DISTANCE 112 miles (180km)

MAIN CLIMBThe one-in-three slopes of Hardknott Pass

TOTAL CLIMB3,800m

ACHTUNG!Very steep, winding descent off Hardknott

The Fred Whitton is something of a classic in the sportive calendar. Now in its ninth year, it follows a challenging route around the Lake District, taking in all of the major mountain passes. Entries this year were extended to 1,000 riders, and with fine weather in the week leading up to the event, and on the day itself, the turnout was good, with over 800 riders completing the course.

The start is open from 6am to 9am, with riders unfamiliar with the route encouraged to start early to avoid missing the cut-off point at the first feed station in Buttermere at 12 o’clock.

Having completed the course last year for the first time, I was keen to return this year to repeat the experience, hopefully shedding some time from my previous result in the process. I opted to start at 7am to avoid getting up too early, but also to avoid any congestion on the route later in the afternoon.

The forecast was for hot humid conditions so the cooler morning air would also be an advantage. The disadvantage of this strategy was that there would be fewer riders on the road to work with in a group.

I was keen to start steady but strong and passed a number of groups and riders up the shortish climb of Hawkshead Hill and on the way to the Kirkstone Pass. The early morning mist was still sitting in the valleys and I was still feeling fresh enough to admire the spectacular scenery.

About halfway up the Kirkstone Pass, a flash Pinarello came past and I decided to hook on to the wheel. The pace was a bit too quick, especially when plummeting down the north side of the pass, so some familiarity with the route proved useful. However, I was keen to stay on this chap’s wheel so we could work together on the flatter sections along the edge of Ullswater and was glad to be on my race bike so that I could squeeze out a few extra mph.

Up Matterdale I was struggling, but he said I could hold on to his wheel, which I did. This meant that we could work together all the way through Kendal along Derwent to the foot of Honister Pass. Here I was really feeling the speed and miles in my legs and did not want to cook myself too early on the route. He gently slipped away up the climb and I adopted a less searing pace.

The summit of Honister Pass is quite a bleak location; even on a sunny day the grey rock and scree form an imposing backdrop. Dropping down from the summit on the winding road over the narrow stone bridge, I headed to the first food stop and time-check at Buttermere.

I filled the bottles and loaded up with food from the great selection of hearty fare available: malt loaf, ham rolls, bananas, fruit bars, etc. Sadly there was no time to relax today — Newlands Pass was calling.

Animal crackers

Setting off up Newlands I encountered a herd of cows being reluctantly shepherded up the pass by a farmer on his tractor, with a sheep dog energetically keeping them under control. I bid a friendly hello and passed them, keeping to the road’s edge.

The route after Newlands leads almost straight up Winlatter — this is a much greener climb through some thick pine forests and not so brutally steep. By this time of the day the supporters were really out in force, taking advantage of the peaceful shaded areas to have picnics and watch the riders sweat their way up the climb.

From here on the route heads into the surrounding hills of the Lakes, round the back of Lowswater, Ennerdale and over Cold Fell to the second food stop at Calder Bridge. The signage is clear for the whole route and the addition of marshals at the key junctions makes it even better. I found myself riding solo for this whole section, trying to recover from the early high pace. It was very tranquil with few other riders or cars on the roads, but now I had empty bottles and required a second refuelling. Again there was a welcome selection of refreshments. Not being able to stomach sandwiches, I availed myself of a banana and a fruit bar.

If you know the route, then from here on in there is really only one thing on your mind: Hardknott Pass. You get a few glimpses of the hills that this road is stuck to from about five miles away, and I made a serious attempt to ease off the pace and get some energy bars, drink and gels down my neck. At about 95 miles into the route there is a sustained climb rising over 300m in little over a mile. It starts with sections of one-in-three and then one-in-four the minute you pass over the little bridge at the foot of the climb. It’s winding and unforgiving until you reach the old Roman fort where things ease back a little — this is your recovery section, and I went slowly to save my strength.

Some riders use a standard 39x25, but unless you are super strong, a compact or even a triple is your best bet to get up without pushing; my 34x26 did the job.

Pain relief

As you reach the top section, spectators sit on the boulders strewn by the roadside looking down on you, shouting encouragement, applauding. I was determined not to walk. Then the crux of the route, a straight one-in-three section with no hairpins to zig-zag around. You cannot stay in the saddle without fighting to keep the front wheel on the ground; you are literally forced to stand and pull on the handlebars.

