Routes and Rides – Page 6 – Frank Kinlan's Blog

A Mere 150 km(Audax) a tour of the Cheshire Mere,s

What a day this turned out to be, 100 miles of Cheshires finest and this was the short route! It’s been an unbeleivable day with sunshine, headwinds, tailwinds, hills, fantastic scenery, quiet roads and good company along with an excellent route to make this a great way to start the year.

First off, many thanks to Ray for sending me the route for the Garmin Edge 305. This really saved the day, I was up untill 23.15 the night before as Anquet had managed to loose EVERYTHING time was tight enough prepping the bike, changing the rear tyre and getting the seat out of the car without loosing a 100mile route. It was an early start and I didn’t get much sleep too.
The start at Cheadle was easy enough to find with the nearby carpark full of cars and the odd van with bikes being unloaded.

In the hall I met Ray and Craig my riding partners for the day. We had a photo opportunity at the signing in table and then we were off. Ray was my mentor with the Garmin Navigation saying to use the compass. I’d never found the compass usefull before but thats because I was following tracks and not waypoints. Heading out of Cheadle through the suburbs towards the airport the Edge was bleeping out the turns.

We saw another member of the Chester Road Club miss two turns before we had got past the airport, and this guy is quick, if he knew where he was going. Thing were starting to look up, this was turning out to be fun. It’s amazing how quickly we were in the countryside only the flights from Manchester Airport reminding us how close we were to a major city.

A little bit further on The Hare and the Toitoise comes to roost, there is a long slow rise at Tatton Park, it goes on as far as the eye can see, I set off seeing it as a challenge there is a headwind but as I rise to the challenge I am soon reeled back in by Ray. This is early days and everybody needs to take a turn on the front. I’ve wasted energy that I am going to need later.

Shortly after this Ray and Craig are greeted by a bunch of unknown riders that pass us, “Hello Chester Road club” the greeting is returned. We are riding out of our own turf so don’t know the club colours, there are lots by the look of things. Later it comes about we have been riding around a group not on the Audax but a club run, just as well we relied on the Garmins and not them leading us out.

Ray and I were like a pair of kids with new toys as we rode round. The Edges came up with the turns 10 seconds before they were due and to top it all gave us a 10 second countdown. Ray had done us proud with the navigation. There is some spectacular scenery to see in Cheshire if your off the major roads and by the looks of things we were going to see it all.

There was one descent and one sharp climb of note before the first check point at Delamere. When we got there it was ” CLOSED” due to storm damage.

Down at the Station Cafe there is a bit of interest in the toy but I’m more interested in showing off the Garmin, It’s been fantastic up to now. Making a long ride a pleasure. No arguments about which way to turn you just ride, no maps to pore over, guessing where you are etc etc.

After Delamere the next stop is Audlem. On the road to Cotebrooke Ray urges me to catch a rider in fronts wheel which was duly done, there was then a group of five of us making better progress than before. The wind was with us or at least not head on and 20mph plus was the order of the day. We rode with them for a fair few miles and then our paths diverged. The Garmins said one path that we duly followed and parted company.

Large stretches of this ride was new to me like Audlem where pictures where pictures are taken.

Ray & Craig.JPG

Audlem Control point.JPG

We take the Audlem Road out towards Hatherton and end up passing Crewe to the south along with another new batch of first time visited villages. We are making our way to the next control point, a one stop shop where we have to buy something to get a receipt. Now I travel light, flapjacks and an energy bar is about it. Chicken and sweetcorn sandwiches, Soreen maltloaf and full sugar Pepsi get purchased. The Pepsi is the first cola with sugar I have bought for years.

It’s around this time that looking at the Garmin proves a bit frustrating. No matter how far we seem to cycle the as the crow flies reading back to the start never seems to budge. There are other groups around us that it turns out are Manchester based clubs that are just out for a ride and not on the Audax. As I was feeling good at the time and the road looked inviting I took off after one, 22 mph came up on the Garmin and I backed off and Ray and Craig caught me up.This was fun.

Mike (the organiser) had the last laugh though. The route twisted and turned but always upward. It never seemed to have a summit, we passed Redes Mere but still the route was up. Not realising what I had let myself in for each new turn was met by a curse from me. You could never see the summit to pace yourself.

Somewhere around here was a particulary steep short sharp shock and at the summit I’d stopped with a group of Manchester riders. Ray and Craig sailed past as if they hadn’t seen me. A bit further on they stopped, we then had a comical photo opportunity.
The light is fading, Rays digital camera comes out. I think I get a shot of Ray and Graig that is after the Manchester clubs made a guest appearance.

Ray tries to return the favour but the timer on the flash means Ray is continuallly taking pictures of his foot or the road. It’s taking that long for the camera to focus and work out that it needs the flash that by the time the flash had charged you’d have given up on the shot and were looking at the camera to see what is wrong. Then and only then it decides conditions are right to take the picture.

Before passed through Alderley there was another control point and this is definiatly band D council tax territory and it’s litterally all down hill from there. Every other car seems to be a Bentley or a Range Rover Vogue. the light is starting to go and it’s time for some lights. The traffic is starting to increase as we approach built up areas. Before you know it we are back at the start. 100 miles on the Sigma speedo, a bit less on the Garmin as it didn’t get started until we were away from the start hence the gap in the route.

This route has too many trackpoints to load into motionbased I’m working on reducing them but it may take a few more days. Done 2 Feb, enjoy.

