Leeds Liverpool Canal 17-6-25

Don’t do the cycle route without watching this video.
A detailed video and review of the route from Liverpool to Leeds on the norths longest canal.
I know this is subjective and I have ridden some gnarly routes but is this appropriate as a cycling route regardless of the bike you use?
You decide and tell me in the comments.

[Music] of June it’s just gone 540 and here I am off to Murfield train station to get my train to Liverpool for the Liverpool to leads 130 mileer let’s hope we don’t fail at the first hurdle and not get the train let’s go and spin that just at Murfield and already gosh the heavier bike makes a difference the 47 mil tires loving them it’s cushing everything but even the small inclines the little 4enters you do feel them good job it’s canals just up there and we do have a reserved bike slot so this one apparently doesn’t stop here so that won’t be mine but ready to go 130 mi um wanted to do it for a while um can’t say I’m ready for it but as ready as I can be and uh wa yeah live next stop hopefully Huddersfield one change then Liverpool Lime Street uh only thing I’m really too concerned about is uh whether I’m going to have to strap the uh the bike down or not or whether the lock I have brought some rubber strapping uh to strap it down as long as it gets there safely should be good next update hopefully once I’m on the Huddersfield train Huddersfield Wasn’t that wasn’t that complicated but equally not that convenient but we’re on so you’ve got them four seats that just collapse um and then you’ve got this kind of strapping like a seat belt to strap your uh bike lift doesn’t work so carry your bike but otherwise quite straightforward so far there you go lift out of order yeah waiting at Huddersfield uh can’t say overly impressed lifts don’t work so you have to carry your bike god knows what you’re supposed to do if you’re in a wheelchair um but yeah finally at platform one um got to say though the staff are amazing staff are dot around everywhere ready to help and uh they’ve directed me from platform to platform but yeah so far so good i think just uh this one and then no more stop once the bike’s in it’s in overly impressed with the uh bikes on trains thing so I don’t think it’s the train people’s fault it’s just that they require a reservation and a lot of people don’t reserve but they still whack the bikes on anyway so yeah it’s frustrating but either way so I think this gentleman’s going to come off on the next one i’m going to see if I can get mine sorted take anything more than a 30 so I’ve got 47s and there’s not enough room to get your 47 round look this is this is our route here Dbury i think we had uh Murfield which is where I got on i think it’s the dark blue one manchester Victoria was the first stop and then Liverpool Lime Street was somewhere here and we’ve just been told that the signaling system has lost power and we just got to sit tight just five minutes short of the destination which is a shame let’s see how long this takes delayed about 20 minutes but not bad signal problem not 2 minutes short of the uh of the station so we’re here now let’s get started off we go le Liverpool Canal this is the beginning and already I can see these bushes and foliage is going to be a major issue look at that i’m crouched all the way down still clipping my helmet and the bridges I think is going to be the second issue but anyway here we go it’s uh started at 8:40 there was a delay on the train signal issues but hopefully we’re on track observation at the 7 mile mark um obvious about the trail everybody knows about it’s very rough so don’t do it on a road bike even a gravel at 30s you’d be kind of uncomfortable i’m running 47s and I’m loving that decision other than that it’s all the bees bell make sure you have one cuz there’s too many people going the same way as you and they don’t see you often they’ve got their headphones in bridges are a nuisance um very very narrow when you have to go under them and uh a bit of a nuisance when you have to cross them when the path goes from this side to that side and the third one bushes and branches uh definitely wear glasses even if it’s not a sunny day wear clear lenses cuz these I mean right now it’s clear in front of you but I have really had to duck out for long periods where literally I’ve been in the arrow position just to avoid getting my head bashed by big branches and bushes and thorns so protect your eyes bless things you have or else you won’t even have them i was complaining about that trail i don’t even have a trail now just a tour path so definitely either MTB or gravel with high volume tires i mean this thing’s just flying over these it’s like a cushion but still if I was on my road bike I’d be a bit of bother never mind a wide handled uh MTB i couldn’t even get that through anyway suppose it’s there for a good reason you don’t want motorbikes cute little bridges like this make it tricky feel like you’re going to bra your head against the underside of it but anyway off we go again right 1 hour in and 13 miles in and we’re at the pretty little town called I think it’s Mul i think that’s how you pronounce it but very very pretty looks lovely you got a cracking little cricket pitch to the right there some very smart houses looks very nice i did schedule a little break but uh I think I’ll just crack on feeling quite fresh so I think I’ll make the best of it and crack on it’s smelling humble can you see the path cuz I’m struggling i can see how people totally advise against this being appropriate for anything other than MTVs it’s not so bad actually with these 47s that I’m running even on this surface maintaining about 13 14 m an hour until you get to these bridges that are low scary and usually have this big bump uneven surface so yeah I’m taking no risks right i see why you can’t see the path cuz these guys are streamming and obviously the cutings have all ended up on the path oh God yeah lord save you if you’ve got air fever thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] i’m not on the right route now i mean I’m millimeters from the water and there’s hardly anywhere to pass right big boulders sticking out so let’s hope I am on the right route how is this a cycling route how