Finally it’s over. Well, for about a minute.

And before you know it, you are thrown over the edge on the most technical descent of the whole route, even steeper than the ascent but with a series of short, sharp hairpins. The inside line is so steep the tarmac is scored with past wounds caused by cars attempting this road. In many parts it seems that even the tarmac is having difficulty holding on, with some large corrugated sections, which makes braking a very delicate game as the rear wheel locks and releases.

Soon it’s finished, and as you pass over the bridge at the head of the Duddon Valley you have a couple of minutes to relax as you approach the looming Wrynose Pass. Although steep it is not as sustained as Hardknott and you know it is the last serious climb of the day. The descent is steep and long but much straighter, with good views of the road ahead. It’s a game of how tight can you hold on over the uneven surface before your nerves get the better of you and you reach for the brakes.

From here on the route is straightforward with pleasant undulating lanes before climbing up to the top of the Coniston Valley. Then it’s just a case of head down and head for home. There was quite a crowd at the finish and the applause felt well earned, it was certainly very good to end. The pain of the day quickly sunk away and a grin glued itself to my face — I had taken nearly an hour off my time from the previous year.

The dry, warm conditions this year helped to see a number of really quick times, with five riders coming home in under six hours. The quickest time of the day and in the event’s history went jointly to James Dobbin and Robert Jebb, who finished in an incredible five hours 40 minutes.

The route is an undoubted classic and the organisation is excellent. There’s a real feeling of community involvement every time you stop at the food stations, or get cheered on by the supporters along the way. Clearly there are good reasons why this event fills up so quickly!

WANT TO RIDE IT?

If you fancy riding the Fred Whitton Challenge, keep an eye on the event’s website, at www.fredwhittonchallenge.org.uk. It features all the salient details including route map and ride results.

DISTANCE 61 miles (98km)

MAIN CLIMBDeepdale

TOTAL CLIMB1,200 metres

ACHTUNG!Take care crossing the A65

Premier Calendar leader Russell Downing doesn’t scatter compliments about. He’s clocked up a lot of battle hours and seen a lot of good riders, but he says that Matt Cronshaw and his young Kinesis team were the revelations of the recent Girvan race.

Third and fifth place on two of the toughest stages brought Cronshaw 14th place overall and singled him out as one of the most promising young road riders in the country.

For many, though, Cronshaw only underlined at the Girvan what they already knew. Third place in last year’s Elite National Circuit Race Championships, for a rider who but for a couple of days would have been a junior in 2007, already marked him out as someone to watch. A number of teams had him in their sights at the end of the year, but there is no doubt in 19-year-old Cronshaw’s mind that he’s in the right one now.

“At Kinesis, we don’t have a leader like a Dean or a Russell Downing, which I think is good for a young rider like me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to learn how to work for someone else when it’s time to do that in your career, but Chris Truett, the team manager, is teaching us all to win. I think that is what a young rider should try to learn first before settling down to work for others,” he says.

Unsung hero

Truett is one of the unsung heroes of British road racing. Kinesis have developed a lot of good riders over the last couple of years, only to have them snapped up by bigger teams.

It’s frustrating for Truett, but the riders he’s worked with realise the good he’s done them.

“We really respect Chris. He manages the team while running his own company, and people don’t realise how much of his own money he puts into it. He’s also brought a good atmosphere to the team. We all go into races as joint leaders, then we work for whoever is going best. We were really pleased to get second place team at the Girvan, ahead of teams like Pinarello and PCA,” Cronshaw says.

Today’s ride features regularly in Cronshaw’s training, but he admits he’s spoilt for choice.

“I’ve got the Trough of Bowland to the south, sometimes I go into the Lakes, and then there are rides like this into the Dales. I love racing, the unpredictability of it. I love not knowing what’s coming up next. But I also love getting away from everything in training too. I enjoy being outside with my own thoughts.”

Cronshaw explains he got into cycling “by being given a frame by one of my dad’s mates. I built it up, had a go at the local hill climbs and joined the Lune RCC. Dad didn’t do bike racing, but he rides his bike a lot now and he was a very good runner. He’s done two hours 40 for a marathon, and my sister was an England fell runner,” he says proudly.

The route skirts the Lune Valley as it goes through Kirkby Lonsdale and over the climb that was on the stage to Kendal in last year’s Tour of Britain.

