27th June 2024: Burwardsley (mod+)

Maggies was the venue for today's meeting and at least a dozen turned up. It soon became apparent that nobody had a route bar me, as there was no SHa or DH today, due to holiday packing or something like that for the latter. However, it sounds like we may get SHa back this summer. This meant the minority of easy riders were left looking at each other for a while. However, I did see George with an OS map in hand (obviously been to the school of DH cycling leadership- Lol).  Elec Ray arrived, somewhat late, perhaps he saved the day- Lol.

Unusually, the majority of the meet were Mod+ enthusiasts. However, there were a few fast boys, also without a leader it seemed. Anyway, what I thought was likely to be a lone ride for me,  became a group of 8 - what!- Lol. I guess I shouldn’t have mentioned that my route was specifically aimed at negating the very strong SW winds, which inevitably meant small hills. This led to everybody jumping on my train-  Lol. So that’s how my group of 8 formed, although I would quickly realise there was a maveric undertone within the peloton - more about that later- Lol, Lol.

Once upon a time in a land, not so far away,  there were 8: Steve H, Steve T, Allan, Ray (non Elec) Shane, Clive and Nick. We headed north up to Aldford with a lovely tailwind start, but as usual with me, I throw in a few little back lanes so we can all admire the scenery and sites in some cases. After slipping around the back of Churton, we then head onto the back of Aldford for our first unusual site, which was the Gnome garden, belonging to a house that also has some of the finest gable end decoration I have ever seen. In fact most of the village have similar decoration, as most of you probably know, although this particular house  seems to have more detail. Most of you are probably well aware that Aldford village is the jewel in the crown of the Duke of Westminster's village estates and hence, the immaculate up keep of these houses. (Never seen the likes in any other village, not to this standard- see photo)

We head out of Aldford, over the Dee bridge, turning right to Bruera and Platt’s Lane beyond. This allows us to get across the A41 via the pavement and keep the tailwind of course, which continues as we turn left toward Tattenhall, although we are by-passing the village via Old Ma’s (alas no more, but the sign is still up)

It was not long before we were passing the ice cream farm, which prompted me to deliberate on a route change, as I realise the tailwind is slightly more westerly than originally thought. Thus we turn left toward Beeston, which not only provides more tailwind, but eventually sets us up for a right turn on to Peckforton Lane, after swinging around the back of Beeston. Our right turn, at the stunning white and red cottage on the corner, is where I consider is the start of the southern end of the Sandstone ridge and the start of a gradual uphill tap- Lol. 

The ridge line doesn’t really end until after Carden Park, somewhere near Tilston in fact, as that’s where one reaches the flat land again. However, the ridge line was now providing surprisingly good cover from the now diagonal headwind, that we were barely experiencing. What we were now experiencing was the steady uphill tap, which led Clive to remark about the burn in his legs, as we bear round another corner and up toward the Bickerton Poacher. 

As I was saying to Nick, later on at lunch, unfortunately the short stretch of the Nantwich / Wrexham road is the only way to traverse the local area of Bulkley (not without at least a 7 mile diversion via Bunbury that is). No sooner are we passing  Copper Mine lane, we head up again on a nasty little drag, which is where the ‘Maverick 5’ decide to show their cards and form their own group, by not turning left to Bickerton with the rest of us, which was now just 3 loyal group members intent on finishing the full ride- Lol.

Clearly the previous few miles of gentle uphill riding had got to the legs of our maverick 5, to the degree that they felt they couldn’t endure the real climbing to come and decided on a short cut over Harthill. Although to be fair, I don’t think we can blame Shane for his part in the desertion. As the newest member of the club, he was probably just following the group. No doubt he was informed, by their ring leader,  that this was how CER ride. I can imagine the conversation; “don’t fret Shane, we often split into groups if the cycling gets a bit tough and take the short cut to our lunch destination. This has the added advantage of us getting our orders in first”- Lol, Lol, Lol.

