Despite Alan going to the trouble of preparing a route, and
Steve Hughes checking it out on his bike, neither were going to be at The
Gallery Tea Rooms. Alan has Covid, and for some unfathomable reason, Megan
Hughes preferred having Steve in one piece rather than enjoying his insurance
payout. The ice and cold forecast was indeed concerning, but we had a very good
turnout on the day. The group consisted of Ray, Steve Haywood, Mold Andy, Mike
Gilbert, Clive, Ken and myself. With the Lone Ranger and Tonto of the back
alleys of Queensferry and beyond unavailable, we decided on a simple route to
Bangor on Dee. This decision was made
easier, by the fact that Ken had arrived on his bike from Rossett without ice
issues, so we could retrace his route towards Holt with some confidence. We
left with more than a passing thought for Spiros, and a word or two with
Alison, who I know appreciates our support.
We would never have attempted Bilberry Wood in these
conditions without Ken's assurances. As it was, only the central metal drain
grid on the walkway over the A55 gave any particular cause for concern. It was
good to see relative newcomer, Ray, turning out so regularly in winter
conditions. It was also pleasant to share a rare unified ride with Clive and
Ken onboard. It was cold, but nice and
bright as we proceeded via Higher Kinnerton, Dodleston,and Lavister, before
reaching Holt. Clive peeled off at this point. I'm not sure if he was getting
cold at our gentle pace, or perhaps he fancied a coffee and chat with Helen at
Cleopatra's!
We proceeded around the outskirts of Wrexham Industrial
Estate on the B5130 before a left down Talwryn Road, and passing the familiar
Maelor Creamery. There was the usual short stretch on the main road before
heading for the old bridge over the river to the High Street at Bangor on Dee.
I was wary of the shiny looking stone setts on the bridge, but we all arrived
safely at the back of The Royal Oak. Last time we passed here we were not sure
if it was open, or serving food, so we carried on to Overton. Today the cold
and short daylight meant that alternative was not on the agenda. I think Ken
broke in through the back door like a gunslinger in a western, because the
doors were open, without being unlocked, and Ken had disappeared inside to
track down the guy with a black Stetson.
We settled down on a couple of tables, Andy cannily grabbing a seat next to the radiator. Food and drink soon appeared as we talked about the difficulty pubs are currently facing and how we were lucky to find one open on a midweek lunchtime. Before long we had to take our leave and pose for our group picture – a passing cyclist was kind enough to take the photo for us, and then we were on our way.
 |
| Photo by Mike G |
Ken used his local knowledge to guide us back through the western edges of Wrexham Industrial Estate to emerge near the bottom of Marford Hill and on to Rossett. We left Ken as we passed by his house and rejoined our outward route at Higher Kinnerton. Crossing Mold Road was challenging due to really blinding December sunshine, but we climbed back up to Bilberry Wood, said goodbye to Andy, and descended back to the car park in Hawarden.
Our expectations at the start of the day were poor, but we ended up with an excellent ride in sunny cold conditions, a good lunch stop, and 36 miles covered. This write up is a joint effort by Dave and Steve Ha – you may guess who wrote which bit!
See route map and/or gpx file download
DH/SHa
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