6th March 2025: Bangor-on-Dee

The sun was shining, hardly a cloud in the sky, and with a forecast of temperatures in the mid-teens it was hardly surprising to find Meadow Lea teeming with cyclists. Mostly CER members but supplemented by a group from the local CTC. It was particularly good to see Ivan, back home safely after his recent Spanish 'adventure'.

I'd heard that Dave H wouldn't be there this week. As it happened he did turn up but clearly not dressed for cycling. As expected the others turned to me. Had I got a ride? Fortunately, I had come prepared with a ride to Bangor-on-Dee. The Royal Oak is right next to the old bridge and river and a lovely spot on a sunny day. The wind was also a factor with a strong southerly wind in our faces on the way down but behind us for the return.

Six riders (Andy B, George, Mike D, Jim, Ray and myself) set off towards Guilden Sutton and turned right into School Lane.  We crossed the A41 and over into Hoole Lane heading for Dee Lane and the river. We crossed the river by the 14^th century Old Dee Bridge, passed through Eccleston before turning left onto the Rossett road. This can be quite a busy and fast road so I avoided some of it by turning down the Straight Mile, rejoining it in Pulford. We turned left just before reaching Rossett then took the country lanes to take us up to Hoseley Lane.

At Borras Head we went straight on and down to the new roundabout near Wrexham Industrial Estate. We crossed this and found our way onto the little lane that skirts round the edge of the estate. At the far side we got onto another new and busy road but quickly found the old road which would take us up to the traffic lights at Cross Lanes.

Lunch was beckoning and from the lights it’s not far down the A525 to the Royal Oak at Bangor-on-Dee. Despite the pub being virtually empty service was quite slow but when it came, the food was good. After lunch I thought we should have a group photo (we hadn't had one for some time) and what better backdrop than the old Dee bridge. However, we crossed the road to find the banks of the river piled high with debris, presumably washed down after the winter storms. It spoiled the view of the bridge somewhat but I managed to hide most of it behind the wall.

I had been right about the wind. We had battled all the way down into a head wind. Now as we left Bangor-on- Dee we could feel the wind coming in from the side. After passing through Worthenbury we turned north and now the wind was behind us. Our pace increased and we were soon passing through Shocklach to reach Farndon. Andy B left us here and the rest carried on towards Aldford. We passed through Saighton and Waverton before crossing the A51 to return to Meadow Lea, having completed 42 miles.

TC 

See route map and/or gpx file download

6th March 2025: Kelsall

 Awaiting ride report

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27th February 2025: Mickle Trafford (mod+)

Maggies was the venue of choice today and more than 2 months since I joined everybody- Oops!  (weather and injuries preventing my attendance). I counted 17 of us when assembling outside for departure, having taken over the cafe, which was fortunately empty, when I arrived. I had an unusual route prepared for anybody interested. Firstly because it was pan flat and secondly because of some new trails, that I figured most of the club members have never been on. So, as is traditional with me, we head into the wind, in order to ensure a nice cross tail wind for the second half of the ride back to base.

 

My group of four were Fiona, Elwyn, Steve ( I’m not really a chatter box Hughes- Lol) and our new member (to me at least) Chris (who can turn a mean pedal, when he wants). We set off for Holt bridge, heading for Chester. We settled into a steady pace, once I stopped chasing after the fast boys, who passed us, just before Churton. I suddenly realised I was in danger of dropping my group- Lol.

 

It wasn’t long before we were crossing the A55 and heading into Huntington, however, my little surprise was to turn right, at Spice.com ( Indian take away, with a difference- you can get a curry with Quorn in it) on to the cycle path of Caldy nature park. This would avail us of a different way through Chester without riding any of the major A roads. This delivered us into Churton Road and ultimately the canal bank. This was when we discovered that Fiona happened to live in said road, in a former life ( who knew, it’s a small world - Lol). A few hundred mtrs on the canal path saw us turning right to cross the canal of course and head up through the suburb of Hoole in order to pick up the Greenway at Newtown.