Cronshaw gets another reminder of his first cycling club in Dent, when we meet a cheery group of cycling ‘seniors’ from the Lancaster CTC. Among them is Ron Atkinson, a Lune RCC member, who regales us with his experiences on these northern roads when he raced on them in the 1956 Circuit of Britain, a predecessor of our national tour.

It’s a nice moment — the meeting of a seventy-something and a teenager who have a

common bond and an understanding of exactly what each other is about. Bikes change, races change, training changes, but pain, dedication and effort are always the same. Atkinson and his pals wish Cronshaw a cheery goodbye as he rattles over the cobblestones in the centre of Dent while they, showing the wisdom of their years, head into a pub.

Classic future

Cronshaw looks good riding over the rough surface, and cobbles feature large in his future plans.

“I suppose the Tour de France is the ultimate thing, but I like the Classics like Milan-San Remo and especially Paris-Roubaix. Riding those is where I’d like to see myself in a few years,” he says.

“I know I’ll have to live abroad to do that. Ben Greenwood lives close to me and he’s told me I should race abroad as soon as I can, because one big win there can get you a pro contract. Ben has been a big influence on me. If I hadn’t known him I wouldn’t have thought it realistic to become a pro rider.”

Out of Dent comes the climb of Deepdale, alongside the slopes of Whernside, famous for being part of the Three Peaks cyclo-cross. Then it’s the descent of Kingsdale, the Greta Valley, and across the Lune again to return to Carnforth.

Cronshaw is pleased that he’s back early enough to put some time into his day job at a local school. “It’s a good one for me. It’s interesting but not tiring so I can concentrate on training,” he tells me before we say goodbye.

It’s a comment typical of this thoughtful and determined rider. He’s not looking for a free ride anywhere, but he is determined to see how far he can go in cycling.

He could well be a thorn in the side of the Downings and co before this year is out. And who knows, we could see him battling through the Forest of Arenberg rather than the Forest of Bowland before too long.

PREMIER TRAINING SECRETS

“I work four days a week, so in the winter I build my training around the three days I have off — Friday, Saturday and Sunday — doing long rides. The rest of the time I ride to work, about 10 miles, then do longer rides back. It’s been a cold, wet winter up north, but it hasn’t put me off,” says Cronshaw, summing up the groundwork he’s put in for the 2008 racing season.

Once racing starts, his training changes: “It depends on my goals. I change my Friday off to a midweek day, so I can get a long ride in between races. The rest of the time I do some quicker stuff. If I’ve got one and a half hours to train, I just go and do as many hills as I can.

“Once a week my dad forces me onto the turbo trainer. I do 2x20mins at my threshold heart rate, about 185 beats per minute. I can feel the lactic acid building all through each one, but they teach me to ride through it.

“I probably never make a 20-minute effort like that in a race, but it’s knowing I can do it that’s important.”

YOUR GUIDE: MATT CRONSHAW

* Age 19, single but with a girlfriend studying at Chester University. Lives in Carnforth, Lancashire

* Works as a classroom assistant in a local school. Would like to work in product design after he’s seen how far he can go as a cyclist

* Only in his third full year of racing, has won a stage in the junior Tour of Wales as well as taking the national elite circuit race bronze medal

* Says his ambition this year is to win the British under-23 road title

WHICH WAY?

From Carnforth take the unclassified road that heads north-east and under the M6 to Berwick. Turn right (TR) to Green Bank and turn left (TL) on unclassified and follow signs to Burton-in-Kendal. TR on A6070 and 1st TR on unclassified to Hutton Roof towards Kirkby Lonsdale. TR on A65 and TL in Kirkby Lonsdale on B6254. TR after Old Hutton on unclassified.

TR on A684 to Sedbergh. TR in Sedbergh on unclassified to Dent and continue over Deepdale to cross the A65 at Westhouse. TR on A687 in Burton-in-Lonsdale. TL on A683 to Hornby and TR on unclassified. TL on B6254 and back to Carnforth.

DISTANCE 37.7 miles (60km)

MAIN CLIMBSnaefell, a six-mile ascent coming after 23 miles.

TOTAL CLIMB422 metres

ACHTUNG!Don’t ride this route from the end of May to the beginning of June, or in late August. This is when thousands of motorcyclists descend on the Isle of Man for the TT and Manx Grand Prix.

How can the Isle of Man, with a population of just 80,000, produce so many world-class riders? That’s a question many in the sport are asking after the successes of Mark Cavendish, Jonny Bellis and Peter Kennaugh. These three have led the way and are all members of the Great Britain team.

