10th September 2026 : Tattenhall (Mod+)

It seems like an age since I wrote a blog and indeed it was back in June. Weather, vacations and my son's two weddings kept me away -yes, two! -mad, but fabulous.

I was glad I made it in time for my local meet venue. So, my head count was approximately 12, which included a new member (Alvise- new to me at least) who subsequently joined my merry band for the day. The only fast boy there was Clive, who was in his civvies and not cycling. 

The rest of my group became Ray aka ‘Rapha Ray’, Alan & Steve H aka the ‘Chuckle Brothers’, Kevin aka the ‘Very Nice Man’(complete with a brand new Giant bike, only purchased the day before), Chris aka ‘Last minute.com’, and yours truly of course.

I had a short, small hills favourite ride in mind that was aimed at dodging the expected southerly winds and also get us back to Alison’s for lunch. This was due to the original forecast being for rain at 2pm, which didn’t subsequently materialise- Lol.  However, Steve had ridden in some 20 miles, so he was keen on a short one back to Alison’s, which clearly suited the rest of the group as well.

We set off left out of Alison’s and out through Carden Park for maximum wind protection- Lol.  A left turn at the Carden Arms saw us heading out towards Malpas, but after a half mile I lead the group left, up through one of my regular lanes (Scar Ln) up to Hampton Heath.

We had pushed against the wind and hills to this point and then turned left at Hampton Heath via Bickerton Lane, which although still up hill to the Wrexham Road,  did lead us into the very fast blast along the Wrexham Road for a half mile until the speed camera at the Bickerton Poacher. We then veered left in order to follow the lane along the Peckforton ridge line and past the castle of the same name heading for Bunbury.

I then surprised a few of the group by taking the little known lane of Wyche Road, which despite my warning shout,  “You’ll need your small ring at the bottom”, it still caught at least one out. I heard somebody curse and some rough sounding gear changes. As we popped out from the side of the church and turn left at The Dysart Arms, I heard somebody mention “ah, now I know where I am”- Lol. Just a mile further on at Tilstone Fearnall, immediately after the lock, again I shouted “small ring”, but it still caught CB1 out. We all staggered up the wicked little kicker and pulled over after CB2 screamed out “something” - Lol.

After CB1 reset his chain, we all got going again and sped down hill to the A51 crossing. This lead us down toward Oulton Park and my favourite stretch of lovely smooth lanes, especially so today with a cross tailwind. After a mile or two we head left up through Eaton and on into the back of Tarporley via Royal Lane, whilst passing Macdonald Portal golf course.

We negotiate the familiar chicane crossing in Tarporley (opposite the garage) and head slightly up hill for our next little dash down hill into Brassy Green. Then suddenly I got told to knock of the pace, because one or two were struggling. However, I’m not so sure that was the case. My reasoning for this was the person, who shall remain nameless and shouted at me to “knock of the pace”, almost immediately, passed me and then romped up the hill all the way to Beeston castle after passing the Shady pub of course. He had a cocky smile on his face when I got there, behind the others BTW. And did’t deny my, out of breath, accusation “you made me slow down just so you could have your moment” - Lol,Lol.

We turned right for another favourite down hill towards Tattenhall, which has often triggered a bit of a dash in the past. There was still a fair headwind, even though we were in the lea of Peckforton castle, so my pace was not so quick, which explains how Lastminute.com came past me. I mean! He is about half my age, maybe more in fact-Lol.

After jumping onto his back wheel and following through the S’s, as I call them, I sat up and declared “that’s enough for me” and watched Chris pull away. After half mile everybody was regrouping and we turned right up past the Ice Cream farm, which prompted a little conversation about the last time we found ourselves there and decided to go in for an ice cream by the lake ( it was 33 degrees that day, if I remember rightly and it went down very nicely indeed-Lol)

On this occasion we rode past and crossed straight over the next junction, where upon RR queried if we were stopping at Old Ma’s (Camden’s now). He obviously hadn’t got the memo- Lol. I remarked that “this way was preferable to riding through Tattenhall, direct into the wind and more interesting". Three miles later, after passing the large wooden squirrel carving outside the school, we were pulling up at Alison’s for lunch just before 1pm.

I said my goodbyes to the boys, as I felt I needed to get home and have lunch with Paula. This was because I had got back late the night before, after a few days away playing golf - I needed some smarty points- Lol.

Another great ride with CER, if a touch short at 33 miles - 37 for me by the time I got home- Lol and an AS of 15.3 mph for the group. There were a couple in the group that ended up with 70+ miles I believe, so well done guys.  Some good banter as usual, but no lunch conversations to report on today, being as I wasn’t there. I could feel my ears burning on the way home though- Lol.

A very enjoyable day indeed.

Till next time gang.

NT.

10th September 2026: Whitchurch

Today’s ride, I’ve decided to call it the ride of the pimple, as years ago, Dave Pipe said to me as we climbed yet another small hill that these are only pimples, not really hills. But I definitely thought they are hills.

