England : Cheshire Sat, 2nd June, 2018 - 200 km Cheshire ride (with shorter route options)

[si_c]

Mrs C has given me a day pass. Now I just need to work out where and what time I meet you all as a 7.30 start at Picaddily is not really feasible with trains.

 

[ColinJ]

Oops, @alibaba - sorry, I forgot to add your name to the list. You said on the Llandudno ride that you fancied joining us. I hope that you are free on Saturday?

Mrs C has given me a day pass. Now I just need to work out where and what time I meet you all as a 7.30 start at Picaddily is not really feasible with trains.

Dunham?

 

[si_c]

Oops, @alibaba - sorry, I forgot to add your name to the list. You said on the Llandudno ride that you fancied joining us. I hope that you are free on Saturday?


Dunham?

Probably Mobberly, I can get a train that gets me there for 9am. Dunham has the same problems as Piccadilly.

 

[Freds Dad]

I've just got back from a ride to Knutsford and after coming back through Tatton Park towards Ashley I saw a sign that said Ashley Road was closed at the bridge which I am sure is on the route @ColinJ has planned.

A quick search on Cheshire East website came up with this:

https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/highways_and_roads/roadworks/latest-roadworks.aspx

 

[ColinJ]

I've just got back from a ride to Knutsford and after coming back through Tatton Park towards Ashley I saw a sign that said Ashley Road was closed at the bridge which I am sure is on the route @ColinJ has planned.

A quick search on Cheshire East website came up with this:

https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/highways_and_roads/roadworks/latest-roadworks.aspx

Well spotted FD. We had similar problems last year but I forgot to check for roadworks this time.

The Ashley Bridge closure order is for 18 months but the council anticipated that the works would be completed a month ago. I'll phone them tomorrow to find out if we will be able to get through. (I would have thought that they would try to keep pedestrian access open if possible, otherwise it would add an extra 4 mile walk to get from Ashley Heath to Ashley.)

If we can't stick to the original route then we can go via Rostherne instead, which would add 5 km to our ride. If so, I will take out the extra distance that I had put in at Plumley.

Meanwhile, I am going through the rest of the route to see if any planned works elsewhere will affect us.

I suppose that I ought to do this for every ride in the future, but it has been very rare for roadworks to cause problems on my rides.

The forecast is still looking okay for Saturday!

 

[si_c]

The forecast is still looking okay for Saturday!

Definitely not looking too bad. Yesterday was a similar forecast in these parts, but it felt a lot hotter than it was, so definitely a two bottler.

 

[Freds Dad]

Unfortunately I cannot get the day off on Saturday so won't be able to join you.

Have a great ride everyone.

 

[ColinJ]

Unfortunately I cannot get the day off on Saturday so won't be able to join you.

Have a great ride everyone.

That's a pity, FD. Maybe next year's then? Try to keep the first couple of Saturdays in June free because it will probably be one of them.

I just heard from my non-CycleChat pal Carrie. It is highly likely that she will be joining us at Manchester Victoria. She will be in Hebden Bridge on Friday night and stopping over so she is planning to get up early and catch the train in. It won't be the same train that @Littgull and I will be catching because ours comes from Blackburn instead of HB.

 

[doughnut]

Gutted I am missing this Colin, it was a great ride last year. Unfortunately, I've still got a cast on my broken arm (12 weeks so far and only another 5 to go hopefully) - its starting to look like recovery is going to take out most of this year for me. All the best for Saturday.

 

[Siclo]

@ColinJ , the Ashley Bridge closure is Mon-Fri 0930 - 1530 so you should be ok.

I notice you're using the A534, there's an alternative out the back of Swettenham https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27654246 you can see where I've modified your route from kilometre 50. It's a bit stony but perfectly rideable on slick 23's , much nicer than attempting that 'orrible right turn out of Sandy Lane onto the A534. Pubs good too. I'd come and play but I'm off to the Long Mynd.

 

[ColinJ]

@ColinJ , the Ashley Bridge closure is Mon-Fri 0930 - 1530 so you should be ok.

Ah, thanks!

I notice you're using the A534, there's an alternative out the back of Swettenham https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27654246 you can see where I've modified your route from kilometre 50. It's a bit stony but perfectly rideable on slick 23's , much nicer than attempting that 'orrible right turn out of Sandy Lane onto the A534.

That sounds good. I don't remember crossing the A534 last year but I do try to avoid busy A-roads where possible, and especially right turns onto them, so we'll give your variation a go. The diversion is virtually the same distance as the section that it is replacing. I'll have to see if I can get up any little climbs on it on my singlespeed bike (I didn't have to walk any of the route last year).

I'll update my original GPX file.

Pubs good too.

No pub stops for us on this ride! (Apart from the fact that I haven't touched a drop of booze for 6 years, I don't think we would be getting back in daylight if we stopped for a few pints mid-ride ... )

I'd come and play but I'm off to the Long Mynd.

Maybe next year then?

Have fun in Shropshire! It is high on my list of UK areas to visit on my bike.

 

[ColinJ]

I have attached my updated GPX file for the main loop, taking in The Siclo Variation as it will forever be known from now on. (If it turns out that we don't like it, we can rename it to That Damn Siclo Variation! )

Gutted I am missing this Colin, it was a great ride last year. Unfortunately, I've still got a cast on my broken arm (12 weeks so far and only another 5 to go hopefully) - its starting to look like recovery is going to take out most of this year for me. All the best for Saturday.

I'm sorry to hear that the arm is taking so long to heal, though I suspected that it would.

My aforementioned pal Carrie's leg has just been given the official all-clear, one year after she shattered it falling off her bike. She celebrated by falling off her bike again TWICE last week!

 

[Freds Dad]

@ColinJ , the Ashley Bridge closure is Mon-Fri 0930 - 1530 so you should be ok.

I notice you're using the A534, there's an alternative out the back of Swettenham https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27654246 you can see where I've modified your route from kilometre 50. It's a bit stony but perfectly rideable on slick 23's , much nicer than attempting that 'orrible right turn out of Sandy Lane onto the A534. Pubs good too. I'd come and play but I'm off to the Long Mynd.

The Swettenham alternative is a good suggestion but bear in mind that there is a Ford crossing Sandy Lane which can be difficult cross on a bike. I have used the stony track which is a bit hit and miss. Personally I would keep to the original route as the A534 is not that busy at weekend but at the end of the day its your choice.

Have a good ride whichever route you choose.

 

[ColinJ]

The Swettenham alternative is a good suggestion but bear in mind that there is a Ford crossing Sandy Lane which can be difficult cross on a bike. I have used the stony track which is a bit hit and miss. Personally I would keep to the original route as the A534 is not that busy at weekend but at the end of the day its your choice.

Have a good ride whichever route you choose.

As I posted above - I don't remember having a problem with last year's route including the A534, but I think it would be interesting to explore the variation. I don't mind a short stretch of stony track. If I like the new variation then that can be done again next year. If I decide that it isn't right for me, then we'll switch back to the A534 next time. (That is assuming that I don't come up with a different route altogether. I was toying with going out to Glazebrook station to avoid the Manchester part of the ride.)

I was thinking that there must be a ford there. One of the 2 crashes that I mentioned Carrie having last week was in a ford and the last time I tried cycling through one I crashed so I will definitely walk it and I will encourage others to do the same. (One of Carrie's friends crashed in the same ford as her and broke a kneecap!)

 

[Freds Dad]

If I get out on the bike tomorrow or Friday I'll try to have a look at it for you. There is an alternative into Swettenham by going down Swettenham Road and turning back into Swettenham Lane.

This is the Ford from Google.