A modest number of Easy Riders gathered in the sunshine outside Delamere Station Cafe. Not riding out were David M and Peter. He’s gradually increasing the length of his rides as he recovers and had travelled over 30 miles to get to Delamere. Two rides were proposed. Steve T was offering the delights of Runcorn and set off with those keen to discover more. I was tempted by The Dog at Peover Heath and led out Matt the Trike, Dave H and George.
The route was a fairly familiar one - out via Acton Bridge and Comberbach, through Pickmere and Plumley, crossing the A50 and the A537, before looping back through Marthall to arrive at our destination. Along the way, after we’d crossed the Trent and Mersey Canal, I passed a group of cyclists wearing the yellow Chester and North Wales CTC jerseys. I came to the next junction and waited for the rest to catch up. After some time I retraced my steps and found that they had recognised Glenys and stopped for a chat. After we moved on we were grateful for the cooling breeze our movement generated on an otherwise fairly still day. Many on the villages we passed had bunting displayed as their annual fetes were coming up.
The Dog was welcoming as usual and we chose to sit outside under a large awning to keep the sun off. We chose from the lite bites menu and the food very quickly arrived - the service here is excellent. As we ate we chatted. We talked about the nicknames we had started to use for some members (Ever Ready Ray, Matt the Trike), about the missing Titanic tour submarine, and many more matters before it was time to move on.
We headed south towards Goostrey, passing the bridleway that George and I once took as a shortcut on the same route. George’s opinion was “never again”. Through Goostrey we turned north by the Trading Post, a useful cyclists stop for takeaway drinks and food. We shortly passed Glenys and her group travelling in the opposite direction. We crossed the M6 and passed through Lach Dennis when Dave suggested a stop at Riverside Organics for an ice cream - just the ticket on a hot day, and a pleasant backdrop for a photo.
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| Photo by Matt |
From Davenham we crossed the A556 and passed through Hartford, the traffic getting heavy as school closing time was upon us. We crossed the A49 and for a change followed the length of Cuddington Lane. I’d forgotten how steep the climb here was, but we made it to the top and continued to the Forest View Inn. From Gallowsclough Lane, with some trepidation, we took the track through Delamere Forest. I was soon proved wrong in saying there would be no mud, but there wasn’t much, and we covered some rough stony ground before emerging opposite Blakemere Moss. Here George and Matt turned right to head back homewards, while Dave and I turned left to get back to the Station Cafe.
We had covered a little short of 50 miles. Although the sun was hot, the weather was pleasant if we kept moving, our stops excellent and the company great. A good ride to mark roughly ten years since I retired took up cycling and joined CER.
See route map an/or gpx file download
SHa
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