Bikepacking The Trans Pennine Trail – Irish Sea to North Sea (Disaster strikes on day 4)

Join me on an unforgettable adventure as I bikepack the Trans Pennine Trail, riding coast-to-coast from the Irish Sea in Southport to the North Sea in Hornsea.

This incredible 215-mile journey takes you through stunning countryside, old railway lines, canal towpaths, and bustling towns across Northern England.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing… on Day 4 disaster strikes!

In this video, you’ll see:
• The full coast-to-coast route of the Trans Pennine Trail
• Epic cycling scenery and hidden gems
• Gear, setup, and camping along the way
• Major setback on the fourth day

Whether you’re planning your own Trans Pennine ride, love bikepacking adventures, or just enjoy travel videos, this one has it all!

Would you ride the Trans Pennine Trail? Let me know in the comments – and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more bikepacking adventures!

#Bikepacking #TransPennineTrail #CoastToCoast #CyclingUK #AdventureCycling #BikeTouring #GravelCycling #CyclingLife #CyclingAdventure #BikepackingUK #BikeTour #CycleTouring #GravelBike #CyclingEngland #OutdoorAdventure

Good morning. It’s uh Saturday the 19th of July and you find us in Southport for the first day of our Trans Penan adventure. So come along, see what it’s all about, and let’s have some fun. And who’s this random we find on the uh front in South? Why are you here? So behind me, this is our starting point for the 250 mile journey east across the country from here in Southport all the way to Haunty on the east coast. Let’s do it. [Applause] There he is. It’s Teletubby. Teletubby. I wonder if it caught that. I bet it caught that bit straight away. That’ be the intro. Yeah. Attention for grabbing hook in the first 5 seconds. A bit of tenacious winner. There’s a jogger up here. Yeah. Yeah. So, we’re about 20 minutes into the ride now. It’s been really easy. There’s It’s been signposted all over. Basically, you’re just following the coastal road down towards Liverpool. So, we’ve just hit the first corner where we’ve actually had to check the map. So, if you get to this place on the ride where there’s loads of signs that say byway in all different directions, check your map to make sure you’re going in the right direction. All right, mate. I’m good. Just don’t um don’t cable tie your bottle loosely to your front forks. Doesn’t work. Why? What happened? It got caught in my got caught in my front wheel and just stopped the bike completely and this bag hit me on the head. It’s a good job you’re wearing a helmet. It is a good job I’m wearing helmet. Is the GoPro still on it? GoPro is fine. Yeah. 20 minutes in, mate. 20 minutes in and we’re screwed. So far, the route’s been fairly clean. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Really well looked after, actually. And especially considering that we’re on the outskirts of a city now. Although, I have just seen three bags of dog poo. So, it’ll be interesting to see if it stays as clean as we get. Oh, look. And there’s a shopping trolley. [Applause] It’s a bit harder than it looks like, is it? That was any easier than cabinets. So, as we previously said, welcome back to the average adventure and the eating with a little bit of bacon. We are at McDonald’s. the first one we’ve come across and we’re going to have one. Why not? So, a quick glance of this map and this McDonald’s is actually in Inry. So, we’re not too far from Liverpool, but not quite there yet. I don’t know if the camera will be able to pick that up, but way in the distance over there, that’s Anfield. So, this section of the Trans Penine is just up on a bank above uh houses on that side and houses on that side. Oh no, we’re going again. I’d stopped to talk and Louis has gone. We’re just in the woods somewhere 17 miles outside of Liverpool. I’m going to have to wait here now and wait for everybody to walk up this tiny little road. Brilliant. Bye, Louis. Easy. It is. Look. Really? Yeah. Oh, sick. I’ve got it just as we’re going through. Thank you. Cheers. No signpost. It’s not um bike packing without a bit of a push cuz we’re now pushing up that which is going to be fun all the way to the top. But have a look at this view. Honestly, if this was your idea to put steps on the trans penine bridal wear uh cycle wear, what you playing at, man? It’s a tight It’s a tight fit around there for me. And you stay. Yeah. So, we’ve just had a nice stop at a pub for a drink. The um it’s approaching Well, it’s just gone 6:00, I think. 