and went along Talbot Road past the proper Old Trafford before cycling along the Bridgewater Canal towpath as far as Altrincham. We got lost for a few minutes in Hale but by ten o'clock we were having a brew in Tatton Park, 20 miles into the day's ride. It was boiling hot, the weather, and the brew, but the pleasant riding along Cheshire's plains did not cause us any pains. Infact it was glorious cýcling and Georgia broke out into song! A bizarre choice of songs from High School Musical filled the air but it was a great day to be on the road.

We reached Crewe without the need for any more breaks and progress was halted only for lunch which we took at a pub en-route to Nantwich. It was in Nantwich that all my maps blew out from my handlebar bag and ended up all over the road. Luckily we gathered them up between us without losing any though I'd spend the next few breaks getting them all back in the right order!

One such break was in the nice village of Audlem and latterly in Cheswardine where we realised the heat had taken its toll on us for the day. We had already put in 60 odd miles and it was a real struggle to leave that bench on such a hot day and cycle the remaining 20 miles. But on we went.

The Cheshire Plains had long since given way to yet more rolling countryside although the highlight of the afternoon was the badger we saw in broad daylight. He was a clever badger, feigning death when firstly a car approached and latterly when we did. It was only when Rob said 'Hello Mr Badger' that he feared he had been rumbled and he got up to make an escape through the hedgerow.

The town of Telford is 'Roundabout Central' and arguably the worst place we'd seen on our trip so far, except Stretford. It had to be negotiated though for the beautiful Ironbridge Gorge and our hostel in Coalport were, and still are, immediately below it on the map. Once through Telford the descent into the Gorge was a welcome end to a hot, long day on the End2End.