Zoom in on following route it is truly superb a true testament of the Garmin Edge 305. Ridden with no maps just the route sheet to fall back on, which was once and that was just to confirm what the GPS was telling us. What a day, it promises to be another great year. Thanks Ray and Craig for a memorable day, it won’t be the last.

Link to Google Map of Ride

Just a couple of stats from the Garmin
99 miles 13.4 mph, 7hrs 10mins, 6280 calories, Pulse 134 BPM, 4007 ft of climbing Average Cadence 63rpm.

A Mere 150 (Audax) a tour of the Cheshire Mere,s

I’ve just got my entry back for the Audax event I’ve entered on the 28th Jan. I’ve wasted a good few hours trying to put the route into Anquet. Ray,s wise words are ringing in my ears “Ordanance Survey maps don’t name the roads.” When the route is presented in an updated ball and chain diagram with road names fancy software is next to useless. Maps aren’t far behind either.

The route looks good but I’m using up waypoints like they are going out of fashion and I’ve only done 50km so far and have used up half the waypoints. A track maybe better method but at the moment that would mean riding or driving the route, not something I want to do.

Looking at what I have entered up to now it looks like a really good route, plenty of quiet lanes, maybe an event for the “Toy” with raceblades on. The weather is the big question mark with me. I’ve not got too much experience if it turns nasty and I travel in what I am wearing.

More to follow.

I’ve bought a pair of Altura overtrousers that pack down to a small enough size that I can carry on the bike without resorting to a rack. Well thats the idea anyway. The rear tyre is getting swapped on “The Toy” for something with a bit more puncture resistance. Hopefully I won’t end up breaking Rays pump again. A new bottle cage has been fitted to the toy after £30,s worth of carbon fibre exotica broke with just a large bottle to contend with. This was a bling accessory for for the toy didn’t hold the bottle properly and weighed 23 gramms which is about £1.30 a gramm, not one of my wisest purchases. With a bit of luck they will swap it out, otherwise it’s going to get one hell of a bad reveiw.

CTC Ride Eureka Cafe to Halkyn

What a day this turned out to be. A tale of bad weather, the steepest climbing I’ve done and sheep. I wasn’t going to bother with a ride today but I’m glad I did.
I needed a lift down the Eureka as I was running late and needed my breakfast before the ride. Chester and North Wales CTC were off to Eastham and the Ferry Hotel for lunch, this was a bit too close to home for me. Plus I am trying to avoid places that pile the plate high. Some years ago I had the 32 ounce steaks they served here. Is it any wonder I went up to 21 stone. So I gave it a miss.

Merseyside CTC were going to Flint led by Alan. So Flint it was along with 8 others. I’ve ridden with most of the others at one stage or the other. Emerging from the Cafe it starts to rain, the forecast was good but that would be later on. It was a stop for rainwear down Woodbank and past RAF Sealand it was particularly bleak with a strong headwind to boot. If anyone had had any sense we’d have turned back. We cross on the Dee on the rail bridge and as we thread through Shotton a chap stops us all and asks if we are interested in some tandems he is selling.

Bob leaves us at the college and we head towards Flint, we pass Paper Mill Lane which I had down as the route up the hill. No such luck Alan had a much tougher route in his devious mind. We take a parallel road further on but end up at a set of traffic lights in Flint that have a cycle lane turning right across the traffic, cars excluded. We take the fork in the road to the hospital. Around here we take a left up Cornist lane. (You can see it on the Google map if you zoom in far enough)

This was the start of the fun, I turned on the gradient function on the Garmin boy did that come in useful. Bear in mind the steepest thing I’ve seen is 17% up till now. The first section is steep enough and I arrive at the crossroads first stopping for more directions from Alan. The others come through and I set off near the back, the instructions are to keep going straight on. I pass some of the others on here I think Ron dismounted and I was in the granny ring. It’s steep about 20% (1in5) Alpe D’Huez is 10/11% but long. One chap made it to the mid section of this part but stopped (I don’t know his name).

Now it starts to get interesting, REALLY interesting, I’m out front again the road dips and then starts to climb again, I’m at about 9 out of 10 on the perceived effort scale and the climb is just getting steeper. I’m riding up a river literally, the road (track) is awash with all the recent rainfall. The Garmin is locked at 20% and it looks steeper. I’m looking for a reason to dismount and walk. My wish is granted when a sheep leaps over a hedge and runs down the bank in front of me.

Respite was shortlived 50 yards up the hill I try to get back on the bike. It’s just that the sheep that I used as an excuse to walk has joined up with the rest of the flock. There are about 20 of them at least. Every move I make pushes them further up the road. The A55 is at the top of the road and you can hear the traffic speeding by. Next thing a chap in a red BMW pulls up. They’re not his and obviously not mine and seem to keep a 50 yard distance between us.

The rest of the group are nowhere to be seen which is probably just as well at this time. The chap with the BM phones the Police to alert them about the hazard. As we move up the lane I end up taking my HiViz jacket off as it is spooking the sheep. The BM guy scales the bank goes up the field to get in front of the sheep. Then the rest of the group arrive. All but one stop. One doesn’t seem to grasp the situation and keeps on going, potentially driving the sheep onto the road.
The quality is poor as the light is poor. Ray reckons I should have taken pictures of the whole event. the sheep have just run up the bank out of sight. Try to picture it with 20 to 30 sheep in the road.

The BM chap manages to send the sheep back down the lane, the others manage to send the sheep up the bank and further back down the lane.Another two cars have joined the queue. The drama is over and we cycle to the top of the lane and the Transport Cafe.

