28th April 2022: Burlton (mod)

Ivan's nostalgic railway reflexes had him steaming from Crewe in a double-header with John Wilkie. So it was just five moderate riders who chugged up at Chirk, that's if you can call Neil a moderate, although he was prepared to take it easy. Steve Hughes was missing a bottle when he arrived, Keith left his in the car, and I was missing some teeth, and didn't really have a route. It didn't feel too much like a focused Quick Step pre-stage meeting. At least Alan, our ace cameraman, hadn't forgotten his mobile, or to change out of his slippers before leaving home.

After watching the second half of the Liverpool v. Newcastle game the night before, I had looked up a few possible pub destinations, and checked that they were open for lunch and had decent reviews. On my own, I would have sorted out a route to The Dickin  Arms at Loppington, but I didn't want this to become my Shropshire Bhurtpore, and be perceived as repeatedly taking people to my same personal preferences for lunch.

As it was, we set out for The Burlton Inn, which is still a regular stop of ours. 

The priority was for quiet lanes, with a few unusual route twists for a change. In order to largely miss the busy road to St. Martin's, we turned south-west for Hindford at the first chance, and then worked north-east to Old Marton before crossing the dismantled railway for a second time at Crickett. We passed the Hardwick Estate on our left before dog-legging across the busy A495 down to the canal and on to Tetchill.

It was decidedly cool without the sun of recent days. From Lee, close to scenic White Mere, we headed south to Lower Hordley and Bagley, eventually turned up to English Frankton via Cockshutt for an extra few miles, before directly pedalling to lunch at The Burlton Inn. Our past friendly hosts had departed, but the guy who had taken over was very welcoming and the food was good, with plenty of chips. Evidently light bites, like a choice of sandwiches, are likely to be added to the menu in the future. Some of the lunch discussion was very informative about a variety of media offerings, internet scams, and what to watch out for.

After lunch, it became obviously that it was going to stay the only sunless day of the week, and as Chirk is nearly forty miles from home for some of us, I cut the intended return route to save a bit of time. At Stanwardine in the Fields , I had intended to head for Rednal  and Welsh Frankton via the climb and dive- down around Stanwardine Park and across the River Perry. The quicker route to Welsh Frankton kept us east of the River Perry, but did use a short section of the outward- bound route from Bagley to Lower Hordley. You would recognise the large factory building near Lower Hordley, slightly sinister with its lack of signage. Steve was telling me that it was a very large abattoir owned by ABP, a huge multinational food processor, who surprisingly, perhaps, own Primark. I thought that, originally, the Weston family of past Wagon Wheel fame owned Primark, which was also true. If you are interested in how this mega business developed look up ABP, Garfield Weston, or Wittington Investments on t'internet. Over seven hundred people were working in the Lower Hordley factory in 2015. Burton's Food was sold off in 2000, and they still produce Wagon Wheels. You will not be shocked to know that the Weston's Wagon Wheel of your schooldays is now smaller and lighter. From Welsh Frankton we cut up to New Marton and St.Martin's. What Alan later called “the sting in the tail” was about to come. We descended, steeply at times, into the narrow wooded valley leading to cow shit covered Pont y blew, then followed two challenging climbs back to our parked cars. 

'The sting in the tail' 

Photo AO

Quite an effort to avoid the busy main roads around Chirk. The lads lost time waiting for me, as I missed seeing a long, discarded cable as I changed my glasses whilst riding up the first climb. My new glasses were hurting my head. I'd told them at Specsavers that I had a big head, but they thought I was joking! The cable wrapped around my chainwheels, and jammed between my front mudguard and wheel. Fortunately, no lasting damage to man or machine, just a lot of dirty disentangling. About 40 miles covered. Thanks to Steve for his route support, and thanks for the patience of everyone as I worked out directions on the hoof. I enjoyed all the quiet lanes and the company. Let's hope we have the sun back for next Thursday.

DH

See route map and/or gpx file download

25th November 2021: Burlton (mod)

It was very sunny but cold as we gathered at The Castle Bistro in Chirk. ‘We’ consisted of Steves Ha, Hu and T, Dave H, Alan and George. We were drinking our coffees and debating where we should go when Ivan arrived, having come out by train. He was the sole representative of the brisk riders, the others variously being away or unwell. Ivan was heading for Nesscliffe and was soon on his way.

