A light frost greeted the early risers, but this soon melted away as we made our way down the lanes to the Ice Cream Farm. The group of 10 consisted of Dave H, Petar, Trevor, Brian Mac, George, Paul, Colin, Keith, Mike G and Jim.
We were joined for coffee by Ivan who is making good progress and now limping well with his stick.
It was decided to head for Whitchurch via Tilston and the Wyches and we made steady progress until the downhill just after Carden Park. At the bottom of the hill we turned left for Tilston when Brian informed us that we were 3 members short. We stopped in a lay-by while Brian returned to investigate, coming back later with the news that there was no sign of Trevor, Dave and George. Calls to the respective mobiles brought no response and we presumed that they had missed the turn and gone onto Stretton. No problem as the lane went back to Tilston anyway, so we set off to wait at the Carden Arms. Still no phone contact after a lengthy wait so we decided to continue and hope that we met up for lunch. It transpired later that Trevor had punctured well before the junction, which was why Brian hadn't been able to find them, and some phones were back at home!
The main group continued on through Lower and Higher Wych to join the A525 just west of Whitchurch. Lunch was taken at The Black Bear next to the church on top of the hill. Still no sign of our colleagues, and no phone contact. They had made their way along the lanes but couldn't recall which pub we were in, so lunched at the one with the grumpy landlady (now apparently replaced by a much more pleasant landlady, so could be back on the radar).
Photographs by Brian MacDonald
The main group set off back to the east of town, up the hill towards Marbury, then Bickley Moss. At this point we came across a 'road closed’ sign but decided to keep going anyway. As we approached the canal bridge we could see threatening signs of cranes and large concrete culverts-more than just a bit of tar and chipping then! However, Mike used his charm and we were allowed to walk our bikes over the temporary structure to the other side and off towards Cholmondely.
Then another 'road closed' sign. Once again we ignored it to find that the roadway had been partially washed away, presumably as a result of recent heavy rain.
A steady push up to the top of Harthill was rewarded by a long downhill back to the Ice cream Farm for afternoon tea. About 36 miles or near 60 for those from Chester.
A chilly but mainly dry day, marred only by the misunderstanding early on, which only reinforced what we have learned from previous exploits-keep together and keep the phones switched on!
JD
It was decided to head for Whitchurch via Tilston and the Wyches and we made steady progress until the downhill just after Carden Park. At the bottom of the hill we turned left for Tilston when Brian informed us that we were 3 members short. We stopped in a lay-by while Brian returned to investigate, coming back later with the news that there was no sign of Trevor, Dave and George. Calls to the respective mobiles brought no response and we presumed that they had missed the turn and gone onto Stretton. No problem as the lane went back to Tilston anyway, so we set off to wait at the Carden Arms. Still no phone contact after a lengthy wait so we decided to continue and hope that we met up for lunch. It transpired later that Trevor had punctured well before the junction, which was why Brian hadn't been able to find them, and some phones were back at home!
The main group continued on through Lower and Higher Wych to join the A525 just west of Whitchurch. Lunch was taken at The Black Bear next to the church on top of the hill. Still no sign of our colleagues, and no phone contact. They had made their way along the lanes but couldn't recall which pub we were in, so lunched at the one with the grumpy landlady (now apparently replaced by a much more pleasant landlady, so could be back on the radar).
Photographs by Brian MacDonald
The main group set off back to the east of town, up the hill towards Marbury, then Bickley Moss. At this point we came across a 'road closed’ sign but decided to keep going anyway. As we approached the canal bridge we could see threatening signs of cranes and large concrete culverts-more than just a bit of tar and chipping then! However, Mike used his charm and we were allowed to walk our bikes over the temporary structure to the other side and off towards Cholmondely.
Then another 'road closed' sign. Once again we ignored it to find that the roadway had been partially washed away, presumably as a result of recent heavy rain.
A steady push up to the top of Harthill was rewarded by a long downhill back to the Ice cream Farm for afternoon tea. About 36 miles or near 60 for those from Chester.
A chilly but mainly dry day, marred only by the misunderstanding early on, which only reinforced what we have learned from previous exploits-keep together and keep the phones switched on!
JD
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