29th September 2011: Ruthin

Caergwrle rides mean hills and this week’s ride featured a lot, 3000ft of ascent according to Bike Route Toaster.  The weather was mid 20’s and rising and the sun shone all day with hardly a cloud in the sky.  An extraordinary summer’s day – but in autumn.  The lunch stop was the Anchor in Ruthin, and rather than going up the Minera Steps, I thought a meander up Summerhill and Brymbo to get to Bwlchgwyn would make a nice change.  OS maps don’t seem to indicate chevroned roads here and there were a lot of them as there were also curiously, a lot of pubs.  Up, around, along, down then repeat the sequence until finally we passed the old ironworks that Brymbo is known for.  Here Norman was struggling with the heat and wisely decided to call it a day.  We also seemed to have lost Dave Hill, who was out for the café breakfast, and Liz and Martin who also disappeared.

Bwlchgwyn

Photographs by Alan Jeffs

So we six (Alan, Dave B, Dave P, Ray, Janet and myself) continued up again to meet the Minera Steps road.  Heading through the Llandegla Mountain bike centre, we made it out to the A5104 bound for the roundabout just before the Horseshoe Pass Road.  Taking the quiet lane on the right, and at 1200 ft, we now enjoyed nearly 5 miles of ridge riding with magnificent views of the Clwydian range to the right and the Berwyns to the left.  Taking a right at the T, we accelerated off the hills and down via wooded valleys towards Llanfair Dyffryn. The hedge cutters had been out, so caution was needed along some of these lanes.

Llandegla Forest

The Anchor was quiet and the £5.95 menu fair was served up promptly.  A few lime and sodas were also downed to reset the fluid balance.  We discussed the return route, which originally included the steep ascent to Moel Fammau.  With the temperature rising, we acknowledged that we would re-route by going toward Nant-y-Garth.  A loop out of the town to warm up the legs found us out of Llanbedr and then the B road to Graigfechan.  Rather than take the main pass road, we took the 3 mile long ascent out of Pentrecelyn to the top of the pass.

Top of the old Nant Garth road

Decision point: which way home?  Loggerheads for tea was agreed upon, and we sped down to Llanarmon and onto Caffi Florence, just getting our order in before closing time.  Leaving for home, Dave B split off to get back to Connah’s Quay as the rest of us cut across country via Swan Lane back to Caergwrle.  The lanes at “going home” time are a particular hazard as a few scraps with vans and cars evidenced.  Ray and I split off to go back to Chester via Kinnerton as Janet took the train at Penyffordd; Dave P went back to Chester another way and Alan picked his car up in Caergwrle.  The out journey to Ruthin was 25 miles but the return was 29 miles making a 54 miles extremely enjoyable, if hot and thirsty ride. Thanks go to Dave P for being the back marker for most of the day and well done to Dave B for not giving up on the hills.  For me, it was just short of 80 miles as I reached home with the sun low in the sky.

Addendum: Three times during the day my Motorola Defy satnav and phone was shaken loose from its bike holder by the potholes and bounced down the road.  Not a scratch on it, and still working.  Ray had a front wheel puncture in Kinnerton and changed it in record time.
See route map and/or gpx file download.
CA