Steve Ha had a route to The Bradford Arms at Llanymynech and I had one to the Burlton Inn at Burlton. As there was some doubt The Bradford Arms would be open, we opted to head for Burlton. We set off along Castle Road and down into the Ceiriog valley. To avoid the steep climb from Pontfaen into Weston Rhyn, I chose to go further up the valley to Castle Mill before heading uphill. What I had forgotten was that the first 200 metres of the road here is very steep, even though the OS map shows no chevron. Whilst several were equal to the challenge, one or two chose to dismount. Dave H reminded me that it was on this very hill a few years ago that Keith Barlow’s rear mech broke and he had to abandon the ride.

We soon reached Bronygarth and skirted round the edge of Weston Rhyn to pick up the road out to Hengoed. From here we zoomed down the hill to cross the A5 at the roundabout which leads to the Orthopaedic Hospital at Gobowen, where I spent several weeks three years ago. At Whittington, we joined the A5009 and a long run down to Queens Head. Steve Hu was quick to score me 0/10 for this section of the ride as the road was quite busy and the traffic was going past us at high speed.

The roads were now quieter and more to Steve Hu’s liking as we passed through Eardiston, Wykey and the PGL Centre at Boreatton Park. PGL have been running adventure holidays for children since 1957 and my brother and I had a holiday with them more than 50 years ago, canoeing down the River Rhone and camping on the shores of the Med near Marseille. A memorable experience!

We were soon through Weston Lullingfields and Marton, arriving at The Burlton Inn at about 12.15. Unusually, this establishment doesn’t offer ‘light bites’ or sandwiches, so most people had fish and chips or soup. I wonder if it still deserves a place on our list of favoured lunch stops?

Photo by AO

Leaving the pub, we headed to Brownheath. This meant that we were going into a headwind, which was already feeling very cold, even though the sun was still shining. But the countryside was looking beautiful and the lanes were smooth and quiet as we rode around Colemere and White Mere, so Steve Hu was scoring the route more highly now. On reaching Welsh Frankton, we decided to avoid the rough and dirty lanes at Hindford by diverting via Perthy and New Marton to reach St. Martins. I held back here to wait for Steves Ha and Hu, whilst the others headed for Chirk via the B5070. When we reached the A5 roundabout, Steve Ha wanted to go back via Weston Rhyn, so we finished the ride by dropping down once again into the Ceiriog valley before climbing back into Chirk.  

44 miles covered and 2447 feet of climb completed as we got back to The Castle Bistro at about 4 pm. Although the sun was still shining, it had already dropped cold (~ 3°C), so it would not have been wise to be much later back. Winter is truly on its way.

My thanks go to my companions for their company, support and general banter.

See route map and/or gpx file download

ST

29th April 2021: Burlton (mod)

 Chirk was the start point for today’s meet. In the rear courtyard of the Castle Bistro gathered several CER members. There was a brisk group, and two moderate groups to be led by Steve T and myself, plus David M who had arrived by train and was planning to ride back home.  I had prepared a route to the Burlton Arms at Burlton (coincidentally Dave had planned for the same destination), and my group comprised Dave H, Steve Hu, Alan and Peter. The forecast was cool, cloudy with sunny spells and northerly wind and some chance of showers.

We set off following the main road to the A5 roundabout, and then on into St Martins, where seeking respite from a pot-holed and busy main road, we broke away onto the lanes.  At Perthy we crossed the main Oswestry-Ellesmere road and continued past White Mere and Colemere to Northwood. Here we headed south past Horton and Loppington to Burlton on generally good surfaces where we made good progress.

With 24 miles covered, we were the first customers to arrive at the Burlton Arms, and only customers until a couple turned up later.  We settled in the garden and ordered our food.  The landlady said they’d been fairly busy since reopening with the good weather.  However, there was no real ale because Robinson’s had underestimated demand after the lockdown!  Conversation was rambling as usual, including a long discussion between Dave H and Steve Hu about places in Lancashire, which meant little to me, though my ears perked up when Steve said he’d been “served with an afternoon tea on a garden bench made out of lollipop sticks” – it appeared that it was the afternoon tea on the bench, not Steve.