So!  The loyal remainder of Clive, Allan and yours truly turn left down to Bickerton and then up over my favourite hilly lane (Goldford Lane), which Allan agreed was now his favourite lane as well, once down the other side. We now turn right for another upward haul on Old Coach Road toward Brown Knowl. After a very quick short descent we turn right into a lovely little farm lane that gets us back on course for what I call the easy way around Harthill (still up - Lol and called Bolsworth Hill road)

Not far from our lunch destination, I again deliberate on a left or right turn, deciding on the hillier way to the Poffee cafe. This would be our last climb and the steepest, with an extra kicker in the tail, off Harthill (Ridding Bank). No sooner done and we’re  cruising down toward the Poffee, only a half mile away.

Surprise, surprise, we find the Maveric 5 comfortably seated, waiting on their deserts, well maybe not quite their deserts - Lol, Lol. We greet the rest of the group, who were all providing a different excuse for not completing the ride, but we knew the truth- Lol. Somebody tried to make out that they had missed the turn because they were ahead of the ride leader, who I might say, was feeling the hill in question, after being on the front for the whole ride. Not that it bothered the loyal few, as we still experienced the FULL glory of the FULL route- Lol, Lol.

Lunch, not surprisingly had plenty of conversation and banter, too much for me to remember, although there was one enlightening moment when Steve H demonstrated a new sign language that had us all bewildered as he shook his middle finger in the air (somewhat like the posh folk with a cup of tea). He was apparently trying to order a fish finger sandwich. I’m not sure who was more confused, us or the waitress- Lol.

Photos by Neil T

Mind you, that was not the most enlightening moment of our lunch. I dared to comment on SH’s attempt at sign language, being a northern dialect, when I got a defensive barrage (stronger than the England Euro team) from,  no less than, the maverick 5 - Lol. Who knew ST was such a staunch defender of the North, after suggesting that I should have my lights punched out - Lol.

Lunch over and still with a straight nose, we set off for a relatively short final leg back to Holt, although only a few were going all the way back. We head down in to Tattenhall, via a little unknown lane to most, eventually turning left up the small hill to cross the A41 via Holywell lane and up to Carden Park, which provides excellent cover against the headwind. At the back entrance to CP (Stretton Mill lane) I depart the remainder, as we had already lost Clive & Ray in Tattenhall.

Steve H (aka- maverick 5 leader- Lol, Allan and Nick, I think) head down Stretton lane and I head through the golf course and home via Coddington and Aldersey.

I got home with 74k on the clock and 575 mtrs of assent. Hopefully the rest all made it home safely.

A lovely day out with some great company and even better  banter. The route worked out really well for the wind conditions and one to save. Worth doing a second time, for the maverick 5 of course, so they can enjoy the FULL majesty of the route- Lol, Lol, Lol,Lol.

See route map and/or gpx file download

Till next time, Neil (alias - Lady Whistledown- for those in the know🤪🤣)

10th April 2014: Market Drayton

The Ice Cream Farm was busy with preparation for a heavy day of families freed by the Easter holidays.  Seven of us turned up: Paul R, Dave H, George, Keith and Steve, as well as Dave M who announced he was babysitting and couldn’t join us.  No one had arrived with a route, so after some debate we took Dave M’s suggestion of the Joules Brewery Tap at Market Drayton as our objective.  As Dave M wasn’t coming, this meant the rest of us had to work out a route, so between Paul and Steve navigating, we found our way there and back again. 

The weather was good, the route fairly flat and fast, as we headed out through Bunbury and Brindley to pick up Route 552 at Ravensmoor. This led us through Audlem and then further south to arrive at our destination at 13:00 in good time for lunch.  As we sat enjoying our food and drink, conversation turned to Health & Safety as we watched a digger at work only inches away on the other side of the wall we sat beside.  Next a couple of pallets of malt arrived, placed precariously close to our bikes. 

 

Photograph by Steve Haywood

The worst didn’t happen, and we left to weave our way through the Market Drayton streets and pick up the lane to Longslow, which led us naturally to Calverhall, Ash Magna and into Whitchurch. Following our traditional practice of heading the wrong way up the one-way street by the church, we picked up the natural route through Marbury, Bickley and Cholmondley, the main discussion being which café we would head for. Paul chose Burwardsley and after climbing past Harthill, we arrived at the Teddy Bear Tea Rooms. None of us had been there before and we enjoyed hot drinks and cake, while we admired the incredible views northwards over Cheshire towards Ellemere Port and Liverpool. 