So, we met at Tattenhall and, yes, I remembered it was here and not Tarporley ha ha. I rode over from Mickle Trafford, meeting Ray S on the way, so the usually boring 10 miles flew by – literally. Ray is definitely no slouch. At the café, another good turnout plus Clive in his ‘going out’ gear as he wasn’t joining us today. So we sorted ourselves out into two groups, which I really think is getting more difficult due to the fact age seems to be affecting certain members, or the early onset of dementia. So, if anyone reading this is thinking who or what cycling day is he on about, there’s your answer.

So my group consisted of tour guide, leader or whatever we called him through the day Steve T, Anthony, Mike G, who has now fully converted to being a Welsh citizen; he won’t go over 20 mph even on the fast descents.

We had the destination of Whitchurch and the Black or Brown Bear pub - I can never remember which it is (see early dementia), for lunch a destination. We have returned to it many a time over the years. We discussed over food how, as a club, we have changed habits from many members having a beer or 3 to now having mint Green tea or alcohol-free beer, which ten years ago would of been unheard of.

On the route out from Tattenhall we took in Tilston, Horton Green. In fact looking at the map I should have called today’s ride ‘the ride of the greens’ as we also passed through Tallarn Green and Horse Green, Hanmer past another old favourite lunch stop the Hanmer Arms. Anyway, we carried on and this is where the pimples statement comes from, as Anthony mentioned about how many small hills we had encountered and would carry on through the ride. I also thought the same. Well, my legs did have a word with my brain saying it seems like a lot of climbing today. We carried onto Whitchurch without any issues except, like Steve Hughes, Steve T was having the same trouble with his Wahoo acting like a petulant child, sending us down or up wrong roads.

So, after a decent lunch we started out for the return to Tattenhall via lanes taking us past Whitchurch golf course and numerous mere sounding names on to Hetherson Green and then towards Bickerton and oh, another pimple… Harthill heading back towards our return destination.

The route from cafe and back was a pleasant 37 miles at a half decent pace with, as mentioned, plenty of pimples. Also, as I have mentioned in the past concerning the mods, which I suppose we were technically, that we didn’t encounter anything to report. Not like the mods of old, when every ride we reported a real calamity of sorts. Is this due to there being more carers in the club these days, or is it the fact we all now have a check list before we leave our homes and when we leave the lunch venues?

Once again today’s ride was carried out with good company a good lunch and a good route so thanks to all. On a foot note I hope Neil had control of his posse of delinquent petulant members.

 KB

See route map and/or gpx file download

3rd September 2026: Brimstage

As I rode down the A56 to Meadow Lea café there was a strong westerly wind blowing, so I decided that a ride on the Wirral should give us a tail wind on the way home. You see, Neil, we do listen! Arriving at the café, it was packed with CER members. There must have been twenty or more there. Keith’s photo below gives you some idea. 

Meadow Lea

We were joined by Dave who’d come along at the suggestion of his daughter. He didn’t quite know what to expect, but I think he enjoyed the day.

My plan was to lead a mod group to the Corner Café in Brimstage, expecting to collect a following of 6 to 8. As it turned out, no one else had a mod ride to hand so when I finally set off along Station Road, there were another thirteen (yes, 13!) behind me! This felt like a recipe for disaster so, when we’d turned into Salters Lane, I stopped and asked if someone else would load a copy of the route onto their Garmin/Wahoo/Phone just in case. Anthony stepped forward (good man!) and after a bit of fiddling got the route onto his phone.

Loading the route on to Anthony's phone

Setting off at a moderate pace we joined Fox Covert Lane and went around the back of the zoo. Crossing the A41 at Backford we go on to Station Road past the village hall. Then take a sharp right on to Demage Lane and the cycleway across the fields parallel to the railway line. A number of gates have to be traversed before ending at Bridle Lane where we crossed Dunkirk Way.

At this point we seemed to have lost Jim, Trevor, George and Anthony, but I was content to press on, given that Anthony had the route. A quick dash around the back of Capenhurst and the Urenco facility took us on to the Welsh Road and Hooton village. Passing Bromborough Golf Club we were soon at Raby Mere and a group photo opportunity. Thanks, Elwyn.

Raby Mere

Pressing on through Poulton and Stanton, we came to the Storeton turn and Brimstage Lane. Here, Steve H come flying up to me shouting that I’ve take a wrong turn, but I never forget this lane as it’s where a few years ago the lane was flooded where it goes under the M53 and Dave Pipe couldn’t risk going through the water in case it flooded the battery on the e-tandem.

We were soon into Brimstage Hall Courtyard, where we find the café…..closed! There’s a sign in the window declaring ‘Edge & Son, Butchers, Coming Soon’! Fortunately, almost next door, there is the Bhudda Bar which offers a range of sandwiches, toasties, jacket potatoes and ‘Bhudda bowls’. So ten hungry cyclists piled in to place their orders followed about ten minutes later by the gang of four led by Anthony. As you might imagine, this totally overwhelmed the small kitchen (I think they only have one toastie machine), so the service was a little slow. But the staff were very friendly and helpful and, as it was so warm, most were able to sit outside.

