Dave Matthews had arrived at Holt sans money and his bank card. Dave agreed to service my bike for life if I bought him a coffee and a bun. A good deal! It was good to see Roy making it, which is always harder when you are in full-time employment. Kevin had returned from France and is now a welcome addition to our club members’ list. As for the moderate ride, it was just Atomic Andy and me. Once again, the afternoon weather forecast was wet and windy, so the proposed distance was modest.
We set off for Tilston via Wetreins with Dave Matthews joining us on the first leg of our journey. Riding west to Duckington, we then climbed up the delightful little lane on the side of the Larkton and Bickerton Hill escarpment, with terrific views across the Cheshire Plain. At Cholmondeley Castle we headed for Egerton Hall, taking a chance by ignoring the “Road Closed” sign. The further we headed down, the further we may have had to trace our steps, but fortunately, no road works were taking place. As we climbed to Hampton Post we passed Michael Owen’s lavish horse training facilities at Manor House Stables. We entered Malpas via Hampton Heath, but found that the snug Little Deli was closed for holidays, so tried the Old Fire Station. There were other friendly cyclists sitting outside, but a table was found inside this popular venue. The service and food were spot-on. We discussed the obvious downsides of ambitious economic growth being seen by recent UK governments as the key to a better life; tell that to the Green Party, or to those living in a state of poverty that belies the concept of a trickle-down economy. These one-to-one Thursday discussions are threatening to parody the Guardian’s Saturday “Dining across the divide” feature.
Our return was by the easy and quiet route to Shocklach via Cuddington Heath. It is obvious that Andy knows these lanes very well; maybe he could be persuaded to lead a ride in the future? When we approached Maggie’s at Holt it appeared that the Mod plus group had not yet returned, so Andy showed me the way down to The Castle. I had long fancied locating the site but was pleasantly surprised by the substantial remains and being able to read about its impressive history. A long siege during the Civil War heralded the decline of the castle and many of its stones were later removed by Thomas Grosvenor to build the original Eaton Hall near Chester. Our plan to stay dry had worked, but the Mod Plus group eventually arrived at Maggies looking wet and sweaty and without Elwyn and Fiona, but that’s another story, as told below. Hopefully, Andy had a dry ride back to Mold. It was a very pleasant and interesting thirty miles or so, but soon we should plan for a longer effort, ideally when the forecast is fine.
DH
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