Plan C
It was originally meant to be the ‘Un-meeting’ weekend. A weekend of riding on Anglesey with a wild camp in secluded coastal forest on the Saturday night, fish & chips, beers, good times, etc…
Not to be. A rapidly deteriorating forecast last week left Plan A in tatters! Plan B then…
Chop off the Saturday (gail force winds) head out to Anglesey early on the Sunday, ride all day, fish & chips for lunch, beers, good times, etc…
Not to be. Forecast deteriorating still further (heavy rain) Plan B, scrapped! Plan C then…
An early drive out to Glasson Dock, breakfast outdoors, ride the trails and lanes out to Sunderland Point (taking advantage of low tide across the causeway) over to Morecambe for a spot of lunch, beers, good times, back to the cars by late afternoon, etc…
Success!
Despite a (still) worryingly dire forecast we set off promptly at 7am (Steve, Jack & I) with Neil, Charlie & Ella due to meet us at the Conder Green car park for roughly 8am. I’m happy to say that apart from a brief downpour on the motorway and mainly heavy skies all day, the heavens remained closed. It was windy, but totally manageable.
Glasson Dock, or Glasson is a village just south of Lancaster sitting at the mouth of the River Lune. Commissioned in 1779 the dock was opened in 1787 and was devised due to the difficulty of navigation to the docks at Lancaster. ‘Entering the dock by boat is limited to short periods of time. The River Lune up to the dock entrance contains very little water at low tide, and the channel varies its course from time to time. Mooring below the dock entrance is not possible, and the dock gates are only opened for a period starting 45 minutes before high water and ending at high water’.
Our starting point for the day would be the car park at Conder Green affording us a clear view of the docks and a conveniently placed picnic table to set up breakfast camp!
’Conder Green is situated at the beginning of the Lune Millennium Cycleway. The path follows a disused railway line alongside the estuary of the River Lune where many interesting and contrasting birds and plant species may be seen’.
After safe arrival by all parties we busied ourselves with the days first important task, breakfast! Coffee with bacon, banana & maple syrup pancakes were served up first with Steve doing a sterling job of playing ‘Mother’ to myself & Jack. Then coffee and sausage butties for Neil, Charlie & Ella all lovingly prepared in Neil’s fully kitted out adventure wagon.
Awake (mostly) and fuelled heartily we set off down the trail towards Lancaster, heading for our first stop, Sunderland Point…
’Sunderland, commonly known as Sunderland Point, is a small village among the marshes, on a windswept peninsula between the mouth of the River Lune and Morecambe Bay. It was used as a port for slave ships and cotton ships but its importance declined as other ports such as Lancaster were opened up.
Sunderland is unique in the UK as being the only community to be on the mainland and yet dependent upon tidal access. The only vehicular access to the village is via a single-track road from Overton 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away crossing a tidal marsh. The road is covered by water at every high tide.
Strictly speaking, “Sunderland Point” is the name of the tip of the peninsula on which the village of Sunderland stands, but the name is frequently applied to the village itself’.
The trail from Conder Green is an absolute belter! Tunnels of lush green give way to open views of the estuary and it is immediately evident why Steve has wanted to show me (all of us) another of his favourite places to ride. Mainly traffic free trails and lanes lead us north and onwards, following the flow of the River towards Lancaster.
A river crossing on the Millenium Bridge turned us right around to head back south, past the cycle racing circuit at Salt Ayre and on towards the village of Overton and the tidal causeway leading to Sunderland Point.
