12th February 2026: Tattenhall

A smaller turn out than usual for Maggie’s. No doubt most got frightened off by the weather forecasts, which I have to admit to succumbing to on occasion- Lol. However, a careful look at the Satellite pictures and more the pace of the clouds made me think we might just get away with it, as long as we finished by 1:30pm at the latest - fingers crossed- trust me I’m a Dr. -Lol.

 

Notable absentees were Shane aka ‘the thief’, with a dodgy back, which must be contagious as Alan aka CB1 had a similar problem I believe or perhaps he just chose to go and sweep the Greenway with his other Sustrans  mates- Lol. And it was the first time I hadn’t seen Toby since he joined the club. So, my customary head count revealed roughly 10/11- ish, and amongst those was the notable ST, back from his hols, as I missed last week, due to my short visit to Amsterdam.

 

My route for the day had everything to do with the expected weather front, to which DH hit the nail on the head (in passing at the toilet queue) His prediction, of an ever decreasing circular route, prompted a chuckle from me -  “How did you know?”  Clearly, he was harbouring desires to be lead on such a creative meander- Lol.

 

I was keen to get a sharp start, in order to beat that front, so I let everybody know I would only be giving ‘last min.com’ 5 seconds leeway, as opposed to the usual 5 mins for him to arrive. And he must have heard me as he arrived just as we were walking out to our bikes-Lol.

 

My group for the day was different in many ways, due to most of the usual motley crew being absent. Only ‘the chatter box’ was present, but not for long, as we discovered later. 

The rest became ‘Rapha Ray’, Nick, then electric Clive & ‘last min.com’ - A decidedly quick bunch, which left me feeling a tad ominous.

 

We set off left straight into a closed road and the workers instantly forced us to the pavement, but not an issue, which left me thinking about the next closure.  ‘The chatter box’ had already warned me about heavy road works on the road up to Ecclestone, however, it didn’t take much thought to come up with an alternative, on the fly. We settled into a comfortable rhythm from the off, as there was a light tail cross wind, but the chatterbox was already on my case, as he went past setting a faster pace ( I mean! Come on) And then he tried to send us all the wrong way up Rossett Rd. “Why would I go that way” was my shout”, as I sailed straight on toward Borras “I have a plan and it doesn’t include 3 miles of cross headwind-da!-Lol. Onward, granted on a bumpy rough stretch, but with a cross tailwind leading us into our only hill of the day.

 

We turn right at the top of Borras and head up and down through Horsely Ln, down Marford  Hill and into Rossett. It wasn’t long before we pass F&E’s pad and through the Welsh boarder only 200mtrs beyond-Lol. Just as we passed the Grosvenor Hotel (lovely place BTW), Nick pulled up alongside and informed me that ‘the chatter box’ had left us, after only 5 miles and headed for home. He was supposed to stay with the group until Chester. Apparently he was feeling the pace, which he triggered (I’m a wind whisperer, not a mind reader- Lol)

 

Anyway, this seemed to be a trigger point for Nick to set a nice tempo pace, or at least it was to me, just a cruise for him and the others no doubt. I Instantly got on his back wheel and stayed there, like a limpet on a slippery rock -Lol. He clearly sensed I needed the help into the now slight cross headwind. Two miles later we turned right to Ecclestone and straight away we were faced with council workers again, but we managed to get by without dismounting, although the others possibly did, as I had to wait and then Clive came to the front, because he wanted us to stop and visit a tree-Lol.

 

The incline up through Handbridge caused me to lose the rest, prompting ‘last min.com’ to then drop back and give me his wheel to follow-bless him. Soon back on the group and down across the rapidly flowing river Dee, we turned right along the river front. I was heading for Hoole Ln, which would lead us to the A41 and Christleton beyond. At some point Chris came alongside me and lead us across said A41, immediately turning right. into a new bit of lane, for me at least. Turned out Chris rides Hare Ln almost every day- Lol. Anyway, it wasn’t long before we turned left after the pond in Christleton and briefly headed west toward Waverton. 