20 20 6 and we still haven’t found a campsite yet. There’s a couple on route that we’re going to try our look at, but no one’s answering the phones. So, we’re going to cycle and hopefully they’re going to let us in when we get there. We’re about 5 miles out from the campsite now, which is a massive bonus. And it turns out we’re still actually on the trans pen line heading in the right direction. So, we finally made it to our campsite. I’m not going to show you putting the tent up or anything cuz I’m knackered. We shall see you in the morning for day two. Adios. I said I wasn’t going to show you the tent, but I always show you the tent. So, there’s the tent. It was a really fast setup, actually. I mean, the new gadget. Show them the new toy. Oh, yeah. The new toy. I bought an air pump from Go Outdoors, which was was about 10 quid. It blew the mattresses up perfectly cuz I had no breath left to pump that thing up. It’s only tiny, but it’s been a long day. So, we’re all packed down. Day two of our Trans Penine adventure. We’re going to Hadfield today, which is about 37 miles from where we are at the minute. So, this one should be a bit more hilly, but hopefully the views will get better as we get towards the Penny as well. loaded up, ready to go. So, heading towards Manchester today and past, but obviously because we’re going to Manchester, it’s raining. Bit sore on the old uh a bit on the rear in the hands. Yeah, my hands aren’t too bad. My hands were really bad towards the end of the day yesterday. Uh, I would say right feels right. But who knows? Let’s have a gander at the map. Again, if you’re doing this trail, always check your map. I have eaten uh breakfast in more picturesque places than this, but needs must when it’s raining. I mean, you can’t complain about that view, can you? Down the back of a sainsburries. This doesn’t seem right. Scott. So, we’re just riding along the Manchester Ship Canal now. There you go. I don’t know if you can see it on the camera. And it’s just a nice little gentle cycle track again. It’s really nice. So, day two, we found the Manchester Ship Canal. Um, again, we’ve we’ve only been going about 20 minutes. Always check the road signs because it’s thrown us off twice already here. And apparently, we’ve got to cross this river now, but it it’s not told us that following any of the signs so far. Put more down there. We’ll have it. Oh yeah. Some sexually think they’re just flat. I’ll tell you what, we just passed two gents running and they got some pace on them. Yeah. Well, it’s a nice route, but it’s not the easiest to navigate, is it? Again, why on a national cycle route that you want people to do and go across country on and bring the bikes? Why would you put steps on it? And it’s signposted down there. So, we’re definitely on the right bit. That’s what the sides are like in both directions. Without checking the map, I’m going to take a guess and assume we’re somewhere near Manchester airport now cuz there’s a lot of fly uh lot of planes flying around that are quite low. Just stopped for a sandwich and a sit down. It’s not a bad view for a sit down. You’re not having any food. You want some? Go away. So, this is Charlton Water Park. Louis gave me the pronunciation, so if it’s wrong, blame him. We’re sheltering from the rain again. We’ve had a uh it’s been boiling for the last sort of hour and a half and then I mean it’s still really warm. It’s just wet. So we’ve just taken refuge under this tree and we’re going to have some food and some drink. Bike’s still looking good. So we’re just on the outskirts of Manchester. We are basically we’re just going to get to the other side of Manchester cuz Hatfield’s there. Look. So, we’re aiming for Hadfield there. And we are, see what I mean? It goes right through the route as well. So, we’re pretty much bang north of Manchester airport at the minute. You can see all the planes coming in over there. Well, we’re we’re filming this as well, so Oh, sweet. Hey, guys. There you go. Just met a chap on route who’s doing um L’s end to Jona Gros or the other way around. I can’t quite remember now, but he’s seven seven days in. He started last Saturday, I think. So, good luck to you, mate. I hope you make it and enjoy the long miles that you said you’re putting in. We’re not doing anywhere near that many miles, so all credit to