PoTTeries to the TT

Why the Isle of Man? 

Why else but to watch some INCREDIBLE motorbike racing at the Classic TT !!

Oh and to cycle around the famous TT course (after the 'proper' bikers have done their thing!!) 

PoTTeries to the TT: Our Route

We actually planned this trip 💪

Yes, it's true! Accommodation pre-booked. Ferry outbound and return pre-booked! 

A limited time schedule allowed us only 5 days to:-

🚴 Cycle to the ferry port.

🛳️ Catch a lift over the Irish Sea 🍀.

🏍️ Watch a day's motorbike racing.

🚴🚴 Cycle the TT course.

Back over the Irish Sea and cycle back to the Potteries! 🫖☕

Total incredible miles pedalled = approx 212

Above: First, we pedalled 107 miles from Stoke-on-Trent to Heysham Ferry Terminal, many of which were traffic-free. 

Good old Google Maps !

We're often blown away by the cycling routes it gives us, even when we're braced for a busy urban route.

PoTTeries to the TT: The Journey 

An early morning start saw us joining a sunny National Cycle Roure 55. Leaving the Potteries behind and heading towards Biddulph, passing by the Chaterley Whitfield Colliery (the first colliery in the UK to produce ONE MILLION tons of coal in a year) now a museum (below).

Winding our way north via a mixture of country parks ...

... canal towpaths ...

... busy main roads ...

... and quiet country lanes. That run alongside the motorway! 

A heavy downpour around lunchtime gave us a good old soaking ! (does anyone actually make truly 'waterproof' cycle gear!?!) 

After 80 miles on the pedals a very cosy and cheap Airbnb stopover in Fulwood (north Preston) provided a good night's rest. 

Day 2: Only 28 miles of pedalling to make the 2pm Steam Packet Ferry to the Isle Of Man.

Above: A well-earned coffee in the beautiful little town of Garsang en route to Heysham Port. 

Above: Charlie tearing it up along Morecambe Promenade. Just a few miles to go to the ferry port and the 'headwind' decided to test our legs! 

After boarding, it was a tricky few moments working out the best way to secure our bikes in the storage room ! 

Good job we secured them well as the crossing was a bumpy one. Stabilisers deployed !

We docked at 6pm in Douglas. Cycled 2 miles to the Airbnb, dropped our gear and went out for a beer!! 🍻

Below - our very comfy Airbnb only 1.5 miles from the TT Grandstand and Pits. 

Above and below - TT races and famous places. 

A walk around the pits was a lovely experience for us and meeting Joey Dunlops former mechanic was just beautiful! Stories about him getting chased by the police and having a 'lawn mower registration plate' on his bike and the dedication, kindness and generosity of Joey Dunlop was just mint! 

Above: Charlie's first motorbike was similar to this classic Norton, on display in the paddock.

Above: St.Andrew's URC Church, just a stone's throw from the TT Grandstand on Glencrutchery Road, was a good viewing spot. Top refreshments and toilets👌

Just watch out for the GREEDY GULLS who it seems eat MORE than Molly!! 😉

Below: The grass terraces at Quarterbridge Corner were another good spot, and within easy striking distance of McDonald's !

Below - and who knew that the Bee Gees were born on the IOM!?! Not sure who the other two 'jokers' are!! 

After a great day of watching some TT racing, meeting the Bee Gees oh and Joey Dunlops former mechanic!  (what a character!) We refuelled, rested and the next morning set off early to cycle the Famous Tourist Trophy Course. Hoping that we too could make the 'podium'!! 

The forecasted inclement weather held off until we reached the mountain section of the course. 

But not only was the weather out to get us! So were the island's police officers!! 

Famous spots along the course like "Sarah's Cottage" (above) are well-signed.

Below: Rugged Celtic scenery on a rural section of the course

Imagine navigating this course at average speeds of 140mph plus!! Especially through pinch points, like this one through Kirk Michael village (below).

Who says "you cannot cycle on the mountain road"!?! Below. .

And then just as we were about to hit the Mountain Section of the TT course...our smiles were wiped away by Police Officers stopping us and declaring that NO CYCLING was allowed on the mountain road during race week!! 

Charlie did try to politely 'negotiate' a deal with:- "Please officer can we just break the rules"!?! 

But was 'politely' warned that it could lead to an arrest!! 

Luckily we didn't need to turn back as there is a coastal road back to Douglas. And even though we missed cycling through a few more famous TT sections the coastal road more than made up for it. 

Some great challenging ascents on the coastal road and even better a visit to LAXEY. A very pretty seaside village with a fantastic coffee/food stop - 'THE SHED' If you're ever in the area make it a must visit! 

After coffee and snacks we completed our TT Lap and celebrated with a photo at the PODIUM! 

Bikes safely tied up for our return Fastcat Ferry to Liverpool - this was to be our WORST ferry crossing ever!!! (Good job we secured the bikes with ropes!!) 

The first hour of the crossing seemed to last for ever as the Irish Sea God's tossed us around like pancakes! The chattering soon stopped and the silence was only broken by groaning, shouts and people opening the 'sick bags'! 

Luckily the rest of the crossing was calm-ish - just don't go near the toilets!! 

And full credit to Steam Packet Staff who were so helpful and thoughtful throughout this crossing 👍👍

Onto land and the sun was shining! It was straight onto a cycle/walking route alongside the River Mersey. Wonderful. And then onto the Trans Peninne Way. 

Again a mix of canals, main roads and country lanes gave us some great cycling variety. A sunny finish after a few heavy showers made it a very enjoyable trip. 😊😊

After Google bike maps had punished us with one final climb up Alsager Bank. We arrived at Silverdale Country Park where it was only a few more steady miles back to The Potteries 🚴🚴

Oh and Charlie has been warned about feeding the birds - but he never listens! Like he says "Everybody has to sometimes break the rules"! 

No doubt he will be 'arrested' soon!! 

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