 

It was around there that Nick and I decided to try ‘in-flight refuelling’, with some skilful ‘pick pocketing’. Nick managing to reach into my jacket pocket for an energy gel, which I consumed on the move - Lol. I was thankful for that, as it did allow me to hang on  to their coat tails from Waverton and along the canal road into Tattenhall, as they were motoring with a slight cross tailwind and with everybody having a go at the front, except me of course-Lol. 4 miles later, I threw out the cafe option of ‘Old Ma’s’, as it was known before the new owners.

That’s a no then, as we pulled into Alison’s- Lol.

Conversation, leading up to lunch was unusually intelligent, in the words of Clive, which forced me to comment that I had clearly been cycling with the wrong people for the past couple of years - noting that only one of the usual Mod+ riders was present- That said, I still can’t remember what the scintillating topic of conversation was, Lol,Lol......Got it! It was about Chat GPT and how it and other AI apps are replacing everyday thinking for a lot of people and of course how jobs are being lost left right and centre, as Clive’s daughter has just discovered. 

 

I told the group about a pod cast I had recently listened to concerning an A330 aircraft crash. Cut a long story short; the 3 pilots effectively made the simplest mistake of stalling the aircraft into the deck, from 37,000 ft, can you believe and all because of the Auto Pilot. They appeared to fundamentally ignore their flying instincts, whilst also ignoring the computer telling them they were stalling, all the way down (all black box evidence of course, which is bright orange in reality, to those who may not know). My point with that story was that those pilots, in the same way as other chair bound, semi-automated workers, is that they are forgetting to think for themselves and when the time comes to think, because the AI has crashed, excuse the pun, there faced with a thinking crisis. 

There are several pod casts on the phenomena. and it starts in our schools and Uni’s, as they reckon as many as 50% use AI to write their papers etc.

 

Anyway, I digress slightly, although that was the crux of our short lunch conversation. Short because I wasn’t eating, preferring to stand, as my legs were tired and home was only a mile away. So I left, after a cup of tea, just as they got their food. 

 

I got home by 12;55, with just 32 miles on the clock, after a quick 24 at an AS, I reckon, of roughly 16+mph, as My Garmin had me at 15.5mph, due to my 8 lone miles cruising to Maggie's of course.

 

Another great morning with CER and somewhat different, but every bit as enjoyable as always, despite missing a few regulars (won‘’I call them friends-Lol) I later discovered Steve made it home with out incident, as I was concerned of course, like a childless mother -Lol.

 

Till next time ladies-Lol.

 

PS, we missed the rain, which arrived at my place by 2pm and what a miserable afternoon it was.

 

Cheers Neil.

See route map and/or gpx file download

12th February 2026: Overton (mod)

 Awaiting ride report

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5th February 2026 : Bunbury (mod)

Today’s meet was at Rose farm and the weather as forecasted was wet, windy and cold, and just like most of the last three weeks, the weather gods were against us, but we were forewarned so it was really our fault for venturing out!

 

The turnout was as follows: Clive in civvies, Ray S who was blown in on his bike from Chester, and Dave M showcasing his electric motor powered bike but all three were only out for the coffee. Toby arrived on his bike and then Trevor arrived but had other things to do so was just doing his own bike lap. This just left the three of us i.e. myself, Toby and the crazy modern day Industrial Revolutionary, Dave H. In wet weather readiness Dave had been manufacturing the previous day/ night, a new paper Garmin map holder manufactured out of cardboard covered with a plastic tarpaulin cover for water resistance, and now available on Amazon for a respectable sixpence with free delivery. 

So we set off into the weather with a plan to cycle heading to Nantwich then Bunbury via Eaton,  Reese Heath then onto Spurstow arriving back at Tilly’s for lunch. The route took us down lots of mud-strewn lanes and mainly with the cold wind in our cherubic faces. At the cafe, we found seats easily due to the weather keeping most people at home watching "Loose Women". We ordered the usual cafe fare discussing lots of subjects from "why so many Vikings died not with battle honours, but with tooth decay causing sepsis" to "dog training techniques". Eat your hearts out fast lads and mod pluses, I think we have trumped you all with today’s topics or was it due to the fact we had a mod plus member who was amazed at the intelligence of us mods bringing our knowledge to the table. 

