Walking the M62

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JohnDavies
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Walking the M62

Post by JohnDavies »

I've just joined this forum though I've been a keen reader of the SABRE and associated websites for some time. As a writing project looking (quite light heartedly I hope) at life across the north of England today, I intend to spend the whole of September and October WALKING THE M62. Ie, travelling from Hull back home to Liverpool roughly following the M62 corridor (not ON it obviously) in the company of various local people en-route. I travel the motorway a lot but my theory is that you notice a lot more at 2mph than at 70.

I came on here looking to see if there are any readers who live enroute who have particular knowledge of or interest in the M62 or just your bit of it. If that's you and you'd like to share your knowledge with me I'd value you getting in touch.
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Matthew
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Post by Matthew »

Hello John,

First of all a warm welcome to SABRE.

Whilst I'm afraid I don't live near the M62- being in the Midlands- I'm sure some of our colleagues here can offer some useful information.

This sounds a fascinating project and I wish you the very best for it.

Cheers,
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traffic-light-man
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Post by traffic-light-man »

hi john! and a warm welcome!
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rob6117
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Post by rob6117 »

There's an excellent little book by Dave Hadfield, the rugby league correspondent of the Independent, called 'Up and Over'. In it he walks from Hull to Widnes visiting all the top RL grounds on the way and makes many mentions of the M62 and its league playing towns and cities along the road. After all, despite all our attempts to publicise it worldwide, in the UK the game does take place along the M62 corridor.

Its worth a read to get the feel of certain places and to check if you're covering any of the same ground. Sounds a fascinating project though mate - I'd read it straight away. I've been travelling the M62 between Leeds and the M6 for years and its always fascinated me - especially up over the moors in bleak weather!
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Post by SouthWest Philip »

There's another book along the same lines - Orbital - which is about the London hinterlands that the M25 passes through. By Iain Sinclair, I think? Not actually read it but am aware of it as I book I probably would be interested in reading...
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Post by haymansafc »

Welcome to SABRE, John!

Indeed, walking along the M62, or should I say as close to it without actually being on it obviously, would be very interesting indeed and travelling at a much slower speed would obviously be much better for a possible ‘sight seeing’ trip.

I would love to do something like this myself if I could get the time off work (doubtful at best!), but my arthritic knee wouldn’t like it too much and would probably give up after the first five miles at most! If you do carry this out in September/October, I wish you all the very best and would love to hear from you after your trip to tell us your points of interest along the M62. Crossing the moors should be very interesting indeed. Don’t expect all that much between the M6 and the M60 though.
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London Orbital

Post by JohnDavies »

I'm aware of Dave Hadfield's book and must get a copy - or get in touch with him. Being a scouser (and Goodison Park season ticket holder) I'm v. ignorant about Rugby League and hope to get to learn about it on my journey.

Sinclair's London Orbital is an amazing book and was a definite trigger to get me thinking about walking the M62. As was Bill Drummond's book 45 in which he describes the east-west journey in these terms....
I ... got out of Hull and on to the most alluring, powerful, even magical motorway on our lump of an island. Even saying its name fills me with a longing. The M62. The greatest motorway ever made. Chuck Berry can keep his Route 66. Kerouac his two-lane black top, Paul Simon his New Jersey Turnpike, Billy Bragg his A13. Give me the M62. Driving it east to west is always best, especially at the close of the day into the setting sun....
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Post by highwaymana31 »

rob6117 wrote:There's an excellent little book by Dave Hadfield, the rugby league correspondent of the Independent, called 'Up and Over'. In it he walks from Hull to Widnes visiting all the top RL grounds on the way and makes many mentions of the M62 and its league playing towns and cities along the road. After all, despite all our attempts to publicise it worldwide, in the UK the game does take place along the M62 corridor.
Cough! "We're Quins RL, We're Quins RL". A few dedicated folk travel a bit further than the M62 (and I don't mean from Perpignan)
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Post by Nic »

haymansafc wrote:Don’t expect all that much between the M6 and the M60 though.
There is the massively underdeveloped metropolis of Warrington, and its major feeder, Birchwood drive (just this side of the M6)
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Post by Bryn666 »

I'm surprised Birchwood hasn't fallen into Chat Moss yet. The rest of the M62 around there feels more hilly than the Pennine bit with all the subsidence. :shock:
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Re: London Orbital

Post by rob6117 »

JohnDavies wrote:I'm aware of Dave Hadfield's book and must get a copy - or get in touch with him. Being a scouser (and Goodison Park season ticket holder) I'm v. ignorant about Rugby League and hope to get to learn about it on my journey.

