Christmas Day 2016 Ride

Blog Date - 29 December 2016

Oh joyous joy! Christmas is upon us and that means one thing - it will soon be all over and I can return to normal for another 11 months before the whole merry-go-round starts once again. There is one good thing about Christmas day and that's the lack of traffic.

Perhaps I've mis-sold Sharon the idea of what I mean when I say "a lack of traffic". She arrives at my place just after 1300 and reports to me that there's a lot of traffic out there. Nonsense. I've just taken Mother dearest to see Son dearest and while there are other road users it's hardly the usual gridlock. Further discussion with Girlfriend dearest reveals she was expecting it to be devoid of life entirely with naught but tumble weeds and wild coyotes for company on the lonesome streets. I think she was expecting a little too much really, it's quiet, not empty.

We depart at 1400 and as it'll be dark at 1600 we meander our way back to Sharon's place in Halewood. We start with Wigan. I'm hoping to find the town centre totally empty, the problem is I can't even find the town centre. It's been a while since I took a motorised vehicle into the shopping area of Wigan and the road I expected to lead me there now has a sign showing a motorcycle jumping a car in a red circle. According to the Highway Code this means no entry to motorised vehicles. Gosh darn it. I know another route but I can't be bothered.

Sharon remains completely underwhelmed.

Warrington next. Imagine if you will quite a large ordinary town much like many others. What sets Warrington apart is the A49 that runs though it and around which the town is built. Despite the M62, M6 and M56 that surround the town and several ring roads the A49 is generally used as a car park for those unfortunate souls that must unwillingly pass through in search of gainful employment. I too oft travel this gridlocked dual carriageway though luckily not every day. It is a sight to behold seeing endless lines of wretched faces, dreary at their steering wheels as they crawl past several miles of retail parks filled with promises of a better life if only they could afford the delights within the glass fronted temples to the gods of consumerism and capitalism.  

Sandra is finishing her make up. I can hear Giles is having an important phone call about the meeting he'll never reach in time. Jim the trucker doesn't give a toss, he's paid hourly. Sue is reaching behind to wipe baby's runny nose. Alex's car is a wreck, the engine is knocking and the number plate is only held on with one screw. Dave in his white van sure as hell ain't letting that git in the queue jumping Audi in. Jane is causing havoc as she's been riding the clutch on Mark's car and is now broken down in the outside lane. This is normal life on the A49.

Except today, Christmas day. I pull in to a layby and get my camera out. Sharon looks at me curiously, there's a look of disappointment in her eyes too. This to her is just a dual carriageway but to my eyes it is a Yuletide miracle. 

"See that bit of tarmac?" I point to a random piece of road.
"Errr, yeah?"
"Well I've never seen it before."
"Eh, what?"
"I've never seen it before, there's always a truck or a car or a van over it. I know the white line down the middle intimately but not that bit of tarmac."

I may never see this patch of tarmac again.

That's about the best way I can sum up how I feel. There's no great scenery, there's no star in the east or stunning waterfalls or wild mountains or arid deserts. It's not even deserted and there's still a steady flow of vehicles coming and going. There's just no gridlock on the A49 today and that is a wondrous thing indeed.

We return to Sharon's place. I don't think Sharon has appreciated this ride as much as I have. She's glad to have been out on the bike but she was hoping to have the roads all to herself for once. I ride day in day out. For myself this has been a blissfully peaceful ride relative to the anarchy and commotion that I routinely endure. We may not have peace and goodwill for all the people of the world but at least there's one day of peace on the roads.

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