Cornist Lane

This is the shallow bit at the top. I burnt 500 calories before I took this picture.

The Transport Cafe (I’ve forgotten the name) was just that. Basic food, a lot that I no longer eat but a fast service and cheap. Probably not too many of these places left these days.

Transport Cafe.jpg

After we had finished there was more to come, with another two climbs that registered 20% on the Garmin. Ray had a Puncture to repair so thats one for the stats. Turning right from the cafe we then turn left and go under the A55. There is another climb that also touched 20% up to Pentre Halkyn. Chris is starting to struggle a bit on his fixie. Its hard going even on 30/28. Once round the bend it flattens off and I though that was it for the day. No such luck, Alan leads the group up Halkyn and yet another climb where the gradient is 20% in places. Once through Halkyn we take the lane that runs along the top of the hill. Then it is a fast ride down through the lanes eventually ending up in Northop.

Here the battery on the Garmin finally gave up. I should have left it at that but started it up at RestHill again so the route got corrupted on the upload to Motionbased.
The ride back was a lot better than the ride out as the sun was out.

It was another sprint up Woodbank to get this picture and then another tea and flapjack at the Eureka Cafe. Rode back with Roy and Joan to Willaston continued on Route 56 and finally up RestHill as the light was going.
Had a great day, got beaten by a hill, played at being a shepherd, looked down from the top of Halkyn and wondered ” Have I just ridden up that !”. Great scenery, good people and this is Wednesday in the first week of January.

Link to Google map CTC Ride Eureka Cafe to Halkyn

Stats:
Height Ascended 1254 ft
Max Height 844 ft Halkyn
Min Height 21 ft
Calories Burnt 2023

CTC Ride Eureka Cafe to Ice Cream Farm 2

After Fridays debacle with the ski gloves I’m determined to be a bit more prepared for this ride. The gloves have dried out, the Iceni has had its chain lubed and the Garmin is charged and the HRM has had its battery changed. Weather looks a bit mixed so I set off overboots on but no overtrousers. I’ve also managed to take a spare pair of Aldi Winter gloves with a lining pair thrown in to boot.

A little shower soon blows over at Brimstage and I’m just chugging along through Thornton Hough on the way to Willaston. At the lights at Hadlow Road one of the North End catches me up his bike decked out like a christmas tree. The pace quickens down the top road as can be seen from the Motion based site. It’s the first time I’ve seen anything like this so I’ve taken a few pictures.

North End Cristmas Ride

I’ts much the same inside, with everyone in a festive mood. Turns out the North End are off to ” A pub somewhere ” . Our planned ride to the Dunham Arms has had to be cancelled as they are only serving christmas dinners. It was only a few weeks ago that we filled this place on a wet wednesday, with not a regular or other passing customer in sight. The North End assemble outside so its off outside for some more pictures.

These images are compressed, if you’d like a copy at the orginal size, let me know.

North End Heading out.jpg

I know I’ve captioned one of the pictures wrong it should read Mel

A little later we set off for The Ice Cream Farm the group comprising of the two John,s , Barbara, Jill, Bob, Andy, Annabel, Barry and moi. Turning left at the church towards Ledsham heading towards Capenhurst, turning right before the station.
Turning left at Backford we head towards Wervin. Here as we cross over the motorway the weather takes a turn for the worse. Steady rain, not a downpour but it takes the shine off things.

I’m shaking my hands to get the water off them as I know from Friday that they won’t stay dry forever. Towards Beeston and the hills in the distance we can see sunshine, our route though has us twisting and turning as if we are trying to stay under the black cloud overhead. Around Hargrave the rain eases off, I’ve been riding off the front so its a sprint up the bridge over the canal and down the other side to get the next picture of the group turning into Newton Lane.

It was mainly other cyclists at the Ice Cream farm when we got there, other clubs and riders from around Cheshire. Todays choice was a Christmas special Baguette and a pot of tea. The converation got around to BMI (Body Mass Index) calculations. The Times managed to cock it up with people getting strange results.
So long as you stick with the same units (Kg/Mtrs) (Pounds/Inches) you should have much trouble working it out. The all singing dancing PDA gets an airing as I have a BMI calculator programme on it. Once one has theirs done everyone wants to know what theirs is. Well a couple of us are in the overweight category me included, the women were normal. No one would have qualified for the course I am on. My BMI was 41.9 before I took up cycling, Morbid Obesity starts at 40>.

There was another cyclist in there who was raving about SealSkin gloves and socks, 100% waterproof etc. I would have bought some of these the day before in Chester but Millets had put a security tag on the cuff, so I figured the membrane would have punctured so gave them a miss. Back outside I change gloves to the Aldi winter specials with a silk innner glove that I picked up from Decathlon in Stockport.

I don’t know if anyone ever looks at the routes on the MotionBased site apart from Ray but average heart rate for this ride was 105 bpm which sticks it right in the fat burning zone. There were parts that were a fair bit higher, like staying with the chap from the Noth End down the top road. Or sprinting up Woodbank at 18 mph to take a picture of the group only to have the phone malfunction and I end up getting a shot of my foot. It’s a lot better than sitting on an exercise bike in the gym watching the TV with the resistance on level 1. Loads do it for some reason.

There are 101 way to the Ice Cream Farm but this is a fairly straight forward one. Once you’ve done it a few times you start to get to know the lanes and you get to know the turns. Apart from two busy road crossings its done on quiet roads and lanes. The cyclepath through Chester keeps you away from all the traffic. If there is anyone out there contemplating taking up leisure cycling this is one route I would reccomend. Its flat, there are a couple of points where you may have to change down a gear or two or get out of the saddle but thats about it.