Providing three out of around 20 endurance riders in the team is roughly equivalent to the Island seeing three Manx footballers in England’s World Cup squad.

It’s even more remarkable when you consider that the GB cycling team, unlike England’s footballers, also happens to be the best in the world.

With Cavendish and his two Manx Road Club team-mates regularly winning titles at the highest level, they have become familiar names far beyond the shores of Ellan Vannin. And there are many more talented youngsters ready to follow in their wheel tracks. So, what is it about the Isle of Man that gives these riders the freedom to flourish?

Lap of the land

I followed British junior road race champion Peter Kennaugh (pronounced Ken-yuk) for a training ride around the island’s famous TT motorcycle course. With him were four of the island’s British Cycling Talent Team members: Mark Christian, Chris Whorrall, Chris Nicholson and Tim Kennaugh (Pete’s younger brother), along with national coach and former pro rider Mike Doyle.

It was a chance to try and find out the secrets of Manx success, although, as we head out from the TT Grandstand, it soon emerges that there is no magic involved. But there is a combination of factors which makes the island unique in cycling terms.

Firstly, it’s a great place to train because the roads are relatively quiet and the scenery is stunning. But with hardly a flat road on island, it is also tough. Cavendish reckons that a five-hour training ride here is worth six hours anywhere in the UK.

As we head out of Douglas, the island’s capital, we are soon on quiet roads heading west towards the hills of Cronk-y-Voddy where we pass a bench dedicated to the memory of Manx rider Pete Buckley. Buckley won the Commonwealth Games road race in 1966 but died in a cycling accident aged just 25.

Over the years the Isle of Man has produced many good riders, including Buckley and Steve ‘Pocket Rocket’ Joughin — twice the British road race champion. And for years the island hosted its International Cycling Week, which attracted the top names in the sport — Robert Millar won his only professional national road race title here in 1995.

Cycling roots

All this has means the sport has a profile on the island which would be the envy of anyone in the UK. Local newspapers regularly feature several pages of cycling reports, and when Mark Cavendish made his Tour de France debut it was front page and back page news.

Another factor is the work of the government-funded Isle of Man Institute of Sport, helps elite competitors in a range of sports, with cyclists at the forefront due to the wealth of talent that has emerged in recent years.

“The support we get from the Institute of Sport is dead important,” says Peter Kennaugh, “you build up a relationship with people at the Institute and they get to know your history.”

Riders as young as 12 or 13 can get access to physiotherapists, fitness coaches, nutritionists and even a sports psychologist. All these services are on the island, so riders are never more than an hour away from getting the help they need.

When we reach Ramsey, 23 miles into the 37.7-mile TT course, the riders stop at a cafe to discuss other factors which they feel make the island an ideal place for cyclists to develop. The island’s Scottish Provident road race league, which attracts up to 400 youngsters and is an ideal environment in which to learn how to race, is how most of the group got into the sport.

Having a small but talented group to train with is, as Mark Christian points out, another bonus about island life. “There’s always a group out every morning whereas loads of riders I know back across [in the UK] have to go out and do four hours on their own,” he says. And doing the local Sunday morning road race league here can mean lining up alongside Cavendish, who has taken part in a couple of races this season to supplement his training while back on the island.

Mountain pass

After the cafe stop it’s off up the six-mile climb of Snaefell Mountain. Over the top and down towards the Creg-Ny-Baa pub where Chris Boardman exceeded 60mph on his way to setting the Mountain Time Trial record of 1hr 23m 54secs in 1993.

From here it’s a short ride back to the TT Grandstand and the end of the ride. For national coach Mike Doyle, who rode for the ANC-Interent, Moducel and PMS-Falcon pro teams in the 80s, the main emphasis is on enjoyment. “We always remind the riders of the dos and don’ts,” says Doyle, “Do your best, and don’t climb off. But for young riders the main thing is for them to enjoy their cycling.

“Those who have the desire and the ability to progress further find that the sport here has a structure which will enable them to reach their full potential.”

Doyle has helped to set up a development programme which aims to create more strength in depth for Team Isle of Man, with a big focus on the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The Isle of Man is a unique place with a unique set of circumstances which have made it an ideal breeding ground for cycling champions. But even if you have all these factors in your favour you still need something else to produce champions. At the end of the day, no matter what support is given to a talented rider it is up to the individual to get out and train and dedicate themselves to fulfilling their potential.

