I cycled to Chorley in light rain and reached the railway station in plenty of time for the 14:52 train to Manchester Piccadilly. The train was on time and I wheeled my bike on board to find two other bikes already on. I tied mine in the bike area and sat down. At the Manchester Oxford Rd stop two women got off with the two bikes on their way to a cycling tour of Wales. I got off at Piccadilly then crossed the station complex to catch the 15:52 train to Buxton.

Waiting for the train at  Chorley Railway Station

The carriage with bike space was rather odd because there was nowhere to put a bike full length. I had to take a front pannier bag off to get the bike in. The light rain in Chorley was now quite heavy as I reached Buxton. When I was here in Feb and March it was snowing so I began to wonder if the sun ever shines in Buxton. I put on full waterproofs and set off on the Bakewell road. I was only going as far as Taddington and found the climb up much better than the last time in Feb when I had to cope with heavy snow and strong cross winds. I camped in a field behind a wall at a site I’d used last year. I put the tent up and listened to the rain falling for the rest of the evening.

Arriving at Buxton Railway Station in the rain