From Burwardsley it was a short fast downhill to Tattenhall, which we sped through and then went our separate ways around Huxley and Hargrave.  An enjoyable and thankfully uneventful ride with a popular destination that gave us 55 miles cycling, though by the final end of our journeys, most of us had clocked around 70 miles, with Tom coming close to the magical 100.

SH

6th December 2012: Christmas Lunch Ride to Higher Burwardsley

Very cold, icy and rain forecast for late afternoon: just what we needed for the Club’s Christmas Lunch Ride!  David M rang to say he was going by car, as it was too icy.  I decided to cycle out to the meet at the Ice Cream Farm using the main roads as much as possible.  The BBC had shown their “documentary” ‘The War on Britain’s Roads’ the night before, portraying a war between motorists and cyclists.  This seemed to have been taken to heart by Chester’s drivers as I was cut up three times within the first mile and then shouted out for making use of an advanced stop line!

Once in the country, things calmed down and I was caught by Clive, Ivan and Ray taking the same route out.  At the Ice Cream Farm Colin was already demolishing a toasted teacake when we arrived.  Before long there were 14 of us present although one wasn’t riding.  While the rest of us chatted Jim did a fantastic job of painlessly extracting the monetary balance due from everyone for lunch.  Though how he managed to do the ride with pockets bulging with cash is another matter.

Photographs by Bryan Wade

By 10:30 it was time to leave with a short circuit of the Peckforton/Bickerton hills planned to get us to The Pheasant by just after 12 noon.  I led out round Beeston and on to Bunbury before cutting across to Peckforton.  By this time we had all warmed up, the weather was more favourable and by and large the roads were clear with just a few isolated patches of ice turning slushy.  Nearing Bickerton it was clear that we wouldn’t make the pub by noon if we stuck to the planned route so I cut out most of the Bickerton circuit to head straight for the old Copper Mine pub now renamed the Sandstone.  Then it was over Harthill before taking a sharp right and the climb up to Burwardsley and the Pheasant at Higher Burwardsley.

The Pheasant had reserved a window table for the 15 of us: Mike G, Colin, Dave B, David M, Clive, Ivan, Trevor, Dave P, Jim, George, Ray, Liz P, Mike M, Dave H and myself.  Once seated and refreshed with a pint, dinner was served.  Food was excellent although a complaint about the turkey was conveyed to the kitchen.  To be fair to the pub the menu described the turkey as saltimbocca style.  It would therefore be churlish not to expect some form of rolled turkey although in this case it was more of an industrial roll rather than the more traditional rolled and skewered pieces.

From The Pheasant the way back was a fast downhill descent through the lanes to the Ice Cream Farm where those with cars loaded up leaving the rest of us to make our way back to Chester.

Only 18 miles today (38 for those Chester bound) but a great day nevertheless.

BW

2nd June 2011: Stone 110 ride (long)

An early start today for our annual ‘long’ 100 plus ride!  Ivan was busy fuelling up when I arrived at Chester Station café just after 07:30.  Within a few minutes Clive, Dave Hill and Mike G had joined us, leaving only Dave P unaccounted for.  Leaving it until the last moment Dave P and his son Dominic (planning to ride with us for the first hour) arrived just before 08:00.  With everyone accounted for there was just time for a photo before Clive led out down City Road.

