Hitchin' a Ride - PHOTOPHILE

Hitchin’ a Ride (or Bummin’ a Ride in this case) is my post this week for WordPress Photo Challenge: Cherry on Top

This statue marks the start of the TransPennine Cycling Trail in Southport. It is mounted high on a pole on the seafront so it is, in its own right, a “cherry on top”.

Thanks to the seagull we have a double portion of “cherries on top”.

Hitchin' a Ride Statue cyclist boy Southport

Hitchin’ a Ride ©HelenBushe

The flat and scenic route alongside the beach is very popular with cyclists, and is the start of the Trans Pennine Trail, a cycle route running across the north of the country to Selby in North Yorkshire, through Hull and on to Hornsea on the east coast.

In June 2008, Cycling England announced Southport as one of the 11 new cycling towns. These 11 towns shared £47 million from the government to be spent solely on cycling schemes in the towns.[80] Southport’s Cycling Towns programme aims to encourage tourism and leisure cycling, create regeneration opportunities and significantly increase cycling to school.[81] There are now many cycle lanes in Southport and more are planned, to encourage cycling in the town. – Wikipedia

Here is a more earnest view of the cyclist: