11th September 2025: Whixall Marina (mod+)

On a day when wind and rain were predicted, a small group of CER members gathered at Maggie’s in Holt. Dave M was adamant that he was going home after coffee to avoid the coming deluge. Jim and Ray B were planning a short ride before returning home and Nick was riding back to Tilston to meet up with his son.

That left Alan, Ray S, Dave H and yours truly. Both Dave and I had a route down to Whixall Marina; I was keen to ride at faster pace than ‘mod’, but that wouldn’t suit Dave, so a slower pace seemed to be likely. Just before 10.30, Dave and Liz Pipe turned up on the tandem and Dave quickly agreed to ride with them, destination unknown.

That resolved the dilemma about a faster ride, so Alan, Ray S and I set off for Whixall in bright sunshine, but into a blustery headwind (or ‘cross headwind’ as the Wind Whisperer would have it). Nick came along with us as far as Tilston as we carried on through Chorlton, past Newton Hall and in to Lower Wych. The climb up from Wych Brook was a challenge, but was managed without any problems.

Up to this point, although there were some big dark clouds around, we had avoided any rain.  When it arrived, it was enough to for us to put on our rain jackets, but certainly not the deluge that Dave M had predicted. Crossing the A525 at Eglwys Cross and the A495 as we approached Fenn’s Bank, we saw the signpost for Whixall – 4 miles. But we knew from the last time we’d done this route that the marina was still at least 5 miles away.

Arriving at the marina, the rain had stopped and we left the bikes under the cover of the outdoor seating area. The café itself was full of ‘senior citizens’ and had stopped serving breakfasts at 12.00. So bacon and egg or sausage and egg sandwiches were the order of the day. These were very nice except that Ray’s egg was overcooked and so he had them do another one for him.

After the traditional group photo had been taken, we donned our rain jackets, more to keep warm than anything else as the sky was now cloudy and threatening rain. The first three miles back to Northwood were directly into the wind before we turned north towards Bettisfield, where we picked up the cross tailwind which blew us up to Bettisfield and Hanmer. Here we crossed the A539 and shortly after the A525.

By now the sun had returned, so off came the rain jackets. In several places along the route, the roads were very wet and it was obvious that there had been a local downpour, but, riding our luck we had avoided them all.  Zooming along through Threapwood and Shocklach we soon arrived in Farndon, where Ray headed home for Chester and Alan and I returned to Holt and the café.

When we got there at 2.20, Dave H, Liz and Dave P were already there enjoying a cup of coffee, having returned from their ‘marathon’ ride to Malpas.  

Just under 40 miles covered at an average speed of 13.7 mph and a modest 1400 feet climbed. The last time I did this ride with the mod+ group, my average speed was 14.4 mph, so I still have some fitness to gain; but I’m happy with progress so far.

Thanks to Alan and Ray for their company and support and to Dave H for his understanding.

ST

See route maps and/or gpx file download

15th August 2024: Whixall Marina (mod+) AKA Mechanical Mayhem

As I braved the fierce headwind from Rossett to Holt I took solace from the fact that Neil T had a ride planned for us. Known for his interesting and quiet lane selection I was looking forward to grand day out. Imagine my surprise to find Neil sat in Maggies looking like a child on Christmas day that had expected lots of toys and instead had received a lump of coal from Santa. Neil clearly doesn’t look at his handlebars when he rides, as it appeared he had left his computer, replete with said ride at home “charging up” 

Fortunately Nick, Steve T and myself had options, hopefully avoiding the worst of the aforementioned headwind. A decision made we set off for Whixall Marina. The group consisted of Fiona and Elwyn, new member Kevin, Roy Alan Steve T, Steve H, Neil (anyone seen my computer T) and Nick. We had barely travelled 500m when Kevin declared he had a rear wheel puncture. 

The crack team of mechanics had his tyre removed & replaced in 15 minutes. This brief interruption to our ride enabled us to witness the majesty of the the mod group, who cycled past completely non plussed by our poor start. It was a surprise for Nick to be back at his start point within an hour of setting off as we cruised through Tilston. 

