Up at seven this morning, we intended making an early start for the Trough of Bowland, but several things delayed us until it was 9am when we at last kicked off.  We had travelled less than a mile when we met three clubmates on their way to visit the Wirral Peninsula.  Now we held a short discussion as to which way we should go – they to the Trough of Bowland or we to the Wirral.  It was decided to toss a coin, heads for the Trough, tails for the Wirral.  Tails won, and so we made a party of five for the Wirral.  The road through Atherton and Leigh is none too good, but beyond Earlestown to St Helens and Prescot it is chronic.  Another bit of good surface at Knotty Ash, then a terrible road via Old Swan brought us through the suburbs of Liverpool to the Pier Head.  I was reduced to a sore state, and for the rest of the day I did not recover from the effect of those cruel setts.

The ferry was now taken from Liverpool to Birkenhead, and passing out of the latter town we gained the open road to Bidston and so on to Moreton, where we found a lunch place.  After that important meal we made off at a potter to Hoylake, three and a half miles distant.  The day was hot, and the sky a deep blue, and the sea at Hoylake was gloriously calm and clear.  Doffing our shoes and stockings, we started to bathe our feet in the cool water.  In this, and other ways, we spent an hour on Hoylake shore, until we were reminded of the time.  West Kirby followed, then climbing Thurstaston Hill – where we got a good view of the Welsh hills across the Dee estuary – we reached Thurstaston itself, then Heswall.  The main road with its horde of motors began to pall, and at last, four miles from Chester, we took the bylanes towards Frodsham.

Two of us lost the others, and pushed on to the tea place, and when we had washed and ordered tea they came up with a store of juicy blackberries etc.  After tea we took the main road – with lamps lit – from Mickle Trafford via Dunham to Helsby and Frodsham.  Sutton Weaver followed, then Daresbury, just beyond where (near Warrington) I had a crash.  A motor was coming with dazzling headlights that entirely blinded me, with the result that I crashed over the kerb into the hedge.  No damage done.  The result was that I lost the others in Warrington, and after waiting 20 minutes in vain, I returned alone for 10.30pm.                                                                                          113 miles, 13 hours