8th March 2012: Tremeirchion (mod)

The group consisted of Clive, Dave H. Dave and Liz P, Ray, Andy, Tony and Jim.

It was decided to head for Tremeirchion for lunch and we set off in bright sunshine and a slight headwind as we approached Northop.  Up the hill through Halkyn and along to Pentre Halkyn where a slight mis-calculation took us onto the old main road at Holywell.  We were going to take it anyway but we just weren't quite where we expected to be.  Clive and Ray had by now gone on ahead to rendezvous with Mike G who had pedalled out from his summer lodge overlooking the sea to join us.  The main group continued through Gorsedd and Pant y Wacco, back over the A55 to pick up the lane down to Tremeirchion for lunch.  Clive, Ray and Mike had already arrived and as we had only done 20 miles Dave and some of the others decided to keep going to the bottom of the hill so that they could ride back up again to the pub!

Despite being short staffed the food was served fairly speedily and we were soon pedalling slowly and steadily back up the hill.  A right turn at the top took us through Babell and Windmill though by now the wind was behind us so the hills by the quarries didn't seem as horrible as usual.  Mike left us at this point and we set off downhill back to Northop.  Here the Chester riders branched off towards the coast and the greenway while the rest of the group continued to Hawarden.

An excellent day out covering about 40 miles or 60 plus from Chester.

JD

The extended ride

Ray and I steadily accelerated away from the main group after the Britannia Inn.  The plan was to follow the same route to the Salusbury Arms at Tremeirchion but just past Lloc we came across Mike G cycling towards us.  He was out from Prestatyn.  Since we were quite early, he suggested a meander via Rhuallt to the pub and a very pleasant meander it was too.  On the return we rode with the main group all the way back to Northop and then four of us (Ray, Andy, Tony H and I) veered down to Connah’s Quay and the greenway back to Chester.  The circuit from Chester was about 60 miles.

CA

2nd June 2011: Abergele to Shotton (short)

The weather forecast had promised the hottest day of the week as we assembled on Shotton lower station waiting for the 10:04 train to all points west. The four of us, Brian Mac, Trevor, Norman and Jim were well covered in the necessary lotion but had some misgivings about Arriva Wales's intentions to accommodate us.  The web site declared their support for cyclists as long as there weren't more than two per train.  A plan was hatched and we stood in pairs at the opposite ends of the platform as the train arrived.  Not wishing to show any signs of hesitation we pushed on board before anyone could say “you can't bring that on here”.  In no time we were rattling along past the fleshpots of Prestatyn and Rhyl to arrive at Abergele half an hour later.  No sign of the promised sun though!  Only a cool breeze and the hilltops covered in cloud.  We set off' uphill of course (this is Wales after all) along the A548 towards Llangernwy (no I don't know where it is either).  After about 2 miles we turned left (more uphill) onto the lanes traversing the north side of the Afon Elwy valley.
If you are ever tempted to scoot down these narrow lanes without a care in the world-don't.  Round the next corner lurked a road sweeper, filling the whole road.  Hardly had we squeezed past him before a local farmer roared up behind us with a silage trailer, and then came his mate in the other direction.  At last they turned into a field and we were safe, but no, the dustbin wagon.  We were beginning to think that there was some sort of conspiracy taking place but eventually we were left alone to make our way to Trefnant just south of St Asaph.  From there we crossed the Clwyd Valley and climbed up the other side to Treheirchion and lunch at the Salusbury Arms.  The specially brewed local ale was well recommended by Don in his personal chair by the bar but all too soon we had to set off, uphill of course, towards Babell and Halkyn.
From there we swept down to Northop and finally Connahs Quay.  By now the sun was out and so were the local young mums with their muffin tops.  A quick coffee at Weatherspoons and Brian and Norman left to collect their vehicles leaving Trevor and Jim to set off along the fortunately flat Greenway back to Guilden Sutton.  A good ride of 34 hilly miles, or 55 for those from the wrong side of the tracks.

JD

10th February 2011: Tremeirchion

After a short ride out to Hawarden in pleasant cycling weather it was good to see I wasn’t the first to arrive.  George had already ordered and Dave H was just locking up his bike.  We settled down to tea and toasted teacakes as the others arrived: Jim, Dave B, Clive, Dave & Liz P and Dylan joining us for the first time.  Nine of us today but none of us had any firm ideas on where we should go or how we would get there.  The Bells of St Mary’s at Gronant and the Eagle and Child at Gwaenysgor were considered but eventually the decision was made to try somewhere new and so we settled on the Salusbury Arms at Tremeirchion.  Hills didn’t appear to be flavour of the month today so Bryan agreed to lead a route avoiding the worst.
Leading out, we headed west through Ewloe and Northop until a short section on the A55 brought us to the Britannia Inn.  Dylan left us at this point while the rest of us continued to the Brynford turnoff where we headed up into the hills past the golf course, through Brynford, the Friary and on to Gorsedd.  At the boarded up Druid pub we took a left and checked out The Rock pub at Lloc and Misty Waters at Pen-fford-llan (both look possible for future rides).  From here we had a straight ‘run’ down to Tremeirchion: or so we thought!  As we ground to a halt at the A55 we realised that in fact the only way across was literally to ‘run’ across the carriageways through the gap in the central barrier.  Not ideal by any means but the tarmacked path showed that this was the approved way to cross.  Safely over, we continued on to the steep descent down to the Salusbury Arms arriving just after 12:30pm.
Once the drinks were ordered (Marston’s ales and lime and soda at an unbelievable 25 pence a pint) we were shown into the lounge where food orders were taken and served.  What a contrast with last week’s venue.  The Salusbury Arms will certainly be on the list for future rides.  All we needed now was to decide on the route back.  While discussing the possibilities Dave H remarked that it would probably be the death of him, to which a voice from the table behind piped up to offer his business card – he was the local undertaker!  After more discussion Clive’s suggestion that we go back up the way we had come and then cut through to the Babell road was agreed.
The climb back up proved much easier than we had anticipated and before long we were on easy lanes heading east to Babell, across the Halkyns and down to Northop.  George and Dave B left us here while the rest of the group returned to Hawarden via Ewloe Green, arriving well before 16:00pm to finish the day with coffee and cake at the Gallery tea shop.
Another wonderful day in great cycling weather: neither to hot nor to cold.  A round trip of 38 miles from Hawarden or some 55 miles from Chester and back.

BW