9th June 2022: Marbury (mod)

 Fifteen of us at Alison’s this week, I think, which included Dave P & Liz.

There were no brisk riders, except Ray, who was happy to go with the flow. As it turns out, my offer of ‘The Swan’ at Marbury became ‘the flow’, once I pointed out the bad weather front sweeping across from Wales, which was due to hit us by 11 and a complete change from the overnight forecast.

 

Dave H also suggested ‘The Swan’, but was happy to relinquish the lead. Clearly he was fearing his paper Garmin would not last in the rain- Lol. Not straying to far, radially, from Alison’s, seemed to be a sensible idea with the impending rain front.

And so it was that I lead out the one ride group for the day- Lol, after a short Garmin delay, which was not helped by the barracking; “Don’t get this problem from Dave’s Garmin”(cliché gents- Lol!!!!)

 

Dave M did his own thing and Mike G was on a mission, checking out a route for an Audax he is organising ( best of luck with that mate). Dave P and Liz set off on their own journey, as the threat of heavy rain seemed to give him the Heebie-Jeebies. Rumour has it, he was worried about a possible short circuit on his DIY electric drive- just kidding Dave- Lol.

 

So, the final group consisted of :

Dave H, Steve T, Alan, Peter, Keith, Elwyn, Fiona, Mike, Andy and Ray ( took a bit to remember all, but I got there in the end, without any help-Lol).

No sooner had we left Alison’s when the rain started (think we managed to cross the A41) It certainly wasn’t long after that when I heard Fiona pipe up about her wet jacket, which started a ripple through the peleton and all of a sudden it was all stop.

We settled into our wet stride, through Carden Park and on to Tilston.  Across the road at the Carden Arms, heading for ‘No Man’s Heath’. Once there,  we crossed the A41, via a dead end pathway, as I fancied a nice little hill (we had ridden long enough on the flat- Lol)

 

We meandered around Malpas and Cholmondeley, via some very nice lanes, as I was trying to get the mileage to a nice number, before our lunch stop. This was not missed by Dave H, who twigged we were going around in circles (almost - it was a horse shoe - Lol)

Not long after Cholmondeley, I think the rain finally stopped, although the roads were so wet by now, it didn’t matter much. However, it did mean that we were drip dry, if not fully dry, by the time we got to ‘The Swan’

We settle into the Swan, which was unusually quiet, for a welcome lunch that didn’t take too long to arrive. The prime conversation seemed to revolve around the food and the poor value for money, as the portions were very small, although good quality, a single slice of bread with some prawns on and a spoonful of salad, literally, for £9:50 is a bit much. I think most were regretting not having the fish finger bap, that Andy had.

 

In an effort to distract the conversation from the lacking food, I mention the documentary about Costco (on TV the night before) which concluded that the business model was very clever and great value for shoppers. Surprisingly though, they apparently make all their profit just from the membership fees, as the food is genuinely great value. Fiona & I both confirmed that fact, as regulars. Suffice it to say, there was plenty of interest in how one gains membership, in these inflationary times.

 

Anyway, lunch now over and fully dry, we set off, but only 50 metres, as Dave H insisted on showing everybody the pond, behind the church - Lol ( ok Dave, it was a very pretty & surprisingly large mere- hidden gem in fact)

This became the perfect opportunity for a team photo, thanks to Alan.

Photo AO

Finally we set off again and can you believe, yet more rain/drizzle, although it didn’t last long and soon we were taking off our wet jackets.

Our route back to Alison’s, as promised, was direct via Bickerton and Brown Knowl, in order to take the easy way around Harthill. 

Photo AO

It was at the Cholmondeley crossing when we had our first departures. Fiona, Elwyn & Ray needed to get home, so they pushed on ahead, once I had set them on the correct course as  Elwyn has trouble finding the bathroom in his own house and he was the architect who designed it- Lol.

 

It was only a few more miles when we lost Peter, who decided to turn right at Bickerton ( not sure where he was heading, as I thought he lived in Malpas?).Two miles down the road, heading up Brown Knowl, we say goodbye to Alan, who had parked in Holt. He was cutting across, behind the sandstone ridge of Peckforton, heading for Tilston. Meanwhile we carried on up, toward what I like to call ‘Harthill  by-pass’- which comes out on the other side of Harthill, leaving a nice fast descent into Tattenhall.