The gang of four

Leaving the latecomers finishing their lunches, the main body of the peloton set off for Thornton Hough. Crossing the very busy Chester High Road we cruised through Neston, Ness gardens and then plunged down to Burton Marshes. Repairs to the boardwalk have not yet started, so great care  was taken as we traversed it. At the junction with the Greenway, Alan and Steve H set off for North Wales and home and the rest pressed on over the ‘blue bridge’. At Blacon, Fiona, Elwyn and Mike G left us, leaving Keith, Alvi, Dave and me to head on towards Meadow Lea. Alvi left a little further on, so it was Keith, Dave and I who ended up there.  Dave thought he’d come for the morning, but stayed to the end and he fancies joining the Special Ride from Chirk on the 17^th. I think we may have a new member!

Anthony reports that Jim, Trevor, George and he started back from Brimstage about 2pm and were back in Chester by 3.30. So, after a chaotic start, all went well in the end. A great ride with good company and plenty of banter. Thanks to all who took part.

ST

See route map and/or gpx file download

3rd September 2026 : Whatcroft (brisk)

A fine and slightly warmer day in prospect today and NO RAIN!. Meadow Lea cafe is always popular with walkers and cyclists alike so the CER riders were well ensconced inside as I arrived at 1000. A few more arrived a little later; so there were at least two rides in the offing.

There were two “new” riders today one of whom, Simon, threw his lot in with the Brisk group who were going to Whatcroft - where’s that?  was the universal question posed by all and sundry; well at least three people!

I had spent my usual diligent approach when curating this ride i.e. about 10 mins before I left home; so it would be all ok with no hidden issues arising. The peloton consisted of Chris,Toby, Nick, and Ray with new rider Simon and myself. Chris’s friend the bike balancer Ronnie also joined us albeit briefly.

We turned left instead of a planned right turn out of the gate so that Nick could get some fluids for the ride as he had forgotten to refit a bottle cage on his bike. There are two shops in the centre of Guilden Sutton housing estate near to the village hall. Nick gets his fluids as Ray remarks that he never knew there were shops here.

We set off towards Dunham and Mouldsworth and Manley via a slightly longer route than normal. We are soon climbing up to 500ft as we crest Birch Hill on the fast run down to Kingsley. We take the tiny lanes to Acton Bridge followed by a short stretch of the main road towards Weaverham. The village information board describes this as a  pretty, sleepy village until ICI arrived close by in 1921. A bit later on we sidle around the huge landfill site towering above the road bringing us to ICI’s successor plants of Tata Chemicals at Winnington.

The traffic lights at the Weaver Navigation bridge are well backed up today for some reason. Turning up the short sharp Soot Hill we motor on to Comberbach then onto Great Budworth, which is as pretty as ever. It’s a pleasant run now through Pickmere and Wincham to Plumley passing the well-scaffolded Smoker Pub, where Nick used go for works Christmas do’s.

I can hear rumbling stomachs now as we hit Lach Dennis at 32 mls out. Fortunately, the Oakwood Marina is just 5 mins away. We have been here a handful of times and never been disappointed with the service and quality of the food and today was no exception. Eggs Florentine, giant sausage rolls, beans on toast and a very good three egg omelette, were the selection today along with usual table banter.

The return is predictable via Hartford to Norley. At the Hatchmere crossroads, I’m ready to set loose the dogs for the usual fast run back through Delamere Forest. We recover at Dark Lane crossroads deciding which way back. As Nick has to go back to Tilston, we follow him to Aston Hayes. Simon wants to climb Mouldsworth hill so we say farewell as he rides solo back to Chester. 

Very close to Meadow Lea, we pass Keith and Steve by as they head home, as we now head down the Greenway. So a 54 miler with the tight peloton keeping close with shades of the old days, and where the ride leader was the only person with a detailed or recently cobbled together route. 

Many thanks to the Chester rider companions today who will have at least mid 60 miles ridden and Nick with quite a lot more today.

See route map and/or gpx file download

CA

27th August 2026: Tilston

 Today’s ride for me started a Mickle Trafford, so I started in the rain and finished in the heavy rain, I rode out the 11 miles to Holt. The road soon became a awash with debris from the surrounding fields and to cap it all there was a road closure just outside Farndon 😂. Anyway, once at the new meet this week I met Dave M who is starting to ride more often and further; then Ray S arrived, so we sat and laughed at ourselves for being so daft for riding in the rain when Ken arrived but didn’t stay, as he’d been out early; then Toby and Chris arrived. 

I had a plan to do a little loop from Holt, so Ray Chris Toby all said that seems a good as plan as any so we said farewell to Dave who was just doing his own bimble. 

We shot back over the Dee to Farndon, heading towards Shocklach and as I was the stupid fool in front, went down a little lane. Then Ray caught me up and said in all the years of cycling in this area he had never been down this lane - as you guessed it was totally the wrong way . It obviously was my nerves - nah it was because I’m an idiot . 

