2nd January 2025: Holt

 Being the first Easy Riders ride of the year, I thought there would be a large turnout at Meadow Lea but there weren't as many as I expected. Maybe it was the sudden cold weather. There was still frost and ice on the ground when I left the house. Or maybe it was because others had not eaten as much turkey and Christmas pudding as I had and didn't feel the need for exercise. As it was there were only 4 takers for the mod ride – Dave H, Keith, Ray B and myself.

 Although the temperature was edging above freezing we still needed a route which would avoid icy lanes, at least in the early part of the day. Dave called on my local local knowledge and I came up with a route that would take us down to Holt where we would have a choice of cafes for lunch. And so we set off south to Guilden Sutton but instead of heading to the A51 and Waverton we turned right towards the A41 and Chester. Just before reaching the town centre we turned down Dee Lane and followed the river, past the Groves, round the Roodee and out to the Ferry Lane bridge.

 After crossing the bridge, we turned left and then right onto the Broughton road, keeping to the cycle path to avoid the busy traffic. We soon turned off it and cycled through Bretton, on towards Kinnerton before turning south towards Rossett. We were now on country lanes but only small pockets of frost and ice remained and the road were quite good. The only thing we had to contend with was the low winter sun in our eyes. From Rossett we were on the long, straight B5102 with only a few bends to relieve the monotony. However, it didn't seem too long before we reached Holt.

 In Holt we found both cafes open. I opted to try the former Cleopatra's which has recently reopened (after 2 failed attempts) this time under the name of Cleopatra's II. Dave thought we should have gone to Maggie's to show loyalty to the cafe which has served us well while Cleopatra's has been closed and maybe we will next time.

 We discussed the route back. Dave and Ray wanted to take the shortest way back but Keith and I wanted to get some extra miles in while sun was out. The compromise was to head back via Aldford and Saighton. From there Dave knew his way back and took Ray with him while Keith and I turned right just after the railway bridge and headed over towards Waverton church. From here we followed the road alongside the canal as far as Hargrave where we turned left to return to Waverton via Martins Lane. Only a few miles now and across the A41 to reach Meadow Lea. 37 miles on a sunny winter's day and we had managed to avoid the worst of the frosty and icy roads.   

TC     

See route map and/or gpx file download