Back at the Eureka it’s time for a tea and a flapjack. This weeks ride home was via the Missing Link or route 56, all the recent rain had cleared it up a lot. Back through Thornton Hough, the lights getting switched on for Brimstage and the final climb up Resthill.

Link to Google Map: CTC ride Eureka Cafe to Ice Cream Farm 2

Stats:

57 miles for me.
Punctures none, Average speed 12.9 mph.
Breakfasts 1, Baguettes 1, Tea 2 cups 1 pot. Oat flapjacks 1.
Calories burnt: 2804. Elevation gained 2616 ft

CTC Ride to The Swan, Kinnerton

This wednesdays ride was to The Swan in Kinnerton and it turned out to be a good three bears type ride, just right. 30 miles in total with a good pub lunch half way around.

Even though I’d prepared the number 2 bike I ended up having to leave the house later than I intended as I couldn’t find the heart rate monitor for the Garmin 305. So it was down Route 56 for breakfast at the Eureka Cafe. It was packed again this week with standing room only, things eased a bit when we started to assemble for our 10 o’clock start.

Wednesday at the Eureka Cafe.jpg Ride assembly.jpg

We had another new rider join us, Fred. It turned out it wasn’t going to be Freds day more of which later. The ride list reads like this. The two Johns, Barbara, Jill, George, Ray, Fred, Brian, Ruth, Julian, Jake and moi. It was down Woodbank to the lights on the Welsh Road, A5117 junction which appeared to be stuck. We soon joined the cycleway at Convatec following the route around to the railway bridge Dee crossing. Left after the bridge, along the Dee and we are soon in Shotton.
It,s weird riding up the road with the church at the end of it, I have this target fixation on the large white cross on it. Not to the last minute do you see the path to the side of the church.

We climbed up towards Ewloe past a gaudy pink painted bungalow which had a matching pink Nissan Micra on the drive to boot. The ride came to a stop when we lost Fred off the back. A taxi driver stopped to tell us he had a puncture.

Waiting for Fred.jpg

Once this was sorted it was up the hill towards Hawarden. Right at the T junction enjoying the freewheel down the hill before the inevitable hill. This week I didn’t miss the turn up the lane and had a good workout going up the hill. I’d enough time to get some pictures of the group coming up the hill, so heres one of them.

The two Johns.jpg

Barbara always beats John (on the right) up the climbs. Thought I would throw another one in as I don’t seem to have all that many action shots on the site. After this it was over the footbridge across the dual-carriage way. Then right then left. The map shows the route. We ended up going past some farm where a bloody terrier chased me on another ride. Thats what you get when you ride at the back. I wasn’t at the back for long.
It’s nice riding around Kinnerton and after circular tour we ended up at the lunch stop, The Swan.

The Swan.jpg
This turned out to be a really good lunch stop, like the week before there were more than 20 of us who rode out there. I think there were about 4 other customers in there. I was one of the first in there but one of the last to order, another mistae I won’t make again.
I ended up ordering a Salmon with cottage cheese and chives baguette which is pictured below.
I met Linda (I think) in the Eureka Cafe after the ride and she was looing for a place to take her father for lunch. This should give you an idea of what it was like.

Salmon Baguette at the swan.jpg

All the meals looked really well presented. I was more than happy with what I had all washed down with a diet Coke. I shared a table with John, Ruth and Julian discussing various thing like dieting, this website. I was asked for two of my cards so it looks like I will have to get some more printed. I ended up giving out as many cards out as Fred had punctures, three!

No ride is complete without a puncture picture.jpg

It was a short climb up the hill once out of the pub car park, the garmin logging the ascent all day. It was all downhill from there, a small climb the only thing of note near the Airbus factory. I sped off down the road so as to be in position for some more pictures.
Then it was across the footbridge and up the lane to the junction at the top. Fred picked up another puncture around Blacon. I had another look at Georges chainset, this is the ultimate compact chainset IMHO, more like a granny ring and a big ring combined. He goes well on this combo and I mean well. For those that don’t know him George is 72, flies down hills and has the beating of me in him if I drop my guard.

We crossed the A5117 with remarkable ease, no gully where the central reservation was last week, just Mr Macadams finest. Another sprint up Woodbank to get some pictures at the finish and it was all over.
Ride Stats: 30.75 miles. 1244 ft climbed. Punctures 3. Black cats 1. Newt sightings 0. Calories burnt 1824. Averge speed 12mph. Max speed 28.1 mph. Pub rating 5/5.

Another great day, thanks everybody. A couple of more pictures to post and I’m sorting out a link to the route map.

Link to Google map of CTC ride to The Swan (Kinnerton)

Comments welcome.

CTC ride to Dunham Arms

Yet again I started out on the wrong bike, I should have rode on the winter training bike with spd pedals and mountain bike shoes. It wasn’t too bad when I set out, blue sky with the odd woolly cloud so “The Toy” got wheeled out instead. Left it a bit late too so it was full speed ahead to the Eureka Cafe to get my breakfast before the ride started. Tis was aided by one of the tunes from the previous evenings spinning class bouncing around my head.

I’m still getting comments about the breakfast so I’ll say it again “I have the breakfast EVERY time I walk through the door of the Eureka Cafe” I’ve done a post about. It’s part of my diet and the only fat on it is the bacon and that gets cut off.

