There was a good turn out on a fine, sunny, but windy day.
Once everyone had sorted themselves out, there would be three rides today: Neil
was heading for Winsford (really?), so that the wind would be behind him on the
return journey; Dave H was headed for The Bhurty at Aston (where else) and I
had planned a ride to go to The Lord Combermere in Audlem, a venue we haven’t
been to in nearly three years. I was joined on this venture by Clive, Fiona,
Elwyn and Anthony.
As usual, we set off down to Cotebrook and around the Oulton
Park race circuit where we could hear the roar of engines on what would be a ‘track
day’. We were soon whizzing down Winsford Road through Wettenhall and Cholmondeston
and across the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal. At times the
gusty east wind was quite strong and so I was grateful to Clive and Elwyn for
their stints at the front to take the wind off me.
As soon as we reached Nantwich, we turned away along Chester
Road, but turned off at Acton to head down to Ravensmoor and Sound, where we
crossed the A530 Whitchurch Road. Another five miles along the country lanes
saw us arriving in Audlem at about 12.15, with 23 miles covered.
The last time we came to the Lord Combermere was July 2023
and it was a disaster. Service was slow, the guy running the place couldn’t use
the card machine and Andy B couldn’t even get a cup of tea. We were all
convinced that the place would close. However, when I looked on Google
recently, I saw that the pub was taken over by a young couple at the end of
2023 and that they had an attractive looking lunch menu offering, amongst other
things, sandwiches or wraps plus a drink for £14 which, these days, is quite
good value. When we arrived, the pub was quiet. We were seated quickly and food
and drink ordered. Clive and I had their sticky beef wrap and a pint of local
beer and Anthony had their BLT sandwich which was huge! All in all, it was a great improvement on our last visit and well worth a return.
The Lord
Combermere is named after Field Marshal Stapleton Cotton (14 November 1773 – 21
February 1865), a distinguished British Army officer, diplomat, and politician.
As a junior officer, he participated in the Flanders campaign, the Fourth
Anglo-Mysore War, and helped suppress Robert Emmet's insurrection in 1803. He
commanded a cavalry brigade in Sir Arthur Wellesley's Army and later took
overall command of the cavalry during the latter stages of the Peninsular War.
His impressive career continued as he served as Commander-in-Chief in Ireland
and later in India, where he famously stormed Bharatpur—the battle that
inspired the name of The Bhurtpore pub—an impressive fortress once considered
impregnable.
Well fed and watered, we set off back, forgetting to take a group photo. We put this right when we reached the canal at Wrenbury.
At this point, we had to divert from our planned route, as there was major tree surgery
works going on at the start of Cholmondeley Road. So we took a left and went via
Gaunton’s Bank and Holtrideg before re-joining Cholmondoley Road. After that,
everything went smoothly, helped in no small way by the wind being mostly
behind us. Reaching Bunbury, Fiona and Elwyn decided to pick up one of Fiona’s
old routes back to Lavister and home. Fiona later told me that they’d done 80
miles in the day – good training to the Bob Cliff and Vets 100 which they’ve signed
up for.
Clive,
Anthony and I pressed on. At Tilstone Bank, there was an unusual amount of
traffic, much of it being fancy cars and SUVs. A Porsche Taycan almost had a
mirror off as he squeezed past a truck and trailer and 100 yards further on came
to a Mexican Stand-off with a Mercedes SUV. These lanes were built for cars more like an MG Midget or a Morris Minor than the leviathans on the road today.
Reaching
Tilstone Fearnell, we braved the busy A49 for a short distance before turning
right along Lodge Lane. Clive told me that a few years ago, this lane had been
closed due to water damage where it crosses Wettenhall Brook. You can tell which
bit has been repaired as it is smooth as a billiard table!
Reaching
the top of Tarporley High Street, Clive took his leave to head home. Anthony
and I carried on to Rose Farm, with the last 100 yards up John Street consuming
the last dregs of our energy.
My thanks to Clive, Fiona, Elwyn and Anthony
for their company on a lovely spring/summer day. 47 miles done and a good lunch
stop re-discovered.
ST
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