So we got back on track towards Shocklach then turned just after the run down pub where we were stopped by a local out walking who informed us that the road we needed was closed and not passable but gave us a alternative route via Churton Lane which turned out to be a brilliant move as the route we took went over to Coddington then over to Manor Wood caravan park heading towards Tilston then Stretton.  At the Carden Arms pub we had a team huddle and all decided to go back with me to MickleTrafford, then head their own way off on the Greenway. 

So off we set heading back towards Churton, as we knew the road was open there,  but getting there we went down a farm road that Ray and Chris had used a few weeks previous (which was a new one to me), then down the inter link to Churton getting back on the usual route to Waverton then Mickle Trafford.

The ride and company was fantastic in warm but very wet conditions. Thanks to Ray for his local knowledge and then Chris and Toby who also took turns out front .We ended doing 26 miles continuous from Holt at a reasonable pace. Obviously, all 4 of us had completed many more miles but I did around 44 miles. As I left the 'Chester 3', I decided I’d just nip around the Barrowmore Estate to clock up some extra and also because I thought I’m drenched and it’s a shame to go home early. 

So to all those who decided to stay indoors wearing your fluffy slippers and housecoats because you where sensible and looked at the weather , I’m sat at home thinking yep that was daft but fun .

KB

20th August 2026: Aston

Given that we’re in the middle of the holiday season, it wasn’t a great surprise that only seven members showed up at Rose Farm on a day that promised to be, at some stage, wet. Do you remember riding in the rain? The last time I remember was when Steve Hughes and I aquaplaned around Delamere and district some ten weeks ago.

Dave M was in civvies, but he’s continuing to extend his rides from home. For the rest, we had Dave H, Keith, Chris, Toby and guest Al. The plan was to ride to The Bhurty at Aston using an anti-clockwise route which would avoid the slog up from Tarporley at the end of the day.

As we set off, it had started to rain a little, so we donned our rain jackets. We were soon threading our way through the mayhem that is Tarporley High Street before heading towards Brassey Green and The Shady pub. By the time we got to Beeston Castle, it had stopped raining and at Bunbury the sun had come out, so we stopped to take off our rain stuff. Brindley and Chorley soon came and went, our progress being helped by the stiff northerly tail wind and we arrived at The Bhurty in Aston soon after 12pm. As we went inside, there were dark clouds gathering from the north.

 The pub was quiet and we were soon seated with food and drinks ordered. When it came the quality was excellent as we’ve come to expect from here, but it’s striking how expensive eating out has become. We used to order a curry and beer here and pay just over £10. These days it will cost you at least twice as much. It rained heavily as we ate, but it had passed and the sun was shining again as we set off back.

As Chris, Toby and Al all wanted to go to Chester, they decided to find their way directly from Aston, as my route would take them away from Chester on a more easterly direction. So we said goodbye to them in Wrenbury as Dave H, Keith and I headed off towards Ravensmoor and Nantwich. As we would now be riding mostly into the northerly wind, Dave told Keith and I to go on ahead and he would follow at his own pace.

We tracked through Nantwich, Cholmondelston and Wettenhall with the skies becoming more overcast as we did so. Just as we got to Oulton Park it started to rain, so we stopped to don our rain gear once more. For 10 – 15 minutes there was a real downpour which had us sheltering under a tree for a few minutes until it eased off a bit. By the time we got to Cotebrook, the rain had stopped. Keith had cycled in from home, so he headed off and I took Utkinton Lane to return to Rose Farm. Dave arrived a few minutes after me.

38 miles covered on a day with mixed weather, but an enjoyable ride with our ‘brisk’ friends who we don’t often get to spend time with.

ST

See route map and/or gpx file download

13th August 2026: Talacre

 Well the brisk / mod+ riders certainly “eclipsed” the mod riders today, as just like the sun hiding behind the moon, the mod lads were all hiding from the heat and the hills of Wales.

With probably the lowest turnout at the Gallery Cafe, the true athletes of Kevin, Chris, Toby, Alan and Steve H set out on Alan’s cunning route to stay low and stay cool. With temperatures a good four degrees cooler at the coast Alan devised a route to shadow the Dee path then pick up the Coastal Path to Bagillt and then using a bit of major roads to Greenfield Valley.

The tree lined climb up to Holywell was a real pleasure as we ascended one of the steepest railway climbs in the country according to Alan. As we left Holywell we paused for a hydration top up, with Alan playing the role of Aquarius. Whitford soon zoomed past and we began the day’s single earnest climb to Llanasa. Once there it was a quick plunge down to Talacre and the bakery.

Here we were regaled with stories of protesting animal rights, the differential speed of a 40mph greyhound and a person out for a beach stroll!  Both Steve and Chris manned up and bought an “Oggie”. Imagine the largest Cornish pastie you have ever seen, then double it and you get the idea.

