Dear All

I was a biker in my younger days,which started just after the
war,in1946
as I left school,and I lived in Crewe. I am now 77 years old,and I
live
in Sandbach.

I started biking because cars were not known,and everbody biked,and it
was the only way to get about,and it is amazing where you can get to
in
a day.

Briefly I will tell of some of my days out.
I started with friends,Gordon  Davies and Brian Lewis both my friends
from school.
We started with trips out to Bickerton and local lanes onto Malpas,and
Overton and on to Llangollen.sometimes over the horeshoe pass,and back
home.
Trips to Southern Ireland in 1947 with Gordon Davies,and stayed on a
farm there for a few days and toured, near to a village called Birr.
I went to Buxton from Crewe with Brian,and his father Frank,who was
fond
of biking.As we passed through Congleton,Frank promised a "Woodbine"
for
the first to the top of a hill from a pub named the Throstles nest and
into Buglawton.Me and Brian raced up there but as it was our first
time,we had no idea,and it got tougher up to the top. And Woodbines
were
the last thing we wanted that day.
We did go to Buxton and came home via Pott Shrigley,a lovely ride.
During 1949 I went on a very hot ride from Crewe to Stratford upon
Avon
via Lichfield and Coleshill,Kenilworth. It was a very hot day,and
tires
were sticking to the tar,made it harder riding.
We stayed over night and returned to Crewe the next day with a slight
changed route.
We went to Blackpool a couple of times and it rained all the day,and
we
returned the same day to Crewe.Quite a long ride.
On one day from Crewe we went to Chester and decided to go into
Liverpool.So we went on the A41,and biked into the tunnel and out into
Liverpool.We asked the Bobbie how to get to Crewe. He said why?,why do
you want to go there,so we want a circular ride.and he said where
from,and which way did we come.So we told him and he told us to go
back
the same way,as he had no idea to give the route from Liverpool.
I have been on a week holiday on a terrible tandem,loaded up with
blankets and tent,and it weighed TONS> and no brakes,but we managed
that
one to Barmouth and Caernarfon,what a ride that was.
However I love to know that people have become fond of biking,do it as
much as you can,it is tough,but is doing you the best you can and it
is
nice to know that you have done it,and it is very healthy to do
it.better than anything.
Traffic is worse for you,than mine,but You now have nice light
bikes,mine were old and were made before that war,but I loved it
because
I new nothing else.