28th November 2024: Holt (mod)

 Reminiscent of last week’s ride, those of us who gathered at Ness Gardens were a mix of members who had sensibly decided to only turn out for a social coffee and those who for whatever reason hoped that the ice would melt and the temperature would rise as the day progressed.  I had cycled over from Wales with Alan and the conditions “under wheel” were not too treacherous - even the wooden walkway on the marches was passible with care. 

Five of us were riding today.  Alan was offering a ride around the Wirral to be accompanied by Steve T and Chris.  I suggested to Ray that we might enjoy ourselves on an amble around to Maggie’s at Holt.  Ray readily agreed and bidding our fellow riders a safe day we set off in the sunshine. 

Re-crossing the marches the ice on the boardwalk having already turned to water, a hopeful sign, we made our way through the industrial estate musing on the future of the Toyota engine plant and the troubles of the car industry worldwide as governments try to get the reluctant consumer to switch to EVs.  Cycling along the river Ray noted that the “pesky wind” is always against you whatever the weather forecast may say.  Crossing the river on the footbridge we cycled along the edge of Saltney and using the cycle path alongside the busy Chester Road we dropped on to Bretton Lane.  A new area for Ray we made steady progress via Lesters Lane, Kinnerton Road and Pulford Lane into Pulford itself.  The roads were largely traffic free and drying out nicely in the welcome winter sunshine.  Cutting through the back of Lavister on Gamford Lane we picked up the B5102 into Holt.  Maggie’s was a welcome sight after this long exposed stretch of road into a freshening wind.

Ray noticed that they were offering a winter special of soup and a panini.  This would do us nicely.  As usual the lunchtime conversation ranged far and wide including the usual quota of “things were different in our day”.  From the mysterious threat of social media in all its forms to ice on the inside of the windows when we were kids.  It was eventually time to embark on the return leg.  Crossing the Dee into Farndon we headed north to Churton and turned right on to Pump Lane something of a favourite of mine despite the rough road surface in places.  Crossing the A41 we bowled along through Tattenhall and Hargrave into Waverton.  Here for the first time we started to pick up more traffic a product of the “school run”.  Another 21^st century innovation as big SUVs stacked up behind us.

Crossing the A51 courtesy of a kindly motorist who slowed and flagged us across we picked up the Greenway.  In the gathering gloom we ambled on Ray only telling me occasionally the he was “knackered” while I attempted to convince him to sign up for the Vets 100 next year.  My powers of persuasion were somewhat lacking so still a work in progress. 

We parted company at the Wales end of the Greenway.  We had surprisingly clocked up just over 50 miles at a unsurprising stately pace of 9.1mph.  A good days riding and a real welcome bonus at this time of the year.

 

GW          

28th November 2024: New Brighton (Mod+)

 What a day , glorious blue skies no rain but just bitterly cold.  In all eight of us met at ‘The botanic kitchen’,   just five riders,  three in civvies,  just out  for a social coffee. Steve Hu and Shane were guilty as charged since they had their bikes and cycling gear in the car. I continued to work on them and just as the ice outside was thawing I saw their resolve weakening. Hey up, we will have five out today I thought. That was until……….

In walked Chris the warrior, bedecked in shorts! Did I mention it was minus two degrees Celsius outside. Not only wearing shorts but also a bloody graze on his leg where terra firma and he had met on the way to the cafe! Apparently, Chris had come off on one of the marsh cattle grids, so we needed to be wary of icy patches. Steve Hu and Shane’s interest in the ride quickly melted away!

George had a plan to return across the icy wastes of Burton Marsh on a circuitous route to Holt, see GW’s blog.

Clive was driving to Norfolk later in the day so it was Steve T, Chris and myself who decided on a clockwise Wirral loop that we had ridden earlier this year. With the temperature still at minus 2, we didn’t dawdle and soon passed through Neston and Thornton Hough and then the seemingly never- ending uphill drag to Irby.  Downhill to Meols and on to the sea front, and, although it had warmed up to 1 deg Celsius, it didn’t feel like it in the cold sea breeze. Maybe Steve Hu and Shane had been right after all.