 

Back in Tattenhall and I still had 6 riders in the group, which I reckon was a record for me- Lol. I turn left down Frog Lane for my last mile home, leaving the rest to find Alison’s only a few hundred metres away.

 

For once my ride was a short one of only 43 miles, being as Alison’s is my local cafe.

Despite my wettest ride since last year, it was still enjoyable thanks to the temperature and the fact that there were no punctures or misadventures. The only issues I was aware of was my annoying rubbing mudguard and Fiona’s dropped chain, otherwise all good.

Thanks everybody for an enjoyable day with a few good laughs, all in good jest- Lol!!!!!!

NT

See route map and/or gpx file download

24th February 2022 : Wybunbury (Brisk)

Today’s ride starts from Alison's cafe and I was joined by John W for the ride out from Chester. With a good tailwind behind us we soon knocked off the 11 miles to Tattenhall. The weather predictions for today was scattered snow showers and a strong, south westerly wind. Trying to create a route giving us a tail wind for the return ride home was not an option from Tattenhall. 

After tea and tea cakes, John and I were joined by Clive and Nick. The route today is a circular ride to Audlem. The four of us set off heading out of the village towards Chowley crossing the very quiet A41 and continuing to Clutton crossing the A534 with zero traffic. As we crossed the A41, we caught a glimpse of the tandem but we never saw the vision again so assume they took the right turn to go along Dog Lane. 

We have a tailwind pushing us up the bank to Clutton and Carden then into Tilston. Passing Nick's abode, we continue to Chorlton and Cuddington before starting the climb up to Malpas, where we are stopped due to temporary traffic lights just outside the town, but not the brow of the hill where you drop down to the centre of town. When lights change we roll down the hill and continue down to No Man’s Heath. Crossing the A41 again it is again devoid of traffic.

Since leaving Tattenhall John has decided that his 200k audax on Saturday will be compromised by riding today so he decided to make his way home. By now we’ve endured several sharp hail storm showers. Even the tail wind didn’t stop the ice striking the face! 

We are soon passing the Bhurtpore Arms, but our planned lunch stop today is the biker's cafe at Audlem so through the storm we press on. Exiting onto the A525 at Lightwood, we are rolling into Audlem. Arriving outside the cafe, there are a couple of bikes propped up outside and on enquiring re table availability its a rejection. Not too disappointed, we carry on to the Swan Inn at Wybunbury which we visited a couple of weeks ago. We were welcome without a prior reservation and were seated and fed very promptly once again with the selection from the light bites which was more than adequate considering the return 25 miles return to Chester which is mainly against the head wind now. 

Conversation over lunch was not the weather but name dropping regarding the main news topic this morning. Our grand master Clive met President Putin when he was working in St Petersburg and Putin was the deputy mayor!! Sad times for Ukraine and Europe as a whole.

However lunch finished we’re suited and booted and ready to go. We cannot leave without Clive and Nick having a photo with the resident outdoor bar person to light up the blog again. From Wybunbury it’s into Nantwich and via Welsh Row to Acton.

The Three Stooges!

Taking the route from Acton to Burland, it's along the A534 that Nick leaves us for a direct route back to Tilston via Cholmondeley while Clive and I battle on via Bunbury and Beeston back to Tattenhall and ultimately Chester.

We enjoyed a 45 miles or so out and around with some wind assist and the remaining 25 miles with a blocker of a head wind. However we got back safely and enjoyed a good day out. The official ride back to Tattenhall would  have been 48 miles. 

We all achieved a ride of 60+ up to 76 miles for Clive at an astounding 16.2 mph average. A good indicator of how much assistance we had on the first part of our ride. Thanks to all for making a good day out and good luck John for the weekend.

See route map and/or gpx file download

ID

Photo ID

3rd February 2022 : Wybunbury (brisk)

This week some of the brisk riders have enjoyed very unseasonably good riding weather enjoying dry roads and warm sunshine, although windy both Tuesday and as forcasted for today.

John W and myself ride out from Chester to Rose Farm cafe at Utkinton; on arrival it was good to see Ray and John M waiting for us. There was a good turn out of riders today taking advantage of this unseasonably good riding weather 

Our route today is circuitous route to the Swan Inn at Wybunbury. The route out is via Wettenhall then Church Minshull. Passing Leighton Hospital, we ride along Bradfield Road to Sydney and to Crewe Green. On joining the new link road, the roundabout is not cycle-friendly as it is big and busy but if you are unsure of your exit route then I suggest using the footpath and cross the roads very carefully. We exit the correct route to progress towards Crewe Green and the B5077 heading towards Alsager.

