21st March 2019: Calverhall (brisk)

Meeting up at the ICF, there was a reasonable turnout of riders and today I was showing my legs for the second time this year!!

I had a ride to The Old Jacke in Calverhall, so Nick, John W and myself set off via Beeston and Bunbury, then opted to ride along Long Lane crossing the A534 and on to Ravensmoor. This route is preferable than venturing down Cappers Lane as there are a couple of farms that enjoy making very dirty (muddy) roads.

From Ravensmoor we head towards Wrenbury and Aston passing the Bhurtpore Inn. At the crossroad we continue onwards and enjoy quiet lanes and a very brisk pace to our lunch stop at Calverhall covering 27 miles in 86 minutes! We would have arrived before opening time but I suggested we slow to 18mph and use it as a slow/cool down 3 miles out.

After lunch, we continue in the same tradition of BRISK and are again whizzing along some lovely lanes until we approach Prees where we have a halt as Nick has broken his Carbon water bottle holder. No problem as the bottle fitted in his shirt pocket, and the holder was correctly discarded in a local’s grey bin and off we go again.

Now where do we go!

Through Prees it is up the bank along Steel Road to Tilstock passing over the Shropshire Union Canal and just before the bridge was raised, then Malpas where you join all the new traffic and on to Carden where we say farewell to Nick but not before enjoying a pint in the Carden Arms. The duo continues en-route back to Tattenhall but gladly at a more sedate pace. The ride was 56 miles back to ICF.

We didn’t call in at the ICF but headed home to Chester with John pushing and maintaining an average mph of 18+ over 74 miles. I was really happy to get home today. A good spring sunshine ride day with little wind and no incidents.

See route map and/or gpx file download

ID

Photo ID

1st November 2018 : Calverhall (brisk)

Despite the early showers, there were plenty of riders at the Ice Cream Farm but only 3 briskers. I had proposed a ride to Market Drayton but readily agreed to Clive’s amendments so as to make the Olde Jack pub in Calverhall our lunch destination. With John W making up the party, we headed off in the direction of Beeston, Bunbury and Alpraham. Clive was setting a good pace and we were soon sprinting along the short stretch of the A51 before turning off at Barbridge. Then after looping around the lanes, we cross the A51 and begin our approach to Nantwich. The route takes us through the west side of the town and through the park near the River Weaver. It was all very pleasant as we meandered along the shared pathway but suddenly Clive parted company with his bike and was flat on his back. Thankfully, he was back to his feet very quickly saying that all was well with him and his bike. We think his wheel skidded on the metal grating that runs for several metres alongside the path as it passes close to the river and under a bridge. 

Relieved that no damage had  been done, we leave Nantwich via the A530 but soon turn on to Coole Lane to coast along pretty lanes towards Audlem and without further incident to Calverhall. We enjoyed a warm welcome at the Olde Jack and were soon served our selection of baguettes and sandwiches. Conversation included the various apps available for route mapping and also Brexit. Unsurprisingly we were unable to come up with a solution to the question of the Northern Ireland backstop! 

Returning to the simpler question of getting home, we jumped on our bikes heading in a northerly direction. Keeping up a good pace we passed through Aston, Wrenbury, Cholmondeley and Bickerton. It was a bit of a grind up Harthill and we paused at the top to admire the view which on such a clear day included Liverpool Anglican Cathedral in the distance. We then raced downhill and up again before sprinting on to Tattenhall. Foregoing afternoon coffee at the Ice Cream Farm, we made our way home. A good run out in decent weather for November. Long may it last! 

The route to and from the Ice Cream Farm is about 55 miles but the three of us completed about 80 miles each (averaging 16 mph) including the return trip from home.

See route map and/or gpx file download

JM

9th November 2017: Calverhall (brisk)

Fifteen CER members gathered at Cleopatra’s on an overcast, blustery day. Too many people for a single ride, in spite of the fact that Dave M and Macca would not be joining us for a ride today. So, after some discussion it was agreed that there would be a brisk (ish) ride for John M, Andy B, Nick, Clive and yours truly. But where to go? John M had a route to Maesbury and both Audlem and St Martins were mentioned, but by the time we were leaving, no decision had been made. The weather had turned for the worse whilst we were having coffee, with fine drizzle coming down – so much for the Met Office forecast! Finally, it was decided that we should go to Audlem and Clive led off along Wrexham Road. But Andy was nowhere to be seen! After some hesitation we decided that he must have gone with the moderates and we pressed on, taking Francis Lane down to the A534 via the muddy track and turning east on the main road. As we turned off on the B5130 towards Shocklach, Andy B appeared right behind us! He’d set off with the ‘mods’ thinking it was the brisk ride. Keith B put him right as they crested the hill out of Farndon, so Andy figured that the ‘briskers’ must have headed out this way and he’d legged it down to the junction to catch up with us. Sherlock Holmes would have been proud of him!

The route took us via Tilston, Bickerton and Cholmondeley, across the A49 and into Wrenbury and Aston. Due to the drizzle, the roads were greasy and in many places muddy, where the local farmers had been dragging the muck from their farmyards and fields into the road. Somewhere along here (I’m not sure where!) we came across a ‘Road Closed’ sign which, of course we ignored. As usual the ‘hazard’- a small but deep hole which was being examined by several workmen- was passable on a bike. In order to pass the hole, we had to ride between some narrowly-spaced traffic cones, which we all managed to do without either falling off or knocking one over. Cycling on passed the Bhurtpore Inn, we eventually reached Wilkesley, where a turn to the left would have taken us to Audlem. But Clive felt that, given the wind direction and the fact we hadn't done that many miles, we’d be better going in the other direction. The options were Market Drayton (7 miles) or The Olde Jack Inn at Calverhall (direct 4 miles or 7 miles). The latter got the vote, since it was after 12:00 and ‘lunch time’ according to Andy.