The plan was headwind out whilst we had fresh legs and tailwind home. Neil, Nick, Roy and Steve T took it in turns to lead from the front whilst others sheltered in their wake. Skirting Malpas passing Newton Hall we made good time until Steve T’s chain became jammed in his bottom bracket. On re starting he now found he could not select the large ring on the front using the shifter. The only solution being to force it in and leave Steve to grind away in the headwind and climbs. 

As we neared Welsh end an echelon had formed and we were all fairly strung out, the cafe seemed an interminable distance away, as you get road signs for Whixhall a good five miles from the Cafe. 

Once esconced and everybody’s orders taken, we proceeded to enjoy the varied fare of the Marina cafe that never fails to impress. Roy & Alan kindly assisted Steve in repairing his front derailleur. Only for Roy to find as he mounted his steed that he had a front wheel puncture. 

Paparazzi Oates was quick to capture the moment when four people attempted to complete a task one person could do on their own. Roy's space age inner tubes elicited a series of coo’s from the weight weeneys and I feel some internet purchases with shortly be made. Neil T did provide a gas inflator which had Roy up and running quickly. 

Photos by Alan O

As we left the marina and rejoined the main road back we were appalled to be faced with a further three miles or so of relentless headwind. This coupled with “cafe legs” made the first part of the return more challenging, and did I mention it had started to rain….heavily! 

As we rounded Northwood the rain eased and the long awaited tail wind materialised. The long legs past Horseman’s Green towards Threapwood seemed to disappear as our wind assisted wheels hummed along. At Shocklach Nick and Neil T left us to strike out for Tilston and Tannertown. At this point Steve T commented that Fiona and Elwyn had dropped back. A quick sortie discovered a nasty cut in a new tyre on Elwyn's bike, the third puncture of the day. 

As I was availing myself of a lift with Alan I had to bade them farewell and make the six mile dash back to Maggies. A hot cup of coffee courtesy of Steve T was most welcome. 

So an eventful ride, as always with CER the craic was excellent. 

See route map and/or gpx file download  

PS. Update, on arrival at the Cafe, Dave H tried to contact F& E to offer assistance. With no reply not one but two vehicles, Roy and Dave H independently went back to the stricken riders. Elwyn was spared a long walk and enjoyed a ride home in Roy's car. Well done guys, a great example of the CER mantra , “no one gets left behind”

Steve Hu 

23rd May 2024: Whixall (mod+)

The weather had been awful over the last couple of days and it was still raining as we drove down to Alison’s. Dave H had even thought of ringing me up to cancel as it was so bad. So, it wasn’t a great surprise when only five CER members arrived at the café – Dave H, Steves T and Hu, Alan and George.

Earlier in the week, before the weather had turned bad, I’d planned a ride down to The Sun Inn at Welshampton. Today the forecast for southern Cheshire and Shropshire suggested that the rain might subside, which it had as we took to our bikes. That left the concern about muddy or flooded roads for us to consider. Dave and George decided to head for Wrenbury and 18 The Park, so that left the two Steves and Alan for the ride to Welshampton.

We set off climbing towards Harthill, but turned right to make for Brown Knowl.  Pausing to catch our breath at the entrance to Broxton Old Hall (the residence of ‘Mr Iceland’), I was already getting complaints from my compatriots about how much climbing we were doing. At least we now had the run downhill to Hampton Heath and on to No Man’s Heath. Here we crossed the A41, passing through Bickleywood to re-cross the A41 to head into Bradley Green.

By this time the sun was peeping through the clouds and, to our surprise, the roads were largely dry and clean. We made for Higher Wych and Iscoyd Park, where we came across a small section of flooded road which we navigated without difficulty.

Crossing the A525 we paused at the other side. Steve and Alan asked if we could shorten the ride as Steve wasn’t feeling 100% and Alan was having some problems with his front mech and couldn’t get his chain on the big ring. So, we decided to stop for lunch at Whixall Marina and to figure out a route back from there. Continuing past Fenn’s Bank and Welsh End we soon arrived at Whixhall Marina where we were quickly served with a good lunch at a very reasonable price. After lunch Alan was able to fix his gear issue.