Two miles along this lane we should take a right but I never noticed it when either driving or cycling and thus missed it on my garmin. We turn round and take the lane called Barthomley Road. At the end of this lane we find ourselves at a past regular inn “The White Lion”. John recognised the hostelry for their excellent pub food. Not stopping today though as we continue passed heading for Betley and Wrinehill. After passing another good eating house, The Hand and Trumpet, we turn onto Dent Lane in Wrinehill which takes us into Wybunbury village.

Before arriving at the village, the West Coast railway runs parallel to the road and back in 1976 I recall an incident with the Royal Train that was enroute back to Euson with the Queen on board. After passing through Crewe the train was brought to a stand still due to the signaller being asleep and he hadn’t woken to the frantic bells that were ringing in his box. Although 2.00 am, it makes no difference and for sure he wasn’t signalling trains the following day!

At the Swan Inn, John met up with an old acquaintance “serving” in the outside bar and enjoyed the opportunity to pose pulling a pint!! 

John seems to be missing a glass!

The rest of us were seated indoors and selected from the light bites menu. After our quick lunch, including the lime and soda but no idea of cost, we depart in still glorious sunshine and into Nantwich. At Acton, we take the lane towards Burland and Bunbury. The route from Bunbury is to Alpraham and Eaton and returning to Rose Farm but, as we’d all ridden out to the cafe, we decide to ride via Beeston and Huxley. 

Riding from Nantwich, we have a strong force of a head wind so passing Huxley we head via the winding lanes to divert to Guy Lane and into Christleton and back to Chester. Today our ride has given us 70 miles of good riding on dry roads but at times a crater of pot holes, but nonetheless an enjoyable day out with friends. 

A good week of cycling all round for the briskers and well done to John W who completed a 125 mile auddax event on Sunday and was still always wanting to be on the front shielding us from the wind when we encountered it. Until next ride, keep safe and keep cycling.

 See route map and/or gpx file download

ID

Photo JW and JM

29th July 2021: Marbury (mod ride 1)

We met at Meadow Lea café on a day sandwiched between a Wednesday of downpours and a Friday of forecast steady rain.  Miraculously, this Thursday’s forecast was dry, cloudy with sunny spells but with a stiff westerly wind.  That dictated a north-south route, and I’d worked out one to The Swan at Marbury. Many Easy Riders were at Meadow Lea, so a largish group of ten formed the mods.  Jim joined us for the first few miles, and the rest were Roy, Andy B, Alan, Dave H, Dave P, George, Steve T, Peter and myself.

We headed out to Waverton, then alongside the Shropshire Union Canal and into Tattenhall. From there we passed through Carden and into Tilston, and then took the old Roman road towards Malpas, turning left at Simmonds Green to arrive in No Mans Heath. For those interested, the name originates in the 15th century as “Nomonheth”, and refers to common lane outside specific ownership. We crossed the A41 and then the A49 at Bickley, to arrive at our destination just before 1 o’clock.

I’d phoned ahead to The Swan and was told that they were fully booked inside, but that the outside tables were available on a first come, first served basis. In fact, most of the indoor bookings were for a large pre-wedding drinks party, and this group had decided to stand outside in the fine weather.  As we occupied some outdoor tables, we worried initially that if they we ordering food we would have a long wait. However, before long the church bells started to ring and they drifted off to the service.  Naturally our conversation touched on weddings.  The food and drink arrived shortly and were excellent as was the service.  As we prepared to leave at 2pm, Dave H suggested we visit the Church yard which was a pleasant place to sit and look out over a hidden mere.  On reflection, though, we felt that our group would not be a welcome addition to the wedding photos.

Photo by SH

We left taking the lane to Norbury.  This was more like a dried up river bed, covered in gravel and full of deep holes – obviously the scene of a recent flood. We made for Chorley Bank and then down past Cholmondeley Castle to Bickerton. Choosing to avoid the climb to Harthill, we made for Brown Knowl and the road past Bolesworth Castle. We avoided Tattenhall to the south east and headed towards the Ice Cream Farm.  Along the way we said goodbye to some of our group, leaving six to continue, as conversation turned to a café stop.  Dave H recommended the café at Tattenhall Marina which was new to many of us, and which we accessed by a lane alongside the Ice Cream Farm’s overflow car park. It is called The Boathouse and provided us with refreshments including very good scones with jam and cream for the greedy two.  We sat outside overlooking the water, watching the wildlife and discussing the birds swooping through the air after insects.  After some debate over whether they we swifts, swallows or martins, Alan confirmed the latter and pointed out a nest on the side of the café. This is a delightful location, though we were keen to move on as the temperature was dropping.

