What a good turnout at Meadow Lea today. A great mix of riders and members. It was good to see Steve Ha following his self-inflicted confinement in the beer tent at Kelsall Show. It was great to see he had escaped such thirsty period relatively unharmed.
The mod+ group had three rides: Steve T proposed Church Minshull, Neil T had a subterranean ride to the Elephant at Parkgate and last, Clive had a circular route to Honey’s in Caergwrle. On realising the Church Minshull ride would entail riding into a headwind for close to twenty miles, Neil T dropped his spinnaker and defected to the mods to embrace George’s route.
So the merry quartet of Clive, Alan, Steve T & H set off from Meadow Lea. Leaving the estate roads of Mickle Trafford, we headed on the busy Warrington Road through Bridge Trafford before turning right onto quiet lanes to Manley. Here we joined Ashton road a popular parking area for CER’s Delamere starts. Soon Hatchmere and Norley were quickly despatched as the full effect of the tailwind could be felt.
The small lanes through Cuddington and Sandiway gave way to the slightly more built environs of Winsford. Steve route took us right through the centre which today was remarkably traffic free. The fast - flowing Swallow Lane soon welcomed us into the village of Church Minshull and the lunch stop of The Badger pub.
Sitting outside in one of the Alpine Huts, we quickly digested our wraps and varied poached egg meals. Within metres of restarting, we felt the brunt of the headwind. However due to the route Steve had chosen which passed through Cholmondeston and Wettenhall, we seemed to be shielded by the high hedges.
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| Courtesy of AO International Photos Inc |
The drag through and up out of Eaton was just that, a combination of headwind and uphill that challenged even the mighty Clive. Now as we crossed Tarporley Road, we were on Neil T’s “flat ride” from last week. The plunge down to Utkinton road and the short lanes brought us to the welcome sight of Walk mill, where it was unanimously agreed we needed a coffee stop.
Alan O kindly provided coffees for everyone; thank you for your generosity Al. Now with only five miles to go, we set off for Meadow Lea farm. Pausing only to bid farewell to Clive in Christleton who was returning to Chester. Steve T had a wind-assisted leg to Runcorn, and Steve H and Alan plodded home on the greenway dodging the wind.
A very pleasant 42 mile route in excellent company and pleasant albeit windy conditions.
Steve Hu
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