19th October 2023: Street Dinas (mod)

The news and weather forecasts had been full of warnings about Storm Babet which would bring heavy rain and high winds, so the eleven CER riders gathered at Maggies in Holt (Cleopatra’s still having not re-opened and looking not likely to do so in the foreseeable future) were all contemplating shortish rides to avoid the worst of the weather. Neil was to lead a ‘mod+’ foursome and Dave M was, as usual, going to do his own thing, so that left Dave H, George, Ever Ready Ray, Andy B, Mike G and Steve T for a ride down to The Greyhound at Street Dinas. Clive had phone Steve T earlier and had said that he might join us if his planned sailing trip was cancelled due to the forecast bad weather.

It was warm and dry as we set off west of the River Dee, heading for Bangor-on-Dee. As we got down the appropriately named Lower Lane, we found several opportunities to splash through mud and wash our bike wheels as the road was flooded in several places. However, we reached Bangor without incident and went on to Overton. From there, we headed towards St. Martins until we reached Shellbrook Hill, where we followed Pant Lane heading for Dudleston.

It turned out the Pant Lane was suitably named, as the local farmer had been cutting the hedges and Andy picked up a rear puncture, which led to a delay while the offending thorn was removed and a new inner tube mounted. Taking care to go slowly past a lone horse and rider, we missed the turn to Dudleston, but quickly found and alternative route which took us back to the B5069.

Soon after we got back on to the road to St. Martins, Clive appeared having cycled from Waverton to join us. So, seven of us arrived at The Greyhound where we were given a warm welcome and shown to the table I’d booked the day before. Drinks and food were ordered and arrived quickly. A discussion about alternative starting points to Chirk for the rides during the winter led to one or two ideas but no firm conclusion.

Soon after leaving the pub, we were hit by a heavy shower as we approached Dudleston Heath. Fortunately, it didn’t last very long and we soon dried out as we headed north eastwards towards Holly Bush. We entered Worthenbury by the back way and then passed through Shocklach, heading for Farndon and Holt. For once, the traditional sprint from Shocklach to the A534 junction didn’t materialise, but DH did put on a short 18 mph spurt as we approached the junction. Extra energy due to his full-sized scampi and chips at lunch time?

We arrived back in Holt in warm sunshine with no sign of high winds or heavy rain. It seems that Storm Babet had not yet reached the north west of England, so our fears of the morning had not been realised, apart from the brief shower mentioned earlier. An enjoyable 35 mile jaunt to one of our favoured lunch stops.

ST

See route map and/or gpx file download

Photo by Mike G

28th October 2021: St Martin's (mod)

 A forecast of strong southerly winds and an afternoon of heavy rain affected attendees at Cleopatra’s in Holt.  Neil had planned a ride, but dangerous side winds on his route to Holt had dissuaded him.  Dave M and Andy W were only out for the morning.  Others were present in civies, namely Elwyn and Fiona.  If I’ve missed anyone, apologies, but as part of our group were inside and part outside, I wasn’t too clear who was present.  The result was a party of six out for the club ride: Clive, Andy B, Dave H, Steve Hu, Alan and myself.

In the absence of other proposals, I picked a fairly short route off ViewRanger, the destination being The Greyhound at St Martin’s. We took the lanes to the west of the River Dee, or Afon Dyfrdwy I should say as we were in Wales. We were fairly sheltered from the wind for most of our way. Somewhere around Roden’s Hall we came up behind a largeish herd of heifers being driven along the road – the kind of thing you expect in the countryside. Without too much success we tried to avoid the cow plops they left in their wake. They continued their progress after we met the B-road and were still marching onwards when we left them for the lanes at Talwrn. We must have been behind them for a couple of miles, but there was no sign that they were heading for a nearby field.  They certainly reduced our average speed.

Photos by AO

At the A-road we dropped down the hill and across the old bridge into Bangor-on-Dee (Bangor-is-y-coed). From here we took the main road to Overton (Owrtyn), and then the main road to St Martin’s (St Martin’s), turning off at Shell Brook onto small lanes to Dudleston Church. Next it was a short distance to re-join the main road and follow it to The Greyhound.

It was mild and sheltered outside the pub, so we eventually decided to sit there, especially in the covered area to protect us from the expected rain.  A warm welcome was offered and a wide menu, but most of us went to the small fish and chips, except for Steve Hu who chose the standard size and received a whale of a fish!

Some rain had started to fall by the time we had to leave.  We turned right out of the pub, then stopped and turned around, then stopped again and turned back.  Our navigator was having problems with directions!  Eventually we worked out the right route and headed towards Dudleston Heath (Criftins), from where we took to lanes heading north eastwards with the wind behind us. We travelled on through Holly Bush. During our return Dave H (who seems to operate a permanent helpline for his family’s car problems) spent a lot of time on his phone.  Eventually, after waiting for him to appear, we left him behind on the understanding that he would meet us back at Holt. We followed the simple route back via Worthenbury, Shocklach and Farndon, to find Dave somehow already seated in Cleopatra’s waiting for us - puzzling.