you. We just uh stopped for a rain break under the vioaduct in uh Stockport because the uh the heavens have opened and it’s raining quite a lot now. So, we’re just going to wait for it to pass. Gives Louis a chance to take some more pictures. And yeah, it looks like it’ll blow over soon and then we’ll crack on to Hatfield again. The heavens have literally opened now. I just said to Louis, I best pull over cuz uh I’ve mentioned the airport, but we haven’t had any planes come in. So, we stopped. The rain’s coming in really, really, really heavy. And uh that was the only plane I’ve seen so far. A tiny tiny one. There we go. Finally. Easy jet. Just on the other side of sock pot now. And we’ve come to a split in the road where it just goes into a Vshape. Two different directions, no road sign, nothing to tell you where to go. So fingers crossed we’re going to choose the right one. Even the map isn’t pretty good at this point because it tells us that we’re in the middle of a river. So let’s see where this ends up. So we uh chose wrong on our split V. Oh, actually we didn’t choose wrong because we weren’t meant to be there in the first place. So the signpost is wrong. It’s not very well signed today, is it? No. Someone must have the only thing I think of is someone spun it round to play a little practical joke as the kids say. Um but yeah, it’s meant that we’ve we’ve ended up down here when we shouldn’t have done. Actually want to be on the other side of that river. We do. We’re wasting a lot of time today. We’ve uh temporarily lost the trail. We’re not sure where it’s gone. We’ve ended up in a housing estate, but where the map said to go is not where we should be going. It’s all right. We’ll find it again somehow somewhere. Where the hell’s the trail, though? We found the trail again after our little detour. Yeah. Someone’s delusional. Yeah, we lost it for a little bit there. Easy enough to find again, but it was a bit confusing, wasn’t it? I think that motorcyclist maybe threw us off. Yeah. In fairness, it looked like it just disappeared in that path. Couldn’t see anywhere. So, and then it looked like it just went through a new housing estate. So, whether they built a housing estate, need a trail and it’s not a bit of a map or yet, I don’t know. But they weren’t there. No. So, we’ve just hit Darasha. It’s been a long day. This last few hours have been really, really hilly. It’s been hard work. So, we’re just on the road pulling into the campsite now. We’ve been on the go since about 10:00 this morning and we’re pushing half 7 now, I think. I mean, we’ve been stopping and filming and taking in the views, but it’s been a long day riding. I’ll be glad to get the tent up, have a shower, and get lied down for a bit. And we’ve made it to the campsite. Oh, there’s a climb at the end of it as well. My legs are absolutely done in today. But I’ll tell you what, look at the view. I hope the camera does it justice. We’re heading that way tomorrow at some point. There he is. Just attacked a van on the way out of the campsite as well, which was quite funny. Now he’s chasing a kid who’s rapidly trying to get into his tent before he gets there. I showered after set setting up the tents. The sky turned a bit dark now. I mean, it looks like that behind me, but in the distance over there, it looks like we might get a little bit of weather in a bit. So, I think I’ll sign off for the night and we shall see you on day three. Are we on day three? Day three tomorrow. Day three tomorrow. See you on day three. Morning on day three. I’m losing track of the days already. We’ve got the sun today, although it is due to rain a bit later on. And we’ve got our biggest climb today cuz we’re going right over the Penines over there somewhere. We’re going to fuel up, get the tenants back to her, and then Adios. But this has been a lovely campsite in Hadfield. Again, I love the view. So, today we are heading from here in Hadfield, uh, just the other side of Stockport, and then we’re heading towards Doncaster. We’re not going to go into the center of Doncaster. We’re just going to That’s sort of the biggest city that I’ve managed to find some campsites at. But like I say, it’s a big one over the Penis there, which you can see over there behind me in the distance. So that’s the way we’re going. Slugs in the pot. Louis just had a slug in his um Jet Boil tin. We had a uh stop off at Tesco this morning just to gather some supplies because we