Another decent turnout at Rose Farm this morning on a day that promised to be dry, relatively warm and with light winds. The fast lads were off probably somewhere far away and at great speed, which left myself Fiona, Elwyn, Neil, George, Mike and Dave H to form the moderates. I had two suggestions: either a route to Marbury or one to Whitchurch, both a little over 40 miles.
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| Photo by EJ |
Whitchurch was most popular, and so we set off towards Clutton and then Tattenhall. To the surprise of some, we climbed all the way up to Harthill (Fiona had asked for a hill climb to warm her up), and then No Mans Heath and another climb up to Malpas. This section included “road closed” signs and several traffic lights but we pressed on regardless. From Malpas we simply followed the B road to Grindley Brook and then the A41 to reach the centre of Whitchurch. The short stretch on the A41 is busy and not pleasant, and an alternative route following the Llangollen Canal into town is much better in the drier months.
We hadn’t decided where to eat in Whitchurch, but the first place we approached was the Black Bear so Dave suggested this and we all agreed. This has been a favourite in the past and it didn’t disappoint. We were accommodated on a couple of tables and the food arrived quickly, so it was soon time to leave.
I had led the morning route from memory, but turned on the satnav just to make sure of the return. I kept getting a message on the screen over the map saying I wasn’t connected to the internet, something I’d never had before. We stopped in Marbury for me to correct this, but my iPhone then began launching apps and changing the screen at random. (Has anyone else ever had this?). Switching the phone off, we continued relying on my memory. This was not ideal as we missed a turn, and not heeding Neil’s warnings, we ended up crossing the A49 at Bickley and had to make our way back via Cholmondley, where Neil left us to head direct for home. We soon picked up the intended route through Chorley and Bickley. Around Spurstow, a café stop was suggested and so we called into Tilley’s, where hot drinks and some cakes were consumed. Fortified we made quick progress towards Beeston, then the Shady Oak and into Tarporley. Soon we were back at our starting point.
I had been a wonderful day’s weather that at times felt like Spring, with some bursts of warm sunshine. Maybe this encouraged us to take our first afternoon café stop since winter descended. Our unexpected detour had added about four or five miles onto our journey, and we completed a total of 48 miles, again the highest “mod” mileage since September I think. And for those who asked, I recorded 2,417 feet ascended. I know it’s unlikely, but it would be nice to have some more ‘Spring-like’ days before Spring actually arrives.
See route map and/or gpx file download
SHa
PS. I learn that Nantwich recorded the country's highest temperature on the day of our ride at 13 degrees.
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