Now that I’ve got that over I’ll get on with the ride. There were 45 in the cafe and by the look of it no one wanted to set out in the cold. Things stirred and next minute there are fair few of us outside getting ready for the off.

The usual suspects set off towards Capenhurst lane and we had Mike along for a second time. Last weeks ride not putting him off. We were relagated to the back as we had no mudguards on or we just might have been slow. As we chatted at the back of the bunch the conversation got around to the merits of ACE Inhibitors versus Beta Blockers. That and heartrate. You can see all the data I gather on the rides on the MotionBased site if you look hard enough.

Margaret and husband left us at the A56 Warrington Road along with the chap I talk to who has the magnesium framed bike. There were six of us left, the two Johns, Jill, Brian (I think) Mike and Moi. The weather had been ok until we crossed the Tarvin road there was a bit of a biting headwind there and a bit further on it started to drizzle. It was time to don rain gear at the Plough Lane crossroads.

Ellevenses were at a Cafe in the block of shops at Waverton. Tea and a flapjack for me. There were two guys in there having the breakfast, it was literally two heart attacks on a plate. While we were in there I had a look at the free mag that was on the table, there was an advert in it for the Abbey Arms (a ride I did a few weeks ago) apparently it,s a Hungry Horse pubchain. Five course Christmas Dinner for £32. Probably served on those 17 inch plates. It’s no wonder the country has a weight problem.

I didn’t want to leave the cafe as it was pouring down, the gutter of the one stop shop was leaking a steady stream of water over “The Toy”. We retraced the route to Plough Lane and the next stop was the Dunham Arms. The Aldi Winter Gloves aren’t waterproof (I expect too much for £2.99) and my hands were freezing, the roads are awash and the decision to go out on a bike with no mudguards is really making itself felt. And not for the first time!

Dunham Arms.jpg

After about 7 miles we arrive at the Dunham Arms, cold and wet in my case. Other groups have taken probably a more direct route and arrived there before us. All told there are 20 of us that have ridden out to the pub, there are no other customers that I could see.
I ordered a jacket potato with chicken strips which came with a salad. When it arrived (which was quite soon) it was so well presented I took a picture of it. What caught the eye was the cherry tomatoes sliced in half and placed centrally on the cucumber slices. All the food seemed to be of a similar high quality.

DunahamArms Baked Potato.jpg

It was too much to expect my gloves that had been placed on the radiator to be dry before we left. So now I am looking around for a waterproof pair, and the way its getting colder by the day they might well be mitts.

It was still raining when we left and headed down Hob Lane but as we headed down the hill the rain eased off. Stanlow oil refinery was in the distance and the next thing you know we are following the reverse of the route we took on Rememberance Sunday.
For some unknown reason my hands are now ok, still wet but not freezing. It’s my feet that are now cold, the Aldi Winter Overshoes secumbing to the stream of water that the unguarded front wheel directing at them. We are soon going back down Capenhurst Lane towards the Eureka Cafe. At the junction by the Ostrich Farm I sprint off the front hoping to secure a photo of the group returning to the Cafe. It was to no avail, although I reached 28 mph on my dash to the Cafe, by the time I had parked the bike and rushed out on to the road my hand were too cold to operate the camera in time. An opportunity lost but still it was worth giving it a go.

Dunham Arms Ride Finish.jpg

After a cup of tea and another card for the site given out it was back home along the Chester High Road and back through Willaston , Thornton Hough, Route 56 and back up Rest Hill. It was a good day out, the weather was terrible, but I’ve still had a good time, my whingeing was all self inflicted. 100 lines ” I must not go out in winter without mudguards”

The map opens up in a new window, click on Hybrid view for a satellite overlay.

Link to Google map of CTC ride to Dunham Arms

CTC Wednesday Section Ride to Okells Garden Centre and Cafe

I didn’t start out with the intention of doing a CTC ride today, it was going to be a lap around the Wirral and a logged ride through the missing ling to the Eureka Cafe.

That was the plan, the reality was I’m talking to George by the door and trying to stuff Franks Breakfast down my gizzard to make the 10 o’clock start. Anyway I made the start but hadn’t a clue where we where going.

First off the ride list was Ruth, Mike, Jill, John, Barbara, Lusso Jacket John, Barry, Greorge and moi.
Ruth and Mike I hadn’t met before. Mike was on his first ride with the CTC and by all accounts hasn’t done anything like this before. For your first ride out Mike you’ve done well. It is a huge step up from doing leisure rides to doing a ride with the CTC where even the old timers are doing more than you’ve ever done ever.

The ride out from the Cafe was similar to Sundays ride but turning off before Cheshire Oaks.

Wednesday Start.jpg

I’ve classified the run as easy as it is a relatively flat run, in reality there was a stiff headwind/sidewind in places so it could be classed as medium by some.
Anyway if you follow the link at the bottom of the post you will see we had an ellevenes at Okells Cafe inside Okells Garden Centre.

Okells Cafe.jpg

This could prove to be a decent location for a stop in future. The location is good, once they cotton on to what cyclists need/want on a ride it could be a regular call. The patio heaters inside really warmed the place up.

Okells Garden Centre and Cafe

Okells Garden Centre is between Tarvin and Duddon on the A51 Tarporley Road.

I spoke to Mike on the ride to the Rake and Pickle and ended up giving him a card with a link to this site. Lunch at the Rake and Pickle proved to be really good. Other groups had taken direct routes there and were by enlarge finished by the time we arrived. This was a blessing in disguise. I ended up having a Jacket potato with steak strips accompanied with a small salad. It was really good, anything more would have been too much, after all I am on a diet and it is a cycling club not a dining club.

