15th September 2022: Church Minshull (mod)

Autumn beckons as could be seen by fewer short sleeves and bare legs as we gathered at Meadow Lea, though the day was forecast to be dry. A reasonable turnout of mod riders plus Nick, though David M wasn’t going to join the ride.  He was looking forward to receiving his new winter cycling shoes from Canada, suited to temperatures of -20 degrees! We were unexpectedly joined by John B, who we hadn’t seen for a couple of years. John’s attendance on our rides has been regular but infrequent. Before Covid he came out with us once a year, and we look forward to seeing him again in 2023. The rest of our party were Dave H, George, Dave and Liz P on the tandem and Alan.

In the absence of alternatives, we chose my route to The Badger at Church Minshull, a destination we’d visited for the first time earlier this year. We headed out past Manley Mere and turned uphill onto Sugar Lane, where Nick left us to continue his own ride. We sped down the curiously named Dark Ark Lane, and rode up through Delamere Forest to Norley.  From here we headed south crossing the A556 to briefly join the A49, turning off in polo pony country beside The Hollies Farm Shop – as Dave H said it’ll cost a week’s wages to buy anything from there. 

Joining Clay Lane, a regular outward route for us from Rose Farm, we passed through the Whitegate Way traffic lights and turned down the hill for the road into Winsford, where we stopped.  The road was jammed with stationary traffic, so we did some recalculating and turned back to join the Whitegate Way. Except the tandem and John didn’t follow.  After some time, they reappeared. The sole of one of John’s shoes had separated itself from the upper.  It was lucky Dave P was there with his bottomless paniers, from whence he found two straps to keep John in the ride. 

The Whitegate Way provided a smooth and quiet alternative route, though we emerged at the bottom end of Winsford and had to navigate the back streets to rejoin our route. It was now a straightforward, though rather long run along the B-road to our destination. The Badger is full of images of badgers and even sells Badger Ale. We ensconced ourselves into a corner and tucked into our refreshments, which included a bucket-sized pot of tea for John. 

Our return took us on familiar roads to Wettenhall and Eaton, then up the hill to cross the A49 by the old road. A strengthening north-westerly slowed us down, though we hadn’t had its benefit on our way out.  Before Utkinton we turned left to Duddon and then took the road to Waverton before stopping at Walk Mill.  Alan and John continued while the rest of us tucked into caffeine and cake. It was now a short distance back to Meadow Lea, with 49 miles on the clock. A good ride, maybe even a better ride with the forced detour. Let’s hope the Autumn continues to hold off for a while yet.

Photos by AO

See route map and/or gpx file download

SH