We hadn’t been too cold sitting down, though it was good to start moving again and warm up.  Our return took us through Marton and north through Lower Hordley. We took a minor lane to Lower Frankton and crossed possibly the steepest hump-backed bridge in the country, made more challenging by some hidden potholes. After Welsh Frankton we took the lane to Hindford. Always a rough lane, this had got worse with potholes, gravel and mudbanks – definitely ‘Clive-esque’, and it would be much worse in the wet.  Saying which, we were then hit by a rain and sleet shower as we took the lanes to the NW of Gobowen.  Arriving back at the A5 roundabout, I decided to diverge from the planned climb back into Chirk on the B5070, and instead make for Western Rhyn and then drop into the Ceriog Valley for the much more pleasant entry into Chirk.

Photo by Alan

Forty-four miles completed, Dave H and I stopped for a drink back at the Bistro where we met Steve T, Andy and Mike back from their ride. A good day for all.

See route map and/or gpx file download

SH

20th August 2020: Burlton (mod)

 I was pleased to see Ray in the Car Park at Chirk. We poked our heads around the front door at Castle Bistro just before 10a.m., and had the place to ourselves. We had just started our coffees when Dave Matthews made a welcome entrance, as promised. He had arrived by train, having rode in from Chester, and intended to ride back to Oscroft. Dave is a bit wary at the moment of pushing himself too hard in a group, as he has to be careful to safely manage his condition. And so it was: Ray and me, Little and  Large. It was like comparing a light and lithe Lotus Evora, with an older, well upholstered Jaguar XJ6.

 Fortunately for me, Ray was  prepared to “bimble” and enjoy it. We reached the dodgy A5 roundabout at the right moment, and managed to nip across quickly, before heading for Hindford. Last time we were down here a left turn was missed, which left us with a few miles of main roads in and out of Whittington in order to get back on track. So began a regular trace and check process, to ensure that there were no unplanned excursions. I traced the route I had highlighted on my map the day before, and Ray checked that his Garmin supported my choices of direction. We drifted down on these quiet lanes before a small climb to Welsh Frankton, then crossed the main road to Ellesmere, and continued surfing down to the Llangollen Canal. The steepness of the little humpback bridge here is remarkable, and if you can attain enough speed on the approach you could probably emulate Eddie the Eagle at the top. The stretch into the wind to Rednal had me dropping back from my fitter companion. I failed to convince myself that it was just down to my bigger frontal area. Around the exposed old airfield we noted the decommissioned yellow naval helicopter on the right. At Haughton, we turned right in a Clivesque exploratory diversion in order to take a dekko at the estate of Tedsmore Hall. On we went to pretty Wykey, followed by a sharp wooded drop to the River Perry and a slog up the other side past Boreatton Park. Ray was enjoying the leisurely change from his normal pace, and being able to look around at some of the beautiful villages and features, and smell the flowers. He said that it reminded him of what had attracted him to cycling in the first place. With the wind now behind us for the first time, we swept beyond Weston Lullingfields at a fair lick, with little effort. This was the essence of Chester easy riding: little lanes, few vehicles, lush scenery, relaxed progress and good company. Enjoying living in the moment. Just past Petton Hall we reached the A528 and were soon turning into the Burlton Inn, bang on the booked timeof 12.45 p.m.

The welcome was warm and the food is very good at the Burlton Inn, although the absence of light bites on the menu was, surprise, surprise, more problematic for Ray than myself. Then! Out of the Blue! Who turned up? It was Peter, who is virtually self-isolating for family reasons, but had covered well over forty miles already from Chester on his own route, with the hope of making a distanced greeting to our group at lunch. Obviously, our group was just us two. We were outside and it was sunny with a breeze, so Peter joined us two metres away for a pleasant chat and even enjoyed a pint of beer. It was great to see him. 