The low tide had attracted thousands of sea birds, and also dozens of cocklers on quad bikes towing trailers, a hard way to earn a living ordinarily and even more so on a cold winters day.

Changing the plan slightly we arrived at ‘The Seaside Cafe’ a CER favourite lunch stop.

As well as a scraped knee, Chris had also hurt his hip, which was now giving him some discomfort. So Steve then reminisced about some of his more spectacular tumbles over the years.  A sobering reminder of the potential risks of our pastime, of which our erstwhile secretary Dave H is blissfully unaware. LOL

We set off again to follow the prom to Seacombe , by now  turning  into a strong and freezing headwind.  Following the Wirral coast cycle path over this section seems to be more difficult. It tends to zig zags left and right I managed to lose my teammates for a while, reuniting at Woodside.

Chris left us at Childer Thornton to get back for his evening shift; I don’t know where he gets the energy from, but then he is a good 30 years our junior and holds the double award for the ascent of Hope Mountain with Matt & Paul a few weeks ago.

So, a challenging 40 miles in the wintery conditions, but made enjoyable by my two companions.

Alan O 

See route map and/or file download

21st November 2024 : Tattenhall

 Earlier hailstones had formed a solid clump around my windscreen wiper pivot. This was going to be an icy morning for cycling. I eventually arrived at Meadow Lea to find a convivial group consisting of Ivan, Clive, Ken, Trevor and Julie, Jim and Diane, Keith and Big Ray. Only Keith and Ray were dressed for cycling. Having enjoyed the socialising, the potential cyclists concluded that although it wasn’t very wise, we would give it a go. This wasn’t without precedent, as the same characters had ridden in pairs or a three before in ice and snow, with Steve Tan and sometimes George. Steve was under doctor’s orders on this occasion.

I had a plan, but we would be prepared to adjust dependent on the state of the road surfaces in front of us. As we set off toward Morley Bridge my face felt as cold as a fishmonger’s slab. The pleasant little road up to Dunham Heath looked treacherous, so we took extra care to ride steadily and straight. After passing Manley Mere we climbed up Siddall’s Hill to Mouldsworth, which helped to warm us up properly. Drifting down past the Goshawk was a breeze, taking a chance on the quiet lane out of Ashton past Ashtonhall Farm was a more precarious undertaking. The weather was fine and the sun was out, but the high hedges on our offside had ensured that the uneven surface remained frozen and confirmed the extra risk of straying from well-used lanes. Through Kelsall we passed Steve Haywood’s house by mistake, which had the unfortunate result of us having to pass a thorn- spewing hedge cutting outfit to reach Willington Corner. No punctures were incurred, and apart from the dark, rough stretch past the Willington Hall Hotel, the riding and scenery in the sun was making us glad we had not driven home from Meadow Lea. We still had to be careful the other side of Clotton, as I recalled sliding horizontal down the road at one of the corners, having been deceived by a thin film of mud that looked dry but was icy. That incident was over thirty years ago and resulted in me riding back to Runcorn with a buckled wheel and disconnected front brake.  At Huxley a decision had to be made whether to venture further south to, say, the Cholmondeley Arms or to head across to Alison’s at Tattenhall. We certainly had no intention of climbing up the north-facing road from “The Shady” to Beeston Castle which resembled a ski slope last time we used it in freezing conditions. It was agreed not to push our luck, so we chose a speeded-up extra circuit past The Ice Cream Farm and Owler Hall before turning into Alison’s.  Alison’s was friendly and spot-on as ever. There were the now familiar road closures due to flooding west of Tattenhall, so instead of contriving a detour the guys voted for a quickish direct return. For a change, we chose the Shropshire Union Canal route to Waverton rather than the Greenlooms loop. On our way through Guilden Sutton we gave a shout to Ivan sorting out his window blinds, but I doubt that he clocked us. Ray had to get back to the end of The Wirral, but Keith and I had time for coffee and cake at Meadow Lea. It had been a very enjoyable thirty miles in relaxing company, and well worth the risk, (as it turned out!)   