The route out was twenty miles out so the route back was going to be much shorter due to the conditions with the wind slightly more in our favour. So we returned back via Tilston bank heading towards Oulton Park,  Cotebrook then around  the lanes towards Rose farm. This was only a ten mile jaunt but with the weather forecast and riding conditions not the best, it was still a nice little bimble around considering we didn’t think we would be getting any miles in at all. 

So a thanks to my two cycling buddies who brought so many new lunch time topics and for taking turns at the front "taking the wind" I think the term is. So the moral of today's ride is don’t be fooled by the establishment telling you the weather is going to be too awful to cycle.

KB

29th January 2026 : Saughall

I arrived with ‘the thief’, who decided to join me on the way up to Walk Mill, where we arrived a bit behind the rest. I counted 18 in total, all getting warm before the off. It was a very cold day and the winds were already building, expected to reach 25 kph by lunch.I had the best wind whispering route I could come up with, in order to cheat the south easterly wind, which I later realised was more ESE at best.

Our lunch destination was Lynda’s quaint little cafe, directly west and because of the cold weather, just a 30 mile round trip for some, especially the lightweight Chuckle Brothers-Lol. My group became the CB’s of course, Toby, Shane, aka ‘the thief’, Mariusz and Chris, aka Lastminute.com who hadn’t actually made it (surprise surprise) However, he hoped to join us, after a quick phone call to explain where we were heading. He was fixing a puncture, his second in 2 rides, although I thought I could hear the coffee machine in the back ground- Lol.

We set off right behind the fast boys, or should they be known as the ‘electric boys and their chasers’- Lol. However, there was no Clive on the day, which caused Nick to comment that the pace might be slower with only Ivan being electrified or words to that effect- Lol. We followed them toward Waverton, but soon split as they took Martins Ln. We were soon crossing the A41 heading for Saighton and the right turn that would lead us up through Huntington. Still with a cross tail wind, we hit Chester and proceeded towards the race course via the Corniche as I like to call it.The river was flowing fairly high, but the weir was still visible and there were very few people about, unlike us, they had the sense to stay home and keep warm-Lol.

Now on the race course cycle way, we were only a mile from the River Dee towpath and my anticipated 6+ miles of full on tailwind, which didn’t disappoint. We flew along, barely pedalling, as the wind had really lifted. This provided ample time for chit chat and the usual queries on our intended lunch venue, which, as most know, I occasionally keep to myself ( for a little surprise). Mariusz and I got into a discussion about the Dee and places he had worked locally, as he reminisced about how many times he had ridden that towpath (mostly for work) He was also disputing my claim that the towpath was a 6 mile stretch.  So, in the interest of true facts for the blog-Lol; can you believe, according to ‘Plotaroute’, from the start to Shotton, as we rode it, is in fact 7.5 miles. Very deceiving when you’re whipping along at 22+mph. 

So 7.5 miles gone in a flash, we turned off right onto the Greenway, at Shotton, which also prompted pit stop for CB2 to have his obligatory cereal bar-Lol. This just happened to be where CB1 had recently been volunteering for Sustrans, as he often does every week (admirable indeed). Unfortunately we had stopped in just the wrong spot, as Alan couldn’t help but spot discarded gel packets and other rubbish, which prompted a small tirade about those cyclists who chuck rubbish. A subtle wink from me to Steve and he simply took one mouthful and we quickly got going again, before Allan could get too worked up - Lol.

As we got going, I pointed out that we only had 2 or 3 miles-ish to our lunch venue, although a bit of a battle back into the wind, as the Greenway is not as sheltered just there. We turned off the Greenway at High Grove and just 1 mile later, once we hit the high street in Saughall, we turn right into Lynda’s cafe, once we identified the right building -Lol.

