Hoverflies and bike ride

The weather over the last few days has been wonderful.

The other afternoon I sat in the garden for ages watching hoverflies and bees visiting the Michaelmas daisies and Cystus (I think the pink flowers are Cystus....) I set up the camera on the tripod, focused on a flower head and waited for something to land and then fired the remote control to take images every second.

This one was taken using the rapid fire burst option on the camera

Yesterday I went on a bike ride to Glasson Dock - what with it having been dry for a while, together with the wonderful blue skies I elected to go via the canal and come back the way I usually take via the river.

The path along the canal is not a designated cycle path and at times it felt a bit precarious. A narrow way has been worn by walkers, but trying to keep the bike wheels on it felt a bit like tightrope cycling.

The sun was glorious, though blinding at times, I was glad there were few people around, otherwise a dip in the canal would have been likely.

Trying to catch the sunbeams

It was a great day for reflections.

(For the record: total distance 14.14 miles; average speed 6.2 mph (lots of photography stops and bike pushing in the really dodgy bits; maximum speed 12.8 mph)

Bike ride to Morecambe

Distance: 9.68 miles
Average speed: 8.1 mph
Maximum speed: 13.8 mph

The wind has dropped and the temperature was bearable, so an outing to Morecambe via Lidls for some tulips.

Then along the promenade and coffee stop at Morrisons, a slight mistake with the caffeine  FREE coffee (oops).

Loads of birdlife around, I saw nuthatches for the first time on this route; there were blackbird and magpies aplenty, though none stayed still enough to get pictures.

Catkins are out as well as the ubiquitous gorse.

Back along the quay.

Building work is yet to start at this end of the quay.

First bike ride of 2015

Distance: 10.19 miles

Average speed: 7.8 mph

Maximum speed: 14 mph

It's been a while since trusty steed left the shed. Yesterday I braved the elements (cold but not windy) and set off for the first bike ride of the year. The cycle path was relatively free of walkers and dogs, so a good start.

The river was quite high and as I passed along I noticed a pheasant. Pheasants have a reputation of not being the brightest of birds and this one seemed to confirm that reputation: unless it had aspirations to be a duck.

There was lots of debris around, not sure whether the wind or human hand had placed it there.

I stopped off for a warming cup of tea to find the cafe full of "real" cyclists, all lycra clinging clad (in contrast, my multi layered look was more of the Nanook of the north sartorial elegance). I had a really interesting conversation with one of the guys I shared a table with. He told me he had cycled 38 miles averaging 18mph before stopping for a coffee break. I kept quiet about my need for a rest after a mere 6 miles, or the fact that I could only achieve speeds just entering two figures if I pushed the pedals rather than my usual freewheeling down any slight incline.

I rode onto Glasson Dock and watched seagulls skittering on the ice, but couldn't get a picture of any of them in action.

Cycle ride to Hest Bank along the canal

Distance: 14.39 miles
Average speed: 6.7 mph
Maximum speed: 15.7 mph

Today's outing took me along the canal to Hest Bank and then down into Morecambe and home to Lancaster.

Note to self .... check out cafe times for winter hours. The cafe I aimed for for morning snackette is closed on an autumn Wednesday.

I fixed the camera to the handlebars and set it to take pictures en route every minute on the way out, every thirty seconds on the way back. The following are a selection from the 100 or so pictures that were taken.

Leaving the house, cycling along the river and past the Millennium bridge.

Through the underpass and out onto the cycle path towards the aqueduct. The path up to the aqueduct has "gates" that need to be negotiated. I managed to cycle through all but the last two as my momentum flagged and pushing the bike seemed the easier option.

The canal bridges are quite a challenge; it's a case of bell ringing and hoping for the best that no-one else is coming from the opposite direction as the cobbles under the bridges make steering quite difficult.

Off the canal tow path and into Hest Bank, all primed up for a coffee and something to eat. I had to wait for three trains to pass through the crossing before reaching the CLOSED on Wednesday cafe. I explored a little further along the road and then turned back to go into Morecambe.

Along the promenade and then into Morrisons' for a coffee.

Back on the home run.

Over the Millennium bridge and homeward bound.

Back home, and ready for lunch.

Cycle ride to Glasson Dock

Distance: 14.35 miles
Overall average speed: 6.1 mph (second half was much harder going and so much slower, average speed for the out trip was 8.4 mph)
Top speed: 13.4 mph

I attached a camera to the handle bars and took time lapse -an image every 10 seconds. Quite a few of the images are blurred - this is down to the very bumpy terrain.

Outward journey - along the cycle path. Unfortunately I didn't notice that the camera wasn't doing its stuff until I was halfway there.

Arriving at Glasson I enjoyed watching the world go by as I drank tea from my newly bought flask.

Every other time I have done this bike ride I have ridden back along the same route.

Today I decided to try routes new and cycle along the canal. This is more of a footpath than a cycle path and very narrow in parts. Thankfully it was not windy so there was slightly less chance of falling into the canal. Negotiating going under the bridges is particularly arduous.

Cycle ride to Halton and Claugton

Distance 14.29 miles

Average speed 8.7 mph

Maximum speed 17.9 mph (not achieved by pedalling, but by freewheeling down a hill)

Out on trusty steed

I decided to make the most of the blue skies and headed off in the direction of Claughton, stopping off at Woodies at the Crook o' Lune for a mug of tea and a spicy bean burger.

Total distance 13.53 miles
Average speed 7.6 mph
Top speed 13.1 mph