DH   

14th November 2024: Whitegate (mod)

 Keith rang me to say that he couldn’t extricate himself from the jammed Runcorn traffic to head for Utkinton. His second attempt to find a route out had him close to my house, and as I was about to leave, we decided to share just the one car and find a more radical route.  We still had to undertake a long line of stationary cars, and shoot into a gap on the Murdishaw roundabout trying to emulate the slick timing of Lewis Hamilton, rather than the dangerous bullying of mad Max. The queue on the Northwich Road before the A49 led to a U-turn, but using our cycling lanes we eventually reach the Leigh Arms and headed south on the A49 to Cuddington and Cotebrook. We arrived at Rose Farm to find a strong turnout just about to ride off. It was great to talk to Steve Hayward, as we gulped down a quick coffee. The moderate group acquiesced to my suggestion of an unusual route ending up at the café in the former Whitegate station. The group consisted of Big Ray, George, Trevor, Keith and me.

We finally headed out after 11a.m. reaching the Reaseheath-Wettenhall road via Tarporley, Eaton, Winterford Lane, Mill Lane, The Hall Lane and Oulton Lowe. We then, unusually, headed north-east, diving and climbing through attractive Darnhall to reach the outskirts of Winsford. It is surprising to some, but like Runcorn, Winsford has some posh bits, in this case on its southern edge. Trevor, as so often, knows his way around in this area, but had to take an important phone call, so said that he would catch us up. Despite Trevor’s instructions, and me thinking that I knew what I was doing, a turn was missed. Ray insisted that we consulted a local guy parking his car, but one of his suggestions could have left us heading down some muddy farm track with plenty of potholes. Anyway, I soon got my head around things with my large-scale O.S. map, and we headed down alongside the main road to the roundabout adjacent to Bottom Flash.  We then turned north alongside the Weaver Navigation and with the salt works on our right turned west on to the old railway route known as the Whitegate Way. The ride was now very relaxed away from traffic on the russet leaf carpeted level way. Despite it being mid-November, we cycled past a fertile field vibrant green in the sunshine. Our tree arched route glimmered copper and gold as we cruised along.  Then, Keith displayed the vision of a kestrel in identifying Trevor in the distance ahead.  Trevor had not missed the turn in Winsford but had missed the long conversation about route options with the local yokel, so had finished up ahead of us. The Whitegate station café is in the Marton area and is a very friendly community café mainly run by volunteers. Our conversation was convivial, and lunch was fine. I blame Ray’s loud laugh for “doing my head in” and me not being able to remember much about our topics of conversation.

Our return route took us close to the rear of The Hollies and the Cheshire Polo Ground before crossing the A54 and reaching the Coach Road to Oulton Park. There are interesting bridle paths throughout this area centred on Little Budworth Country Park, some definitely worth exploring on a mountain bike. The Mill Pond presented a lovely shimmering scene on this perfect autumn day as we approached Cotebrook. Some of us remember the attractive Mill Pool restaurant which closed over five years ago and was demolished to be replaced by two very expensive homes. I was thinking of riding around to Ukinton village via Hollins Hill, but the troops soon scotched the idea. It was a short ride, but Trevor must have covered forty miles by the time he had cycled back to Guilden Sutton.  Ray left promptly to drive back to Moreton. Keith and I stayed at Rose Farm café with George for a last coffee, and some interesting discussion about workplace issues like the price paid for confronting unacceptable behaviour, or not, and standing up to management bullies. George’s experience in human resources and mine and Keith’s experience of “talking truth to power” provided some interesting anecdotes. Of course, the option to finish the day with coffee, cake and a chat has always been part of the convivial culture of our club. We had managed it today despite the late start, because of a shorter route than I had calculated. The cycling conditions and autumn scenery had been smashing. It was a bonus to have winter postponed for just one more ride.  

DH

14th November 2024: Waverton (Mod+)

I was going to gripe about the muddy lanes, but after todays ride, yesterdays Mod+ was pretty good to be fair- Lol.

