13th January 2011: Egremont Ferry

With 11 riders meeting at 10:00 at Ness Gardens, is it New Year resolutions or has the CER been on a recruitment drive?  Whatever.
It’s always encouraging to see so many, and a warm welcome back to some faces not seen for a while, like Mike, Kate and Dave B.
With a SW breeze, the best route to New Brighton was clockwise via Thornton Hough and the Viking settlements of Pensby, Irby, Greasby, Frankby and Hoylake.   Then it was that very easy ride along the sea wall, past the new £60m development of lido, hotel and shops, which hope to bring the punters thronging back to regain New Brighton’s glory days.  A photo stop ensued at Perch Rock Fort (unfortunately the passerby recruited to take the snap suffered from uncontrollable camera shake requiring the later use of the delete button).  The fort has been guarding the Mersey entrance for nearly 200 years but with walls 24 feet thick, it only ever fired its huge guns twice; and that was in peacetime.

Photograph by Ivan Davenport

Lunch was again at The Egremont Ferry Hotel, where a quality pint of Cains is always served, while enjoying the views over the city opposite and the river below.  The TV was showing Everton’s recent 5 goal spree......... bliss.
The route back is easy if you know Birkenhead; Duke St Bridge, through The Park, Manor Hill, Storeton Rd, and down to Thornton Hough.  Then back through Raby and Neston for tea and cake at Ness Gardens.  An easy, pleasant, if uneventful ride round the Peninsula, of some 37 miles or around 60 miles for those riding from Chester.
See route map and/or gpx file download.
BMac