Aargh!

Some of you may be aware of the problems I've been having over the past 3 months with my right eye - constantly sore, unable to focus properly, letting too much light in and generally moving into position a little after the left eye - and this has been extremely frustrating for me as I love to read and have been having massive problems doing so during this time.
Well, I have an appointment at the eye hospital later this morning, so hopefully I'll get down to the bottom of what is causing the problems and find a way of sorting it out.

As the appointment will take several hours I decided that rather than not riding at all, I'd get out stupidly early and went for a ride this morning.

My route took me over to Heaton Park along the notoriously busy Alan Turing Way, Cheetham Hill Rd and Bury Old Rd to the St Margaret's Lodge entrance where the fun began. Onto the Bridle Rd that skirts the Park and is bordered by the ever increasingly busy M60 and down a fun, muddy hill before coming out by the huge motorway roundabout, where even the hardy cyclists get a little scared as they try to navigate this (before they remember that there is an underpass through the junction)!
Now it was onto Heywood Old Rd to start the long straight route up into Bowlee and pass near the renewed Birch Services. At this point my route joined that of the Middleton CC Jean Keith Award route and, having passed under the motorway bridge, turns left onto Hareshill Rd, left at the -junction in front of the Business Park and follows Pilsworth Rd round to where Pilsworth Rd turns left.

Onto a little lane that's rough and lumpy before becoming cobbles after Pilsworth Cottages and crossing over the motorway on Castle Rd brought me back round to Heaton Park where I started the return leg of the ride. I rode round to Victoria Avenue (always a nightmare around this area, never mind at this time of day!), purely because it'd mean I could get some speed up and get home quicker!
Blackley passed by in a blur of lights, building shaped blobs and car shaped blobs as I wove my way through the building traffic (it never seems to recede on here) to enter Moston and Newton Heath, where I had fun flying down Droylsden Rd and the Graver Lane conservation area and Berry Brow, where my chain decided to have as much fun as me, and flew off the bike! Luckily I wasn't too far from home if I needed to walk, but the chain went back on like a dream (it has been known to be very stroppy on occasions) and off I went to climb back up Edge Lane and home to a nice steaming bowl of Ready Brek - I know, I'm a big kid at heart!

See the route I took here

Boring bits -

Temperature: 4.5 degrees
Max speed: 33mph
Average speed: 15.7mph
Miles: 29.13
Challenge 49.3% complete with 151.87 miles left to go