It’s hard to ride any lane at the moment without slimy mud everywhere. We need some heavy rain to wash the roads, which should be on Sunday- bah humbug.

 

Anyway, after an early digression ( can you say that- Lol)

The venue for the day was Rose Farm and for a change my leadership started from my house, as I had F & E in tow. This was because I was always going to do an easy, flat 45 miles max, from home that is, due to several injuries I was  carrying, which suited them.

I didn’t therefore plan on leading a proper group, however, I still ended up with a few more followers- Lol. 

Clearly those few didn’t mind a short one ( real reason was they had no alternative, as Steve T turned up with a similar plan to me and was simply returning home- Lol)

 

A quick head count in the cafe revealed 17, which was not as good as the record total from last week at Gladstone Library, but nevertheless, good for Rose Farm. That didn’t include Steve Haywood, who had turned up in his civvies, just to say hello.

DH turned up in the end ( some excuse about traffic- Lol) just as we were leaving, so I guess he ended up with a fair size group, as the fast group was only Clive & Ivan, I believe. The count should be 18/ 19, as we bumped into Keith as we were riding off. He was looking distressed, which he explained was simply the experience of travelling with DH - Lol- Lol- Lol. 

 

So it was that Kev, Alan & Steve Hu joined me+ F&E for a pan flat meander to the Blue Bell cafe, which, after a quick phone call, became Walk Mill ( always my back up- Lol)

I mentioned that I would be very slow on the inclines, as my knee couldn’t take any sort of incline, but hopefully steady on the flat bits.

We set off to the right and a quick downhill, set us up for a nice steady pace for the next few miles to Aston.

Photo AO

I was basically taking the group on the flattest meander I could come up with, whilst avoiding the worst of the mucky lanes. This meant swinging out toward Cheshire Oaks and back past the zoo into Guilden Sutton, although on a different lane.

It didn’t take us that long to reach the A51, where upon Steve Hu questioned my route, when I told them to turn left onto the pathway. We were of course mirroring the A51 so we could cut back up toward the Blue Bell cafe and take the long route to Walk Mill cafe. After a few hundred metres on the pathway we turn left past the Stamford Bridge Inn. There was a slight hiatus in the group, at this point, which I never did find out the reason for- Lol.  I needed to plod on up the slight incline, due to the knee pain I was experiencing. I knew they would catch me up and just in time for me to turn right.

 

At the top of what would normally not be classed as a hill, but for me it was, we turn right and meandered through a few lovely lanes that brought us back to the A51, which we crossed.

This set us on a path past DM’s house, which I believe was pointed out to Kev, in passing ( glad to see you have fixed your garage door Dave- Lol). No sooner past DM’s gaff, we were creeping up to the crossing of the A49 and still with 6 in the group- Lol. I would just like to add that nobody was lost this time, as I was able to look behind and check for myself that everybody was still in tow, unlike last time, which I took unfair criticism for ( Steve Hu- Lol)

 

After crossing the A49, we are quickly descending toward Walk Mill, only a mile away and 25 from Rose Farm. We turned up to a surprisingly busy cafe ( never seen so many bikes at one cafe- Lol)

Fiona managed to bag us the last table, while the rest of us were getting our orders in. It didn’t take long to be fair and my falafel, beetroot sandwich was gorgeous. Turned out that this is Fiona’s favourite sandwich cafe. Conversation was well varied, with Kev seemingly the centre of them all, as the new member of the club, he was filling us in on his cycling history and his reasons for riding in trainers. (he’ll be to fast for Mod+ once he gets clip in pedals- Lol)

After a brief discussion with Kev as to knowing his way back to Rose Farm, because all of us were heading for Tattenhall, he confirmed he did, but decided he would follow us and then head back to Rose Farm. Alen & Steve Hu were heading for Waverton, because their cars were there.

 

I decided to change the route a little and head through the back lanes to Hargrave, which would provide Alan & Steve an alternative route back up to Waverton, via the canal road ( aren’t I thoughtful - Lol- lol).  It didn’t take us long to get to Tattenhall, where upon Steve decided that they should turn right past what used to be Old Ma’s cafe. I guess he intended to take Platt’s Lane to Saighton and Waverton beyond - that’ll teach me to be so thoughtful- Lol- Lol.

