Halo, Goodbye : Lancashire Panopticon Series No.2

[@mattjohn7700]

I do a lot of walking cycling, and all new ground is a bonus it's all memories brilliant day out for you, .Gordon

[@clippingin1593]

Cheers, Matt. In the old days I used pure road pedals and cleats which were useless for walking, as well as being lethal on wet tiles or stone floors. I had a few 'Bambi on Ice' moments in the old days.... cafe figure skating.

[@mattjohn7700]

@clippingin1593 I use to clip in... but had to stop at a red light. I didn't go well all school kids laughed..so just use the normal peddles lol.

[@clippingin1593]

@@mattjohn7700 That's a nightmare moment that we've all experienced! On my MTB I use double-action pedals - one side is flats, the other side is SPD clips. If I'm on slow tricky ground then I unclip and ride the flat side so I can quickly put a foot down.

[@toddfield4744]

Very Ligeti, and a touch of Stockhausen, Gordon. Great ride

[@clippingin1593]

Good call, Todd. Old Karl-Heinz did quite a few spatial and kinetic music installations too. Superb weather once the initial frosty nip had lifted.

[@michaeldenton2581]

Another enjoyable vid Gordon….The Singing Ringing Tree in full Chorus really is an amazing experience to take away. Stay safe my friend and look forward as ever to the next instalment on The Yorkshire (and Lancs) Roads 😁🤩

[@clippingin1593]

Cheers, Mick. I felt lucky to have 'maximum views' and musical accompaniment. In the past I've had to settle for one or the other when I've walked out from Tod over Flower Scar & Thieveley Pike. I might take a 1-way train to the final one - 'Colourfields' - then pick a nice route home via Laneshaw Bridge because I've got my eye on a single 70 miler centred on Blackburn station which links all four panopticon sites.

[@ramsden35]

Great pre ride motivation.

[@clippingin1593]

Brilliant. Have a good one, Adam.

[@markmcglincy3907]

Another great ride and video Gordon and nothing wrong with a sense of adventure which adds to the enjoyment of a day out 😊

[@clippingin1593]

Cheers, Mark. That was my first time cycling the roads west of Bacup and I'm starting to assemble a mental picture of the landscape. Once I've done a recce ride of the area in and around Blackburn I''ll try a continuous circuit of the four panopticon sites - it looks like a solid 70 miler.

[@markmcglincy3907]

@clippingin1593 look forward to your video covering the 70 miler Gordon. I live in upper wharfedale so enjoyed your video when you came down Littondale and wharfedale 👍

[@clippingin1593]

@@markmcglincy3907 What a lovely area to live in! I'll be enjoying some more weekend runs to limestone country over the autumn/winter.

[@n22pdf]

Wow what a great ride Gordon.. awesome to hear the sculpture wind music, never seen that before will have to go there one day 😊 🚴🏻👍 Pete

[@clippingin1593]

Definitely worth a ride out, Pete. I was lucky on Saturday to have enough of a breeze to bring the 'Singing Ringing Tree' to life but combined with amazing long distance clarity. I haven't seen the 'Colourfields' in Blackburn but I don't think it'll match the S.R.T. After a couple of recces I'm planning a 70 mile loop taking in all 4 panopticons, starting and finishing at Blackburn station.

[@n22pdf]

@@clippingin1593sounds awesome :) are you on Strava as it would be great to see the routes you do 😊 no worries if you’d rather not post etc 👍 Pete 🚴

[@clippingin1593]

@@n22pdf strava.app.link/zbogPkdXhNb here's a link to this ride, Pete , just send a 'request to follow'

[@sandrahill5899]

Another great video Gordon.. thanks

[@clippingin1593]

@@sandrahill5899 thanks, Sandra. A great day out and a mini-adventure with all the new terrain.

[@GrandadRambles]

I was more impressed watching ya hill climb up to the over sized colander 😂 The pipe one made up for it, especially with those views 👍🏻 Enjoy the rest of ya weekend Gordon 🙌🏼

[@clippingin1593]

That's a good description of the Halo, Rob. The site looked half-finished with mud, standing water, and no obvious information boards, yet it's been there for 15+ years. Yes, the Singing Ringing Tree is a true panopticon - that's probably the clearest I've seen it.

[@paulwatson8200]

Another great ride, Gordon.

[@clippingin1593]

Thanks, Paul. It was perfect cycling weather and I was knocked at being able to see Ingleborough from the Halo site. That made my day!

[@MatthewStokes-b2v]

Good afternoon Gordon. I've only just discovered your channel and am really impressed. I live in Haslingden and sometimes venture across the border into Yorkshire. I feel that I have never done justice to West Yorkshire and would like to use some of your routes to explore "t'other side o' Pennines" more. I have requested to follow you on Strava so I can get a more detailed look at the hills because I'm not as familiar with them as I'd like to be. Regards, Matt Stokes

[@clippingin1593]

Thanks, Matt. I've got you on Strava now. I was knocked out by the views from the Halo - especially after spotting a direct line to the Dales. I've only pedalled through that area once, riding home from Preston via Darwen - Church - Burnley, so the 'Four Panopticons' theme is giving me lots of new ground to explore

[@MatthewStokes-b2v]

@@clippingin1593 I'm looking forward to the next 2 panopticons. Unfortunately, I have a habit a spending too much time looking at my head unit and not appreciating the views and my environment. I think you may have changed that now. Unfortunately, it's an indoor ride today (it's chuckin it down) but that gives me an opportunity to look at your Jackson Bridge, Sude Hill and New Mill Old Road videos. Keep 'em coming, I love them!

[@clippingin1593]

@@MatthewStokes-b2v I visited 'The Atom' at Wycoller in the video before this one, so my final site will be 'Colourfields' which is in a park on a hillside about a mile north of Blackburn centre. Once I know the East Lancs roads a little better, I'll link all four in a single ride of c.70 miles using Blackburn station as a start & finish point. Hammering down here in West Yorks too!

[@ajollygoodchap]

Again I could clearly see it in the distance. I have to say, there is a stark difference in the quality of the built environment in Lancs. It just looks lower rent from Yorkshire. I can't put my finger on it, but it is.

[@clippingin1593]

I've been to the Singing Ringing Tree a few times but I've never been able to see the Three Peaks. That was a real treat. The Lancashire road repair budget certainly didn't strike me as being extravagant !

[@ajollygoodchap]

Very diplomatic!

[@clippingin1593]

@@ajollygoodchap Of course! I have to return to the wilds of Blackburn for No.4. The Heart of Lancashire - something which even Capt. Willard would think twice about.

[@hxjay1971]

another brilliant ride gordon views over burnley are stunning watch out for those bloody pot holes i hit a small one today and thought my bike had snapped ,no lasting damage luckily but they are a menace

[@clippingin1593]

Cheers, Jay. If the roads get any worse we'll need gravel bikes with suspension. That narrow access road to the Halo had a shocking run-off, and a couple of weeks ago I was struck by how bad the Holme Moss descent on the Yorkshire side has become. It's so rare to see new, smooth, fast tarmac nowadays. Breaking a frame becomes a real possibility - glad you avoided that.

[@allanfoster6965]

That was impressive on so many levels. Thanks. 👏👏

[@clippingin1593]

Thanks, Allan. There was quite a lot of new ground for me and I'm hoping to gradually open up 'East Lancashire' with a view to doing a single circuit of all four panopticon sites. I picked a good day for long distance views!

[@ianrichardson4558]

goodun mate 👍

[@clippingin1593]

Cheers, Ian. At some point I'll put a single ride together which visits all four sites - probably using a train to start in Blackburn.

[@Tarmaccyclocross]

Still love the title music it sounds like it should have been in reservoir dogs 👍there’s still a lot of water on the roads up my way ☹️

[@clippingin1593]

It's raining here in West Yorks but tomorrow looks like a complete wash-out. I was pretty lucky with the conditions on Saturday - looking at the standing water around the Halo I'm guessing East Lancs has been a wet recently too. I wrote the surf tune in 2016 and that fast-picked middle-eastern section was inspired by Dick Dale's 'Miserlou' which Tarantino used. Originally, I was going to change the title music every few months but when I swapped this tune for another there was a flood of comments saying they missed the surf tune.... so it's here to stay.

[@GrandadRambles]

That was good timing to post. Let mi stick kettle on haha😂☕️

[@clippingin1593]

Best to have a brew with your Panopticons.