Sinclair's London Orbital is an amazing book and was a definite trigger to get me thinking about walking the M62. As was Bill Drummond's book 45 in which he describes the east-west journey in these terms....
I ... got out of Hull and on to the most alluring, powerful, even magical motorway on our lump of an island. Even saying its name fills me with a longing. The M62. The greatest motorway ever made. Chuck Berry can keep his Route 66. Kerouac his two-lane black top, Paul Simon his New Jersey Turnpike, Billy Bragg his A13. Give me the M62. Driving it east to west is always best, especially at the close of the day into the setting sun....
Rugby League is the greatest game - and its inextricably linked with the M62. As a lifelong Leeds fan I can help you out on both the game and the road as most away matches involved a journey along it in my youth!

You're welcome to borrow my copy of Up and Over if you like - I don't think it's in print any more and could be hard to find.

As for Bill Drummond - I have a rare CD single copy of 'Its Grim Up North' by the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu/KLF from November 1990 which, on its sleevenotes, has about an accurate summing up of the M62 as you'll find. Its worth quoting here to give other SABRE readers a flavour of this great artery of the North:

'Having stepped from the wreckage of their 1968 Ford Galaxy American Police Car the JAMM's found their Ice Cream Van heading east over the pennine-straddling M62. They pull their van onto the hard shoulder, behind them to the west they can still make out the sprawling conurbation of Greater Manchester and those surrounding Lancashire towns, proud in their decline. Further west, somewhere beyond where Liverpool used to be a dirty sunset sinks into the Irish Sea. To the East the sky is already dark, the Yorkshire Towns seeking solace in their Pennine Valleys but up here on this unhealing gash across the backbone of England the immediate landscape is a desolate moorland with none of the grandeur of the Highlands or the classic English beauty of the Lakes. Three bedraggled sheep huddle for shelter in a ditch, the drizzle toughens then climbs to a solid rain. HGV's plough by, tachographs on overload, a leaded grime smears the verges, sodden silk cut packets wonder whether they are biodegrading, a crow flies north. Through the downpour and the diesel roar, the JAMMS can hear a dull thud, whether this is the eternal echo of a Victorian steam driven revolution or the turbo driven kick of a distant Northern rave is irrelevant. Thus inspired, the JAMMS climb into the back of their ice cream van and work.'

Not quite in the same vein as his earlier quote, but try driving it on a murky night in November and I reckon it sums up the road pretty well!
Last edited by rob6117 on Sun Jun 17, 2007 22:04, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by rob6117 »

highwaymana31 wrote:
rob6117 wrote:There's an excellent little book by Dave Hadfield, the rugby league correspondent of the Independent, called 'Up and Over'. In it he walks from Hull to Widnes visiting all the top RL grounds on the way and makes many mentions of the M62 and its league playing towns and cities along the road. After all, despite all our attempts to publicise it worldwide, in the UK the game does take place along the M62 corridor.
Cough! "We're Quins RL, We're Quins RL". A few dedicated folk travel a bit further than the M62 (and I don't mean from Perpignan)
Oops, forgot the Broncos, sorry the London Australians, I mean the Quins!

Actually London (and the Catalans compared to last year) aren't as Antipodean as they were and fair play for the League in helping that to happen but the first expansion team should have been in West Cumbria. After all it is closer to the M62!

I'll have to start a rugby league thread on unleashed as there must be other SABRE members with an interest in the greatest game of all....
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Post by ellandback »

This might be of interest.
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Post by Lonewolf »

As a North Yorkshire based lorry driver, I have extensive knowledge of the M62 certainly between Hull and the M6. I am not as familiar with the Liverpool end although I've been on it.

Not so many years ago I did Hull to Huddersfield twice a day for about 8 months :evil: :evil:

I have also tried almost every possible route between junctions away from the motorway to escape queues on the stretch from Castleford to Manchester. Some are better than others :evil: :evil:

Of course I once went out of my way to have a look at Scammonden Bridge from the top.

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Post by Lonewolf »

Oh yeah, and take your umbrella :D
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JohnDavies
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My umbrella

Post by JohnDavies »

Thanks for the advice but I doubt an umbrella would last five minutes in a storm on the Pennine stretch. I'll be wearing three layers of waterproofs and still be expecting to get soaked a few times en-route!
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Post by Sabrista »

Sounds lovely, but unfortunately the M62 is not my locality at all.

Maybe I could drive alongside as the support staff to the walkers, handing out drinkies and stuff :)

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Post by Arcuarius »

Sabrista wrote:Maybe I could drive alongside as the support staff to the walkers, handing out drinkies and stuff :)
Yeah, and don't forget to have Serenacam (tm) rolling :D
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