 

The Greenway allowed us to head westerly and cheat the headwind ( I had a plan- Lol).

We came off the Greenway at Blacon, where upon we discover this is where Chris lives, literally a couple of hundred mtrs away ( that’s a few hundred yards, for the older readers / DH, think his maps are still Imperial - Lol). 

 

After a short consultation with my Garmin, which was directing us straight on into a hedgerow, I decide to zig zag right and follow the main drag through Blacon on towards Saughall. This was the tough bit of our journey, due to the full on headwind, but thankfully Chris stepped up and relieved me at the front, thus pulling us nicely to our next right turn through the housing estate of Saughall, which is a much quieter traffic route, cutting across the corner toward Parkgate Road, which we chink left and right on and finally get onto the more enjoyable half of the route and more importantly, with the wind.

 

We were now destined to weave our way around some lovely lanes, via Backford and Rake Lane, skirting Cheshire Oaks by hopping on the one foot wide pathway for 100 mtrs, dropping us into Little Stanney Lane. No sooner in the lane and beginning to wind up the pace, along side Chris, I realise I can’t hear the usual dulcet tones of Steve Hu, which as I pointed out to Chris, is a sure sign that we were dropping the group - Lol.

 

We sit up and wait for a regroup before passing the landfill site on our left that is, dare I say it, starting to look good under it’s basic landscaping. We were now only a few miles or so from our lunch destination of Meadow Lea cafe when Chris prompted a short sprint, as we dip down and up past the Bunbury Arms, just before the tiny hamlet of Picton. He must have read my mind, because I always hit the pedals through that little stretch.

We regroup again and reassure Elwyn that we only had 2 miles to the cafe, as he can’t go more than twenty miles without eating- Lol.  For once it wasn’t Steve Hu, asking “ how far to lunch”- Lol.

We arrive at the cafe and it was packed, which to be honest, has been the case on my last few visits.

This meant that the group split to a table inside and a table out. Steve and Chris opted for outside as apparently they're hard men.

I don’t know why Meadow Lea is suddenly so popular, but Fiona did notice a lot of mothers and push chairs. Anyway, service was still good, so Fiona and I were soon tucking into beans on toast, while Elwyn ate the rest of the menu- Lol.

After a quick discussion about who was going back to Holt or not, I mentioned to Chris that he had the option of the Greenway for a direct short route, virtually to his door, as I knew he had a night shift to go to- ouch! However, he chose to stay with the group.

 

We set off south for Waverton and the crossing of the A51, which is where I discovered a slow puncture. I decided to gas up the tyre and crack on( fingers crossed). However it wasn’t long before Fiona was dropping back and, after regrouping, decided to continue at their pace.

Clearly my worries about my tyre possibly deflating had me subconsciously pushing the pace on.

I also then decided to take a different route to the plan of Saighton, Aldford and Holt, by taking the canal road to Tattenhall and home. Steve and Chris decided to crack on with me, as it seems both wanted more miles out of their days efforts.

We managed to, at times, really crack on a fare pace all the way to Tattenhall, where I said Farewell to them both, having put them on the lane past what used to be Old Ma’s cafe, in order for them to get to Platt’s Lane and Bruera. After that was anybody’s guess- Lol.

After a flying goodbye, I dropped my head for a last dash of 3 miles home, but the direct headwind in Frog Lane hit me hard, despite not being that strong (my legs were clearly done) 

I got home after 45 miles and an AS of 14.9 mph ( Frog Lane robbed me- Lol.) And my front tyre was still perfect- what!

 

Anyway, a very enjoyable day was had. I’m only sorry I had to push on the pace because of my slow puncture, which split the group. However, that probably meant Fiona and Elwyn got another cafe stop- Lol. I’ m glad I wasn’t doing the extra miles Steve & Chris were doing, let alone the night shift, as my fitness is sadly a long way off.

 

Cheers everybody, til next time,

The Wind Whisperer - Lol Lol.

 

P.S.

