Riding The Lights (Again)

Hello there, avid blog readers, I have returned once more from a quiet stint of busy work to bring you the latest in the mischief I’ve been up to!

Just yesterday evening me and Danni headed off to Blackpool to ride along the infamous illuminations, a trip that some keen-eyed readers amongst yourselves may have noticed that we have actually done before, however one which we enjoyed so much that we thought it warranted us spending our only active day of the year participating in once more.

So, with packets of sweets and some emergency energy-packed flapjacks in tow, we lugged our bikes onto the train and headed off towards the seaside.

Upon our arrival, I spent the first ten minutes or so fighting with my bike, all in an attempt to tame my notoriously hopeless sense of balance. Once I feel sufficiently safe that I would not crash into a family tandem and cause great injury and embarrassment, we joined the masses on the closed-off promenade to see what we could see.

The views were, once again, stunning, and the weather was so courteous as to hold out for the whole time we spent panting our way up and down the sea front. Sooner or later I mustered up the courage to take a hand of the handlebar for more than one second, and so I began to take some selfies as we rode along…

This is just one of many moments in which I genuinely feared for my life.

Sooner or later though (after lots of whining and pining for a GoPro) I think I finally managed to master the art of snapping whilst cycling. No phones were destroyed nor limbs mangled, which was a downright miracle.

We were soon making good progress, passing the Pleasure Beach (our summer stomping ground), the Central Pier and sooner or later that Lancashire landmark, Blackpool Tower.

Several miles and a good few terrible selfies later (from which I shall spare you the horror), we turned around and began to head back and the sun finally set. Now it’s the real atmospheric time, where the LED fairy lights adorning people’s bikes came to life, and the illuminations really came into their own. We even saw a log flume and a couple of dodgems from the Pleasure Beach ride past us!

All too soon, however, it was time to drag our weary bodies back to the train station and await rescue from the cool coastal air (I definitely did not forget my jacket…)

In brief it was another lovely evening, one spent binging on Home Bargains sweets, laughing at old high school memories, and wearing our backsides out on the unforgiving bike saddles. As throughout knackered as I was this morning, I would once again highly recommend anyone from Lancashire to give riding the lights a bash.

You never know, you might just see us again next year!