In the 10 months I have lived on the island, one thing I have noticed more than anything else is how often you see these young riders out training. OK, the Isle of Man is a small place, but even so, I have lost count of the number of times I’ve been driving into work in the morning and seen Peter Kennaugh piling up the miles. In the winter, when it was raining so hard it was bouncing off the road, he was out there. That’s what it took for him to become a junior world champion on the track last year.

YOUR GUIDE: PETER KENNAUGH

* Aged 18, lives with parents Jackie and Peter in Douglas

* Best result: 2006 World Junior Scratch Race Champion; UIV champion (with Adam Blythe), Ghent Six 2007

* Moving to Manchester in November

* Fave films are The Three Hundred and Gladiator

* Listens to dance music

WHICH WAY?

Start at the TT Grandstand on Glencrutchery Road in Douglas. Head south down Bray Hill and follow the orange TT signposts which mark out the TT’s Snaefell Mountain Course. At bottom of Bray Hill turn right (TR) at Quarter Bridge onto the A1 towards Peel. After eight miles TR at the Ballacraine crossroads and head north along the A3 through Cronk-y-Voddy, Kirk Michael and over the humpback bridge at Ballaugh.

Stay on the A3 through Sulby and on to Ramsey. TR in Ramsey, follow the orange TT signs along the A18 and up the six-mile climb of Snaefell. Down the descent past the Creg-Ny-Baa pub towards Douglas.

TR at Signpost Corner, and on through a narrow downhill section. TR at roundabout at Governor’s Bridge and back to the TT Grandstand.

YOUR GUIDE: Tony Bell

DISTANCE: 43 miles (70km)

MAIN CLIMB: Victoria Drive

TOTAL CLIMB: 300m

ACHTUNG!: A bit of an urban odyssey in places, so watch the traffic. Oh, and watch out for Tony Bell too.

In Liverpool they’re still living the dream. The city that is the birthplace of the Beatles, and a whole music and cultural revolution, has never quite got over it. There’s an artistic pride in the place, a feeling that everybody is part of something special, and in 2008 Liverpool will be the European capital of culture. But on the other side of the Mersey, in the land of the ‘plastic Scousers’, as they call them in Liverpool, they’ve not been slow in producing celebrities either.

Glenda Jackson, Cynthia Lennon, Daniel Craig, Elvis Costello, Freddie Starr, Lily Savage, Chris Boardman and Ian Botham are all from the Wirral. And so is our very own wit and raconteur, the man responsible for bringing you the lighter side of cycling in the back pages of this magazine, the Bard of Birkenhead himself, Tony Bell.

First, though, a shock. We’re all familiar with Tony’s off-beat ‘look what’s happened to me now’ way of seeing the world with characters like Bobby Clamp, Bell’s support of lost cycling causes, and with his own colourful past, but Tony Bell the serious journalist? You better believe it.

In his day job, Bell has fearlessly reported on race riots, dug into gangland contracts, drugs wars and environmental and social issues in and around Merseyside for broadsheets like the Independent and Observer, as well as working on features for local papers that have seen him, among other things, take the other side of the mike to see what it’s like to be a stand-up comic.

But that’s his serious side, and although it’s a timely reminder that he has one, it’s not what we’d come for. We wanted Tony to show us the Wirral by bike, and tell us a bit about the cycling career that he says he has “made a living out of re telling how crap I was”.

He should know the area well, as it was homesickness for it that stopped his cycling career from going any further than it did. “I’d got a place in a club in Paris and I went there in early January 1980, but I was back home by the 20th. I missed my girlfriend, that was my first ex-wife,” he explains dryly, and adds, “It’s a funny old place, but I suppose that’s why I like it.”

The Wirral sticks out between two rivers, the Mersey and the Dee, giving it an island feel. It’s an interesting place, a mix of industry and open country, wealth and hard times and fortunes that have been made and lost. It’s got a fair slice of cycling history, too.

SUSTRANS USER

We set off in New Brighton, from one of the many car parks that gives access to a stretch of the Sustrans cycle route. “New Brighton was created by local businessmen to rival Blackpool, they even built a bigger tower than Blackpool’s,” Bell explains. “There was a time when business boomed, but it didn’t last and they had to pull the tower down.

“There was also a bike track, where they held the World Championships in 1922. The amateur sprint was won by a Brit, Tiny Johnson, who won a three-up final by attacking from the gun.”

