23rd August 2018: Whitchurch (mod)

Leaving Utkinton, four moderates were joined by the return of the bionic Macca after an absence of 8 months - Clive, Dave H, Jim and Keith.  The usual mods route by committee with Clive’s Garmin, Dave’s OS maps and Macca’s Google maps saw us do a large circle to the east, in order to cove more than the 17 straight miles to lunch at Whitchurch.  Jim peeled off after 10 miles for other duties whilst the 4 of us meandered through flat, quiet country through Aston juxta Mondrum (there’s a mouthful for you), Rees Heath, Nantwich and Ightfield.

Lunch was at The Wheatsheaf in the High St of Whitchurch where we were pleasantly served from the light menu.  Discussion varied from emigrating to N Z and how to navigate from Wales to Dublin.

On the shorter return journey, we stopped at the newly re-opened Swan pub in Marbury which Clive checked out; it turns out to be a Brunning pub, a breakaway from the well known Brunning & Price group.  On it’s website it says, ‘The pub is an institution unique to England, and there is nothing more English. It is not an American bar, darkened still by the long shadow or Prohibition; not a French cafe, where people sunnily drink aperitifs on the pavement; not a Bavarian beer-hall, full of swaying and noise” ..........Michael Jackson (the famous beer writer not the slightly well-known singer).

We rode back through Chorley, Bunbury and Tilston hoping to beat the rain forecast for 3pm ish.  Sheltering in The Old Fire Station at Tarporley with cake, we missed one shower before returning to Rose Farm.  Macca was glad to report no ill effects on his new knee (not sure about the rear end) having covered 53 miles at 12.6 average

Macca

Photo by Macca

See route map and/or gpx file download