Spoiling the ship for a ha’porth of tar: NCR55 again.

I have been generally pleased to see the work on National Cycle Route 55, especially the Bolton branch, which was upgraded a couple of years ago. (Notwithstanding the unfortunate stone chip surface that was added to the nice tarmac.) So, I was very pleased earlier this year to hear that the other (main) branch that goes towards Wigan has been upgraded from what could only be described as a mountain bike trail to a proper path. Last week I decided to go for a ride down to Worsley to have a look at it.

I imagine it was quite an expensive exercise to clear the way for a nice wide tarmac path:The parts that were finished earlier look even nicer as the vegetation has started to get established:It looks great, doesn’t it? It’s just so unfortunate that the surface is so utterly bad. Here is a short video showing a couple of parts of the route:

I am not riding a road bike with skinny tyres here; this bike is a hybrid with carbon forks and 700x32C tyres. It’s such a pity, after all that work has been done, presumably at significant cost, that the surface is so bad you really need suspension to ride it comfortably.

 

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2 Responses to Spoiling the ship for a ha’porth of tar: NCR55 again.

  1. Geoff Lester says:

    Tarmac! You have tarmac! Stuff of our dreams in Notts!

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