[@GrandadRambles]

@@clippingin1593 😂👍🏻☕️

[@Robutube1]

Gordon: A cheeky request I recognise, but here goes: It's great that you include "where am I?" maps because they add a great deal to your posts, but would you consider changing the symbol from an asterisk to an arrow showing the direction of travel? OK, I'll get back in my box😂.

[@clippingin1593]

That's a good suggestion, Rob. I think the production budget will stretch to an arrow. I try to keep the videos as 'standalone' as possible, without a need to jump platforms for locations unless someone wants to repeat the actual route via gpx. That's why I persist with the map inserts and verbal breadcrumbs, so I'll add pointers to the next one. If Saturday's dry and clear then I'll hop on a train to Blackburn for 'Colourfields' then stitch together a nice route home.

[@Robutube1]

@@clippingin1593 I rode through Blackburn on LEJOG recently, the section from Runcorn to Lancaster. I remember a looooonnng pull out of Blackburn going north, but it might be a descent for you of course!

[@clippingin1593]

@@Robutube1 No, that makes sense and ties in with the map. The 'Colourfields' sits north of the town, in a park at c.220 m, so I'll also have quite a bit of climbing to kick things off.

[@steppings5645]

After this video I took a few moments to reflect with great sympathy your headset bearings over those drain channels.

[@clippingin1593]

I wasn't impressed by the drainage channels and just-bombed-airstrip tarmac. The whole installation looked a bit half-baked but the views from the top were very impressive. Even with a low frequency cut on the audio track the impacts sounded savage.

[@gmivisualsjason3729]

Another very enjoyable video. Just added the Atom (36 mile round trip) The singing pipes (63) and The Halo (76) to my planned route's on Komoot. But like you I might do two in one ride. Did a 45 mile ride myself in this day out to Bolton abbey through Otley/Ilkley. Lovely ride as you say definitely a chill in the air. Bit of a strange one for me, highest average speed yet for this ride but was full of cold and not quite feeling on form. But couldn't stay in on such a lovely sunny day. Do you not use a bike computer like a Garmin with navigation? Noticed the watch on your handlebars?

[@clippingin1593]

I've got a route pencilled-in which will do all four in around 70 miles but I want to recce sections in 'deepest Lancs' before I try it. I'd probably start & finish at Blackburn train station - the 'Colourfields' site is in a park about a mile north of the centre. I don't have a computer or head-unit. If was doing some kind of big multi-day trip then I'd probably buy one, but not for day rides.

[@gmivisualsjason3729]

@@clippingin1593 I'd get lost..... Never to be seen again

[@clippingin1593]

@@gmivisualsjason3729 It's what you get used to. There weren't any bike specific nav-systems when I started so I had to learn the routes and roads manually, and I do the same today. From memory, I think the early handlebar Garmin units appeared around 2007-2008... I carry a phone in my jersey which has OS Maps - that's where the video inserts originate - so if I was really stuck then I could fire it up as a bail out. Last year I had an unplanned ride home from Preston and had to consult the phone in a few places.

[@RobinDS-m1g]

More beautiful views by proxy. Halo, Lionel Richie.....

[@clippingin1593]

I couldn't resist mentioning a certain schmaltzy ballad. I was impressed by the clarity and I couldn't believe that was I seeing Ingleborough from Haslingden. The GoPro just captured enough for it to show up on a larger screen in 4K.

[@WestYorkshireCycling]

When you said it wasn't your thing we thought you meant Lancashire

[@clippingin1593]

Interpretation is everything.... haha. The views from the Halo are tremendous but the site looked half-finished with muddy, unmade tracks, standing water, patchy signage, and that extra-narrow access road. Singing Ringing Tree was great though.

[@WestYorkshireCycling]

@@clippingin1593 It looked like the Flappits lol

[@clippingin1593]

@@WestYorkshireCycling It's a pretty good view across to Ilkley Moor from the Flappit quarries where the motorbikers used to go. We should build a little panopticon there.

[@Robutube1]

​@@clippingin1593Got to agree - both the dish and atom panopticons lack a sense of presence (or, more likely, are symbols of a cash-strapped council prioritising other public amenities). They do, nonetheless, provide a great framework (sorry!) around which to fashion some glorious rides.

[@clippingin1593]

@@Robutube1 I'm looking at classic OS Maps for 360 deg viewpoints in West & South Yorks with a view to assembling a concept album of rides, although the autumn/winter weather might have the final say in view quality.