Manchester airport circumnavigation
We decided that today was going to be a family day and had 2 or 3 options dependant on the weather.
Metcheck said sunny - up until 10am anyway! We made the decision to travel 50 mins or so to Manchester airport and do the orbital route, 8 miles all off the road.
I picked up a leaflet about the route a few years ago and have fancied doing it for a while now. Its easy to follow having these sign posts all around. Some of the route goes along the side of main roads, and we did have to cross a couple. Getting close to the airport its self we used about 10 pelican crossings to get into the transport exchange area where there is a cycle centre and information place.
When we arrived here it poured it down with rain for about 1/2 an hour! Worst than that though, it seems the cycle centre has now disapearred I asked a policeman about it, and he said it went about 3 years ago, I had read old internet information!
It was a good place to shelter from the weather, and it had toilets.
We arrived at the Aviation viewing park and managed to eat lunch without the big black cloud above us bursting over our heads.
Then a Cathy Pacific Air Cargo 747 landed and caused a stir with all the people watching.
The big cloud pasted over, and strangely - hung around the runway threshold. It stayed there for about an hour.
Then finally, the Emerates A380 Airbus was pushed back for its taxi out to take off.
It normally takes off on runway 2 but today it used 24R the origonal runway, and thus allowed us to actually see it rotate and lift off almost infront of us - unfortunately through the mesh fence so rubbish pictures.
We left shortly after to complete our journey....
We had to pass under both runways, 24R was first. This tunnel is right at the end ogf the origonal runway, and when the wind is in the prevailing direction, you never see anything from the road, they have normally taken off by then.
Runway 24L was next, with about 300metres seperating the tunnels, there almost identical. What I cannot understand is why they bothered building the 2nd. It was stated that it was to have one runway on departures and one on arivals, never seen this happen - except when the A380 uses 2nd runway to leave on.
Another big waste of money, land, time and resoures?
Passing around the back of the 2nd runway we road along the outside perimetre track, passing many crash gates and the fire training mock up plane. The fire service had been practicing earlier in the day, but all was quiet now.
We passed under the approach now having almost completed our circuit.
Watching our last plane of the day, its been good. Everyone enjoyed the biking, the weather held out (mostly) and we had a great pub lunch on the way back.
Connor (of course) was nowhere near tired enough, and probably would have gone around again.
We will do this again later in the year I'm sure.
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