31st May 2012: Ellesmere

Well the “raining all day” weather forecast was 95% wrong today – there was a little rain on my ride out via Hope to the Expresso café, a few spots throughout the day and a little as we arrived back at the café.  Brian Mac, Dave M, Ray and I bid Liz and Martin a farewell at the café.  Not so fast however, since Dave M’s Abus lock failed to unlock and it was locking Dave’s and my bike together!  Pliers from the local auto repair along the parade easily cut through the cable, so we were off at last bound for Wrexham down the main road.  Out past the hospital and onwards towards Bersham we ride through Rhosllanerchrugog bound for Acrefair and the aqueduct.

Photographs by Brian MacDonald

Down and over the Dee, we take the towpath towards Chirk.  Here we decide to carry on along the well surfaced towpath past the marina and through the first 173 yd tunnel to exit at the back of Chirk just before the 400 yd + tunnel that we walked three weeks ago.  Over the aqueduct and now upwards through Weston Rhyn, we cross the A5 and out through Gobowen taking NCN 31 all the way into Ellesmere to our favourite pub, the Red Lion.
Rain is threatening, and sure enough it pours down as we tuck into the two-courser.  A strategic post lunch coffee sees the rain off as we head out of town now bound for Sandy Lane.  Holly Bush and Worthenbury see us sprinting our way past Shocklach and into Hildegard’s where Dave M samples cake with port yogurt dressing.  Ray heads Chester bound as the three of us head out of Holt towards Borras back to Expresso via Pandy with exactly 50 miles on the clock.  I cycle back home via Hope and Kinnerton with 80 miles up. So all of you who saw the forecast and thought “I‘ll stay at home in the dry” you missed a pretty flat and essentially dry ride through some very green countryside.
See route map and/or gpx file download.
CA