The breeze was pleasant at the coast but the heat was relentless; however Kevin stepped into the role of Aquarius and we were all replete with cold water except Chris who like a camel stores all his water on his back.

The climbing done we followed Alan’s route past the former Point of Ayr gas sweetening site which is now being prepared for the Hynet Carbon Capture project. Gravel, slippy wet bridges and lovely sea views accompanied our route back to the Fun Ship by Abakan. Here Alan showed his local knowledge and took us on another gravel spectacular eventually joining the A road just up from Greenfield.

A quick diversion to Flint Castell split the group with Alan returning to his car, which he uses like a ski lift to “get me up the hill”. Toby and Kevin struck out for the Dee Path and Millennium Way and Chris battered me up Paper Mill Lane resulting in me achieving numerous fastest ever sections.

A big thanks must go to Alan for leading a really interesting and varied route. Everyone’s mileage and climbing will vary, but I covered 47 miles and just over 2000 ft of climbing. Sorry no gpx as everyone started or ended anywhere except the Cafe!

Steve Hu 

6th August 2026: Market Drayton Special Ride (mod)

 The plan was to meet at Sainsbury’s café in Whitchurch and to set out from there at 10.30. But that’s not what happened. It turns out that Sainsbury’s has closed the cafes in all its supermarkets and if I’d consulted with Mrs T we would have found out well beforehand. Fortunately, our great leader and Keith had decided to do a recce on Monday (when the temperature had got up to 29°C) and discovered the fact that the café was no longer there. For DH, finding an alternative was no problem – he just turned on his ‘Costa detector’ and found one suitable in the High Street. Consequently, sixteen CER members collected at Costa Coffee and soon-ish after 10.30 spilled out onto the pavement, split into two groups (Mod and Brisk) and headed out for Market Drayton.

The Mod group comprised of Dave H, Keith, Fiona, Elwyn, Mike G, Andy B, Ray and yours truly. Threading our way out of town, we were soon in Alkington, heading to Tilstock, Hollinwood and Prees Green where we ran a short distance along the A49 crossing it again at Weston-under-Redcastle.. The roads were very quiet and, for the most part, smooth with few potholes – just what we’ve come to expect and like about the lanes of Shropshire. Apart from a climb near Marchamley Hill, much of the journey seemed to be downhill and the NW wind behind us helped to make very good progress, arriving in Hodnet about 12.15.

It had been suggested that we might need a break here and/or something to eat, but no-one seemed to need either and we stopped only to call the Joules pub in Market Drayton (the Red Lion) to make sure they could handle a group of eight. Crossing the A41 at Wistanswick, we started a second climb into Cheswardine. Fiona started asking ‘how far is it to lunch?’ as we ran down the hill towards Market Drayton. Dave and Keith’s recce had taken them to the Joules pub, so finding it was no problem and we arrived there about 1.15pm.

The staff there welcomed us in and quickly (well, quite quickly) took our orders for food and drinks. That came pretty quickly and the sandwiches, fish and chip and various other dishes were found to be first class. The Red Lion is definitely worthy of another visit.

The return 13-mile journey to Whitchurch would be in a north-westerly direction and therefore into the wind. However, apart from some short stretches, this didn’t really affect us too much as the wind seemed to have died down. It was noticeably cooler as we made our way back, although it did brighten up a bit near Whitchurch. As we passed through Calverhall and Ightfield we did find some rough roads and we actually diverted from the prescribed route, taking Ash Road at Ash Magna rather than Ash Lane at Ash Parva since Dave and Keith had found the latter to be very sandy and gravelly and potentially quite dangerous.

We threaded our way back into Whitchurch and Costa Coffee where a restoring drink was taken. It had been an excellent excursion around rural Shropshire along lanes that many had never seen before.  Our thanks go to Clive for producing a superb route which all the group found really enjoyable.

ST

See route map and/or gpx filedownload

6th August 2026: Market Drayton Special ride (brisk)

The second Special Ride of the year features a sidle around the Shropshire countryside with more than dozen Easy Riders riding to Market Drayton from Whitchurch either via a moderate 42 miler or a 52 brisk miler. We met up in Costa’s cafe as Sainsbury’s had shut the cafe we usually used. The weather was slightly chilly and improved a little during the day but the wind increased and the temperature dropped in the late afternoon BUT no rain!

The Brisk group consisted of Ivan, Nick, Shane, and Toby all of whom had ridden from home to Whitchurch! Kevin, Steve H and I had driven to Whitchurch. So the Magnificent Seven saddled up.

As per usual “ herding cats” syndrome was evident on the off but the brisk group shot up Alkington Road to distance ourselves from the melee. On the run to Tilstock, Steve H was stung by a wasp but a Piriton was quickly washed down to help dampen the sting effect. The road from Tilstock south via Hollinwood and Quina Brook was new to most of us and lightly trafficked.We hit the A49 at Prees Heath to cross it again a few miles south. Once again with light traffic and a good surface (for a welcome change).