We left the café by a gate onto Tattenhall Road between the canal and railway bridges. Then we passed through Hargrave and took the twisting lane variously called Old Hall Lane, then Cow Lane and then Martin’s Lane, before joining our outward route in Waverton.  We were soon back at Meadow Lea having covered 48 miles in good weather, and enjoyed refreshments at two establishments well worth revisiting

See route map and/or gpx file download

SH

20th May 2021: Marbury (mod)

When Dave H and I arrived at Rose Farm, the car park was unusually full. The reason for this became apparent when we entered the café – it was full of middle-aged men eating full breakfasts and drinking beer! What was all that about? 

Dave M and Roy were already drinking their tea or coffee and we were soon joined by Andy B and Steve Hu. This turned out to be the full complement of CER members for the day. It would seem that the strong wind and promise of rain was enough to put others off. Dave M was on chauffeur stand-by duties, so there would be only five riders today.

I’d found a ride down to Marbury which had been led in November 2018 by Steve Ha. The Swan was open and so I’d booked a table for lunch at 12.45. We set off for Cotebrook, Wettenhall and Nantwich in light rain, heading into a strong south-easterly wind. All went well until we’d done about 7 miles and had reached Wettenhall. The gears on my bike suddenly dropped onto the small ring and I couldn’t persuade the chain back onto the big ring. As I stopped to investigate, Andy B arrived holding my left hand side crank and pedal which had fallen off a few yards back! At this point I thought I’d have to abandon the ride, but, fortunately, Andy had a 10mm allen key in his capacious tool bag and we were able to screw the crank back on. By this time it was raining hard and so we agreed to press on and investigate further at the lunch stop, even though the chain was still stuck on the small ring.

Photos by Steve Hu

The rest of the journey to Marbury was uneventful, although we were very wet by the time we arrived. Andy had demanded that there be a blazing fire at the pub and lo and behold there was a big log burning stove next to the table we were directed to - perfect! Drinks and food were soon ordered and were of excellent quality when they came. Dave H ordered the ‘large’ fish and chips which looked as if would have adequately fed two. The staff were friendly and helpful, even if Steve Hu couldn’t follow the directions to the toilets as he doesn’t yet know left from right. Happily, Roy put him right!

Further investigation of my crank problem after lunch revealed that the bottom bracket was loose and moving from side to side in the housing. Efforts to tighten it up were not successful, so we set off back with fingers crossed that it would hold together until we got back to Rose Farm.

Our route back took us via Swanwick Green, Chorley and Brindley. The rain had eased off and the wind was (mostly) behind us, so we made good progress. Passing through Bunbury and round Beeston Castle we arrived in Tarporley where Steve Hu carried on for home whilst the rest of us made the obligatory stop at The Old Fire Station. By the time we came out, it was raining hard again. Roy headed for Runcorn and home whilst Andy, Dave and I headed back to Rose Farm. From there, Andy would have a further 20+ miles in the rain before he reached Mold and home.

41 miles covered in less than ideal conditions and with a ‘mechanical’ which could have been terminal, but a good day out nevertheless.

See route map and/or gpx file download

ST

22nd October 2020: Marbury (mod)

A small group of 5 riders met at Lewis’s in Farndon, to be joined by Ray and Dave M who were out for a short ride. The five, Neil, Eric, Keith, Dave H and myself decided on a meandering route to the Swan at Marbury, and we duly set off towards Churton. Turning south we followed the lanes down to Barton and Tilston before skirting the eastern edge of Bickerton Hill. Here we turned south for Cholmondley, crossing the A49 towards Wrenbury. After a few miles we turned right onto an interesting little lane, well up to Clive’s standard. In fact we were very pleased that the weather was dry or there might have been some ‘incidents’ in the inch deep soil covering the whole surface. However, we reached Marbury unscathed and soon arrived at the Swan, almost exactly 20 miles from Farndon. 