Bikes, all tucked away around the corner, we enter Lynda’s to find a quaint little gem of a cafe and lucky for us it was empty. Apparently they were rammed, at the same time, the day before. A few locals did pitch up just after us, but the staff made us feel welcome, moving several tables together and also obliged our requests for cooked breakfast, despite being past 12 and now on the afternoon menu. Although CB1 did point out it said ‘till 2pm’ on the menu. Conversation was well varied, especially when Lastminute.com walked in. His bare legs made us all shiver. He was made up to see his old mate Mariusz. Discussions ranged from Whatsapp and sharing of locations to Lé Shuttle, as I was after info for my July trip.

All our food was excellent and at cracking prices. Allan & I had a veg breakfast for £6:50 and Tea in bone China- superb . I only realised it was bone china when I saw ‘the thief’ with his little pinkie up in the air- Lol. The only negative is no toilets, but there is a public toilet next door. This cafe also has an unusual ‘honesty box’ feature in the form of a cake shack, where you can simply grab a cake and go, paying the required fee to the box of course. not seen the likes before.

Lunch done, we all formed up for the off, after a few more track stands from Mariusz, who has now gained his pseudonym and from here on will be known as the ‘poser’- Lol. We retraced our last mile back to the Greenway, in order to cheat the wind all the way to Guilden Sutton, although, as I mentioned before, the wind must have swung a tad, as it was still in our face, at times, despite all the tree cover- bar humbug, but not that bad really.That said, it was feeling well chilly by now and it wasn’t long before we lost the ‘poser’ who turned off some where near Blacon ( job done)  It didn’t surprise me as he must have been freezing in just a couple of woollen jumpers and no windproof ( they make them hard in the Netherlands)

After a few more miles of chasing Toby, we arrived at the end of the Greenway and ride past Meadow Lea cafe, into Guilden Sutton, where the light weights aka the Chuckle Brothers finished their ride, just as it was getting serious, having only done 30 miles-Lol. Meanwhile the rest of us pushed on to Waverton where upon we lost Shane who suddenly had his own agenda- Lol. We thought he was heading home to Tilston, but as I later found out he had other secret plans, as he turned left toward Walk Mill. After a brief discussion with Chris and Toby, who wanted more miles, they decided to escort me home and then head back to Chester. So they turned right with me, clearly realising I had no legs left and knowing there were more stiff headwinds to come, must have felt sorry for me.

So, we crossed the A41 again and were quickly through Saighton for our second time, we swung downhill past Abbey College and on to Bruera, where we turned left into Platt’s lane and what felt like a brick wall, to me at least. Thankfully I had my savours and new best buddies- Lol,  doing a double act, shielding me from the full on headwind. They rode the last 4 miles side by side and dragged me to Tattenhall, where they then turned left, heading for a much easier cross tailwind finish back to Chester via the canal road. Much appreciated gents. 

I road through Tattenhall and negotiated the still closed Frog Ln, where they are replacing the whole water main, as they are up through the A41. The disruption is going on for a month or two it seems. 
It’s taken them three weeks to complete Chapel Ln, so I don’t hold much hope for a quick job on the A41. Anyway, I got home with 48 miles on the clock and an AS of less than 14 mph-shock horror, although I think that has more to do with limping through Frog Ln, than the overall ride- Lol.

Despite the bitterly cold day, we still had a good ride, notwithstanding some great banter. And what a cafe find for us! although a regular of Fiona and Elwyn’s, when they are with their usual ‘cafe hoppers’. 
PS- I later discovered The Thief’s secret agenda was to ride on past Walk Mill to Wrenbury, but he fell foul of a puncture half way and ended up calling his good lady to pick him up, because he left his pump at home - The great Dellboy comes to mind- “you plonker Rodney”- Lol.

Till next time peasants - Lol.

See route map and/or gpx file download

Wind Whisperer (NT)

29th January 2026 : Aston (mod)

Today’s ride was from Walk Mill and there was a great turnout for all 3 groups. I cannot remember everyone so will just concentrate on our little posse of merry men consisting of Trevor, Andy W, Mike G, Ray B, myself and finally but certainly not least Dave H. We had a destination in mind, which is a favourite of many i.e. the renamed "Burty" pub . I’ve been there that often of late the landlord knows my name, but he did say "Wow, this time you have really brought a lot of yobs haha" . 