The first bit of real climbing finds us in Weston-under-Redcastle with the aptly named Elysian Hill. The road bisects the 440 acres of the Hawkstone Estate with its big hotel and golf course etc. This is a beautiful area new to most of us I would suspect. The ridge runs along to Marchamley Hill which all have “endured” many times in the past.

At this point the Brisk and Mod routings have been identical, but now the Mod ride continues along the hillside into Hodnet and beyond, as the Brisk ride turns south towards Stanton upon Hine Heath. Not every rider agreed with the right turn that I had now dived down. We have been down this road many many times in the past but perhaps it was only Nick who could recall it. Eventually, I was able to persuade the group sans one, that as I had curated the ride, I might actually be correct in the direction we were now taking! So as Ivan had ridden ahead towards Hodnet, he missed the correct routing down the hillside passing the West Midlands Shooting ground and the famous Hawkstone Motocross circuit.

Hawkstone Park Motocross circuit has an illustrious history since starting up in1938. Famously, Roy Orbison was allowed to ride a lap on a motorcycle around it back in 1965 at the 500cc British Grand Prix meet. Unfortunately he crashed and broke his ankle. So he appeared on stage at the Palladium later that week with his ankle in plaster and a crutch - what a trooper!

The route turns eastwards then north east through Ellerdine Heath (where we have twice had special Ride lunch venue at the Oakgate garden centre cafe in 2021 and 2013). There now is long list of hamlets to ride through culminating in crossing the A41 at Hinstock after 31 miles  for a stop at the village store for drinks. The lane out was cut deep into the sandstone as we head for Cheswardine where Steve takes the photo. It’s an interesting ride now down the 3 mile long “Elephant Grass” valley. The grass was 6 ft high despite the lack of rain. 

Cheswardine Church 

We get to The Hippodrome after 39 miles and a short detour around the town. I’ve been here before a few times and like the speedy service and the range of decent beers at “affordable” prices. It’s a Wetherspoons' establishment but hey its two thirds full and good value at this re-purposed cinema. Ivan messaged me to say that he’s been and gone on his way back to Chester via Nantwich - so a 105 miler for him!

We move off promptly for the 13 miles back to base. It’s a 5 mile slight uphill slog to the Olde Jack pub in Calverhall where we overhaul the Mods who had been at the Red Lion pub in MD for lunch but had ridden a 10 miles shorter route than us. The route is amended on the fly at Ash Magna as Dave H warned me at coffee that the planned drop off at Ash Parva is largely gravel. So we wander through Brown Moss with a sadly depleted lake to enter Whitchurch and back to our cars or for some riders to ride further on and back to their homes.

I drive out to Grindley Brook and manage to get into the always very busy petrol station there with petrol at £1.45 a litre  (20p cheaper than most) so I fill the car to the brim. I then get a shout from a certain Steve H who has had the same idea!

So a satisfying excursion around rural Shropshire on a ride around new and familiar with riders old and new. Thanks to my group who did a sterling job of keeping the pace up  at 15mph average (as I was on my e-bike!).

See route map and/or gpx file download

CA

30th July 2026: Llanbenwch

 Chirk (Y Waun) – Llanbenwch (which is so small it does not get a mention on the 1:50000 scale OS map).

I arrived at the café in Chirk to find 5x mod plus riders and no mods. Following some lively banter they went to sleep and I decided to ride solo.

Since the mods no longer use the opportunities Chirk has to offer to the west I decided to seize this one and headed for the castle. At the castle gates normal rides turn to the right and head down toward the A5. Not today! Straight up the hill followed by a left turn takes you to Tyn y groes, which does have a nice view across to the castle. Climbing steadily beyond this takes you up to the ridge road (386m) with excellent views on both sides, Dee valley to the North, Ceriog valley to the south

How do you get down off this ridge? The sign said Llangollen, 13%. I don’t believe that I thought, but I will try it.

The first section was very steep, very scary and was descended with the brakes clamped on. Then I went around a bend. I was faced with a very long, straight, very narrow, very vertical section. Examining Strava afterwards said -25.9%. I started down and soon thought better of it. I managed to stop and get off. I touched the front rim and burnt my finger. My trust in my bike’s ability to handle this descent failed and I walked until the hill eased a little. Call me a wimp, but I am still alive.

Through Llangollen and then over the Horseshoe pass allowed me to enjoy a proper descent. This was followed by that annoying little climb up to the roundabout. Straight over that and then down the Nant y Garth on the A525. This is really nice now it has been resurfaced.

1 mile past Llysfasi college and 1 ½ miles before Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd there is a café on a campsite (Llanbenwch). 20 miles done, this was my lunch stop.

After lunch I took the minor road across the vale to Pentrecelyn, then up to Graigfechan. Take the right turn and back up to the top of Nant y Garth on the minor road. Left at the top brings me down to Llanarmon-yn-Ial, then onto the B5430 and the A494 to Llanferres. Left at Cadole to Gwernaffield then right to drop into Mold.

