Prior to the meet up, I had dug out and shared on WhatsApp an old route that I used to cycle frequently around the year 5 BC [Before Covid]; a time when I was apparently more adventurous/cavalier/kamikaze than now - more on that later. Aside from modifying it to start/end at the Botanical Gardens and adding a stop at Stollies Cafe in Wallasey, I hadn't really studied it at all, assuming somebody else would come up with something much better.
Well nobody did and so it was that Clive, Alan, Steve Hu, Steve T and I (Matt) headed north on along Neston Road and up the hill on Mill Lane. Considering he'd claimed earlier that he was only up for an "easy going" outing today, Clive was setting a cracking pace, pulling us along at 24km/h (that's 15mph for those amongst you still living in Ye Olden Days). Despite the pace, conversation was rife and varied, although the only bit I can remember is Steve's encylopaedic knowledge of the mechanics of motorcycle tyres.
As we headed up Willaston Road, some concerns were voiced about whether we were going to tackle the "Killer Clatterbridge" roundabout. Alan suggested a "short cut" along quieter roads and given the mood I went along with it, forgetting that Alan didn't have the route on his computer and was therefore unaware that we were supposed to be heading towards Brimstage rather than Bebington. It soon became clear that we were going completely the wrong way and we doubled back to find Clive - who'd sensibly stuck to the plan - waiting for us at the M53 roundabout. More murmurs of discontent rumbled about the sheer idiocy of riding on the Brimstage Road, an argument slightly undermined by the number of solo cyclists heading the other way. A brief interlude along a quieter lane brought us to another A road (Barnston Lane) and prompted Steve Hu to give the ride the grand title of "A Tour of Roads Normally Avoided by Cyclists".
Somehow we survived the treacherous traffic and arrived at Thingwall [Old Norse: þing vollr = assembly field] whereupon Clive educated us on Viking politics and Henry I. After passing through Irby and encountering a road sign declaring Greasby to be "one of the earliest settlements in Britain c.8500 BC" [Before Covid?], Steve Hu shared his thoughts on why a barren hill in Wirral would be first choice given a whole lush island to choose from, and thus be older than both Stonehenge and the Egyptian Pyramids. Given the old name "Gravesberie" I can't help thinking it wasn't a great choice.
MT