Wakefield to Halifax. With great trepidation after looking at the weather forecast, I set out on another cycling tour. Rail ticket purchased and accommodation booked in advance, I decided to set out and hoped that the rain was not as heavy as predicted. Spoiler alert: it was.

But first, the tribulations of booking a bicycle reservation on our fragmented railway network, and the minor annoyance of being forced to set up an account with LNER just for one bicycle space from Kings Cross, only to find the reserved space to be imaginary – maybe coach J was on another train at platform 9¾? Nevertheless, a helpful staff member unlocked the old-fashioned luggage van, and released my bicycle at Wakefield to allow me to set off.

This tour was to take in some of Cycling UK’s British Cycle Quest checkpoints (www.cyclinguk.org/british-cycle-quest). The quest itself is not particularly exciting, but it does draw you to cycle in parts of the country that you might not otherwise visit. So, firstly out of Wakefield to Sandal castle, then a long grind uphill in the steadily increasing rain through High Hoyland and Upper Denby before losing all the hard-earned elevation by dropping into Holmbridge, followed by the really hard slog up to the barely-visible Holme Moss transmitter checkpoint – alas, the 16% gradient and fierce wind near the top forcing me to get off the bike and push the last few hundred metres to the ridge. Back down again, and turning north along a sawtooth route to Halifax, rain continuing for most of the afternoon. Out of town to Shibden Park, once home to Anne Lister (1791-1840), before the overnight stop. Ms Lister died when travelling in Europe but is buried in Halifax Minster (which, alas, has limited opening hours).