There was ample room on the patio but little sun to provide warmth, and we were left musing how much longer we could go on eating outside. Perhaps we need a change of plan fairly soon. The service was excellent and the food very welcome after only a short wait. It was a pleasure though to go inside to the Gents for a warm! Back in the saddle for a shorter return journey, we crossed the canal towards Bickley, then No Mans Heath, before skirting the edge of Malpas along Mates Lane. The long downhill back to Tilston was very welcome and we were soon on Wetreins Lane  heading for Crewe. Back in Farndon Eric and Neil continued on for home, Keith took some time to inspect a very interesting field of grass, and Dave and myself returned to the café.

Regular readers of this blog will know that most ride reports feature an incident where Dave loses his car keys, hat, gloves ,glasses or map. No such thing happened today. However, Dave did have a little trouble locating his credit card in the café and did a quick circumnavigation of the premises to try and track it down. Fortunately a kind member of the public had found it on the floor and handed it in at the till. Another problem solved then!

Not a long ride - a touch under 35 miles, but very pleasant, and at least we kept dry.

JD

13th August 2020: Marbury (mod)

Another good turnout for our second official meet since lockdown, this time at Alison’s Country Kitchen in Tattenhall. We all sat outside in the sun and contemplated various possible routes. Among the mods at one point it looked as though there might be as many routes as riders, until Steve T organised us. I had prepared a ride to The Swan at Marbury and Steve T and David M came with me.

The previous night had seen an epic thunder storm with several hours of torrential rain in the Tarporley area, so I was expecting some flooding, gravel and sand debris on the roads. This caused us some minor challenges as we made our way through Tilston and Threapwood, before heading SE across the two A-roads to Fenn’s Bank.  In answer to David’s on route query, the large industrial plant here is BEFESA Salt Slags, a company engaged in recycling of steel dust, salt slags and aluminium residues! We rode onward to meet the Alkington Road into Whitchurch. We passed through the town centre and began to turn northwards using the Mercian Way cycle route. Here Steve T noticed the milepost, an unmissable photo op for these times.

Photo by Steve T

We arrived at The Swan with about 26 miles covered. The pub offered a number of well-spaced outside tables and we chose one of them with a sun shading umbrella. Service was quick and friendly. Steve and I enjoyed the fish finger sandwich, the first time I’ve sampled this delicacy, while David had a prawn sandwich and a pint of shandy which was very heavy on the beer.  The combined bill arrived and we tested our rusty mental arithmetic working out what we each owed.

Payment made, our route back took us through Bickley and Bickerton. Here David left to make his own way home, and Steve and I continued by Bolesworth Castle into Tattenhall and back to Alison’s.  We chatted about the ride while I fought off several wasps to eat my slice of cake.  Another good ride with 39 miles covered.

See route map and/or gpx file download

SH

30th January 2020: Marbury (mod)

A ‘quiet’ weather day was forecast and about a dozen riders met at Alison’s in Tattenhall. Prospective new member Steve Hughes turned out. That means that with four Steves, the Steves have now overtaken the Daves and Johns as the most common first name in the club! It must have been a popular name 60+ years ago. There were seven riders in the mod group: Andy B, Andy W, George, Neil, Bob, new Steve and myself. A couple of weeks ago at Rose Farm we had considered riding to The Swan at Marbury, but a bad weather forecast made us change our plans.  Today, with better weather we chose this as our destination.

The route out was to cover 27 miles, with about 13 after lunch.  We headed towards Clutton and into Tilston. From here we shimmied into Threapwood and then south eastwards to Fenn’s Bank before picking up the Alkington Road into Whitchurch. I would normally describe the surfaces as very muddy in parts, but after last week’s experience I’ve redefined what ‘muddy’ means.  Our aim was to pass straight through Whitchurch, avoiding the one-way street by the Black Bear which we often take from the wrong side.  We explored the side roads and footpaths of Whitchurch, but still ended up travelling the wrong way up this road!

Marbury was reached by 1pm. I read from the Swan’s website that “Marbury has 11 National Heritage listed black and white Medieval/Tudor buildings, including the Swan’s own outbuildings. And a 16th-century church that overlooks the splendid Big Mere”.  As we settled down for our meal, we considered the more exotic items on the menu – eg thyme & sea salt beer bread, Delamere goats cheese salad, crispy bon bons, beetroot & candied walnuts – though the most common choice was the fish finger bap. Topics of conversation covered the worst weather conditions in which we’d been cycling, maybe for contrast with the benign conditions today.  Views were positive about The Swan, so we expect to return here in the future.

