What really made this day out different for Charlie was that it didn’t involve much cycling!

The main part of the day was a visit to the Renold factory to see how bicycle chains were made. In this year of 1923 Renold commenced high speed testing of ‘out of alignment’ chains, and Charlie records seeing this test rig in operation, plus other testing rigs which were not normally shown to visitors.

The 35 members of Bolton CTC who visited the Renold plant on this Saturday were part of over 300 cyclists from cycling clubs around the northwest, and the visit included a free meal, an almost unheard of luxury for those days.

The day also had some extra spice those Boltonians on the visit, as this was the day of the FA Cup Final – the very first to be held at the newly completed Wembley Stadium (later to become famous as the ‘White Horse Final’). As the meal was being served at the conclusion of their visit, news filtered through that Bolton Wanderers football team had won the FA Cup by two goals to nil over West Ham. No doubt a very sweet conclusion to their repast for many.

The first hill climb that Charlie attended – and from which he withdrew his name from the start sheet because he did not feel ‘on form’ – was held by his club, the Lancashire Road Club (an off shoot of the Bolton CTC) near Chipping. Although not identified the hill was in all probability Jeffrey Hill on the slopes of Longridge Fell, and a very stiff climb it is too as can be seen from the gradient in this picture.

In those days, handicapping the competing riders was very popular (not the case nowadays), and basically the idea was that to issue handicaps to all made for a level playing field for the competitors. It works like this.

The rider who is so fit he is expected to win with the quickest time is the ‘scratch’ rider, and the only one without a handicap. His eventual time sets the benchmark for everyone else. The slower riders are all given differing handicaps which gives them a sporting chance (when their actual time is reduced by their handicap) of getting close to the winning or ‘scratch’ time.

Handicapping has fallen out of favour in recent times due to the time consumed in allotting handicaps – which means investigating each riders performance over the preceding three years – and arguing about the actual handicap when it appears on the start sheet ! To keep up the tension at the event, the scratch man was always the last man to start up the hill, and from his time all the other results followed. Of course, in the end one’s actual time – not the handicap time – was the final arbiter of whether you were considered fit or not!

This Saturday afternoon run, still not getting back home until 10.30pm, was typical,
part mad blind, part football, all the joys of being out and about on a bike and
making your own enjoyment. A 20 strong turnout on a run like that would be a joy
to behold.

Today we complete the final part of Charlie’s Whitsuntide adventures,  a 236 mile dash which started on the Friday evening with an all night ride across North Wales from their meeting place in Warrington, to Llanberis, and which ended on the Sunday night back in Bolton.

Charlie brings the journey to life with his companions and the characters he meets along the way. We discover some of the practical jokes that his friend Fred was so very fond of and as for Walter? He seems to have been without shame at his poor contribution to the pace-making. But whilst his pals let him know his failings they still accepted his companionship.

A typical club run. Cyclists criss-crossing the countryside and no one with a proper map or directions. But somehow we always got to the correct destination, not necessarily together, but the exercise was always very enjoyable.

In a way this run was classic Charlie Chadwick, going down tracks and ending up at ‘Private Road’ signs, all in the process of going down a lane just to see ‘what’s over the hill’. Meat and drink to Charlie.

Having started out at 9pm last night and ridden through the night, the story resumes with their push into the mountains of North Wales. As is often the case I think the hour before dawn was probably the most challenging but their energy returned with the daylight – encouraging them to review the Swallow Falls.

Although there has been mention of Walter it is fair to say that he hasn’t really featured in this story … until now. But now his unwillingness to take his share of the wind, i.e. to stay at the rear – really brings him to the fore! Walter distinguishes himself through his dogged refusal to ride in any position other than at the rear. All cyclists are irritated by those amongst them who decline – continuously – to take a turn in front and ‘push the wind’, especially when one is riding into a stiff headwind, and this
becomes one such story.

Charlie also describes an extended session rowing on a Welsh lake – without the permission of the boat owner – and quite a lot of sight-seeing in Wales, for the once favoured by good weather.

This piece just shows that the inability of teenagers to get out of bed in a morning is not simply a modern phenomenon! It also shows how proud Charlie was to be a member of
the CTC (having joined at the beginning of this year). Wherever he went, he would
engage anyone with the ‘winged badge’ in conversation as a fellow member – as
indeed I did at that age – cementing the relationship between cyclists the world
over. However, I must say that the number of punctures they had in those days
would have tried my patience sorely in my days awheel after the war.

As I always do I was looking on Flickr for a picture to illustrate this story of the run to Copster Green. Usually I find that there is plenty to choose from. But on this occasion I have to say that there was really very little. However, I am very pleased with the one that I did turn up. As this picture was actually taken in July then it doesn’t look much like the windy day that the Bolton CTC run experienced on that day in 1923.

Their route took them through Tockholes. Now I don’t know about you but I have always thought that this was a strange place name. I also searched for pictures of Tockholes and found this one looking over towards Winter Hill – of course those masts wouldn’t have been there in the 1920’s.

Strangely I wasn’t able to find any pictures – or indeed references of any sort – to the Treacle Mines at Tockholes! I can’t understand why not because on every one of our regular family visits to my grandparents during my childhood (a journey which would take us through Tockholes) my Dad would always remark upon them. Maybe you know something more about them and can point me in the right direction?

In this first instalment of Charlie’s account of Whitsun weekend 1926 it does seem to take Charlie a little while to settle to the task. First he eulogises at some length on what it is that gives his favourite parts of North Wales that something extra for him. Then we get a glimpse into some of Charlie’s thoughts on religion before finally he seems to settle to his task of describing the first stage of their overnight ride – which took them as far as Chester.

I was very intrigued by his reference to ‘Rude Boreas’ – which in my ignorance I had to look up. It turns out that Boreas was the Greek god of the north wind! So, I think that we can take it that things were pretty windy – in all probability a headwind. In fact I have the reader at a slight advantage in that I have read the other instalments and thus am in a position to advise you that this is a subject that Charlie will be returning to in the subsequent instalments.

But above all of these references that one that really sticks out for me is the throw-away reference to the Hindley Boys being part of the coal lock-out. Now, sad to say, I am not a great student of modern/social history so I didn’t immediately recognise this – though it didn’t take much searching for me to realise its significance as a consequence of the general strike! What I find most remarkable is that one of the most significant political and social events that occurred, certainly in that year – but possibly even in the whole decade – should warrant so little comment from Charlie. And yet he has no difficulty whatsoever, writing at length about his love of the North Wales countryside.

The general strike lasted for 9 days from Tuesday 4 May to Thursday 13 May. It seems that Friday 28 May was a holiday because “Whitsuntide decreed that we others should be free from the Thursday night” though Charlie seems not to have set out until after 9 in the evening on the Friday. At this time Charlie would have been 21 and I imagine still an apprentice and perhaps this provided him with enough security to give so little care to the monumental events that were going on around him. Yet, we know from what Charlie wrote about his long periods out of work in The Dole that he was to become very much affected by the future economic conditions.

Although the Pilgrimage to Meriden has been up on the site since we launched it seems I omitted to include Charlie’s drawing of the memorial itself. I came across it by accident this evening whilst I was preparing some of the material scheduled for publication later in April (see Publishing Schedule for April and Additions for April).

Anyway, I have now rectified this omission, and found an excuse to introduce you to this piece too.