The route took us over to Beeston where for some strange reason that only Trevor and Dave know as they where leading us, took us up Harthill. So after we all managed to ride up to the top, and as we where recovering, came Dave's first of many little fibs stating "that’s the climbing done, it’s all down hill now". We carried on heading for Cholmondley via lots of little steep pimples (a phrase Dave P always uses whenever we had a hill to climb) . Riding along past the Cholmondley cafe, Trevor mentioned he would be going to the cafe in Wrenbury due to having to get back home, so when we got there Trevor bailed leaving just five heading for the Burty . 

We arrived and were seated and food ordered which came in good time as we where all hungry and cold due to today’s weather which was absolutely Baltic and with a fair breeze against us which brought the wind chill into play. We sat eating trying to recover some warmth after doing 21 miles to the venue talking about the usual CER drivel concerning a wide range of topics ranging from nonsense to absolute nonsense, and, as you can gather, I wasn’t the bit interested just wanting to eat up and get warm .

Herding cats?

Once we had decided to depart, the usual things took place that seem to follow the mods. Firstly there’s the usual issue over a bill, but this time it was the pub's fault; second, we had to wait for the usual unlocking ceremony from Master Gilbert and Heath as they both visited the toilet leaving the 3 of us outside in the freezing wind. Mike then decided to dress for a polar exhibition but then decided to take the team photo so had to take his snood off his 2 pairs of gloves and find a suitable place for our photo. Anyway, we did get underway only for the other usual suspect to to start looking for his keys . 

We now started to head back to Walk Mill via Ravensmoor then heading towards Bunbury, where the usual tradition of calling into Tilley's was given a miss once again. So we skirted around Beeston heading past the Ice Cream factory heading back towards Waverton. Here, I left the Motley 2 as Mike was heading to Christleton and I was going onto Guilden Sutton and Andy W was heading towards Hoole. 

Overall for the mileage from Walk Mill and back was 43 miles and slightly more for us others . The motto of today’s excellent ride, which was done at a good pace for us in freezing conditions and a Southerly wind, and I only know this as our 3 avid weather watchers kept telling me, was when Ray said "Why it’s so cold".

However, the cycling was great both ways so thanks to Trevor and Dave for sorting a route but why Harthill!

KB

22nd January 2026 : Pickmere (mod)

Well let’s start, on cycling the 10 miles to Delamere, the weather decided "No soft lad it’s not going to be fine" as it started to rain heavily filling the massive pot holes with water, which helped me seeing them . Arriving at the cafe meet and being met by my cycling buddy for the day, aka Dave H, had surprised me as we know Dave is an another name for being Lastminute.com . 

Then the other motley crew arrived, our 2 Welsh lads aka Alan and (obviously he’s not allowed out without his side kick) Steve. Also appearing was Clive who was given the task of being the "nearly fast not quite group" carer for the day, and finally at the Lastminute Chris and Toby. Dave M also arrived but was doing his own stuff. So Dave and I had a typical "Keith and Dave plan" which had a destination named, but getting there was another thing, so the destination was Knutsford . 

The route out was via Crowton then Acton Bridge and heading towards Arley Hall then the usual discussion concerning "let’s just go this way and down this lane", mainly because we can as there’s only us two and it's like discovering various other routes. Anyway we ended up in Pickmere at the Red Lion which was warm which was a much needed respite from the rain wind and chill. 

Earlier at the meet we  where chatting about the cost of our lunch venues now compared to last year and now being a retiree, and the rest mostly pensioners except Chris and Toby mind, was how pub grub and cafe meals are so expensive for what you’re getting. Anyway me and soft lad bit the bullet and ordered off the main menu. This is where I know my eyesight is bad because seeing my pie dinner arriving I thought "Oh that’s a new one on me chipotle sausages "oops, no they were carrots cooked in a oil looking "un-orange" . 

