A keen group of seven mods presented at Ness Gardens this morning. New member Ray, Dave H, Steve T, George, Steve Hu, Steve Ha and ride coordinator Alan. Steve Ha was on a three-line whip to attend a family event later in the day so only joined us for coffees. A notable absentee was Neil T, we were all hoping for a hat trick of ride led by Neil. Maybe it was the stern warning of muddy lanes from Steve T or Alan’s dry cleaning bills that kept him away LOL!
Both Alan and Steve T had a similar route, however Alan’s promise of a “new lane “by Bromborough Pool swung the vote. So the famous five set out towards Ness. A quick right turn found us heading towards Williston on Damhead Lane a lovely quiet lane with good road surface. Soon we were winding our way into the back of Eastham Rake, and past St Mary’s church which features a Yew tree mentioned in the Doomsday Book. It was at this point Dave Heath introduced the concept of three volumes of interesting places to visit, none of which mentioned Eastham so we were a little confused at this time. A quick photo stop at Eastham Ferry was hastily arranged before we plunged into the woodland which borders this section of the estuary. Following a brief ride through the industrial units bordering Magazine Road Alan found the entrance to the new “lane”. This old railway track /lane parallels Bromborough road and was an idyllic ride with autumn windblown leaves creating a fantastic carpet. A point to note Neil T, no mud was present on this lovely stretch.
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| Eastham |
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| 'New' lane to Port Sunlight Photos by AO |
The old lane emerged right in the centre of Lord Leverhulme’s garden village Port Sunlight. This village was founded in 1888 by William Hesketh Lever. It was created by the forward thinking industrialist to provide decent sanitary housing in a considered architectural form. To this day the village has lost none of its charm, with a group of schoolchildren getting ready to enter the art gallery and a pop up coffee stall manned by a local charity group. Ray mentioned the museum by the art gallery was worth a visit.
The route now took a different turn as we entered Rock Ferry and rode past the wasteland where a number of shops stood just before being blown up in a large gas explosion a number of years ago. The road along Rock Park Road always reminds us of the grandeur of some of the 1900’s river facing houses that line this road. It must have been a very desirable place to live at one time. The route took on a maritime theme as we skirted Camell Lairds to see a Fred Olson liner in to have her “keel and hull cleaned” before returning to service. There was also a military vessel in, it was good to see the shipyard so busy. A new route through Seacombe Ferry terminal advised by Ray led us onto the Seacombe Promenade and the stunning views of the Liverpool skyline. Ray pointed out the new £500 million Everton ground which will certainly bring football close to the city centre.
Lunch was accommodated at the Seaside Cafe in New Brighton, however the “cash only “ policy caused a series of members to “copper up” for those who only carry plastic. Fortunately I always carry a few gold sovereigns in my saddle pack, so a fish special was sorted.
Reminded of the need to carry one’s bike over the bridge at Bidston railway station prompted a re plan by Alan to take a much less onerous route. Fender Way is a brilliant small off road route which borders the motorway and has a great road surface. Just outside Irby a lovely lane turned into a bridle path (a common issue when mapping rides I find) this necessitated a replan. At this time Ray’s local knowledge came to the fore and Alan and Ray navigated us across the busy Telegraph Rd outside Heswall and dropped us through lower Heswall to Gayton. As we approached Neston, Dave, Steve T and Ray carried on to Ness Gdns, whilst Alan, George and Steve Hu carried on to Burton Marshes and then into the majesty that is N.Wales.
A great ride led by Alan, a tad under 40 miles which is respectable for November ride on clean mud free lanes.
See route map and/or gpx file download
Steve Hu
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