30th December 2010: No Mans Heath

It was a grey dull overcast day with light fog, forecast to last all day, but hey the snow and ice had gone and it was great to be out and about again.  Six of us met at Rose Farm Garden Centre in Utkinton (Brian Mac, Dave Hill, Clive, Dave Heath, Ivan and Bryan) to find that frozen pipes meant the café was closed.  After waiting until 10:15am we left a note on the door to say we were off to the Fire Station Café in Tarporley for tea.  Unfortunately Dave and Liz P arriving later didn’t see the note and decided on a different café in Tarporley.
The Fire Station Café proved to be somewhat too welcoming and it wasn’t until around 11:00am that we got away. We had agreed on a ride to the Wheatsheaf at No Mans Heath with Clive navigating on a route programmed into his new Memory Map SatNav.  With that we headed off for Eaton, before looping south to Alpraham and eventually Bunbury where Dave Hill left us heading back to Chester.  The remainder continued on the empty lanes to Brindley where to vary the usual route Clive took us along the main road to Faddiley before rejoining the lanes.  Soon we were on NCN 45 for a few miles before the signposts reported No Mans Heath was only a few miles ahead.
The Wheatsheaf beckoned but as we locked up the bikes Clive noticed a group of walkers descending on the pub and with almost improper haste we made straight for the bar to get in first.  A good job we did as it turned out for with 20 of them pre-booked we would have been waiting for some time.
Now the Wheatsheaf specialises in sausages and their plate sized Yorkshire pudding filled with three sausages of choice, mash and gravy proved irresistible, along with the ale, of course.  Over lunch we discussed, amongst other matters, family tree research including a fascinating account of the problems of ‘incorrect’ birth certificates recounted by Brian Mac.  I had a brief chat with Barry Davis, ex C&NWCTC Rights Officer, out for the day with the 20 ramblers but still waiting for their food to be served.  Then we agreed a return route back via the Ice Cream Farm.
Out on the road the light fog was still in evidence, so it was on with the lights for the return journey just as they had been on the way out.  The Old Coach Road took us straight to Broxton Old Hall where we made a right turn to Brown Knowl and the usual route to the Ice Cream Farm via Bolesworth Castle.  Then while most of us settled down to an afternoon coffee and cake Brian Mac joined us with an overflowing ice cream cornet for the last chat of the day.  It was quietening down when we left, but Melanie reported that she had seen more cyclists over the last two days than the previous month.  Like us they had been eager to get out again once the snow and ice had disappeared.
With only a few more miles to go back to Utkinton or Chester we wished each other a Happy New Year and bid farewell.  Another great year of the Chester Easy Riders.
See route map and/or gpx file download.
BW