For the first time since the April Special Ride there have been two consecutive Brisk rides. Last week it was Ivan’s ride to Crewe, and this week mine to Alsager. With a little WhatsApp prodding, five of us supped at Alison’s - John M, Richard, Ken, Ivan and myself - Nick was enjoying his birthday day out and Ray was “enjoying” a nasty horsefly bite to his thigh.
The weather was iffy to start with and it didn’t disappoint as I donned my rainwear in Christleton. Ivan and I enjoyed rain all the way to Alison’s cafe. I’d advertised the route to Alsager to lunch at Hall Farm cafe with the route first taking us the usual way to Nantwich. In and out to Wybunbury (Winbry) which is reckoned to be one of the earliest settlement in Cheshire, we take the four mile Wrinehill Lane to Wrinehill. Betley is left but we go right for a bit on the main road sliding off towards Madeley Heath. A left into the rising four mile long Heighley Lane (circling the ruins of the 13C castle hidden in the trees) finds us in Audley, named after the former family owners of the said castle.
It’s another 4 miles before we slide left through Alsager to find Hall Farm shop and cafe. It’s a popular place as we take the last free table. The menu is interesting with a busy kitchen bringing out our repast quite quickly. We have now ridden 31 of the 58 miles so we saddle up riding westwards passing a brand new "chic” warehouse estate advertised as “Radar Crew” on the PlotaRoute mapping. Looking at the map you can see that we are riding parallel to the massive munitions site of the former Royal Ordnance plc since bought and run by BAE. Wicki informs me that it makes all sorts of small arms ammunition for the army.
We cycle on going through Oakhanger, bypassing Weston to arrive in Shavington - but minus John. He’s a mile back repairing a puncture - thankfully the only excitement of the day. Ivan leads around Willaston and Nantwich as we depart Nantwich via the same way we came into it via Acton. It’s another 4 mile run to the Cholmondeley Arms pub crossroads and then yet another 4 miles to Bickerton. Along here Ken peels off back to Rossett.
Shortly we espy the bedraggled ranks of the Mods crossing the main road readying to ascend the “easy’ side of Harthill. We stop for a catch-up chat about their ride and disappointing lunch venue in Audlem, before hurtling down the hill and another 4 miles back into Tattenhall. So back in Tattenhall, we four ride on for home with John accompanying us for a short while to get his 100km up before driving home. We three then ride back into Chester via Saighton.
For us riding out and back from Chester it was about 80 miles today at 16 mph average. Despite the wet start, the rest of the day was thankfully dry. So my thanks to Ken for acting as pilot for a lot of the day and also to Ivan, John and Richard for deciding to come out for a CER Brisk Ride. Hopefully they will now have a taste for it and turn up in Chirk next week!
CA
No comments:
Post a Comment