Only a few hundred metres further on, we lose Kev, who was going to call his daughter, who apparently lives in Tattenhall. Now down to 2 in the group, I at least knew I was going to finish the ride with somebody, as they started out with me- Lol. We arrived at my place with 44 miles on the clock and a respectable AS of 14mph ( not to bad for a cripple - Lol) 

 

Despite the odd mucky lane, I think everybody enjoyed the meander. I remember somebody mentioning, at one point, that they were surprised when they realised we were on top of Cheshire Oaks, as they had no idea where we were, which to me means- Job done- Lol. And 10 minutes later we were passing the zoo, although some didn’t notice- Lol- Lol.

So, a good ride in the end, due to unusually mild weather and no wind at all +  great company and Steve Hu of course- didn’t mean it mate- Lol.

 

Till next time,

Neil. 

14th November. 2024 : Sandbach (brisk)

I hadn’t been out on the bike with Ivan for a while, so it was a real pleasure to be out with him on his ride round Cheshire on Tuesday. Lots of familiar and dry roads with little traffic and some sunshine at last, with a new cafe (“Eleven”) in Whitchurch for lunch. This soon built up to a 70 mile round trip at 16mph. We were both riding on Thursday from Rose Farm so he offered up a couple of routes, and this one to "The George" in Sandbach was the result.

Leaving Chester at 0900 for the ride out to Utkinton, the weather was a mixture of a medium thick fog plus a fine drizzle which demanded a rain jacket to be donned and cycling glasses being cleared every few minutes. Nearing Utkinton, the fog and drizzle had lifted as I rolled in to Rose Farm with Alan. Steve Hu and Alan had caught me up on Ryecroft Lane outside Waverton, and then we caught up Trevor, with whom Steve Hu accompanied to the cafe.

Soon there were a dozen plus riders in the cafe with talk of "where are you going today". It was good to see Steve Ha making an appearance and making progress but not riding yet. Nick had messaged to say that he would meet us at Tilly's at 1100 which fitted in well. 

So Ivan and I set off through Tarporley and out the back of town down Rabbit Burrow Lane where the first of a few "Road Closed" signs today momentarily checked our progress. "It’ll be alright” we thought even though we could seen lots of yellow flashing lights and earth-moving monsters on the horizon. Well it wasn’t alright, and we had to retrace our route going back over a very muddy surface and divert down to the A51 lights. We arrive at Tilly’s on time to see a very relaxed Nick supping his coffee inside. He comes out admitting that he’d been there for a while due to mix up over timing. Waiting outside, we met the lady owner (I presume)  who was keen to "embrace" cyclists with a track pump and inner tubes added to the usual cafe menu.

The ride now is a familiar route in and out of Nantwich and Willaston. This becomes less familiar as we wriggle around Shavington and onto Basford sliding around Weston before arriving at Crewe Enterprise Centre environs. There are more less familiar roads now passing through Oakhanger thence passing by BAE Land Systems Munitions plant (and no doubt quite busy right now).  We edge around Alsager and onto to Malkin's Bank via Hassall Green, and, after 29 miles into “The George" in Sandbach’s cobbled medieval market place.

The pub is pretty busy, but as ever, serves up good value food and drink in double quick time. We are good to go in little over 30 mins with a very familar and shorter route back to Tarporley.  After Elworth, it’s on to Church Minshull and the long lane to Cholmondeston then arguably the second worst road in Cheshire running northwards to Wettenhall and beyond. 

Arriving into Tarporley via Eaton, we three veer off towards Beeston where Nick heads for home as Ivan and I run back into Waverton. I thought I caught a glimpse of Steve Hu just about to leave the car park in Waverton as Ivan I complete a mid-70 miler in the sunshine. Given the range of weather and a mix of  dry and very muddy roads today, we were pleased to be out enjoying the mid-November Cheshire countryside.

So a big thank you to Ivan for the route for today and Tuesday, and to Nick for his company on today's excursion.

