Le Tour!

Le Tour de France started this year in Yorkshire. The first stage passed close by to a place we visit often from our caravan - Hawes - even though our caravan is in Lancashire it is very close to the Yorkshire border as well as Cumbria. Of course we weren't up there this weekend - but never mind - although we are in Manchester we are very close to borders with Cheshire and Derbyshire so as the tour was also passing through this area on Sunday we made the short journey to the Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire. We know this road well as we used it to visit my Mum in Lincoln while she was alive. It is a well know busy route across the Pennines, we were often stuck behind long queues of lorries until we got to the top as the roads are steep and have lots of bends! On Sunday however, it was great to walk along it...

 …I say great, we were misled by the information that told us it was only a short walk from the official car park to the shuttle bus and then another short walk from the bus to the tour route - it turned out to be two miles for each, which was fine really but with two young ones(GD and GS), a recovering from surgery son and one old croc(me)it took us quite some time to get there!
It was quite exciting to be walking on this road though and lots of cyclists were taking advantage of there being no traffic to cycle without breathing in exhaust fumes!

First came the advertising ….lots of it!

I don't know whether you can see but we had a good view of everything coming down the hill in the distance before it came past us.

Unfortunately no views of the actual T de F, hubby videoed it and I just watched - the leaders were past in no time. As there had been a fall earlier the Peleton was split so came past in smaller numbers - much better for spectators!
Then it was over, we set off for the long walk back - we had walked even further than the busy corner to be on a slope upwards! What did we come across but a bike jam!
Some cyclists had been to the top of the hill to view and as the ones from our direction met at the junction the police were having to direct them!

Son, GD and GS heading up the hill to the bus (which as you can see is nowhere in sight - it wasn't even around the next corner!)

Our final view from the 'car park' - as you can see - on top of a hill, but what a view!
Once home I didn't know what I wanted first - a decent loo or a drink! GD went off to the loo so I made drinks.
This was mine - I reckoned I'd earned it - a special treat - Gingerbread Latte!

I was going to join Elizabeth and Bleubeard but they are having a retrospective day today.

Thanks for looking, Chris