Photographs by Bryan Wade

The weather forecast predicted ideal cycling weather: a warm but cloudy morning followed by a sunny afternoon with temperatures in the low 20’s and best of all no wind.  Clive’s planned route bore no resemblance to a normal CER ride apparently including some 12 miles of urban riding through the centre of the Potteries from Barlaston in the south to Kidsgrove in the north.  It says something about CER members to accept Clive’s assurances that we were in for a great day out: but that’s for later.  To start, we headed out of Chester along the canal towpath to Waverton where, with only a few miles done, my SatMap handlebar mount sheared off releasing the GPS to bounce at an alarming rate back down the road.  Unlike Clive’s experience a few weeks earlier the SatMap did not survive its ordeal.  A fractured screen amongst other damage signalled the end.
Back on the road we were soon going through Tattenhall, passing Bolesworth Castle, where Dominic left us, and on towards No Mans Heath where we turned left with Clive ensuring that we had one decent hill, over Wirswall, before entering Whitchurch for our morning stop.  Clive had chosen Jones Coffee House and with its impeccable and speedy service (from baked beans to toasted tea cakes) it was easy to see why.  An excellent choice.
The next leg was to take us along beautiful lanes, most of us had never ridden before, to Market Drayton and on to the upmarket village of Eccleshall.  From here the route took us past Drake Hall prison over the M6 and into Stone to complete a wonderful two hours of cycling from Whitchurch.  In Stone we headed for Wetherspoons for lunch just as the sun started to break through.  With some 50 plus miles done I couldn’t resist a pint of the ‘Stone the Crows’ ale from the local Lymestone Brewery to go with the steak and kidney pudding, chips and mushy peas.  Service could have been friendlier but was certainly quick and the meals substantial: just what was needed for a long day in the saddle.

By 14:00 it was time to leave and we set off heading through the lanes to Barlaston where we joined NCN route 5 to follow the Trent and Mersey Canal towpath north.  What followed was 12 miles of truly enjoyable leisure cycling through the heart of the Potteries, ducking under the ridiculously low bridges and squeezing through the anti-motorcycle ‘gates’.  It all took time as we cruised at a sight seeing pace taking in the familiar names, Wedgwood, Etruria, Stoke City ground, and then on to Middleport and Longport where the remains of the old mills lining the canal (Oliver’s Mill, Middleport Mill and Port Vale Mill) suggest how different things were in the heydays of the early 1800’s when they were built.  Further on the Westport Lake Country Park was full of families enjoying the sun as we rode by on the last mile to the start of the Harecastle tunnels where we left the canal to continue along the lanes.

After such an interesting section of the route one might be forgiven for thinking that it would be ‘downhill’ from now on, but no Clive had a number of other surprises in store for us as we continued to Alsager before getting on to more familiar lanes to Barthomley, Wybunbury and Nantwich.  Our afternoon tea stop was now overdue but Ivan had arranged a special treat for us, so rather than a stop in the town centre we headed to his sisters house on the edge of town to be greeted with plates of sandwiches and cakes and a choice of beverages: absolutely wonderful, many thanks indeed.
“It’s all downhill from here” says Clive with a smile “Acton, Brindley, Spurstow and home” he says.  I remind him of a slight undulation he has forgotten to mention.  “It’s at least two chevrons,” I say.  “There are none on the map” he replies.  “That’s because it hardly qualifies as a track let alone a road.  In any event its virtually unrideable” I protest.  With that Ivan looks up with a gleam in his eye and you know he’s up for it.
We follow the route back but by now I’m slowing down on every hill, dropping back and catching up on the flat.  Time is going on and just outside Bunbury, and despite the offer of a free birthday pint, Dave Hill and Mike G decide to take the direct route back via Beeston.  In the circumstances I decide to join them rather than face a struggle over the Peckforton Hills.  The three of us make good time past the Ice Cream Farm, Gatesheath and Bruera.  By Saighton we are caught up in a time trial and our insignificant 16 mph speed counts for nothing as the constant ‘whooooo se’ of passing time trialists testifies.  Not far now though and 20:00 sees us safely back in Chester with just over 110 miles clocked.
The remaining three of Clive, Ivan and Dave P continue on the original route through Spurstow and Peckforton before taking the track over the Peckforton Hills.  Here Ivan attempts the track, the top part of which is surfaced with setts the size of loaves of bread, only to fall off muttering about not getting out of the cleats quickly enough!  At The Pheasant the three take a pint while watching the sun go down over the Cheshire Plain.  “A fitting finale to the days ride” says Clive.
What a great ride!  Who would have believed it was possible to cycle the full length of the Potteries on such a fabulous route.  There were also lots of surprises all the way along.  A ride to remember: well done Clive.

BW