Well, another windy wintery day greeted the
hardcore group of riders at Ness Gardens. A team of eight consisting of Clive,
Roy, Alan, Dave H, Steve T & Hu, Keith & George.
George, Alan and I had witnessed the brutal
nature of the wind en-route to the cafe, as had Roy. Clive arrived looking like
a scuba diver, he was that wet. Undaunted however, the group managed to present
three different routes for the day.
Alans option to visit the Bluebell Cafe in
Great Barrow was chosen as it combined a new venue with an opportunity for an
early dart for a couple of folk.
So, suitably attired and probably wishing we had
invested in a sail, we left the warmth of Ness Gardens towards Ness. We skirted
Ness and took the quiet lanes to Raby and on to Willaston Mills. At this time
the riders believed they had woken up with “Chris Froome” legs as progress was
effortless as we whizzed down to Ledsham & Capenhurst. The tail wind was
not ready to show its more challenging side.
Due to the tail wind we were whizzing past
Manley Mere and onto our lunch stop the Blue Bell well ahead of our planned
time.
This is a super venue, part of the Barrowmore
Estate. Formerly a TB hospital and nursing home. Since 1983 it now provides
supportive accommodation for vulnerable people. Set in 85 acres of parkland it
is a super place to visit.
The staff at the Bluebell welcomed us in, and
an excellent array of food was forthcoming.
Alas, as the teas and coffees cooled in our
stomachs the return to rain and wind called. The route now took us north
through Little Barrow into the teeth of the wind. Steve T bade farewell at this
point to attend a family occasion. The route then wound its way in and out of
the wind to the Chester Greenway where Clive set off back home.
The remaining sextet plodded down the Greenway
with a healthy amount of headwind. A brief stop at Bren Bikes revealed that
this charity, which receives and repairs bicycles for sale, is very busy. Last
year alone they received over 900 bikes as donations and sold over 700.
By this time the peloton of Dave, Roy, Keith
& George had set off and was not in sight. So, raising his game, ride
leader Alan turned into a domestique and dragged me all the way to Garden City
where we “nearly “ caught up the peloton.
Photo SHu
A quick series of diversions to avoid the
greenway civil projects found the group at Toyota where Steve Hu, Alan and
George turned for the motherland and the intrepid three of Keith, Roy &
Dave H soldiered on to brave the Burton Marsh Wind tunnel.
A great 39 mile ride on a day (if not for the
club) I would not have ridden.
Thanks to Alan for the route and Clive and Dave
for having back up options as well.
See route map and/or gpx file download
SHu
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