Oh dear!

We were soon seated in the comfortable surroundings of the pub with a drink and food to replenish our energy stocks. The conversation ranged from a discussion of the merits of lead-acid, lithium-ion and sodium-sulphur batteries, how the toll fee system on the new Runcorn/Widnes bridge works (or might not) and how distracting touch screens are in cars compared to the simple switches we used to have years ago.

By the time we left the pub, the drizzle had stopped and we headed northwest from Calverhall, but now into the wind. The route took us through Ightfield, Ash Parva and across the A49 at Prees Heath. The A49 here is a dual carriageway and Clive negotiated it by cycling a short distance against the traffic on both sides of the crash barrier. The rest of us took a more conservative approach, walking the bikes across. We continued on through Tilstock, crossing the Shropshire Union Canal at Brickwalls. Climbing Fenn’s Bank, we crossed the A495 and A525 to reach Whitewell. From there we threaded our way through the lanes to Drury Lane before turning down an unmade road/track to Dymock's Mill, which lies at the bottom of a steep, but narrow Wych valley. Here, a lady warned us that there was a lorry on the road at the other side of the valley which was trying to reverse up the steep  hill. It had come down, ignoring two signs that the road is unsuitable for HGVs (see Clive’s photos) and was unable to turn round at the bottom, so he was reversing up the narrow lane. 

If only the driver had noticed the notice!

If only there was some traction!

We waited for a while to see if the road would clear, but eventually we pressed on. The lorry was sliding about on the mud and going nowhere. We walked the bikes passed it, through the smell of burning rubber and clutch and up to the top of the hill at the other side (this is where the photos were taken). I suspect the lorry is still there, unless they got a very large tractor to pull him up the hill.

Getting back in the saddle, we headed for Cuddington Green, Shocklach (where Nick peeled off for home) and the usual thrash back to Farndon where John M headed home. We’d passed Liz and Dave P on the tandem at Shocklach and they told us that the ‘mods’ were going to Lewis’s in Farndon for tea and cakes, but when we arrived, they were nowhere to be seen. When I finally caught up with Keith and Dave H in the car park in Holt, it turned out that some of the mods had not heard this and they’d all gone back to Cleopatra’s.

In any event, we had an excellent ride of 51 miles at an average of 15 mph in fairly reasonable weather and very convivial company. Thanks go to Clive for leading with much appreciated local input from Nick.

ST

2nd February 2017: Calverhall (brisk)

There were a surprisingly high number of riders out at the Ice Cream Farm considering the weather forecast for the day. High winds and rain were forecasted coming straight from the south. We split into two sizeable groups and the Brisk group today were Ray, John M, Paul R, Ken, Andy B, Dave P and myself. I had researched some old rides to south of Whitchurch and the Olde Jack pub in Calverhall. The Moderates had a similar idea of going directly south to Whitchurch to enjoy the wind on their backs for the return.

We set off bound for the road that borders Bolesworth Castle but a wrong turn took us up and around Burwardsley Hill before turning back towards Tattenhall down the Harthill road. Up to the top at Brown Knowl, we had now topped most of the local hills on the way out. Just after Hampton Post, we stop briefly and I'm surprised to find Dave P with us today. Given that he had arrived at ICF just as we were leaving, I had just assumed he was Moderating today.

My riding strategy was to find lanes that were protected by high hedges or cut deep down, and to minimise direct southerly lanes as the wind was pretty strong all the way to lunch. We bimble through No Mans Heath taking the old A41 road. Crossing it at Birch Pits, we cut across it again going west to Bradley Green. We are now on the Malpas to Grindley Brook B road and Dave P decides to head directly for the pub. After only a few minutes, we turn westwards again and down to Higher Wych. Here, in the hollow, we tack eastwards via Agden to get back onto the Malpas road again.

After Grindley Brook, we're into Whitchurch seeking out the Alkington Road and back into the southerly wind. A tiny lane left takes us to Tilstock. Here, I decide that, as with most of the planned route, I'll ignore the gpx track and head south to Steel Heath. We tack eastwards here, then south a bit down the A49, then eastwards again through Prees Higher Heath, through Millenheath and thence the turreted Calverhall church tower comes into view at 30 miles up.

The Olde Jack is open, although quiet, and no Dave P. Just as we have finished ordering Dave arrives ready for refuelling. The food seems to take an age to come despite only one other table. The barman admits they are short-staffed, but when the food comes it was worth the wait. I decide to ignore most of the planned route back and factor in as many N-S lanes as possible. So leaving with the wind behind us, we turn right in Ightfield bound for Burley Dam. This lane is a pleasure to ride and as with many lanes on the way back, they are long and wind-assisted.

We are soon in Aston, rounding Wrenbury, through Ravensmoor and briefly turn west through Burland. Northwestwards now, we motor through Haughton and into Bunbury. Dave P espies the Moderates in Tilley's, so he drops off as the rest of us head the familiar way back towards Chester.

I haven't mentioned the rain - well there was hardly any really. There was even some sunshine before lunch, and although heavy clouds in the afternoon threatened us, we all got home dry but with very dirty bikes nonetheless. So a 56 miler from the ICF today, but nearly 80 miles from Chester.

Finally my thanks to a few of the lads, notably Ken, for shielding me from the worst of the wind today.

CA