So after the 20 miles to said pub, we left and headed back covering another 19 miles through Great Budworth, Comberbach and back up the hills through Acton bridge and Crowton etc so we actually achieved some climbing kudos. Dave remember has only recently had a new body part, so what he achieved needs a well done, and if it was in school it would have merited a gold star . We arrived back at Delemere after a fantastic day of cycling in the damp cold and wet a lot of the time conditions. The motto of our mod group is "not quite plus" but definitely not "slow group" and, if in doubt just try it as it leads to somewhere we might recognise plus we’re out cycling.

KB

22nd January 2026 : Bunbury (mod +)

Well it was the hardy group of Keith, Dave H, Clive, Dave M, Alan and I that sat down in the Station Cafe to be educated on Dave’s medical procedures, his new dog and Dave M’s second E bike project. 

No one seemed put off by the rain which to be fair had abated, keeping its best downpours for when we left the cafe ! Whilst we waited for Dave H to find his paper maps, Last Minute.com arrived with a trainee Last Minuter in tow,Toby. Apparently Toby had rolled out of bed at 09:55 following a late evening of fixing a leak on his fish tank pipework. Chris’s precision of arriving at 10:30 on the dot could be compared with Luke Littler’s ability to hit 180 time after time.

So we bade farewell to the two Dave’s and their carer Keith, and set off on one of the Whisperer’s routes to Bunbury. A mere 35 miles, but given the weather and the fact the three Chester lads would be knocking on the door of 55 miles plus with the above., it was enough for today. 

The issue with this route is that it takes in the Whitegate Way. A glorious leafy ride in spring or summer but not in slutchy January day. However our secret weapon, Clive, prevailed and led us through Coddington despite Steve H taking us up a private drive LOL!

Following Steve’s hopeless navigation, we were soon buzzing along Clay Lane towards Little Budworth. It’s fair to say all the lanes were in poor condition and dirty along with remnants of hedge cutting and the inevitable pot holes. 

A quick photo opportunity by Knicker Brook followed a steady ride through Ruston, Tilstone Bank and then to Bunbury. Clive spotted a new venue here which we must try in the future. Tilly’s was empty apart from Clarrisa-Sunrise, Juniper Saffron and India drinking their matcha’s whilst five sweaty wet cyclists tucked into jacket potatoes, Vegan options specials, or in Chris’s case the staple egg butty. 

Alan is hidden behind the lens!

On leaving Honey’s, it was reassuring to see the rain had held off, but it was cold. You can’t underestimate how cold the first two or three miles feel after a warm cafe stop when wrapped in damp clothing and sodden gloves! Soon we were zooming around Beeston and plunging down to the Shady. Not content with nearly wiping me out with a Kamikaze descent , Chris tried to squish a lone squirrel. Fortunately the squirrel was faster than Chris (some say not hard to achieve!) and all five of us crested Bates Mill Lane and set off down Crib Lane. 

The lanes of Eaton and Cotebrook quickly warmed us up with the few steady climbs this ride affords .It is a Neil T ride eg no wind no hills -  LOL. Just prior to the straight into Delamere, Clive led Toby and Chris on a more direct route to Chester via Waverton. 

A pleasant 35 miles from the cafe but a more challenging 57 for the Chester lads, with plenty of banter and enjoyable company. 

See route map and/or gpx file download

Steve H 

15th January 2026 : Whitegate (mod)

I always look forward to riding from Meadow Lea. Not least because, being my closest starting point, I get to have a lie-in on a Thursday. Although it was going to be a cold day the prospect of a rain-free day with little wind was enough to attract a good number of riders. Seven of these were moderate riders, these being Andy W, Dave H, David M, Keith Mike G, Ray and me. Dave had a ride in mind but was quite happy to go with mine – a 41-mile trip to Whitegate with without too many hills.

We took the usual route out via Wicker Lane, cycling through Waverton and down Martins Lane. After passing through Hargrave and reaching the Tattenhall road we ignored the 'road closed' signs and turned left. However we did our best not to ignore the numerous holes in the road as we cycled up towards Huxley. We then cycled through Tarporley and on to Eaton where David was seduced by the smell of coffee and lured into The Drays Coffee Shop never to be seen again. (Not really – I made that last bit up).

