About Me

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When? Started: 1993 Who? Started with staff and friends from U H S, Chester. Organiser: Martyn Harris We walk every Wednesday and Saturdays, New Years day and May Day. How many walk? Walks take place as long as there are at least 2 wanting to walk on that day. More walk on a Wednesday than on a Saturday. Most ever: 29. Current group size walking: 2-7 in mid-week and 2-4 on Saturday. Where do we walk? Saturday: Anywhere in North and Mid-Wales, Peak District, Shropshire and the Long Mynd and as far North as the Trough of Bowland. Thursday: Anywhere within about 40 miles of Chester. Type of walk: Distance: 6 – 14 miles (but usually under 10 miles). Climb: up to 4000’ (but usually very much less!). People involved on walks in 2024:- Martyn Harris, Fran Murphy, Sue and Michel Pelissier, Mike Dodd, David Savage,, Ed Meads, Nigel and Elaine Taylor, Winston Feather.

Friday, 22 May 2020

Harris Hikers Solo Adventures Mike's 2.6 Cycle Challenge. Starting Sunday 26th April 2020

Day 26 - the end of the 2.6 Challenge.
That's it. Finished it.
26 days and 260 miles done and dusted. 
Amazingly no rain, no punctures and no accidents, but lots of generosity from people who have donated £1640 to the Hospice of The Good Shepherd. 
Many thanks to everyone.

As well as being a fundraising idea, it also helped me to improve my cardio fitness throughout lock-down. Cycling 10 miles at pace( average speed 16mph) really raises the heart-rate. Also, I had returned from Germany in February and developed Plantar Fasciitis and been told by my physio to limit my walking to no more that 3 miles. Cycling was a perfect alternative.

I used Strava to plot about 7 different routes of about 10 miles that started and ended at my house. 
10 miles was also keeping within Gov guidelines. This is Route 5.

When I started the challenge there was virtually no traffic on the roads, apart from cyclists. It was cyclists' heaven!
By the end of the challenge, we had relaxed lock-down a little and traffic had slowly begun to increase, with many of the main roads almost returning to a 'dangerous normal.'

Day 26 was Thursday 21st May, and I designed the day's route to finish at the hospice. 
After all that's what it had been all about.
Strange how the weather in the afternoon slowly began to deteriorate. Someone must have been looking over me!
Day 1 of the Challenge.
The morning of Sunday 26th April. 
This was the first day of my 2.6 Cycle Challenge; 26 consecutive days cycling of 10 miles per day. 
I'm ready.
Not the best place to cycle, but it's OK today.
A quiet local road.
Easy to see that the message of "stay at home" was being observed.
Even the motorways is quiet today.
Lockdown along the zoo path.
I'm glad that I haven't had to often carry my bike down on to the canal towpath. 
Day 16
The entrance on to The Greenway from Brook Lane.
The old Blacon railway station is one of the prettiest parts of The Greenway.
Kingswood Lane, which I could not find off Saxon Way in Blacon.
After a detour I eventually found it. As you can see from the flooded pothole, I wish I hadn't. It was no more than a farmer's track.



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