Mill roof collapse

Blackburn increased in size and population during the 1800's due to expansion of the cotton industry. The town became famous for the many mill chimneys dominating its sky line. Now, nearly all the chimneys are gone, along with most of the weaving and spinning. Many of the mill buildings are still standing but are used for other purposes.

My cycle route to work passes a couple of mills, one of which is Carr Cottage Mill. Part of the building has been derelict for some time. In July, the roof collapsed leaving the road-side boundary wall unstable. This is the part adjoining Florence Mill but the other (undamaged) part of Carr Cottage Mill houses a process plant business. One carriageway of the main A666 Whalley New Road has been closed for safety whilst the owners of the building sort it out. It looks like the whole lot is coming down but it's too early to tell. We'll have to wait and see. Meanwhile the traffic lights mean a small to delay to commuters, including me (he wrote, being a good law abiding citizen).


I looked for some information on the history of the mill. It appears previous owners of the mill were bankrupted in the 1800's when there was a cotton famine caused by supply shortages during the American civil war. During that time, many workers existed on welfare handouts of food and fuel and temporary jobs labouring.

Mini Tour to the Lakes and back

I got to the Lake District and back to Lancashire again in one piece. A total of 119 miles over two days. Some great countryside and very quiet lanes.


I know about it now though. Partly I think the heat was tiring, but distance, long hours in the saddle and my lack of training on that particular bike were big factors. Not that I'm exhausted, just enjoyably tired after all the exercise and looking forward to some food.

Whilst I was heading north, the South Lakes Group of the RSF crossed east and had a good day out on the Bowland fells.


My original plan took in a return via Dent, Deepdale, Kingsdale, Tatham Fells and home, but that would have been 7000 ft of climbing on day 2 after the near 3000ft on day 1, so I decided to stay west of the hills and come down by the coast for the return trip/

Whilst having a brew at the Cafe D'Lune some guy drove past with his family's mountain bikes on the roof of his 4x4 and didn't notice the gantry barrier at the entrance to the car park. It took some time to sort the mess out after he hit it and stopping a good car's length the other side. It looked like most of the damage was to the roof rack, though his expensive looking bikes took a fair wallop.


I got off early this morning to avoid the heat of the day, but might as well have enjoyed more recovery time since the football didn't go our way. There were a few dog walkers out first thing plus a balloon flight, a deer, a dead grass snake and some other wildlife that made the journey interesting.

Later there were plenty of cyclists out for their Sunday run including a guy who looked like he was doing a time trial that passed me as though I was standing still, and at that time I was actually going reasonably quickly!

The sting in the tail was crossing the Ribble Valley and climbing up the other side. Back in the saddle for a short ride to work tomorrow.

Near solstice ride

There's so much going on at the moment but there isn't much evidence of it on here. The cycling summer is firing away full bore with events and rides all over the place and I've been occupied too much to write anything. Seeing my previous entry showing a picture of snow reminds me how absent I've been. That's got to change. With long daylight hours, it's possible to cram a lot into a day, so no excuses.

My recent non-commute riding has been off-road, exploring the countryside. I've joined a couple of the Rough Stuff Fellowship rides recently. One with the Lancashire Group and one with the South Lakes Group. A smashing bunch of folk with so much to share. They have rides going on most weekends including family rides. For example, this weekend:

• Saturday 26th Lancashire Group Family Ride: Cocklet Hill car park, Gisburn Forest, map ref SD745550. Meet at 10-00am for a cuppa, the ride will start at 10-20am

• Saturday 26th South Lakes Group ride to Dunsop Bridge: Meet at 10am at the Cafe d' Lune at Conder Green.

• Sunday 27th Lancashire Group ride: At 10-00am. Meet on the public car park near Wycoller Village, SD 925394.

• Sunday 27th Welsh Borders Group ride: Meet at 10am at Tudor Tea Room , North Gate, Bridgenorth.

• Sunday 27th Home Counties Group ride: Meet at 10am at the Polly Tearooms, High Street, Marlborough, Wilts.

More details and plenty of great photos up on the RSF web sites including glorious cake shots. Did you spot a theme to the rides? Yes - cafes.


I decided a while ago that I needed a long road ride around the time of the solstice and so that's what I'm doing this weekend. I'm heading up to the Lake District tomorrow from Blackburn. It means I miss the RSF rides and also the Pendle national road race with famous names from elite racing and the cyclo sportive, but I figure I'll enjoy doing more than watching. I'll likely cover some of the same route as the cyclo sportive but, because of a lack of preparation and fitness, I'll be taking it easy. Steady away.

Hopefully it'll be a good ride to end bike week.

Happy pedalling.

Transition

March is here and with it, first signs of spring. Snowdrops are out and other bulbs are poking their heads out of the soil. This first week of the month marked a change to cycling to work without lights in both the morning and evening. I don't remember the change last year. Maybe that indicates a yearning on my part for warmer, lighter rides or my subconscious telling me it's been a long hard winter. The extra visibility has allowed damage the winter has had on the local roads to be seen more easily. The battle of the potholes continues, but my impression is that councils are losing the war, because more holes appear as fast as they can fill the old ones. The white paint vandals have been out spraying the roads marking hazards ready for the repair teams. I counted fifteen repairs marked on the way home. The trouble is if they don't fix them promptly, the markings disappear and some of the holes, especially around ironworks, grids and grates are getting huge.

We Brits are known for our obsession with the weather, but everyone is if their climate is changeable. The met office tell us this winter has been the coldest for 31 years in England and the coldest since 1962/63 in Scotland. Of course, in the intervening years, technology and the way we live our lives changed immensely. A comparison in absolute terms may be irrefutable, but, when compared on a perceptual level, I doubt if most people thought it was so cold. I'm always amazed to see what people wear. Some don't seem to change their clothing habits to suit the seasons or daily weather. I see folk wandering around in shorts and T-shirts when the mercury is sub zero and 'dressed-up to the nines', even when the weather is mild. It defies logic, or perhaps indicates a better or worse tolerance of temperature change. It could also indicate their heating is very good, and that is where technology comes in, either at home or in the car. Remember the days of iced up house windows? There's not many that will see that on the inside of window panes these days but it was commonplace when I was a child.

This winter has certainly presented its challenges and, where commuting is concerned, will be remembered by many, for the inconvenience caused. Cycling to work this winter, in general, hasn't seemed more difficult, except for the couple of weeks when we had snow and ice. Then, although difficult, riding turned out to be the most effective way to get to work. If anything the colder weather has been better. I can only remember getting wet a couple of times, which is quite astounding really since we live in a wet climate. If next year presents us with the same challenging weather, I won't hesitate to do some more bike walking to work and may even think of a more suitable machine for the job. I intend, by then, to have a different bike to commute on and will consider adding some contingency options for riding in snow, such as a change of tyres, as it can be quite a lot of fun.

Pothole update

I reported three potholes this week via www.fillthathole.org.uk, including the one shown in the previous post. Two last Sunday and one on Wednesday. Two in Lancashire County Council's patch had been filled by yesterday - one of them was the one reported on Wednesday. I tested them last night and concluded they were filled in a hurry because there is never enough material or too much material, just to remind us that they are there ;-)

It's a great response from LCC and proves what a useful site the CTC have. The other in Blackburn has been inspected and marked for repair.