We headed back via Loppington, and Lyneal mainly on well surfaced, quiet, narrow lanes, although before Loppington we could hear a very loud horn somewhere behind us, and it turned out to be an outsize, lumbering lorry which had to sound its horn before every bend. Eventually, it thankfully passed us. At Colemere there was a surprising amount of activity, with people driving out, often to walk their dogs. We crossed the main road before Ellesmere at Spunhill, and mused about how lovely it would be to live in one of the attractive cottages where you wake up every morning with White Mere at the bottom of your garden. The remainder of the route was by way of Tetchill, Perthy, New Marton and St.Martins. The route wasn't too wet and dirty, but from before Colemere all the way back to Chirk there were plenty of ups and downs. Approaching Chirk from the south-west the obvious options for the last two or three miles are not great. As a more stimulating alternative, for the first time, some years ago I led a group down to Ponty-y-blew, deep in the valley, knowing it would be a steep climb out to Chirk, but picturesque and out of the traffic. I think most of you have experienced this route now, but it had been a while since I had been down there. For once I followed my instinct rather than check the map. That was a mistake! Like a City or United defender playing in Europe, my lack of discipline and focus near the end blew it. Ray used his Garmin to bail us out, and we eventually crossed the river and  conquered the two stiff little climbs to enter Chirk by the back door. Ray had no problems, but was patient enough to wait for me as I chugged uphill in a very low gear. It was just after four o'clock, and we had covered about Forty- two miles. I really enjoyed riding with Ray, and Peter evidently enjoyed his trip, and arrived home safely.

DH

1st August 2019: Burlton (mod)

An absolute host of CER members turned up for the moderate ride, comprising of Clive, Jim, Graeme, Andy B, Fiona, Neil, Dave H, Trevor, Steve T, Keith and George. And we were joined by two guest riders, Jerry and Peter who I hope were made to feel welcome. Peter came equipped with an e-bike, so it seems this mode of cycling is gaining pace – literally!

After some discussion, it was agreed that we would follow a route to The Burlton Inn at Burlton, originally devised by Dave H and last ridden in August 2017, which I had uploaded onto my phone ‘just in case’. So it was with a degree of trepidation that I lead this phalanx of riders out of Holt to Tilston via Crewe-by-Farndon. From there we rode to Threapwood by way of Chorlton Lane, stopping occasionally to a) check the route and b) to make sure we hadn’t lost anyone. We had a longer stop at Tallarn Green so that Clive could put the route to Burlton onto his phone to make sure that, if the group got split up, then someone else would have the route. From Tallarn Green we cycled south-west to Drury Lane and across to Whitewell, an unusual, but quiet and scenic route. About 12 o’clock, Clive rang the pub to make sure that they could handle our large party, which they said they could, so it seemed that all would be well.

Pressing on through Fenns Bank, we came to Dobson’s Bridge. As Clive and Neil came round the corner and down the hill towards the bridge, there were two horses in the road coming up the other way. One of the horses was startled by their sudden appearance and reared up, almost unseating its rider. The rest of us went past as gently as we could to avoid upsetting the horse (and rider) any further. This was now prime Shropshire easy riding, wafting along in midsummer on well-surfaced roads running through lush green countryside. We were soon through Loppington and arrived at Burtlon just after 1 pm.

Reading Dave’s report of the ride in 2017, he said ‘The staff at The Burlton Inn were friendly. The eating environment is attractive, and the food is consistently very good. It took a while to prepare, because we were such a large group, but this pub is certainly one of our favourites.’ And it all held true on this visit, so it was nearer 2.30 by the time we’d posed for the group photo and got on our bikes again.

Photo by CA

By now the sun was shining and it was quite warm as we made our way back to Penley through English Frankton, Lyneal, Welsh Hampton, Breadon Heath and Tarts Hill. Just before we reached Penley, the ‘advanced party’ consisting of Steve T, Fiona, Neil, Andy B and Jerry stopped at a junction to wait for the others, but after several minutes, they didn’t show up. So we concluded the return route that Clive had put into his phone using ‘Plot a route’ must have taken them on a slightly different route. So we pressed on, assuming that they were well behind us, only to find them ahead on the road at Little Green!

The rest of the route was a brisk, familiar ride north through Holly Bush, Worthenbury and Shocklach, where Graeme and Jim left us for Malpas, the former for home and the latter for cat sitting which, funnily enough, he was doing 2 years ago on this same ride!

As we got closer to home on the road from Shocklach, the faster riders (Neil, Andy B and Jerry) pulled away from the ‘advanced party’, spurred on by the fact they we had been overtaken by two ‘proper’ cyclists. Steve T and George vainly tried to keep up and Keith and Fiona following on behind them. The rest of the group rode at their own pace, so our original phalanx was now quite scattered. On reaching Farndon, Clive, Trevor, Keith and Peter all headed for home and the rest arrived back at Cleopatra’s having clocked about 54 miles.

My thanks go to Dave H and Keith for acting as ‘tail-end Charlies’ so that none of this large group got lost or left behind and especially to Clive to doing the same thing, but also for his help on the navigation front. I couldn’t have done it without you!

See route map and/or gpx file download

ST

25th April 2019 : Burlton (brisk)

Todays weather forecast was 50% sunny and rain showers – decided to try for the best wardrobe and hope I get it right!!

John W was riding out with me to Holt, so setting off from Chester it was a sunny but chilly morning. On arrival at Cleopatras  were three moderates and my fellow riders – Ken, Nick and Clive. With John and I, we had a good group for today's ride. After regulation tea and coffee, the route both Ken and I had suggested was accepted and it was to the Burlton Inn.

Leaving the café, we were blessed with a sunny start to get us on our way out via Wetreins Lane to Tilston and Horton Green and here we re-join the B5069. We are passed by a MF tractor and the driver slowed to allow us to gain advantage over the head wind and stream behind. This didn’t last to long as we got held up by cyclists and the driver was very considerate and waited for a safe passing point. When we did pass named cyclist’s, it was our moderate group holding us up!

After passing the mod’s, the tractor decided to see how fast he could get away so we let him go! The roads were very littered with mud, debris and puddles so Clive had a plan B to divert from Burgess Lane at Holly Bush, and follow Cloy Lane and then pick up our route; but I would like to ride over Hollybush to actually see whether there were any less potholes!!

We join the main A528, which runs into Ellesmere and as we approach the town the heavens decide to pour down upon us. Quick stop and we now have a team of Garmin Shake-dry riders (haha). Into the town and following the one-way roads, we head off along Birch road passing Blackwater Meadow Marina with a board out for boat hire. Not sure whether for the lanes or the Mere!

I cannot recall riding this lane before, but the rain had ceased to sodden us and it is a picture post card lane to ride. Passing through Bagley and Petton, we are half a mile from our lunch stop. Enjoying a down hill, the route is forked and we should keep right, however a quick glance shows a mud track so I continue on and go off course and hope we are not too diverted. Re-joining the A528, our inn for lunch is soon in view.

The Burlton Inn was a welcome sight and as we entered the pub and had ordered once again it was torrential rain outside. A good lunch in a Robinson's hostelry, a variety of lunch time chatter and it was time to get back on the bikes. The sun was out again as venture out and join the B4397 to English Frankton. Ken had been busy during lunch and had downloaded the route we had both ridden previously. This return route mirrored our return today passing through Lyneal and Penley. 

"Men in Black" (almost)  near Penley

The sun was still shinning and we had a glorious view across a valley that a photo call was required for the blog so Nick volunteered his service. Continuing along flooded and muddy lanes as we approach Sarn, I realise I am on my own. Turning around and retracing, I find the group as John has a puncture. It is a wonder we hadn’t had more as the roads were very mucky. John soon fixed his bike and using an air bomb, his tyre inflated we are rolling again as it is up Sarn Bank.

At Chorlton, Nick bides us farewell. From Shocklach, Clive takes pole position and we have a very brisk ride of plus 20mph to Farndon. We decide on coffee at Lewis’s café at Farndon and re-join the moderates, who were also back safely from their ride. After tea and cake, Clive, John and I set off for Chester. Ken made his way back to Rossett via the blocked road works from Holt. Our ride from Farndon had John in pole position and continued a brisk pace all the way back to Chester.

Considering the forecast, we evaded most of the showers and had enjoyed a really nice riding day. A reasonable mileage of 53 for the actual route and 70+ miles to Chester at an impressive 16.5 mph

See route map and/or gpx file download

ID

Photo NH

12th July 2018 : Burlton (brisk)

A change from the recent weather meant it was overcast and wet as I made my way to Cleopatra’s where around a dozen CER’s were gathered. There were two routes on offer, Steve planning to visit Coton and mine to the Burlton Inn at Burlton. Everyone with the exception Ivan opted for the moderate option so at 10:30 prompt we set off leaving Steve to round up his group. 

Travelling across the Dee bridge and down towards Shocklach was fine until a lapse in concentration meant I had led us towards the homebound leg of the route instead of the outbound leg! This was soon remedied by turning left at ‘The Bull’ heading to Tilston where, as we passed the church, we saw Nick Holmes. He was  out for a run ,at least we think it was Nick he waved, we waved, it looked like Nick and it was in his locale.

Heading out of  Tilston  towards the A41, we briefly  joined  the moderate group who were probably a bit confused as to how they had managed to get ahead of us. Leaving their route, we  went through Larkton Hill, No Mans Heath and Malpas, and here we crossed the A525 at Iscoyd Park. Onwards through Fenns Bank and Whixall, we picked up a lovely smooth road, thanks to new tarmac, that took us all the way into Loppington before passing to the west of Sleap airfield and finally our lunch stop ‘The Burlton Inn’.

This pub was a first for us both and has a nicely decorated interior. There were  only a handful of customers and our food and drink order was quickly served. My main meal of Steak pie, chips and vegetables, was a large tasty portion and was consumed whilst chatting about family life and forthcoming holidays. Once fed and watered we headed back to Holt  by following a mainly straight northerly route linking Lyneal, Welshampton and Threapwood.

Ivan took over the lead  in Theapwood and set a fierce pace (obviously wanting to burn off the bangors and mash) through to Crewe by Farndon. Here we turned and took an alternative route via a back road into Farndon arriving back at  Cleopatra’s for coffee and cake at about 3:30.

Thanks for the company Ivan,  a good day out covering 57 miles.

See route map and/or gpx file download

KP

3rd August 2017: Burlton

Twelve riders set out from Cleopatra's in Holt: George, Steve Haywood, Steve Tan, Clive, Ray, Mold Andy, cheeky Andy, Tom, Keith, Trevor and Jim. It has become increasingly common, and sociably enjoyable, to go out on a united club run. Nevertheless, differences in pace will often mean that riding in two (or three?) separate groups continues in the future.

My route was intended to explore some lanes new to everyone. The weather was hard to judge, particularly in deciding what to wear. Dave and Liz would have had a wardrobe frenzy!  We headed for Tilston via Crewe-by-Farndon. From there we rode to Threapwood by way of Chorlton Lane. At Tallarn Green we cycled south-west to Drury Lane, and across to Whitewell, an unusual, but quiet and scenic route. It was soon time to ring either The Raven at Tilley, or The Burlton Arms to see if they wanted to cope with twelve old sweats in lycra. Clive thought that The Raven could get busy, and I agreed, so Burlton it was. Ray had to get back, so took his leave at Fenn's Heath. This was now prime Shropshire easy riding, wafting along in midsummer on well-surfaced roads meandering lazily through lush green countryside. Whixall, Waterloo and Wolverley were the way, and soon we were passing The Dickin Arms at Loppington. The staff at The Burlton Arms were friendly. The eating environment is attractive, and the food is consistently very good. It took a while to prepare, because we were such a large group, but this pub is certainly one of our favourites. We should have let the faster lads take off a few more miles out, in order to stagger the food preparation to everyone's advantage. On the other hand they would probably have got lost! 'Crossover Clive' would never get lost, but he was still under the impression that we were going to Tilley.

All things considered, a direct route home was favourite, although small, more rarely used lanes were still on the agenda. The weather after lunch wasn't as pleasant as forecast, but nobody got too damp. The route to Penley was through English Frankton, Lyneal, Welsh Hampton, Breadon Heath and Tarts Hill. Jim left us here for Malpas where he was cat-sitting. I may have been leading in theory, but at this point I had two groups of riders in front, and instead of taking time for a final map check, led a waiting group inadvertently south at the last junction before Penley. The next cross roads at Hampton Wood had signs left, right and centre, all to places we didn't want to go! We retraced our steps and eventually joined Clive and co., sheltering from a shower in Penley.

The rest of the route was a brisk, familiar ride north through Holly Bush, Worthenbury and Shocklach. Despite a semi-sprint by many over the last six miles or so, Lewis's were shut fifteen minutes early, or so I was led to believe, but I've just checked their website and they close at 16.30! We finished up at Cleopatra's at 4.52, and were accommodated by a friendly member of staff from the North-East, despite their official closing time being 5p.m. He earned a tip or two for his trouble.