See route map and/or gpx file download

CA

7th November 2024: Rossett (mod)

 The mods group at Hawarden today consisted of Dave and Liz on tandem, Ray(B), George and Dave H. The planned route was to be a circuit of Hope Mountain with lunch at the Alyn Pub in Rossett. We set off on the usual route south crossing the A55 on the footbridge. From here we headed south along the ridge to drop down to Hope and pick up the anticlockwise circuit around Hope Mountain. At Pontylyddn we turned southwest for the well graded snaking 2 mile climb up to the turning onto the B5101 for the scenic ride along the western slope down to Ffrith with a short climb up to the B5102. From here it was lovely long descent to Cefn-y-bedd and on to Rossett.

The Alyn is currently the best of the 3 pubs in the area for food and good service. After lunch we took a direct route back over the gated pedestrian rail crossing and a series of flats and staggered climbs back onto the ridge route we used in the morning.

Good company, good food and a dry somewhat cloudy day

 27 moderatly hilly miles at 10.5 mph. 

 DP

7th November 2024 : Caergwrle (brisk)

A bumper crowd gathered at the Gallery in Hawarden including two new inductees, Paul and Chris, who were served their commission papers by Mr Heath. There were enough of us to make up mod, mod+ and brisk groups today. Surprisingly there were eight folks undaunted by the silly number of hills in my proposed route to Hope (that I'd dug out from my pre-covid archives) with Clive, John M, Nick, Shane, Ray S, newbies Paul and Chris all up for the challenge of the short (40mi) but hilly (3350 ft) Flintshire ramble.

As normal, we left slightly late and after a brief pause when Clive dechained, climbed up through Ewloe towards Buckley on the first of our 11 (ELEVEN!!) categorised climbs. Some gentle ups and downs took us along surprisingly dry and mud-free lanes through Alltami and Sychdyn and past Polly's Brewery. Here, a brief split occured as three of us stayed on the tarmac and everyone else risked the leaf-covered short cut onto the A541. A familiar lane brought us to Gwernaffield Road, and onto the much less familiar Maes Garmon Lane. At the bottom of this lane, we were confronted by a mud-laden climb which probably explains why it's not a familiar road to most of us. MTB/cross-country/gravel-biking skills came into play and we all made it up ... eventually.

Maes Garmon  - or in English "Very Muddy"

Following the mudfest, we headed south through Gwernymynydd and onto the A494 where I missed the turning before The Swan, like I always do! After Swan Lane came a climb up Ffordd Las, which initially met with some disapproval, but in the end turned out to be a mere 7% for just 1km - child's play! There followed a couple more punchy climbs - called that, possibly because a few riders may have wanted to punch the route-planner at this point. At Llanfynydd, we realised we were short of two riders. After a phone call, it transpired that Shane had punctured somewhere on the up and down between Rhyd-y-Ceirw and Llanfynydd. Fortunately John M had hung around to assist him with repairs. They made their own way to Honey's.

As Paul warned us, the next climb was a bit of a monster over Hope Mountain, but at least the clouds had cleared enough to enjoy the views over the Flintshire coast. At the top, considering we were a bit late for our lunch booking, we all reluctantly agreed to bin the planned second ascent of Hope Mt, this one a 10.5% average mile-long Category 3 beast; a real shame that we couldn't fit that one in! So instead of being Hope-ful, we ended up being a little Hope-less (ba-dum tish!)

As Clive, Nick and Ray sped off to Honey's, I waited awhile for Paul and Chris, for rather longer than they could possibly have taken - given they'd been a fair bit faster than most of us to that point - and eventually I realised they must have gone a different way. Sure enough, when I arrived at Honey's in Caergwrle they were there, and Shane and John rolled in shortly after me.

All down hill after lunch

Lunch talk included Ray's Spanish adventures, Paul's experience of time trialling and sportives in Essex, the sad news about Chris Hoy, how to stay hydrated when cycling in cold weather and the art of timely consumption of calories on challenging rides.I think we all enjoyed the food and the excellent, friendly service at Honey's, and I'd suggest it would be a good venue for future lunch stops, especially in the summer with its outdoor seating beside the river. Worth noting they don't accept cards for transactions less than £12, so bring some cash, or you'll have to grab a cookie for the journey home to make up the total!

