well i made it safe and sound with bike on train thanks to my diversion to euston to sort out ticket on fri.
had a cracking time, was chauffeur-driven from stockport station by dave and then had a brilliant day! my guides for the day were both excellent, well up on all the quality local routes, lots of rocky climbs and descents with some suitably steep ups and downs. both of them were very skilled and quickly made me realise that everyone who regularly rides around those parts can not only ride a bike properly but is also ridiculously fit. i have since re-evaluated my fitness levels!
on top of that, emmy’s b&b is in an amazing location with testing (as i found out!) descent right to the front door and miles and miles of trails starting and finishing right outside. the perfect base for mtbing and excellent care was taken of me from start to finish, including super cake as a mid-ride lunch treat and a generous (dave-portion) feed at the end of the day. cool dog as well!
great stuff and thanks again to both the hosts of my last-minute excursion!