It was good to have had Trevor and Jim properly on board again, and in great form. George was in notable good shape after his weeks away. I suspect some extra training miles have been going on, which bodes well for the moderate '100' next week. I think I'll pack a tow rope! 56 miles easy miles were covered in the usual agreeable company.                                                                       

DH

30th March 2017: Burlton (mod)

After a wonderful few days of sunshine, the weather had broken on Wednesday and travelling to the Chirk Tea Rooms was wet and miserable.  The forecast suggested little better for the rest of the day. The usual brisk riders were looking for something easier, so all eight of us set off together: Clive, Paul, Andy B, Steve T, Keith, George, Dave H and myself. I’d picked a destination and route off our blog which had been visited in 2015 to good reviews: the Burlton Arms in Burlton.

We initially headed up the Ceiriog valley and, just after the fish hatchery, turned left over the river and up a short but very steep hill.  Here disaster struck for Keith: the hanger for his rear mech snapped off. The damage could not easily be fixed, so sadly Keith decided to walk the couple of miles back to the café. The rest of us continued southwards on pleasant lanes, and then headed east between Gobowen and Oswestry before entering Whittington. Next we followed the long straight down to the Queen’s Head and into the southerly wind, though this didn’t seem to be a hindrance to the tandem that wizzed past at over twice our speed - obviously serious racers.

We passed through West Felton before heading eastwards again, through Wykey and Stanwardine, and then picking up the B-road to enter Burlton just before the rain started.  The pub was empty but welcoming.  We enjoyed reasonable priced good food from their snack lunch menu and some excellent Robinson’s beer for a couple of us.  A pub worth visiting again.

Photo by Steve T

The afternoon ride took us through Loppington, English Frankton and Colemere, and then I had gear problems with a jammed chain. A mix of brute force and cunning shifted it.  After Welsh Frankton we met a flock of sheep, a tractor and a wagon blocking a narrow lane. A couple of sheep dogs were rounding up strays – they came up to look us over, but decided we weren’t worth bothering with. With the sheep safely in the field, we were forced to carry our bikes along a grassy bank to pass the vehicles. From then the journey was uneventful through Hindhead and Gobowen to re-enter Chirk from the south, and back to the café for most of us.

Overall about 42 miles, though considerably further for Clive, Andy and Paul who had all ridden out to Chirk. The day was good: some fine lanes, a pub to return to, generally dry and mild and good company.

SH

15th October 2015: Burlton (mod)

A large group of Easy Riders plus two guests met at the café in Chirk, for our last departure from here this year. We were also honoured by the presence of Dave M who had ridden from Holt to join us for coffee but had to return home to Oscroft for a prior afternoon appointment. The ten moderate riders of George, Trevor, Dave H, Keith B, Bryan, Brian M, Petar, Dave & Liz P, and Jim, were joined by guest riders Chris and Dave R. 

The plan was to depart via the attractive Ceiriog Valley and then descend into Shropshire for some pleasant ‘lane riding’. Prospective member Dave R used his skill to winkle out a lunch stop at Burlton and all went well until we got to Whittington, where we followed the B 5009 south to West Felton. The road was wide straight and boring: clearly the old main road downgraded after the opening of the A5. To the local drivers this was an opportunity to make good progress without much traffic. For those who enjoy main road riding, fine, but not for us. I would recommend a change of route in future. However, we were soon onto the lanes after the village, and began to make good progress until Bryan picked up a puncture. This was soon repaired and we continued eastwards towards Wykey and Stanwardine in the Fields. The chilly autumn weather was briefly relieved as the sun came out for part of the route to Marton and our lunch stop at Burlton. 

The Burlton Arms turned out to be a real find: newly re-furbished with a range of beers and good choice of food. Soon we were back on the road again, this time to the north and Loppington, where we took a sharp left to English Frankton and Colemere. Continuing westwards, we passed the sailing dinghies on White Mere on our way to Welsh Frankton. By the time we got to Hindford we had another puncture, this time to guest rider Dave R. While this was fixed Brian M spent some time talking to the owner of the land we had stopped on and he learned that the owner is in the process of constructing an outdoor snack bar and food area for canal boaters and cyclists. A stop to look out for in the future.

Soon we were back in Gobowen and the road to Chirk. The traffic island on the A5 was an experience, but we all survived to reach the village car park at about 16:30. 

A total distance of about 43 miles on mostly pleasant lanes and above all another dry day. How long can this go on?          

JD