Although cool first thing this morning the temperature had risen to a pleasant 19°C by the time the group of 13 met for tea at the Manley Mere Windsurfing Centre. Bryan announced that he had planned “a bit of a mad ride” to visit territory we had not tried before. The plan was to cross the Mersey and make a circuit of Warrington threading our way through the lanes just to the south of St. Helens, Newton le Willows and Golborne returning via Lymm. Dave H would meet us on the outskirts of Runcorn and guide us over the Runcorn/Widnes bridge. For lunch Bryan had identified a number of possible pubs, with the General Elliot in Croft being top of the list. So just after 10:30 the group of Bryan, Omry, Martin, Liz D, Trevor, Alan, Clive, Norman, Ray, Dave & Liz P set off. Ivan and his grandson were there to see us off, while Dave M planned to ride with us for the first half hour and then head back.
As usual, from Manley Mere, we started the day with a stiff climb up to Riley Bank and then down to Frodsham to join the main road to Runcorn. Here Dave M left us, as we met up with Dave H to take the scenic route up to the Runcorn/Widnes bridge and across to join the Trans Pennine Trail on the other side. We then followed the St Helens Canal for a couple of miles before taking the second bridge to cross into the Moss Bank industrial area heading north along the eastern edge of Widnes to Clock Face. Here Norman’s local knowledge proved invaluable in guiding us through Clock Face Country Park. Once back on the lanes we made good progress through Burtonwood and Winwick to Croft where we quickly found the General Elliot. The newly refurbished and upmarket pub provided a warm welcome and friendly service with a Senior’s Special menu (starter and main) for £6.50. The food was all you could wish for in quality and presentation and with Timothy Taylor’s Landlord on tap provided a perfect lunch. With 12 of us to cater for one might have expected some delay in getting back on the road: but not today. Within an hour of arriving we were back on the road conscious of the need to get back before the Windsurfing Centre locked the gate to the car park.
Culcheth marked the halfway point and from here we turned south to Glazebrook and Rixon where we crossed the Manchester Ship Canal for a brief excursion into Trafford District before returning to Cheshire for a short stop in the centre of Lymm. Back on home ground we headed for Antrobus and Acton Bridge. Dave H left us just before the crossing, to make his own way back to Runcorn. The rest of us continued up past the Maypole pub to Hatchmere and the forest route back to Manley with Omry peeling off along the way. Then with less than 100 yards to the Windsurfing Centre Liz P was stung by a wasp!
What an interesting day: exploring the northern fringes of Cheshire on lanes we haven’t ridden before with plenty of variety en-route. Thanks to Dave H and Norman for their help in guiding us through the area and to The General Elliot for their friendly and efficient service combined with a great lunch.
Total distance from Manley Mere was spot on 60 miles with some 75 plus miles for those riding from Chester.
BW
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