The remaining six of us rode on through Darnhall to the outskirts of Winsford where we wound our way through the backstreets to reach the big roundabout at the bottom of High Street. We usually use the underpass to get across the dual carriageway safely but it had been fenced off and replaced with a light controlled crossing. Having got across we cycled up past the old salt mines heading for the end of the Whitegate Way. We had intended to cycle along this but it was clear that it was going to be muddy. I decided that staying on tarmac would be a better idea. An extra mile or two and a few more ups and downs but a lot less scrubbing of the bikes afterwards. The diversion took us through Whitegate village and brought us close to our intended lunch stop at the Whitegate Station House Cafe.

When we arrived at the cafe the lady at the till was already looking flustered. She admitted that several groups had come in at the same time and the cafe was full. She had just finished doing this and the arrival of six hungry cyclists did nothing to help. Anyway she managed to hold it together and took our orders and by the time that was done we had managed to find seats. It is a community-run cafe and the staff (all local volunteers) were brilliant and soon had the simple but delicious food in front of us.

We always forget to take a photo for the blog. I was determined that we would have one this time so after lunch I rounded them all up in front of the old station sign and took a selfie of the group. I only noticed Mike's pose afterwards. I didn't know what he was doing but Mike did offer a suggestion – which I can't possibly print it here!

Our return was by way of a more direct route. We carried on along Clay Lane, crossing the A54 and passing the main entrance to Oulton Park. We crossed the A49 at Cotebrook and headed up towards Utkinton, passing close to Rose Farm. From there we carried on to Duddon and past Walk Mill before reaching the top end of Martins Lane. We were then retracing our steps from the morning back to Meadow Lea.

With about 400m to go I left the group. There were a few disgruntled mutterings about leaders not leading to the end of the ride, but I ignored them. I had every confidence in their ability to find their way back without getting lost. It was a good day out with almost 43 miles under our belts.

See route map and/or gpx file download

TC

15th January 2026 : Tiverton (mod +)

A cold start for me on route to Meadow Lea, in order to meet the crowd, literally! 

Meadow Lea was rammed, in fact Shane couldn’t park (that’ll teacher him to get up earlier and ride in -Lol. I reckon there were possibly 17 of us on what looked like one of the best days since before Xmas, as there was virtually no wind and no rain expected. Still chilly, but almost summer like compared to last weeks ride- Lol.

I had a plan to ride to the Lockgate on the A49, which is a quirky cyclists cafe, rarely visited. I got outside expecting to have my usual small group, only to find I had 9!Clearly the fast boys were feeling lazy and decided to tag on to yours truly. So, my band of merry men consisted of Shane, Toby, Kev aka ‘very nice man’, half of the CB’s in the form of Allan, non elec Ray, Chris, yours truly and the electric interlopers (Clive & John)

As we set off right, I was instantly wondering about my cafe pick, as 9 is more of a crowd than a group. The obvious alternative was Tilly’s, but that’s not much bigger really. However, I decided we’ll decide closer to the venue, but in the end the decision was taken out of my hands- Lol.

My first surprise for the group was to turn into Ince Lane, off Warrington Rd, which I am never too keen to be on. Ince Ln ultimately dropped us into Dunham On The Hill, via a nice little kicker. I heard somebody behind me suddenly realise where they were when they said “that’s a different way to get here” and then somebody else said, “where’s here”- Lol.

After turning right and then double left, we were then heading toward Manley Mere and enjoying another lovely stretch of smooth tarmac, which would become a theme for the day, as I had hoped I had remembered a lot of the new tarmac in the area. That brings me to the local councils and their efforts to keep the roads in good order, which I know many of you moan about, especially Jim -Lol.

I think they do very well at repairing the roads, that’s coming from an ex southerner. The roads up here are 10 times better than down in the shires ( Oxford & Buckingham, my old stomping ground)

It wasn’t long before we were crossing the A49 and starting the steady long 3 mile- ish haul up to the top of the Sandstone ridge via Kelsal, turning right at the Crows Nest cafe for a few more mtrs uphill. 