Lunch stop was at The Rake and Pickle Inn at Huntington. If you zoom in on the map you can see where I parked my bike around the side.

After Lunch it was back to Chester via a route that was called “The Jungle” its an area that a cyclepath runs through between Huntington and Great Boughton. We were soon going around the back of the Bike Factory crossing the canal and then a relatively troublefree crossing of Hoole road. We then jumped on the cyclepath and headed back to the Eureka. No squirrels trying to give us heart attacks this time.

A lone rider passed us as we were crossing the A5117, this proved to be the trigger for another pursuit up WoodBank Lane. I was in fine form touching 19mph going up the lane. Along the Parkgate Road I must have had the wind behind me as on the stretch just past The Yacht I saw 26 mph on the Garmin. It was another cup of tea and a flapjack at the Eureka Cafe along with a chat to some of the other riders.

It was then time to return home via the Missing Link and give the lighting system a try. It wasn’t too bad seeing as I was only running one of the pair of lights. The rain the forecast promised arrived but it was fairly light. It was back up Rest Hill and that was the end of the ride. Thanks to all those on the ride, another good day.

Total mileage 57.64 Miles
Average Speed 12.5 MPH,Max 30.5 MPH down RestHill
3228 Calories Burnt
Average Heartate 113 BPM Max Heartrate 161BPM
Total ascent 1941 ft

Link to Google Map of CTC ride to Okells Garden Centre

CTC Ride Eureka Cafe to Ice Cream Farm.

This post and route may prove to be one of the most popular parts of the site .
The Eureka Cafe and the Ice Cream Farm are two of the most popular cycling destinations in Cheshire and runs like this are done by hundreds if not thousands of cyclists each year.
It is an easy, flat run and can be done by anyone who could cycle 20 odd miles before needing a break.

I had another decent run to the start at the Eureka Cafe with the Garmin Edge 305 signaling the turns about 30 yards before they came up. This device is proving to be superb toy for the likes of me with more features coming out of it all the time.

Back to the ride, 10 o’clock sees two groups assembling across the road for the ride. I have a digital camera this week and it proves as problimatical as the phone camera I have used in the past. This shot should have been really crisp but for whatever reason it wasn’t.

The start.JPG

Annabels group headed out down church lane to towards Ledsham and Capenhurst in the direction of Ellesmere Port and Cheshire Oaks. We were on the cycle lane and everything was OK untill we hit Cheshire Oaks. Here the Sunday morning shoppers were streaming into the estate as if they were about to miss the opening of a January sale. I had this thought that if we’d jumped on to the road at the roundabouts we would have been through there in no time and had right of way to boot. I was thinking of hot scones getting cold at the Ice Cream Farm.
Worst part of the ride.JPG
The ride down past Stanlow was a bit bleak, it’s a fast road that is a lot quieter these days, with a white line for a cycle lane. Just as well the wind was blowing in the right direction . Things brightened up a bit when we turned off at the sign for The Gowy Landfill Site. We had a stop further on to pay our respects to the dead of two world wars I’d forgotten it was Rememberance Sunday.
Two minutes silence.JPG

It was a poingant moment. The picture was taken before we observed the silence.
After the stop it was back on the bikes an onwards towards the Ice Cream Farm.
I’m starting to recognise some of the places and routes now so I have a rough idea of where I am.
I took a gamble with weather in going out on “The Toy”, it didn’t pay off as it started to rain and it was another short stop to don some rain gear. It was a drizzle that gets right through stuff that is labelled showerproof. Worse was to come, further on the road is covered with mud and slurry and there is no getting around this mess.
The fluorescent jacket gets plastered yet again and I’ve only myself to blame.
I decide to ride off the front which is where the next picture is taken from.The rain then stops.
A picture from the front.JPG

As we get near the Ice Cream Farm I decide to have a good go at the only hill of any sorts on the route, the one over the canal. It also gave me the opportunity to take the next shot which was the group arriving at the Ice Cream Farm.

Arriving at the Ice Cream Farm.JPG
It was busy in the cafe with a lot of faces that I recognised from the visits to the Eureka Cafe and other groups from around Cheshire. Kev had made it there but without Bob or Charlie. I had a chicken tikka baguette for lunch and it was really good. Don’t know how it would fit in with the eating plan but it came with a small salad and was washed down with a couple of cups of tea from the pot that Ray had bought. Thanks Ray.
Lunch over it was time to assemble outside and head off back to Chester.
Departing Ice Cream Farm.JPG
It was acroos the crossroads and down Newton lane towards Gatesheath, Hatton Heath and Bruera. Then it was along Chapel Lane to Saighton where it was an uncontested sprint up the hill to where the road splits. This is the same hill that George dropped Ray and I a couple of weeks ago.
Stop at Saighton.JPG
From Saighton it was down the road where we picked up the canal towpath at Waverton.
It was a bit of a juggling act trying to stay on the path whilst taking pictures but they came out better than expected. Things were going well when lo and behold Margaret picks up a puncture, our first and last of the day. It couldn’t have been Margarets lucky day again as she picked a puncture up on the Abbey Arms ride as well. We all know about trouble coming in three,s so be warned for the next run everybody. It could have been Phils fault for not getting the thorn out properly from the first puncture!
Margaret picks up another puncture.JPG
It should have been sorted in double quick time with all this help standing around.

