Our start today was from the Ice Cream Farm, though the
turnout was limited by a forecast of continuous, steady, persistent,
interminable, endless rain. Dave M was out but not riding with us, which left
Ken, Clive, Steve T, Bryan, George, Dave H and myself. Bryan was using today to
try out his new very fine looking Canondale Synapse(?) e-bike.
I suggested a route towards Market Drayton. If conditions improved, we could go all the
way, if they worsened, we could stop at Audlem, and if they stayed the same, we
would stop at Norton in Hales. We headed
out past Beeston Castle and through Bunbury and Haughton, before crossing the
A534 at Brindley. Here I shed the heavy
burden of leadership, and Ken led us on through Ravensmoor and Sound to the
outskirts of Audlem. We’d been speeding along at a distinctly brisk
pace and here we paused to consider our condition. Ken, unsurprisingly not dressed for winter
conditions was feeling the cold, and the battery assistance on Bryan’s new bike
was cutting out (as the law requires it to do) whenever our speed went above
15.5mph. Believe it or not, brisk riders, these speeds were reached quite often
in the absence of any real inclines and any adverse winds. I took the lead towards
Norton in Hales and remedied both these problems by finding a series of long
hills as we climbed towards Norton Wood Farm. Then we had a short speedy downhill
to our destination.
The Hind’s Head has been visited by us several times before.
We shed our damp clothes and settled down to some well-earned food and drink.
As usual many topics were discussed, but we also ventured into the forbidden
territory of Brexit. Be assured, no punches were thrown and no voices raised.
Soon it was time to move on. We headed past Shavington Park
and northwards by the Bhurtpore. Then it was on past the Cotton Arms and the
Dusty Miller, before crossing the main road by The Cholmondeley Arms. At
Bickerton Ken left us, and we then climbed up to Harthill. The rain had become noticeably
heavier as we approached the later stages of our ride. A fast descent followed
by that annoyingly short but steep second climb brought Dave H to a halt as his
chain came off. He and I caught the rest up by the entrance to Bolesworth
Castle, except for Steve T who had sped ahead.
We turned right and made for the Ice Cream Farm. No Steve T, but we didn’t have to worry as he
soon arrived having taken the long way round via Tattenhall centre. Despite the heavy rain at the end of the
ride, the rest had been quite pleasant – you have to accept that cycling in the
rain can be pleasant. We had completed a
round trip of 50 miles.
SH
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