First bike adventure in the UK

With a sunny Saturday at home (and a rainy Sunday in the forecast), I decided that yesterday would be the perfect day to try out a bike ride. It had been quite a few months since I'd done a long bike ride and wanted to test out the routes around Liverpool.

The trip started out interestingly enough. I took the train across the River Mersey, all of which were delayed because of some issues on the other side of the river. So amidst much confusion I managed to get myself and my bike to Birkenhead. The start of the trail was about a mile and a half north of the train station, and the trail itself at the beginning was a really nice paved mixed use area. With gorgeous views of the river (better so coming back when you had the city of Liverpool to look at) it started off quite well.

The second part was quite a bit windy, and crowded as well, with a paved path not quite as nice as the first part :P after pushing through the winds I finally made a turn south along the road to Kirkby, enjoying a much-needed break from the gale-force winds and the busy crowds! That was a bout as far as I made it though, as I soon learned that the trail I was planning on taking was all muddy and unpaved...luckily I was already up to quite the amount of miles and was ready to head back home. Lesson learned: stick to the roads for biking!

The way back was amazing, with the wind at my back and not having to stop to check directions all the time :) I took a break by the Irish Sea and then had a proper break of an ale and bag of sea salt crisps before getting back on the train. First time I've been able to do that on a bike ride! Made it home in one piece (with no train confusion this time) and enjoyed an early dinner with Austin in the evening.

I really liked being able to take my bike on the train and to get somewhere new easily without having to drive there. Now that I know that there are some nice country roads to ride on I'll probably stick to those instead of the bike paths, but I did really like the first bit from yesterday along the Mersey River.

Today is a nice day to catch up on non-outdoor parts of life, with rain moving in this afternoon, so a good chance to enjoy some coffee and a book while letting my tired legs rest :P

Heading west (aka the windy part)

A break on the beach

A break (with beer!) on the pier

Liverpool from across the Mersey River. I love our skyline!