It doesn’t get much flatter than a canal towpath. I took a couple of pictures from the back of the group and this is probably one of the best. We also past the site of a swans nest in the summer they were quite active in protecting their young, pecking out at everything that came near. The nest was about 6 foot from the path.
Towpath towards Chester.JPG

The towpath under the road near Focus DIY has had its surface leveled with tarmac and is a lot better than it used to be. It was like riding on a jackhammer originally. Once in Chester we picked up the cycle path and then it was back on a well travelled route to Woodbank. The A5117 improvement are about to start and where there was a central reservation last week there is now a 6 inch drop onto limestone foundations by the look of it. I had another go at Woodbank lane. This time it was to get in position for another picture. It didn’t come out too good as the focus was set to infinity and isn’t worth adding another 85kb to this post.
Back at the Eureka Cafe it was another cup of tea and an oat flapjack for me and a chat with the other riders. Then it was back down the Chester High Road on Phil,s wheel until the turn off for Willaston. It was back through Thornton Hough picking up Route 56 and finally up Rest Hill where the Garmin announced I was approaching the summit.
Another great day out, I even saw a couple of new places I hadn’t been before.

Google map link Eureka Cafe to Ice Cream Farm

Thanks to Annabel for leading the ride.

CTC Ride to Kinnerton (AGM)

I\’ll start off by saying there will a link to Google map at the end of the post that will show the route taken from the Eureka Cafe. If you click on it it should open up a new window.
This is still early days for me with this feature but is set to be a big part of the site.

All my rides start at Higher Bebington at the Travelers Rest Pub and head down Rest Hill, through Thorton Hough to the Eureka Cafe. Today,s ride to the Cafe was a fast one as I was trying to log a fast time for the route I am going to post to the MotionBased site.

Fast forward to the Eureka Cafe which was starting to fill up fast, I managed to order Franks Breakfast before the rush. I was sharing an empty table with Angela (who got one of the cards) and breakfast was soon over. Ray came in and we were soon discussing the Google map of last weeks ride to the Abbey Arms. The detail is amazing and available for all to see. We were that engrossed that we nearly missed the roll call that was outside.

Ray, Terry and the Sunlight

I wondered what was so funny.jpg

Bob pushing his bike to the start!

There is no register this week as we were to split a bit further on. We headed off down the road to Woodbank down the lane heading out towards Sealand and the Welsh border.

Things were going OK untill we joined the path along the Dee and approached the Blue Bridge at Garden City. Here we were stopped by the long arm of the law at what resembled a scene from CSI, which as it turned out was what it was.

Here the group split, a bit further down the cyclepath was a pedestrian entrance with a locked gate. The bikes would have to be manhandled over the gate. Not a problem for Andy he was allready there, no problem for moi, the Toy only weighs 7.5 Kg and I was travelling light today. Next up it was Janet with a much lighter bike this week even with Marmalade sandwidches on board. Finally George passed his bike over and along with Ray we headed off down to the end of the road.

As we were waiting for the group to reform at where we assumed we would all meet up we had the chance to admire Rays latest handiwork. This was in the form of the Indian war paint you can only get from a chain and chainring when parting company from your steed. The cut knee looked far less impressive and thinking about it now it must have hurt. With no sign of the others we headed down to the Blue bridge where the copper the size of a brick outhouse was guarding the entrance to the CSI.

A Cycle path at Sealand.jpg ndy led us out around the streets and paths of Queensferry to emerge by the new Makro then it was right at the lights at Mancot and up to the Wesh foothills.

George Andy Ray and Janet.jpg Further on.jpg

After the climb out of Mancot up to the cemetory we took the road to Dobshill. There was a slight problem here as Ray and I pressed on at a good pace to the top at the roundabout. We should have turned off to a track about half way up, thats what happens when you get out of eye and earshot of the leader. Luckily Janet followed us up an redirected us back to the route. we rejoined the route just as George past, it was a short wait for Andy giving us some time to look for a rattle on Janets bike.

Then it was across the footbridge over the A55 and onto the Old Hope Road across the A5104 Mold Road and onto Lower Mtn Road where the pictures of Ray and Janet where taken on the move, which is a bit fiddly at times.

Ray and Janet.jpg Ray heads off into the distance.jpg

Around the Golly area we had a detour on to Shordley Road and on to Cobblers lane.It must have been a detour as we saw the main group saunter past the end of the lane. We were either marking time or they were taking the direct route (shortcut) either way we all ended up at the same place. Which was the Scout hut at Higher Kinnerton.

I’ll not dwell on the AGM as this site is not about publishing minutes of CTC AGMs

A small group re-assembled outside and we headed back to the Eureka Cafe. It was all downhill from Kinnerton as they say and we ended up at the footbridge at Saltney.

Heading Back to the Eureka

Saltney Ferry

It was up through Blacon and then on to the A5117 crossing which was a real bind to cross this time, even though they have removed the barrier in the middle for the coming road improvements.
Now this is where it got interesting for me and it may be of interest to Ray. When I got back onto Woodbank Lane a chap on a racing bike goes past at about 17-19 mph and I set off in pursuit. I pass Bob and another further up the lane and then The Garmin Edge 305 bleeps and tells me to turn left at the top of the lane, I’m still in pursuit of this chap back along the Chester High Road and when it bleeps again and tells me I am at waypoint 2 at the Eureka cafe, absolutley fantastic.It works.