New Brighton seafront is a dual-carriageway with handily placed roundabouts that make it a perfect criterium circuit. Bell had his last victory here: “It is also where Tom Simpson rode his last race in Britain. Although those two things didn’t happen on the same day,” Bell stresses.

The Sustrans route heads south past some impressive dunes, and around the back of Wallasey, but here Bell leaves the track and joins the A563 to ride through Hoylake, home of another cycling legend, Chris Boardman. Then it’s past the Marine Lake in West Kirby and up a beautiful hairpin climb that Bell says even locals don’t know about. The views out over the wide Dee estuary and towards the hills of North Wales are more Mediterranean than Merseyside.

A bridleway links the route with the road again and Bell forges on through Heswall, down past Parkgate and Neston before joining the busy A540 to Two Mills and one of the real jewels in the ride, the Eureka Cafe.

RETRO HEAVEN

It’s like stepping back in time. A row of bikes bristle outside. “Nothing like what you get at weekends, and even that is nothing like what there was in the 70s and before,” says Bell, showing us the black and white evidence that decorates the walls inside.

How many cafes have a Dauphiné Libéré leader’s yellow jersey on the wall? It’s courtesy of another cafe regular, Chris Boardman, and among the banter of 20 or so Wednesday afternoon customers is Chris’s father, Keith, and current local hero Steve Cummings, fresh from his Commonwealth triumphs. It was Steve’s lucky day, as he was about to benefit from a bit of advice from Tony. We didn’t hear what was said, but it certainly gave Cummings a good laugh.

Cheesy beans on toast, a bacon bin-lid and plenty of strong tea, and we are on the road again, across to Ledsham, skirting Ellesmere Port, past the ducks swimming noisily on Raby Hall lake, and on to Bebington, where ex-TI Raleigh rider and time trialling legend Dave Lloyd had his bike shop.

After Bebington the ride goes through built-up areas, as it filters through Tranmere and on to Birkenhead, not only the family home to the Bell clan, but also the birthplace of the doyen of cycling commentators, Phil Liggett.

HARD TIMES

Birkenhead is like a once elegant lady who’s fallen on hard times — there’s still a proud beauty about her Edwardian centre, but the ghost of thwarted ambition hangs in the air, and the scars of urban neglect are never far away.

“Birkenhead thrived once because of shipbuilding. It was the first place anywhere to have trams, and the square looks strange because they built it, then laid the streets out in a grid pattern, expecting to build more in the same style around it,” Bell explains. “But the shipbuilding died, the money dried up and the heart fell out of the place. After that they let anyone build anything.”

We pick up the Sustrans route again at the famous ‘Ferry Across the Mersey’ terminal, but stop for a quick look across the river at the Liver Building and the unforgettable Liverpool skyline.

The route runs alongside the Mersey, past Perch Rock, a Napoleonic fort built at the river’s mouth to defend the area. Left at the top and it’s back to the car park in New Brighton.

With Liverpool still in sight behind us, I ask Bell if the ‘plastic Scouser’ tag indicates that Liverpudlians look down at their cousins across the Mersey. “Yeah, but the funny thing is that they can’t wait to get out and come here. The first thing anyone from Liverpool does when they make a go of something is buy a house over here,” he says.

WHICH WAY?

From New Brighton follow Sustrans route south-west until A551. Turn right (TR) to Moreton. TR r-about A553 to Meols. TR in Meols and turn left (TL) along seafront. Join A540 after Hoylake. TR at West Kirby leisure centre and join B5141 after Marine Lake.

TL Caldy onto Victoria Drive. TR bridleway on drive to rejoin B5140. TR r-bout A540. TR B5134 to Parkgate and Neston. TR on A540 to Two Mills (Eureka Cafe on right just after traffic lights). TL on unclassified to Ledsham and follow signs to Willaston.

TR on B5133 and TL on unclassified. TR on B5151 to Bromborough and Bebington. Carry on through Higher Bebington to Birkenhead town centre. TL on A5139 across the docks and follow the signs to the ferry terminal, where the Sustrans route will take you back to New Brighton.

TONY BELL: THE FACTS

* A freelance journalist living in Chester

* Once managed a sex shop

* Held the mountains and points jerseys in the Mi-Aout Bretagne

* Holds a degree in politics

* Has his own website: www.tony-bell.co.uk.

(This article originally appeared in the April 20, 2006, issue of CW)