There was one more climb after lunch up through Caer Estyn, where we passed Dave's mod group heading the other way. From there it was mostly downhill; Clive leading the way at an energetic pace, through the Kinnertons to Saltney Ferry, where the Chester-bound riders bid good day to the folks returning to Hawarden. Despite the hills, I think we all enjoyed a testing but fun ride. If we do this route again during winter months, it probably needs a tweak to miss out that Maes Garmon mud though.

See route map and/or gpx file download

MT

7th November 2024: Cwm (mod+)

 Its rare to see 21 CER riders in one place apart from our Christmas Meal. So arranged on a banqueting table (see photo) the three groups plotted different routes and options whilst enjoying coffee teacakes or in Matts case someone’s birthday cake and ice cream !

A healthy group of 8 briskers set off for a “Club du Cinglès Hope Mountain”. The mod group were contemplating a “Tour du Hope Mountain” leaving Alan, Steves T & Hu plus Kevin to go west into the nice weather.

 Alans plan was to climb and then stay high before dropping down to the coast for the short dash home. A busy route through Hawarden in the rush hour (if such a thing exists with WFH) led to the old A5 road where the roads became noticeably quieter. We rode through Northop and then paralleling the A55, before starting our trek up to the Halkyn Mountain. Alan took us up what can only be described as a farm track. Apparently a favoured route of Ivans, it takes you off the main road through a farm with an equally excited sheepdog and his owner, then pops you out just below Halkyn village.

 The road is deceptive from Halkyn through Pentre Halkyn onto the Windmills it rises and falls. Fortunately for us today we had a tail wind on this slightly uphill section. Using quiet lanes we crossed the A55 then descended into Cwm. When we say descended it was just that !14% downhill for about half a mile. “We are coming back this way” announced Alan……..you could hear a pin drop!

Refreshed with a variety of hot sandwiches at the Blue Lion, we stopped for the obligatory photo and then set off up the hill. Alan can be seen in the photograph, powering up the 14% with effortless ease, whilst the rest of us suffered in silence.

 The road meandered down to Trelawnyd where we discovered the previously flattering tail wind was now a head wind. With Kevin and Alan specks in the distance, Steve T and I realised our state of the nation discussion should cease and we should put our cycling heads back on!

 At Holywell I remembered a lovely descent through the woods by Greenfield Valley. The last time I climbed this route was in the spring with CER. Dave Heath was telling me something memorable, I’ve forgotten what it was LOL. So, after creating bow waves of leaves we plunged into Greenfield. A short section of the busy “bottom” road took us to Bagillt where we could re-join the cycleway.

 At Flint our ride leader Alan set off for home and shortly after Kevin carried on to Graham Weighs in Shotton, en route to his home in Chester. Steve T and I took Paper Mill lane which pulled all the way back up to Northop Hall.

 Hawarden was just a ten minute breeze under our wheels. I recorded an enjoyable 44 miles with 3,232 feet of climbing, so a punchy little route.

 As always thanks for leading Alan and to Kevin and Steve T for the company.

 Steve Hu 

See route map and/or gpx file download

31st October 2024: Tattenhall (mod)

 The mods group at Delamere Cafe today consisted of Dave and Liz on tandem, Ray(B) (No longer Electric Ray) on his lightweight bike, George, Jim and Trevor. Jim had a planned route for himself and Trevor to Alison's at Tattenhall and then direct home to Guilden Sutton, so we joined them for the first part of the ride to lunch. Jim's route took us through the forest on the bridleway to pick up the road to Kelsall, past Beeston Castle and on to Tattenhall. After a good lunch at Alison's, Jim and Trevor left for home and we took a more easterly route via Bunbury and Oulton Park back to Delamere. A pleasant ride in good company making the best of low cloudy morning conditions and a cloudy but brighter afternoon.

 34 miles at a gentle 11,5 mph. 

 DP