A few hours later my tyre did go down, I found a very small pin hole in my tube, which needed a bucket of water to find. 

See route map and/or gpx file download

27th February 2025 : Aston (mod)

There was a decent turnout at Maggie’s, and it was nice to catch up with some that I hadn’t chatted with for a while. Inevitably, unless you are riding with a particular group on the day, catching up is limited over morning coffee. Steve Hughes kindly came over to ask me about my recent eye treatment, and it turns out that he is something of an amateur ophthalmologist. Seriously, Steve is obviously, and helpfully, well-informed, due to his experience with an elderly family member. Nevertheless, I won’t be asking him to inject my eyeball to save me attending future Thursday clinics. For what it’s worth, my visual acuity is 6/6 in both eyes, and my treatment is successful.

I had a route to The Bhurty at Aston that was “oven ready” as Boris would say, i.e. wasn’t fully thought- through and may not turn out well. Trevor, George, Keith, Dave Matthews, Andy Barber and John Mills were prepared to risk it. It was great to have John on board, and for various reasons, Dave, George and Andy have hardly ridden with us at all for weeks. It was heartening to have their company once more. The route out was via Tilston, Duckington and Bickerton. The lovely little lane up the side of the Larkton and Bickerton hills escarpment was a bit of an ask for Dave who must keep an eye on his heart rate, but he was fine. We then turned south-east past Cholmondeley Castle before crossing the A49. I took a mileage check with Keith and Andy, but their answers differed and both underestimated the actual mileage we had covered. Nevertheless, I thought we could do with a longer loop on little, quiet lanes before lunch, so it was that we cruised around Marbury before reaching Aston via Pinsley Green. We were fortunate that workmen allowed us through a flooded section after passing a “Road Closed” sign at The Swan. Keith recalled a cold day having lunch outside The Swan in Covid times, and how that was, very sadly, the last time we spent with Erik Borg.

Lunch was a “cut above” at the refurbished Bhurtpore, and the staff were lovely. We cycled back the way we had come for a couple of miles, before heading for Wrenbury. At the lift bridge over the Llangollen Canal, Dave and Trevor chose a more easterly track home, as the rest of us went west to Gauntons Bank and then turned up to Bickley and Heatherson Green. I had to apologise for my micro navigating in this area and up to Tilston, as we stitched together a mostly narrow laned course via |Hampton Post and Edge Hall. The hard bit was climbing up from Egerton Hall to pass Michael Owen’s Manor House spread. George said that it had been a while since he had ridden this stretch, and the fact that it is an unrelented uphill slog is probably the reason we don’t often choose it. John Mills was extolling the merits of electric bikes to me; I knew that he had hired one in Tuscany and enjoyed his holiday despite his adverse health diagnosis at the time. John was on his own snazzy electric bike today, which enabled him to ride despite his treatment the day before. John’s treatment has been effective, but obviously his strength and speed have been reduced. Fortunately, I remember from a Ribble Valley special ride that John could still appreciate a slow, scenic ride even when his natural pace was much higher, and he has told me that he enjoyed today’s ride as well, which is very gratifying. For myself, I think I have got the electric bike recommendation loud and clear from a few of you over the past eighteen months, but I need to factor in if and when my right hip joint is replaced. 

The last leg of our ride was from entering Tilston at Lowcross Hill to returning to Maggie’s by way of Wetreins, Crewe-by-Farndon and Farndon itself, where I thought we could see if Lewis’ was still open, or continue to Maggies. As it turned out, Andy was already ahead in Holt, so we just had a last coffee and cake there. For the record, Maggie’s is open until 9p.m. and Lewis’s only to 4p.m. We assumed that John had headed home, but I learnt later that he would have joined us if he had known. The assumption was no doubt partly due to my belief that any rider from the Fast Lads stable didn’t like to waste time eating and drinking on a Thursday. We must eradicate these last-minute misunderstandings, as it’s all grist to the mill for that sad satirist and would-be ophthalmologist from Hawarden.

DH