think it’s going to be a big day over the hills and we’re not sure what’s going to be around shopwise. Um so yeah, we’ve got sandwiches and plenty of water and drinks. Um and we found the trail. It took a bit of faffing around when we left Hadfield, but we found it again. And um I think we’ve avoided a big climb as well. Well, for now, I should say. Anyway, they’re all to come. Do that, I think. Yeah, reservoirs are load. Yeah, they are. Even after all the rain we had yesterday pipe van. So, this is actually part of the Longdale trail as well that we were riding along. So, we’re just coming across all the uh reservoirs at the bottom that I’m guessing supply all the towns and villages around here. Quite low though. We’re in a hose pipe band, remember? Well, at the time of this filming anyway. That’s what it’s all about. That is a brilliant view. There we go. Look, you can finally see one of the reservoirs over there. I’m not sure which one it is cuz there’s like three or four in a row that we just riding by and they’ve all got different names. I think that’s the Woodad Pass on the other side of the road as well on the or on the other side of the um reservoir, should I say. This is the best reservoir shot of the lot. Look how empty it is as well. So this is where um Woodhead Station would have been and the tunnel that goes through to the other side of the hills. This is also the start of the other side of the uh Longden Trail. I’m sure I called it the Longdale Trail earlier, but it’s the Longden Trail. Yeah, just an old railway line with some great views as well. Now, we’ve got a massive hill coming up. This is the only sort of really big peak on the map, so wish us luck. So, this is the start of the climb up and over. So, we get to the top. Um, it’s not too bad, but it’s very rocky and things and with all your uh bags on if you are camping overnight, it’s a bit of a push. So, just to give you a hype perspective, that’s the road, the main road behind me. I think it’s a woodhead bus still. Uh, this is where we were eating dinner down there. So, we’ve we were down there and we’ve still got to go up there. I’m out of breath. I say I had to push all of that. There’s no way I was riding up it. And there’s some steps just here as well. Just don’t make it easy. We’re now above the road. You can see it back there. Um, we’re still going up as well. I think we have to go over that hill in front of us there. So, yeah. Up, up, up we go. Compared to the rest of the trail, this bit’s quite difficult, but it’s well worth it. You have to come and do this. It’s just awesome. Look at the views over there. Meeting the uh local wildlife on top of the penites. What’s that? A sheep. I think we’ve just reached the highest point on the entire trip. Well done, Lou. You weren’t hearing, but that was really hard work. Shout. It was bloody hard work. It was hard work, but we’ve done it. And the views are spectacular. That’s pretty much the last of the climbs and that’s the last of the view you’re going to see as well. Um, we got a long st downhill now. So, turns out this is actually the highest point. There’s even a marker for it. Look. So, we’ve just come through uh Dunford at the bottom of the big hill and we’re back on to the old railway line again. Oh, you should probably give that tip about not flying down there too fast. Scott said on the last time he did this, Sam, shout out Sam, was flying down that hill way too fast. Overshot the uh entrance back onto the TPT and uh had to do a big loop afterwards. So, if you’re coming down the hill, steady away. Totally different weather this time. Oh yeah. So me and Louis just had to stop cuz we thought, “Oh god, what’s happened here?” Getting the first aid kits out and everything. And then we come across to this. You see the wellies in the background. Yeah. Well played, whoever that was. You caught us out there, isn’t it? That is proper. Come on. We’re having our vinegar. There’s only a little bit of rainfall we’ve had. Oh, that is quite deep. So, we’ve seem to have caught up with the rain again. More signs pointing in direction. So, we’re just checking the map. Yeah, I haven’t had to pedal for the last 5 minutes. This is brilliant. It’s just rolling downhill. Oh, we’re at the campsite on day three. Three. Three. Three. Yeah. Uh this is a really nice campsite. We’ve got all this feel to ourselves as well. Yeah. So, get the tent up and sit down. That’s what’s going to happen