Today’s ride heralded the welcome return of Ken to CER. Ken had obviously been looking after himself very well as evidenced by his performamce in today's Brisk Ride to Whitchurch. Along with Ken, there was Ivan and John W. For John, this was an amble ahead of a 300km Audax ride this coming hot-weather weekend.
Where did we go? - well, the start of this ride brought to mind a management training film about a family that decided to go out to the local town for a traipse around the shops and have lunch out. On the way back in the car, gradually and one-by-one, they all question why they went in to town. It turned out that none of them wanted to go but didn't like to say so. The message was clear - and exactly that - be clear in what you are going to do i.e. communicate.
So with this in mind, we set off around the Wrexham Industrial Estate at high speed. Approaching Cross Lanes, I ask Ivan are we now taking a left passing the cheese factory or straight on. He says “I don’t know - it’s your ride!” I was under the impression that I was following his ride to the Panorama and he obviously thought he was following my ride to Whitchurch!
So a quick re-compute and we are now off to Whitchurch via all the small lanes to Penley. Grange Road out of Penley is in a very sorry state and would be best avoided in winter time. Equally so are parts of Tarts Hill lane leading down to Breaden Heath. A shimmy through Bettisfield takes down to Norwood and good quality lanes.
Here we pick up NCR455 which will take us via Waterloo, Welsh End and Alkington into Whitchurch. Here also Ken picks up a rear wheel puncture. We plump for a sumptuous al fresco lunch at Sainsburys with their £3.50 meal deal. Finally the sun comes out as it had been very cloudy and cool all morning.
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| Earnest discussion at lunch time (who's Ernest?) |
The route back takes us out to Marbury and looping round to No Mans Heath. We bypass Malpas via Ebnal and on to Kidnal. Here the “official” route takes you through Tilston and thence down Wetriens Lane back to Cleopatra’s. I suggest a drink at Manor Wood Caravan Park near Barton. We arrive in hope to find an “unavoidably closed” sign on the door. So back-tracking, we end up at Cleopatra’s for tea and cake courtesy of Ken celebrating his return to CER.
The route round is 49 miles, but all of us clock up 70+ miles today as we cycle homewards in the sunshine.
CA
Photo by JW
Great route. Glad to have Ken back t
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