When you throw in the 23 miles to the start that makes a total of 58.9 miles with 4465 feet of climbing.

An enjoyable ride was had by all.

Andy B

30th July 2026 : Sleap Airfield (brisk)

It was a small turnout at Chirk this morning: Anthony, Welsh Andy, Clive, Nick, Shane and myself. Anthony was just out for a coffee and, following Andy’s previous week of cycling in the Welsh Cycling Festival, he was going back to his much loved lanes and roads. Clive had a route to Wem and I had an option to go to Sleap. As it was such a nice day we thought lunch watching the aviators was a good option. In the end the ride was co-led by both Clive and myself. 

Nearly all roads out of Chirk plunge out of the centre only for us to become acquainted with our bursting lungs on the steep little climb from the river upto Brongarth. We now set off for Gobowen on the super little lanes that Chirk delivers in spades in the summer. These same lanes (with sand and soil up the middle) become quite treacherous in winter hence the move to Walk Mill over the wetter colder months. 

Riding past the large Orthopaedic hospital in Gobowen, it was encouraging to see a huge new building being erected. This hospital has served at least two of our members well in the past. We must have had a tail wind as the miles zipped under our wheels and we were soon through West Felton and entering Myddle. As we approached Myddle Nick sped to the front and announced he wanted to draw our attention to a feature.  At the side of the road there are some sandstone rocks will peculiar markings - see photo!

These channels and what appear to be a series of depressions are part of the glacial water melt , running under the glacier and causing channels and small water falls thus the round depressions. Nick’s knowledge about this glacial deposition was both interesting and informative. 

Dimples and channels made by glaciation

Sleap airfield is only a stone's throw from Myddle and the sandwiches and drinks service was first class. There were a number of small aircraft taking off and landing and the cafe very quickly filled up.Understandably discussions over lunch were biased towards air travel, culminating in Clive’s story of his commercial flight nearly crash landing at Moscow Airport when on a business trip there. 

A fine day at the aircraft parking area

The return route on my computer would have taken us on the main road into Ellesmere , so remembering our last visit to Sleap, I asked Clive to navigate us back. Apart from a mishap in Tilley where the Network Rail guys had sellotaped / zip tied the gate to the crossing closed ( they sat in their vans and didn’t even have the decency to advise us the crossing was closed). Undaunted, Clive's homing pigeon senses routed us across another way and we were soon zipping upto Loppington. 

My route , as previously mentioned had us on the main road to Ellesmere , but Clive had a cunning plan to go via Cockshutt , Hordley and up into Lower Frankton. The draw of the Ice Cream shop in Whittington Castle grounds was strong and we all availed ourselves of cold ices. Clive's suggestion of a downhill route to Gobowen and then a further plunge into Chirk was warmly received leading us arriving back in Chirk having covered 54 miles in glorious weather. 

Thank you to Clive for co-leading and Shane and Nick for their company. 

See route map and/or gpx file download

Steve H

23rd July 2026: Nantwich

  Everyone knows that there are no flies on Steve Hughes. Possibly to maintain this reputation he was sat on his tod outside Meadow Lea café; inside, our club riders were arriving, and indeed, as Steve had asserted, there were some flies circulating. Perhaps, sweaty helmet liners had been left out of the wash and were attracting the buzzing Diptera? Some of us may have been grateful to tolerate a few flies rather than be subject to the lively Welshman outside banging on.

 There was a substantial turnout on what promised to be a fine day, but not as extremely hot as recently. Steve Tan had driven from home but couldn’t yet cycle due to a knee injury sustained on the ride from Ness a fortnight ago. The moderate group consisted of Keith, Trevor, George, Anthony, Mike Gilbert, NHS Andy, Jim and me. Dave Matthews was still recovering but had made the effort to join us for coffee. I had a route, but my hurried back of an envelope mileage calculations the night before were to prove to be too conservative in reality. We headed for Kelsall via the A56 and Morley Bridge. Little lanes carried us to Ashton Hayes and out past the back of the field used for the annual steam rally. I remember us riding this lane on ice a few months ago, thinking that we shouldn’t have been, and concentrating intently to keep my handlebars straight. Jim was able to give me advice navigating Kelsall as he had lived there for a number of years previous to his current home. We headed for Clotton speedily swooping down to the A51 having navigated the very rough stretch of road by Willington Hall. Jim was managing recently diagnosed asthma, so eventually took his leave as he had planned. We were glad that he had made the effort and hope he enjoyed his outing. Consulting the group showed a strong preference for heading to Alpraham via Beeston Castle and Bunbury rather than riding south for a mile on the A49 from Tiverton and then turning left. My convoluted route to reach national cycle route 551 crossed two O.S. maps and involved more turns than Strictly. It was reassuring to be in the company of renowned navigators in Trevor (NVQ in obscure caravan site seeking), Mike (UK orienteering gold medallist 1918) and Anthony (expert adviser on vehicle detection and communications). Actually, Anthony’s mix of tech savvy and map adaptation ensure that he is a valuable addition to the team! Keith continued to entertain us; I’m thinking of buying him a court jester’s hat. We reached Cholmondeston at pace and then flew down to Venetian Marina driven by the wind and hunger. The choice was between two unknowns: the attractive Barbridge Inn a mile away or Taylor’s tea room at Venetian Marina. We checked in at Taylor’s first to see if they could cope with serving seven riders at once, or did they just have a lone cook tossing sausages in the back. The staff were very positive, so we sat in the shade by the canal and were served promptly; we were very happy with the food and the friendly staff. Thanks to Dave Matthews for his positive review of this café under new ownership a couple of months ago.