next. Tell me it’s been a day of uh dirt riding without telling you. I’ve got a dirt tan line where my socks have been. Look, this is the best thing I’ve ever bought. I would like to be cooking my dinner round about now. As the sun is shining really brightly and it’s really warm. Guess what’s happening? It’s raining again. And you’ve got a porch there. I’ve got a porch, but it’s not doing a very good job. Signing off from the campsite on day three. Three. Three. Three. I always forget. Um, we shall see you in the morning for day four and our next push to well between Selby and Ghoul. I think that’s where we’re going to head for. So, we’ll see you in the morning. Morning. Day four. We’re heading towards Selby today. And I’ve been told that it’s along some canal paths which will be uh make a nice change from the old railway lines that we’ve been on. Weather’s a bit cooler as well, hence I’ve got trousers on. I look a bit like a policeman cuz I’m wearing all the same color. And there’s Lewis. He’s been messing with his bike for the last 3 hours. So, we just stopped off at Greg’s for a uh midm morning snack and load up. I was lacking energy this morning. Um, we’re in a place called Bmpton. There’s not really been much else to show you. We’ve been riding for about an hour and it’s just been that bridal way that you’ve already seen. So, if anything interesting crops up, I shall let you know. We’re just going through a village now to try and catch it on the other side. This is quite a nice spot. It’s thrown us out next to the uh the Dane. I’ve been told that’s how you pronounce it by a local, so if it’s wrong, she was lying to me, obviously. But it’s quite nice around here. We’re away from the traffic again. And uh yeah, the signposts around here have been a bit rubbish. We’ve got lost a few times. I just don’t understand why the actual website for this route does not have a a map that you can download. Or if you can, it’s impossible to find it cuz we tried. Both of us have been looking all over the spot. This is a nice spot, isn’t it? This is all right, isn’t it? Yeah, it’s uh we’ve come quiet again. No people, is it? Yeah. Yeah, we seem to have come in a bit seems to found a part of the trail that’s really quiet again. And um yeah, no noise apart from the birds and the wind in the trees. Just found ourselves a bench and we’re going to um I bought a donut from Greg so I’m going to scoff that. But we found a great spot. Have a look at this. We’re just going to under the A1. We just come to another point on the trail which uh isn’t signposted. It just kind of ends here and then you can go that way or that way. Luckily, on this occasion, the map tells us. So, it’s that way. Just come across our first uh Penine Trail closure sign. We’re going to chance it cuz on the website it doesn’t say there’s a closure on it. So, we’re hoping it’s an old road sign. Uh so, fingers crossed. So, we just come across uh this little shop here on the end of the uh little railway line that we’ve just done. Really cool spot. It does raw milk and milkshakes. And the guy just been chatting to him and he’s he seems like a really sound guy. So if you are popping this way, definitely come and have a look and say hi as well cuz he’s a really nice guy. My first ever raw milk hazelnut chocolate. It might make some hazelnut chocolate later with maybe to be honest. It just tastes like milk. Does it? You wouldn’t have a clue that was raw milk. Is it nice? I recommend that. That’s very good. It’s quite nice down there though, isn’t it? It is nice down here. I enjoyed this one last time. Give us your review on the milk. Scott, um uh before you try it, make sure your gut can take it. I mean, it just tasted like milk, but um as we just found out, my gut didn’t agree. So, we’ve had to make a few emergency stops. So, yeah, just check before you try it that your good can take it. I’m sure it can, but mine definitely did. So yeah, back home now. Not the ending of the video I was hoping for. Um I’m pretty gutted we didn’t get to finish it, but I have done it before with Sam. So I’ll add a link cuz the last bit just takes you through hulling along the Humber and obviously all the way to Horny. So there is a little video of some of that that I’ve done. But yeah, thank you for watching. Sorry about the ending if you made it this far. Um we will see you on the next one. The next one is in the Netherlands with Megan. So, we’ll see you then. Cheers, guys.