After lunch we settled into our route back. The morning had been quite mild, but the afternoon was almost warm and snatches of sunshine were to be seen. The wind that had been against us in our southward progress, now speeded us on our way. Lots of flying insects testified to the unseasonal temperatures. Our route took us to Bickley, Bickerton, Brown Knoll and Bolesworth, before returning to our start.  Around 40 miles covered in good conditions, a decent pub stop, and good company – not bad for Steve’s first ride.

See route map and/or gpx file download

SH

2nd May 2019 : Marbury (brisk)

Both the Met Office and the BBC agreed that today would be one of mixed fortunes: dry, windy, wet, cool and warm, however neither could agree on the timing. As it turned out, the rain just came and kept us company most of the day! With this forecast it was unsurprising that the turnout at Meadow Lea was somewhat reduced with only 5 ‘moderates’ and 2 ‘brisk’ in attendance.

The brisk duo comprised of myself and John M, who brought along a sore back from gardening and a request for a quiet ride today in order to recover in time for his impending  bike trip to Spain . 

We agreed upon a 95k route to the Bickerton Poacher and rode back along the Greenway and then meandered our way through Chester before exiting the city along Lache Lane. From here we rode through Rossett and Farndon and took Cycle Route 70 through Malpas and No Mans Heath.

Crossing the A41 John commented on the sign to Marbury and enquired about The Swan, a pub he had never visited. After I recounted that Nick and I had visited The Swan in the previous summer, on a CER ride, and had a positive experience, so we  re-routed to Marbury. 

The Swan st Marbury

The Swan was reasonably busy and we found a table near to the fire so we could dry out and warm up. The helpful staff took our food and drink orders comprising of Station bitter  and  fish and chips . Our lunch chat focussed on John’s upcoming trip to Spain,holiday plans, and John’s still aching back. The lunch was followed by coffee, plus Ibruprofen for John, in an attempt to delay our departure until the rain had eased. It worked - both the Ibruprofen and beer combo for John and the rain ceasing!

The homeward journey was in a north westerly direction to Tattenhall ,via  Harthill, and straight into a freshening wind . From Tattenhall we went through Greenlooms into Christleton thus avoiding the boring windy stretch of road alongside the canal. On reaching Pearl Lane we parted company to head our separate ways as  neither of us needed to return to Meadow Lea.

The ride totalled 88km (55mls) with about 600 mtrs (2,100ft) of ascent. Just hoping it didn’t aggravate John’s back!

See route map and/or gpx file download

KP

Photo by KP

29th November 2018: Marbury

Everyone riding to Rose Farm had had a struggle against the wind and rain. Maybe that’s why relatively few cyclists turned up: Clive, John W, Ivan and myself, plus David M who was only out for a short ride.  We were joined for coffee by Steve T who had some weak excuse for not coming out. I had a route in mind to the Bhurtpore at Aston, and so it was that three brisk riders and one moderate set out – giving me the chance to practice leading from behind!

The start of our ride was foul: very strong gusty winds and heavy horizontal rain.  After ten minutes this moderated to the simply unpleasant. We pressed on buffeted by a south-westerly wind, passing through Cotebrook, Wettenhall and Nantwich. We passed through Ravensmoor and Wrenbury, before pulling into the Bhurtpore car park.  Eagle-eyed Clive had noticed something wrong – no lights on. He popped into the pub to discover the whole of Aston had suffered a power cut, and we could only have cold food.  A quick conference came up with the alternative of The Swan at Marbury, which we could reach with only a short detour.

Photo by ID/JW

We rolled into Marbury and posed for a photo outside The Swan.  This has recently undergone a major refurbishment overseen by Jeremy Brunning, one of the founders of the Brunning and Price pub chain. I think we were all pleased with the place, the welcome, the beer and the food. We talked about the LLandegla mountain biking centre and about Ivan’s new jacket – very warm, very windproof, very waterproof and very expensive.

Leaving the pub we took School Lane to Gaunton’s Bank, a filthy muddy potholed road. Thence headed north to Chorley Bank, where Ivan’s impetuosity in the front led to him missing the turn and head for Cholmondley.  John chased after but, by the time he was caught, they had gone so far that they decided to head directly for home. Clive and I continued through Bunbury and past the Shady Oak.  Here Clive headed home, while I passed through Tarporley to reach our starting point with 42 miles covered.