could you possibly do this even on a gravel let’s hope it gets better than this for myself miles 13 1/2 to 16 1/2 death trap honestly how that can be classed as any kind of cycle route I have no idea about 6 in of track to cycle on about 8 in to the right straight in the canal half an inch to the left bramles mile 13 to about 18 has been a nightmare i had sections where there literally is no path you just make your own path and if it’s like this when it’s dry I wonder what it’s like when it’s been raining anyhoo onwards won’t you feel like you need a machete to get through some of this on fire this shim about the track but I think I’ve got the right wheels for it so we’re all right we won’t complain but wow blessed with the weather blessed with a decent room haven’t had one of these bridges in a while and guess what a bit of elevation let’s get out the saddle if only for about 10 seconds imagine trying to do this on a road bike 27 mi in that way hopefully the track gets a bit better from my goof for the next 10 miles absolute death trap very dangerous but uh looks like it’s opened up and it should be a bit better let’s go right 30 mi in look at that see if we can get a some views not much to look at you’re on a canal i mean come on you’re going to be very low down but there you go at least the track decent surface nice and wide instead of killing yourself on that little bit of uh toe path let’s hope it stays this way boarding so mile 27 through to 34 now um not bad at all really good tracks just back there I’ve left a track that was like wide enough to take two cars down really well paved and even this one’s spot on so I don’t know where we are i’ll check in a minute there’s a stadium of some sort over there so I should know let’s check and to my right you got Wigan Athletics Ground I’m presuming um can’t see it just yet but once it’s once this tree line clears see if we can get shot that must be it but yeah tracks absolutely beautiful liverpool side god bit confusing don’t know where I’m going but there’s a cycle track so hopefully drops me back onto the canal anyways there it is uh a little bit of carry your bike let’s see before I head off I’m just going to check my bearings on the uh these Liverpool canal bit complicated as you come into Wigan there’s almost like a 180 turn on one of them bridges where you’re almost turning back hairing on yourself um where I carried on and wasted about 10 minutes going into town looking for the canal again but I think we’re back on track all right let’s go i think areas like this is where you could easily get hurt on a weekend you’re in the middle of the city middle of the town it’s a really nice urban tow path there’ll be lots of people running so yeah hence a weekday it’s nice and quietish the signage may be lame but uh to path A1 lovely very well maintained so wigan aren’t easy 6% and then it just ramps up just on this bit here i don’t know how many rises there are on these locks look it up quite a few very nice and uh if you’re wondering why there hasn’t been many updates then it’s cuz there’s not much to update to be honest uh canals just by the nature of where they are very low down and uh not much to show you the track has improved it’s not the best in the world but still anything’s better than that stretch in Liverpool atrocious honestly it goes to plan but I’m an hour behind what I pencil down if everything went perfect no punctures no nothing so uh given that the train was late and then I got lost for about 20 minutes in Wigan we’re not doing bad i’m still running a 10 mph average i was hoping for a 12 mph average so still not bad 5 hours in I should be at 50 mi so let’s see can’t wait for lunch now really looking forward to lunch been a long day so far already been Oh I’ve been up since 5 and we’re now nearly approaching 2:00 so wow 9 hours already I’ve been up and I probably got another 9 hours to go let’s go back and we’re back for this again not bad actually at least it’s firm and the hedges and that are trimmed back at least a little bit this doesn’t help when they just drop big bags of gravel right in the middle it’s all a crusher I think to put down on paths but yeah if you’re uh precious about the body work on your bike on your gravel then yeah don’t bother these chip up like mad onto the underside of your bike mine’s only a cheap gravel i’m not precious about any of my bikes so we’re all right they’re all about being used not looked at my left shoulder and my left arm are grazed like crazy from all the brambles on the leads and Bradford area and you’ve done the lead Liverpool section there and you’re thinking “Oh yeah it’ll be brilliant this good idea forget about it.” This 60 odd miles the Liverpool end crap i mean this is some of the best of it what’s under my tires at the moment nice quite fast rolling quite grippy and at least you’ve got a good 10-in wide track um bits of it you could have been in canal at any second on the plus side I started in Liverpool i’ve got a westerly uh west to east um wind so and hopefully the last I’ll do the crappy 70 mi first which should be all done hopefully in about an hour and a half 2 hours and then the home stretch will be on the good section that’s what I keep telling myself anyway let’s see observation that is should have been quite obvious actually but you get absolutely no reprieve from this shake shake shake shaking your bones all the time tow path so bad i mean fair enough even with the uh fat tires high volume tires takes some of the shock away but oh god nothing like being on the road but at least you know it’s going to be nice and smooth that’s one of the most tireish things I’m finding the legs are absolutely fine very fresh it’s nearly 57 mi in but shoulders hands grip um everything that’s shook by the path that’s what’s uh getting tired now anyway almost lunchtime going to take some pills preemptively and uh hopefully we should be good so let’s see i think lunch in Blackburn we’re at the uh 59 mile mark i think by the time I get to somewhere for lunch it’ll be about 60 mi so halfway i think about time for lunch 2:35 lunch finally i think we’re about 2 milesi from lunch that way aldi from Mayo jam cream donuts some mango fish and chips all of a drink and just over there you’ve