Following lunch, we avoided riding to the edge of Nantwich and coming out again by using the little lane at Poole which leads to the A51; shortly after we turned for Acton. We rode just over a mile on the A51 to reach Burland, because it was smooth, fast and fairly quiet in our direction. From Burland it was the familiar route north through Haughton to Bunbury. It was interesting to chat to enterprising Andy who continues to cycle tour in Europe with his wife, although recently they used hotels rather than tents in Germany. Andy seemed traumatised by the extra cost incurred; he mentioned it more than once. We stopped at the open- air café outside Beeston Castle, apart from Mike who had to get back to Rhos on Sea. Surprisingly, George had never visited this this refreshment stop before. We enjoyed a good laugh, drinks, ice-cream and cake. It was like the good old days of a relaxed last-leg rest and not caring too much about the time we “needed” to get back home; Dave Pipe would have enjoyed it. On leaving, Trevor and Andy went too far in front, so we couldn’t tell them that that my intended route home was not via “The Shady”. Keith generously went downhill after them, but they were too far down, so we joined them. It was no big deal at all with regard to which way we returned to Guilden Sutton at this stage. It was, however, the second week on the run that this had happened, and last week it was a pain in the hot sun, with Mike trying to chase the unintended “leaders” down, phone contact not working and them having to ride on the very busy A41 in order to return to Tattenhall   Just saying! Anyway, we had a really good day out in smashing company, and we finished roughly together. We did have to give George a loud shout, as the disruption of crossing the main road at Vicars Cross, left him on Andy’s wheel and heading home up Hare Lane with him. Thanks for the support guys. Over fifty miles covered.

DH

     

16th July 2026: Malpas

 Today’s ride started from Alisons in Tattenhall, a start point that over the years has become a nightmare for me due to the fact I’ve gone more than once to Tarporley  - it has a letter T in it hasn’t it ? 

So today the motley crew for our bimble to Malpas via a very convoluted route consisted of myself, D Heath, ride coordinator plus many other things throughout the day , Mike G , electric Ray and George .

 We set out heading towards everyone’s favourite hill (Harthill), but because it’s also many people’s nemesis, we just skirted it today heading along Bolesworth Lane then onto Bolesworth Hill road which runs through to Brixton Wood heading towards Brown Knowl. Skirting around Duckington heading towards No man’s Heath and on towards our destination at the Little Deli in Malpas ,we were incurring absolutely no issues which, for the mods, is probably up there with the seven wonders of the world. But then we had a small one where George was having difficulty releasing his right foot from his pedal. I watched a master class of not falling and removing a foot from his shoe which was a moment of pure wow, how did he achieve that, but all told it wasn’t very elegant, just pure instinct.  This is when Mike produced a war time relic he stores as cycle maintenace stuff in an ever-expanding cycle bag.  Mike now seems to have taken over from Dave Pipe in having all manner of useful bits of very old tools. Anyway, the job was left to me to remove the shoe and repair the cleat as I had the very same problem a few weeks back. Job done and on we went. There was plenty of mentioning of how the roads we were using actually had tarmac and relatively smooth which kept our little mob happy. We just carried on to Malpas meandering and chatting in the fantastic cycling weather we have had of late. 

The Little Deli in Malpas has now become the mods cafe of choice in this town as they always look after us which they did again today. This is also another unusual occurrence - we just chatted the usual topics of the day and left without any issues. Now I am getting worried, expecting to be hit with Halley’s comet or a lightning bolt as ‘no issues’ is becoming a new theme.  I’m putting it down to being age-related, as in the past, the mods seem to have had their fair share of all sort of mishaps, but now are just used to carrying out the normal daily routines without them.  It has only taken 70 odd years! I do wonder sometimes though, have I seen my future and who is going to take over as group carer? I even mentioned that I think I will open my own care home exclusively for CER members. So if any of the club is interested, just email the secretary to circulate a list .

The journey back was through Tallarn Green and Shocklach, heading to Tilson, Barton then returning to Alison’s, we covered around 33/40 miles, the discrepancy being due to myself going ahead and missing a turn. I know our  the rule is that we should wait at junctions but anyway, Mike chased me and the other culprit (Ray) down. Yes, it is like herding cats as Mike puts it. Well after reflection time at home over a nice brew I can say that it was yet another fantastic day. Thanks to Dave for cobbling a good route. the weather, company so it’s a yes from me.

KB