The afternoon rain had been intermittent rather than heavy and we enjoyed a satisfying 35 miles.  We reminded ourselves that by next week the clocks would have changed and we would be ending our rides in encroaching darkness. 

See route map and/or gpx file download

SH

24th January 2019: St Martin’s (mod)

Wednesday had been cold, snowy, icy and bright. Thursday was still cold but overcast, murky and muddy.  We still had a decent turnout at Cleopatra’s, with four moderate riders: Dave H, Steve T, Keith and myself.  Expecting ice, I had planned a route to St Martins which would allow us to travel on roads likely to have been gritted. As it turned out, mud had replace the ice so we were able to cycle along the quieter lanes.

We set out west of the River Dee and headed for Bangor-on-Dee. From here we took the road to Overton and headed towards St Martin’s until we reached Shellbrook Hill where we diverted onto smaller lanes heading for Dudleston, where we stopped for a photo in front of the church of St. Mary the Virgin. We took Gaia Lane, but soon came to a standstill as the route ahead was flooded, beyond which we could see deep muddy tracks – in Clive’s terminology, this would be called ‘agricultural’. We reversed and took a more direct route back onto the main St Martin’s road, and soon arrived at The Greyhound.

Photo by Steve T

The Greyhound gave us a warm welcome as did their fireplace. We ordered and were very quickly served with excellent food.  Three of us opted for the small fish and chips, which was definitely not that small and very tasty. Soon it was time to leave one of our favourite stops. 

We took the road to Dudleston Heath and then struck out north eastwards towards Holly Bush.  We entered Worthenbury by the back way and then passed through Shocklach and into Farndon where we stopped at Lewis’s for coffee and cake.  Here Keith left us to ride back to Waverton, and the remainder continued to Holt.

It had been a dull and muddy day, with light rain for most of the morning, but good conversation and refreshing stops turned it into and enjoyable 35 miles.

See route map and/or gpx file download

SH

9th November 2017: Street Dinas, St Martins (mod)

A total of 15 Easy Riders crowded around the table at Cleopatra’s, the largest turnout for some time, though Macca and David M were not out for a club ride.  I had in mind a route to The Greyhound at Street Dinas, just outside St Martins, which seemed to find favour.  We were slow to get started and I wasn’t sure how many would be joining the moderate group, so I set off and waited across the bridge in Farndon to see who had followed me: Dave H, Keith, George, Bob and Ray, plus Dave & Liz P.  Good to see this pair out on the tandem again, and though they didn’t follow our route, we did meet up again at our pub stop.

A forecast of a dry day, was betrayed initially as we left Holt by rain. The route took us out through Threapwood and Penley, then around Dudleston Heath.  Too many rough, potholed and muddy lanes were traversed, but at least the rain had ceased. We arrived at The Greyhound luckily just before a large party of 15 placed their orders. The Greyhound is a favourite of ours, with good value food and drink: George was almost overwhelmed by a massive baked potato, and the ‘light bite’ fish and chips were a plateful.

The return took us direct to Overton and on via Holly Bush to Worthenbury and then a return by our outward route. As George, Bob and Keith made their way back to Holt, the rest of us enjoyed the comforts of Lewis’ in Fardon.  A good November outing with 39 miles covered and a fine dry afternoon with some blue skies.

SH

9th March 2017: Street Dinas / St Martins (mod)

A sunny spring-like day was forecast and although it was sunny there was a cool wind blowing early on. This prompted several of us to wear too many layers for the day’s ride. The sunny weather produced a good turnout and despite Jim and me arriving early, Cleopatra's was already busy when we entered. Dave H had planned a ride to Loppington but had phoned the pub only to find that it was closed for refurbishment until Easter. Maybe one for later in the year. I had one planned that would take us to the Greyhound Inn at Street Dinas near St. Martins, and thought it would be prudent to phone and check that it was open. It was and they would be able to accommodate us.

There were twelve moderate riders at the café. Mike G set off to do his own thing and the rest of us set off across the 14th century bridge over the Dee into Farndon. Dave P & Liz on the tandem decided they would find their own way to the Greyhound (but later we heard they turned round and headed home) and Bryan left us at Crewe-by-Farndon having ridden down to Cleopatra’s. This left eight of us. The regulars, Andy W, Dave H, George, Jim, Keith, Steve and myself were joined by Rob riding with us for the first time. As we carried on through Shochlach and Talwrn Green it soon became apparent that the cool wind was not going to be sufficient to stop us getting overheated and several times we stopped so that riders could shed a layer or two. We continued through Horseman’s Green & Penley and ignored several ‘road closed’ as we skirted past Ellesmere getting through the closed road with ease. Then we turned back up towards St Martins, arriving at the Greyhound Inn with 22 miles on the clock.

We were greeted with a warm welcome and with our drinks in hand we settled at our table to study the menus. When the landlady arrived to take our orders there were the inevitable questions. ‘What do you get with ham & eggs’? Eggs & ham of course.  Andy’s was the best though. ‘What’s the difference between large fish & chips and a small fish & chips’? Size obviously matters to Andy. (In case you are wondering the definitive answer is £3.50). The service was excellent and our food soon appeared – and soon disappeared. Before we knew it, it was time to get back on our bikes.

