The path to enlightment, past Mr Chu's ... or a Trans-Penine Nightmare

Sure Bazza will agree with me on this, but getting amongst it and seeing familiar sights from new perspectives is a really life-affirming thing.

Have decided to cycle across the Humber Bridge three days a week en route to my new job on the south bank, to save the world and bridge tolls. Did a trial run today, seeing familar sights from fresh perspectives, a beautiful Humber Bridge glistening through the downhill mist as I tried to apply brake pressure on the way down to the foreshore. And then, having surprised myself with my speed on the journey - I decided to take a detour on the way back along the Trans Penine Trail. Don't be fooled, orienteers. This is not a trail. It's an off-road, quad bike, gacky nitemare, negotiating the mud, debris, fog and attempting not to fall in the Humber for about four miles. The most terrifying part is cycling towards the A63 traffic with only a rubbish fence between. Covered in mud, I spotted a shaman-like figure with a rod and a fire fishing the Humber on the edge of St Andrew's Quay. I cycled towards him and found it was Carl from Bad Magic, wide-eyed after a night on yoof pills. He embraced the role of shaman and said: "the path which you seek is beyond Mr Chu's. There are many opportunites to veer off the path but keep going and you will find what you seek, ie, the footpath just beyond the ice arena. And so I continued, past the abandoned fish docks, flimsy lock bridges not made for us cycling kinds and a raised gantry where I could see the disullisionment of Hull's fishing past in the foreground and the cranes of progress beyond. Maybe Hull's battle is to see if it can ever reconcile the two. The photo from today's amazing journey will be published soon - in the meantime ... a flyer for our charity do. Click on it for the news story!!