See route map and/or gpx file download

SH

9th August 2018 : Marbury( brisk)

Delamere Station cafe was the venue for the gathering of 8 Easy riders today. We were all outside enjoying the  warm morning sunshine and had a lovely surprise when  Steve arrived, looking well -without his neck brace, and being free to chauffeur himself around on 4 wheels. It is good to see that you are still improving Steve.

With Clive and Ivan absent today and John M unsure whether he would be released from Grandad duties, I presumed it would be Nick and myself as the representatives for the brisk group. We had previously agreed we would cycle from our respective homes to Delamere in order that we could increase our bike mileage and allow me to get back home in time to fulfil other commitments.

We departed the cafe with Nick using his TT bike, which is not really comfortable for longer distances, because his usual road bike is  awaiting  repair.

From Delamere we headed out through Cotebrook and Rushton, where we were shadowed by  two, non- communicative, mountain bikers for a couple of miles, and then to Wettenhall. When we reached Reaseheath College we took a short detour through the  College grounds. I think this was possibly the first time Nick’s TT bike has been off road and he did not seem impressed with the harsh ride. Unfortunately for Nick once we crossed the A350 into Nantwich we took a  second off road section ,this cycleway followed alongside the River Weaver. Fortunately for Nicks derriere this was only a mile or so and we were back on the road leaving Nantwich. Passing the not so secretive ‘Secret Bunker’, through Sound and Wrenbury before arriving at the lunch stop-The Swan. Nick appeared relieved to be able to swop his TT bike for something a little more comfortable.

The Swan has had a major refit and a large conservatory extension, it offers a good selection of beer and food . We both ordered off the light bites menu- chicken caesar salad and fish fingers bap. The lunchtime chat was mainly about pubs, food, and long term survival of rural pubs.

The Swan at Marbury

Local timber-framed property

For those who do not know Marbury it is a lovely little village, 5 miles north of Whitchurch, complete with timber framed houses dating back to the 16/17 century and is well worth a visit and exploring.

Back on the bikes we went out of the village through Bickley to Cholmondeley where we left the  planned return to Delamere and headed towards our respective  homes.

The original route returning to Delamere via Tattenhall and Utkinton is 49 miles but I think we both clocked up 60-70 miles today in perfect weather conditions. Thanks for the company Nick- hope your road bike is back with you soon.

See route map and/or gpx file download

KP

Photos by KP

6th April 2017 : Wybunbury (brisk)

A good CER turnout  had the staff of Delamere Station  cafe  busy serving drinks and snacks. There were seven in the brisk group:- John, Ray, Tom, Andy, Steve,  myself , plus  Nick  who was on his inaugural ride with this group. John W also joined us for coffee but he had to return home for Grandad duties thus leaving us once we had agreed the proposed  planned  route to Wybunbury. 

On departing the cafe, we headed left past Blakemere then  turning right to weave our way through Norley  and along Bag Lane into Cuddington. Once over the A49 we followed Hodge Lane ,crossing over A556, and then skirting around Sandiway Golf course. Very soon we entered Winsford and just as quickly left it following Swanlow Lane through to Church Minshull before entering Nantwich. Here, a small navigation error resulted in a double circuit of the Crewe Road roundabout before leaving on the Newcastle road to drop into Wybunbury at exactly 12 o’clock. Perfect timing, though our progress had been aided by a steady breeze. 

The Swan bar area was very busy with people queuing to order food and drink but  the staff and  service were very efficient and the food arrived  quickly. Food prices were pretty standard with the light bites around £7.95, but the CER tipple of choice (Lime and Soda) was a bit pricey at £1.60. While we ate, Tom regaled us with tales of his latest trip to Italy, including the vertical nature of the landscape, narrow roads, and an insight into the latest Italian cycle fashion!! This apparently did not include any Aldi special buys.

Once the food was consumed, we all convened  for a quick photo in front of St Chad's Church. The 15th century tower here is all that remains of the original church and the  tower  leans to the north - a piece of useless information I gleaned from Wikipedia!

Leaning Tower of St Chad's

Back on the road we returned  to Nantwich, via Stapeley, before following a fairly standard route back through Wettenhall, skirting Oulton Park and crossing over the A49 at Cotebrook. At this point Ray, John and Tom left to return to Chester while the rest of us headed for Delamere.

The round trip back to Delamere was 70km (43miles) which was achieved  at reasonably brisk pace. However with additional return mileages Andy and Tom clocked up about 100 miles  and the Chester lads 75 miles. Thanks to everyone for a great day out despite the lingering grey skies and cool conditions.

KP