I took a couple of pictures or the returning riders and had a cup of tea in the Cafe.
Then I bumped into The Sicknote Club had a chat with them and rode home with them, the Garmin was bleeping away merrily all the way home signaling the turns.

As I rode up Rest Hill it gave one final bleep as it announced I was approaching the start of the route.

Another great day out, the weather was kind, I got to play with the new gadget, went off the front to give myself a bit of a workout and generally had a whale of a time.Thanks again everybody.

The route link:

Google map of CTC Ride to Kinnerton

CTC Ride To Abbey Arms

The end of BST had 17 intrepid souls dotted around a packed Eureka Cafe waiting for the 10 o’clock start. The extra hour in bed and the prospect of a rain free day bringing everybody out. I knew the ride was going out to Delamere but that was about all.

Assembling for the Abbey Arms run

The roll call in the layby across from the cafe read like this: Keith and Debbie, Graham and Margaret, Bob and Jill, George, Janet, Lusso jacket John, Andy who christened Johns jacket, Barbara and John, Annabel, Adelle, Phil and moi.

We rolled out through Capenhurst and out towards Backford where the road was closed for a large load being moved. It was good to be at the back of the group for once as this particular stretch of the route had numerous gates on the route which were held open by the frontrunners. Thanks. We had a stop for Margaret picking up a puncture.

No wonder the road was closed John I think.jpg

Down the dip at Backford it was on to the canal towpath, it wasn’t Margaret,s day as the saddle bag on the back of the bike managed to detach itself and three of us got detached from the group. John got us back back on the route by pulling us off the towpath just down the hill from the back of Chester Zoo.

reforming the group

I’ll have to look at the route on the GPS as we ended up at the Windsurfing Centre for ellevenses. It wasn’t too bad but they were overwhelmed by 17 of us turning up at once.
It’s one of those places you ride past on the way to somewhere else. Looks like a good location as it was fairly windy for an inland site.

Windsurfing Centre

Elevenses over we retraced our steps for a short while and then things really started to get interesting. We were heading out towards Delamere when The Yeld got mentioned, I’ve ridden down it on a ride with Bob midweek but its a different league riding up the thing. Personal records were broken on this climb, more of which later.
The road up to the bottom of the Yeld is a bit snotty with a strip of debris down the middle and is a challenge by itself. I stopped at the junction to take a few pictures and spoke to the two walkers as they past. They asked if we were a club, I said we were the CTC and had cycled from the Wirral. Busy roads got mentioned to which the reply was the whole point of going out was not to cycle on busy roads.

George The peloton

Back to the riding, George was next up the climb then Ray followed by the rest of the group going at their own paces.
There was a short stop to regroup further up the hill and then it was on to the major climb of the day, The Yeld.
This is one stiff climb in my book the first part is at a gradient of 10% or 1 in 10. Just when you think youve cracked it the second part of the climb comes into view.

Ray on The Yeld

The final part of the climb is at a gradient of 14% which is nigh on 1 in 7.
I have to admit trying to grab the granny ring at the bottom of the final section but fate would have it that the change didn’t happen. I was stuck in 40-25 and just had to stick it out untill the top of the climb.
I was seeing new numbers on the Garmin Edge 305, it has me logged at 187 BPM which is 104% of my previous max which was set at the spinning class on Friday.
Anyway I made it to the top in one piece and so did all the others.

The top of The Yeld.jpg

The fun wasn’t over as it’s a fast descent to the main road and once across that there is another climb which is not as fierce up to the highest point of the day.
I missed the Reindeers on this climb but the views across Cheshire were an equal compensation. Ray and I headed off to the lunch stop at The Abbey as we were dining in.

The Abbey Arms

If you’ve got a weight problem you’d be better off steering clear of this place, the plate size is 17 inches. Portions looked huge and the place was heaving. Ray and I had trouble picking something off the menu but they did do a range of lighter meals.
It was Cajun chicken pasta for me which came with a small salad and garlic bread.
Ray ordered bread and pate, the bad news was they had ran out and he had to settle for a toasted cheese baguette as did Keith. Phil had had a childs portion of something as most of the meals were just too big. A fair bit of the time was spent in the queue to order the stuff but the meals did seem to arrive promptly.

Rear of the abbey Arms Assembling in the Abbey ca rpark.jpg

Lunch over we assembled in the car park and it was across the road and down the oad to the Delamere Forest Visitor centre. The traffic here waiting to get out was horrendous but that wasn’t our problem. The next section through the forest had me thinking this was Paris-Roubaix or at least Hell of the North West. More suited to a cyclo-cross bike than the bling Trek Maddone. Once we were back on tarmac it was time to have a bit of fun with me going off the front as it would be a shame to waste a downhill freewheeling. The next juntion came up and there it was a climb up the hill past a pub that Ray said he wasn’t impressed by the food they served.
I got a bum steer from John on the route as we dropped down through Manley, next right didn’t look too promising so I stopped. It was just as well as the whole group sailed past and continued down the hill. It was back past the Windsurfing Centre and on towards Chester. Nothing major happened thereafter, the group split crossing the A55 and most made it back to the Eureka Cafe before the light showed signs of dissapearing.

The stats. Total milage for my day 61.85 miles. Calories burnt 2600. Total ascent for ride 676 metres. 2200FT
Steepest gradient 14% Av cadence 65. Max heart rate 187BPM. Av heart rate 130 BPM
and one puncture in the group.
Thanks everyone for another memorable day.
The pictures have been compressed for the page, if you want a copy of the original let me know.

MotionBased maplink

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