We turned left at the top of Chapel Hill and carried on up along Tirley Ln, after a few hundred Mtrs I turn right, strangely, still Tirley Ln, all the way down the fast descent into Utkinton.

We passed Rose Farm and descended into that horrible little kicker, which we all moaned about, except for the Electric interlopers of course, as they flashed by, chasing after Chris, who was leading the way uphill again, with me bringing up the rear, along side ‘the very nice man’. Now into the top of Tarporley high street I turned immediately left up the hill, which seems to get longer every time I ride it- Lol.

10 minutes later we were hurtling down Sapling Ln toward Eaton, in order to turn right, ultimately heading around Tarporley, because that high street is awful to ride through. It was now time to consider a diversion, if we were to find another lunch venue and I suddenly thought that Alison’s wasn’t that far away and a better option than Tilly’s, which meant turning right at Brook Rd, in order to get to Brassey Green. However, I suddenly realised the breakaway group were out of sight and we were therefore committed to riding the busier stretch of the A49, which I had intended to avoid. 

Anyway, we caught up with them at the traffic lights of the A49 junction. We should have done a little 2 mile meander in order to come out at the Tiverton junction, just 200 mtrs up the A49 from the Lockgate cafe, but the breakaway group buggered that up-Lol.

Slightly shorter route than planned, we arrived at the Lockgate cafe and fortunately there were 3 tables along side a big radiator- Oooh! We settled into our orders and spread ourselves across the 3 tables.

There were a few comments from those who hadn’t been there before, admiring the cycling memorabilia, in fact, Chris was taking photo’s of some of it whilst also admiring the rusty old frame outside, with no wheels and in fact no paint. Clearly he was thinking about his next bike, possibly an even better bargain than the £35 special he has been riding with us- Lol, Lol.

I was sat with ‘the very nice man’ and CB1 and there was no shortage of conversation, although most of it revolved around bike components as I tried to answer Kev’s questions. He is looking for a solution to his wife’s arthritis in her left hand, which makes it impossible to change gear so he was considering Di2, which I do have on my Look.

However, it just so happens I was on my Whyte on the day, for the first time this year, which happens to have an Apex 1 SRAM gear system , with double tap gear lever on the right brake lever. For those who may not know about SRAM gears, the double tap system means you select up and down your gears with the one lever and the perfect solution for Kev’s wife, who wouldn’t have to use her left hand at all (apologies, as I can’t remember her name-Lol) Anyway, food interrupted conversation, after a short-ish wait, which was good value, in the current over priced cafe market.

We set off again for a short return to Meadow Lea, via Tiverton and in the words of Clive “not the Tiverton in Devon”-Lol. We are soon through Brassey Green, with a very light tailwind and swinging around Black Swan corner, as I call it, heading uphill toward the 50p shop, which prompted somebody to ask me if said shop was still there, to which I responded with yes  “and the cafe is still going”.

A few minutes later we were passing very close to Okells ( one of the best cafes in the area, although a bit pricey for most)

After crossing the river Gowy, catching the traffic lights just right, we cruise past Walk Mill cafe and wind our way into Waverton, although the breakaway group were still out front and in fact simply carried on to Meadow Lea by turning right in Waverton and completely forgetting about the ride leader, who was bringing up the rear, again, with the very nice man’, because he is a gent-Lol. I tell Kev to turn right through the housing estate, as it might help him to catch them up, not that they cared mind you, which left yours truly suddenly riding on my own without so much as a by your leave- Lol.

So I wiped the tears from my eyes, as it dawned on me I was alone and set about finding my way home, as clearly there was no point in me going back to Meadow Lea. I just hoped that ‘the very nice man’ did catch them up. I got home 7 miles later with 50 miles on the clock and an unusually slow AS, which was 13.9 Mph, but it was hilly, although I think that just reflects the lack of winter miles and fitness.

A cracking day again, with no rain and some great company. It’s a good job the chatter box didn’t make it today other wise this would have been the longest blog ever.

Till next time gents,

See route map and/or gpx file download

NT