We intended to follow the main road into Overton but were warned that this road too was closed. However with several places that we could make a detour we set off anyway. Again we got through the closed section easily with the added benefit that the road closure meant that we got most of the way to Overton with the road to ourselves. We then carried on through Holly Bush and Worthenbury before re-joining our outbound route. As we retraced our route back through Shochlach, Jim and I fell behind but everyone knew the way back from there so didn’t need my lead any more. At Crewe-by-Farndon we turned left to take the short cut back to Farndon. As we crossed back over the bridge to Holt we expected to find the others already tucking in to cakes at Cleopatra's but there was no sign of them. Nor were they back in the car park. Surely they could not have got lost! No. They had found their way back to Farndon and were trying out the recently opened café there before completing what had been a very pleasant 39-mile round trip.

TC

19th January 2017 : St Martin's (brisk)

A mild and calm forecast encouraged a good turnout at Cleopatra's including four who elected for a brisk ride with Wem, Loppington and St Martin's being the destinations on offer. Wem was initially chosen but abandoned at the starting line when Ken's phone containing the planned route, decided it didn't want to be of assistance. So it fell to me to lead the briskers  consisting of Ken, Andy B and Ray, on a figure-of-eight route to St Martin's. The route was last ridden in March 2016 by the Moderates on a sunny day.

In contrast to then, we soon found the lanes to be in a filthy condition following recent heavy rain and, the further we rode, the worse they seemed to get. Anyway, we set off over the bridge to Farndon and onward via Shocklach, Worthenbury and Penley. From then on the lanes became filthier and also more “undulating”. However, even in the depths of winter and on a gloomy day, the scenery was beautiful, including glimpses of the still and steely-like surfaces of Colemere and Whitemere. We had a good 15 mile workout riding the surprisingly frequent bumps between Penley and St Martin's and were ready for a rest and lunch at The Greyhound. We discovered it is in fact about a mile north of the village. We were now in relaxed mode as, with 30 miles from Holt completed, we knew it would be a much shorter return after lunch.

The pub lived up to the favourable report from the Moderates on the occasion of their last visit. We got a warm welcome and despite it being Pie Day with a good selection on offer, we all opted for the curry. Ray was also tempted by dessert with custard on the grounds that his energy resources were depleted after all those hills. The locals were interested in our journey and in return, we joined in singing “Happy Birthday Mrs Morris” when cake and candles arrived for an elderly customer who looked duly surprised at being serenaded by a group of lycra-garbed strangers. The bill was very reasonable as we took advantage of the pensioner's rate and we later calculated lime and soda to have been only 25p per pint. Is this a record?

Suitably refreshed, we made good progress back to Holt via Overton, Bangor-on-Dee and the B5130 with a total of 45 miles completed. Here, under darkening skies, we went our separate ways. Ray and I had a total recorded 68 miles and 2600 ft of ascent by the time we got back to Chester. Ken's stats would be similar and as usual, Andy would top us all by the time he arrived home in Mold. All in all It was a excellent day out in good company with plenty of chat even on those hills!

As a footnote, I see from the blog of the Moderates last visit there was much discussion of the likely outcome of the EU referendum. I wonder how many predicted Brexit|!

JM

1st December 2016: Street Dinas (mod)

According to my radio, this was the first day of meteological winter.  It certainly was wintry, just the same as the last few days had been, cold dry and often sunny. Dave H and I were sitting in Cleopatra’s in Holt, preparing to join a ride with the fast boys, when Dave P arrived with Liz, making a welcome return on the tandem.  After not much consideration Dave H & I chickened out of a longer ride and decided to join the tandem for an outing to The Greyhound at Street Dinas, just north of St Martins.

We travelled out southwards along the western side of the Dee, and sped into Bangor on Dee, bumping into John M on the bridge; he had dropped out from the brisk group still suffering for his recent bug.  Our attempts to persuade him to join us failed and we continued on through Overton. Dropping into the steep valley of Shell Brook, we took a minor road to avoid the steep hill, and climbed up more gently, through some ice, to pass the church in Dudleston, where Dave H & I remembered encountering a funeral earlier in the year. I wonder how much our memory of routes depends on who we were with and what happened.

The Greyhound was just around the corner, and we appreciated their large fire and friendly welcome.  Unfortunately the food wasn’t quite up to scratch in this usually excellent pub. Over lunch the conversation extended over many serious topics from youth training and employment to recent political events across the world.

On our return route we encountered the only difficulties of the day, a sticky mud which jammed itself under my mudguard, operating as a very effective brake. After two stops to clear this, I tried to ignore it, maybe helped by some of the mud shaking free as we passed over the corrugations of Rookery Lane south of Worthenbury – is this the worst surfaced lane in our area?

As we headed back, Dave and Liz suggested we stop for coffee at Lewis’s of Farndon. For those, like me who hadn’t visited before, this is the rather smart, new coffee shop you pass on the right as you head down towards the bridge.  It was a good choice, cosy and well-priced with some tasty looking cakes. As we sipped our drinks we reflected on an excellent winter’s ride: 33 miles of decent riding in good conditions.

SH