Our plan was to use the ‘Take me to’ feature of Steve Hu’s Wahoo computer to find a short route back to Tattenhall. However, the route that was offered seemed to be a combination of a canal bank and a very long stretch along the A41, which none of us fancied. In the absence of an alternative and missing Dave H’s ‘paper Garmin’ to be able to find one, we decided to use another option on the Wahoo which reversed the todays route. This was successfully achieved, so we set off for Tattenhall re-tracing the route we had followed in the morning.

To our surprise there seemed to be plenty of hills to get up; you never seem to notice them as you fly down them. The ride back was fairly uneventful, although we did have to pause for a photo at Higher Wych and also to adjust my gears as I was finding problems getting back onto the big ring.

Photo by AO

We arrived back a Tattenhall about ten minutes after Dave, so the timing was near perfect. 44 miles covered on a day when the weather turned out to be far better then we’d expected. As usual, we were glad that we’d made the effort.

See route map and/or gpx file download

ST 

21st March 2024: Whixall Marina (mod)

There was a decent turnout at Maggie’s in Holt. The moderate group consisted of Mike Gilbert, Andy Barber, Ray Baird, Trevor, Jim, Keith and myself. It was great to have Keith and Jim properly back on board. Dave Matthews and Andy were just out for coffee and chat. Dave Matthews had consulted his Compendium of Irrefutable Reasons for Not Riding, and Andy had decided he was just not worthy to share the tarmac with us. I had a vague plan involving some intricate small lanes (sound familiar?) and lunch at Whixall Marina. As nobody fancies writing up rides, my suggestion was accepted.

We headed for Tilston via Farndon and Wetreins. We were riding into the wind and the light rain was persistent. I am sure that Carol Kirkwood had said that we shouldn’t be getting wet at this stage. We were meandering south to Cuddington Heath, when we were met with the sight of  Steve Hughes heading towards us. It turned out that he had abandoned the brisk group’s ride as his heart rate was high following donating blood the day before. Steve decided to join us for a while before heading back later.  A crease in my soggy map was hiding the B5069, and so had me puzzled for a minute. At such times it is useful to have the likes of Mike Gilbert, Jim and Steve Hughes around to point out the correct direction. At Oldcastle Heath I popped into Peacock Farm to say “Hello” to the outstanding garage guys at Birchdown Autos. We crossed the A529 at Whitewell and reached Whixall on the familiar route adjacent to Fenn’s Moss, a National Nature Reserve. We made good progress on these flatter lanes and were now eager to eat in the warmth. We were made welcome by the staff at Whixall Marina, but it was busy and we could only just squeeze in. If Steve Hughes had not peeled off, we would have had to put him at a table outside.  We enjoyed our lunch looking out over the many colourful, tethered narrowboats. 

Photo by Mike G

We set off home by heading into the cold south-west wind to Northwood, but from there the wind was predominantly behind us all the way. We enjoyed dry conditions and some sunshine. We passed the attractive converted railway station house and the restored engine at Bettisfield on the former railway route which we often cross near Ellesmere and further west. After Hanmer there was the rough, steep bank at Three Fingers, and the curved climb from Sarn Bridge into Threapwood, otherwise progress was pretty briskish. Jim left us for Malpas to join his family; I hope that he enjoyed the day and will join us again soon. Despite still recovering from knee surgery, Keith wondered if anybody was attempting the semi- traditional fast sprint over the last five miles through Shocklach to Farndon. Andy said that he wasn’t, but when I looked up from avoiding potholes, Mike was already off the front, and Andy had decided to follow. It’s good to see the progress Mike has made. I decide that I needed a workout so eventually made a concerted effort over the last four and a half miles or so. If you can’t go fast on a flat road with a strong wind on your back, then you never will. Legal electric bikes can’t hack it at these speeds, so it was a rare opportunity to overturn Ray’s gloating rights. About forty-two miles covered, and despite our longish lunch stop, Alan and Steve Tan from the brisk group had not been waiting too long over coffee at Maggie’s, when we arrived back at Holt. Overall, a good day in very good company.    

See route map and/or gpx file download

DH