got JD Gyms and that’s where my sister works coincidentally just saw her there going home right lunch done at the retail park probably about an hour and a half behind schedule but considering lunch is done we should be all right trying to find the canal again i think it’s just up here the retail park is literally like a quarter of a mile from the canal let’s go right back on the canal off we go let’s see how far we get before we completely am finished so this is the back of JD Gyms where my sister worked ah just a note for me before I forget pedal strike is a major issue on this route uh someone who’s used to road I do 95% of my riding on road you’re used to lowering one leg yeah when you’re not pedaling and you’re uh just negotiating like an awkward bit oh god you’ve got to do it MTB style you got to have level pedals i might I’ve already struck my pedal I think about six times luckily it’s only been little scrapes enough to make sparks fly but uh if you really got a proper hard pedal strike take you off your bike um cuz it’s really narrow and then you got big boulders sticking out so you might just pass the boulder by your tire get through but then your pedal if it’s really low will strike uh anyway that’s something to bear in mind you’ve got to almost ride it MTV style where if you’re not pedaling you got to have level pedals this cannot be right can it only access back onto the bloody top anyway let’s crack on bridge 112 isn’t that beautiful we got swan whole light and the signets and then you got mut back amazing yeah bad for views is it not bad at all blessed anyway I hope the toe paths get better from here on in today’s been like a story of moaning about toe paths and it is what it is just not used to them being so poor our ends some of the worst ones are better than these i mean this one’s not bad anyway onwards onwards onward look at that for views it is really stunning shame about the signage really mile 75 again it just disappears for about a mile and then reappears with no signage whatsoever as to where you need to go anyhoo we’re back on track mile 76 right as I’m approaching mile 80 just some thoughts would I do it again no i needed to take it off cuz it is not pleasurable in any way shape or form i mean it’s the 60 mi between Leeds and Burnley I think are actually okay everything after that it’s just a poor excuse for a tow path and some of it it’s just it’s a death trap it’s deadly um shakes your bones not much to look at in all honesty i mean okay I’ve gone past quite fast but it’s the nature of a canal you’re in a canal and uh it’s probably going to be quite low to the surrounding area so you’re not going to look at much but it’s beautiful in itself yeah but terms of anything else to look at no food wise plenty of places you can get topped up food and drink yeah um other than that I don’t know um but reflections at this point and I’m not tired i don’t think this is speaking out of frustration i don’t think I would do it again i’d have to be highly highly motivated i’d need a serious calls to do it again only reason I’m doing it now is because it just a perfect storm of conditions day off weather um I didn’t I wasn’t working just thought yeah let’s we’ve got the train let’s go to Let’s go do it take it off having said take it off not ticked it off yet i’ve still got another 50 very hard miles to do but at least from what I hear um the tracks are really good anyway that’s enough for now well not just from what I hear i have I mean I know it all the way from uh from Skippton it is quite a a really good track whereas Lancaster side abysmal absolute poor excuse for a toe path and Liverpool not even a toll path anyhoo great bridge number 145 since Liverpool why do I do this to myself mile 85 45 miles from home num bum ah and numb other than that feeling good chest is feeling good legs are feeling great power seems to be on demand so let’s crack on so there seems to be this bit between mile 80 83 and uh potentially for quite a few miles yet that totally disappears from the canal had a bit of a panic on i thought I was on the wrong route but still maybe on the wrong route i don’t know but let’s see load of that all you’ve got to do is cross into Yorkshire and it all starts lovely all the way through Lancaster and through all them crap toe paths i hung on to the hope that the last 40 50 miles is actually really really good all the reviewers saying “Oh yeah if you do it the other way at least the last 30 is easy.” Oh my god this is the worst to path for the whole day mile 90 to 93 brought me right down to about 6 7 miles an hour there’s gates every so often massive boulders sticking out terrible really slowed me down i was hoping I’d get there for about half past 9 but this is put an hour on i hope it doesn’t last too long my god this is puncture territory big jagged rock sticking out getting cold as well sun disappeared after about 2 hours this morning piping hot this morning and it just disappeared freezing diversion at Gar Grave uh to path not available so bit of road and now onwards to Skipton about 5 milesi away this is nice for a moment we had the blessing of tarmac imagine imagine that tarmac e smooth as anything now where are we is this Skippton easy lazy get access must have missed it stupid me this heron just flew off since Skippton let’s hope it stays this way cuz this tow path is really helping up to about 13 14 mph not that I want to push it too hard i want to save some for the roads in Bradford and then once I’m on the greenway I can switch off but really is helping still energy sapping but far better than some of them boulders we was having to deal with earlier i think we’ve just gone past Keithley onto Bradford now finally in Bradford finally about six miles from safety once I’m on the greenway then I know I’m all right until then just concentrate yeah quite nice woo final leg home i don’t know what the camera can or cannot see but we’re on the greenway 5 miles from home and there’s bats everywhere all right here we go 131 miles done home safely all the way didn’t have to uh grab a lift luckily um amazing how much your eyes focus when uh when you’re forced to and how well you can see in the dark but anyway done and dusted would I do it again probably not [Music]