See Dee

If you want to get out of an aukward social occasion, this is the Perm for you. Just tell everyone that you are going to visit Bunbury, and as long as you are Earnest about it you should get away with it.

This Perm can be ridden with the e_Brevet app . Head south into Cheshire through Stalybridge and Hyde. Chadkirk Chapel near Romiley is an interesting place – but perhaps on another occasion as there are still some kilometres to cover before that first control at Broken Cross. You are heading for Church Minshull, which offers one of surprisingly few cyclist-friendly crossings of the River Weaver.

Holt is a medieval village just over the border into Wales. It lies over the River Dee from Farndon on Cheshire, connected by a 14th Century bridge, with its 20th Century traffic lights. There is a cafe in the Garden Centre, and at Cleopatra’s Cafe in the village centre.

The way back through England goes through Saighton (pronounced ‘satan’) and the north Cheshire towns of Helsby and Frodsham. Warburton Toll Bridge (free for cyclists!) gets you over the Manchester Ship Canal. The A57 takes you through Irlam and all the way to Eccles, then head north through the former coal mining region of Pendlebury and Agecroft to reach Prestwich and Whitefield.

Simister might be a tiny village but its fame is widespread as thousands pass daily through ‘Simister Island’ where the M60, M66 and M62 all meet. Our route leads us through Simister and Middleton. The clock tower at Royton Town Hall reminds us that ‘Tempus Fugit’ so press on, and upwards, through Shaw and the short sharp climb to Moorside and over High Moor. It’s now downhill all the way to Uppermill.

This Perm starts and finishes in Uppermill, Saddleworth. If you drive here, it’s handy for M62 junction 22 and there is free all-day parking at the car park by the leisure centre. If arriving by train, Greenfield Station has connections to Manchester and Leeds. TransPennine Trains allow a limited number of bikes on trains which they insist must be pre-booked, a policy strictly observed.