Sat, 3rd June, 2017 - my annual 200 km Cheshire forum ride.

[ColinJ]

You can either stop at Jodrell Bank or the cafe at Goostrey Home and Leisure is good. http://www.goostreyhomeandleisure.co.uk

Thanks.

I think that it might have been Pastimes in Goostrey. I'm not sure if they are still a going concern because their website isn't working and they don't seem to have done much on Facebook or Twitter recently.

I hadn't noticed how close we get to Jodrell Bank! I have been to the visitor centre cafe there once before and it was pretty busy.

Goostrey Home and Leisure is a very minor detour from our route so that looks like a good bet. I've updated the GPX file to include the detour to them.

I have also attached a small file showing the detour to avoid Swiss Hill..

 

[ColinJ]

My GPS needs GPX files with a maximum of 500 trackpoints so I have simplified the route file and split into 2 halves. I have attached those below in case your GPS has the same limit as mine.

 

[ColinJ]

Manchester Victoria is still sealed off as police continue their investigation into the terrorist atrocity at the adjacent Manchester Arena earlier in the week.

I imagine that the station will be reopened before June 3rd but if it isn't then @Littgull and I will have to make alternative travel plans. The problem is that if we cycled over then we would have to add 40+ miles of busy roads into Manchester (and back), That would use up a big chunk of our Cheshire mileage 'budget' before we even got there. We could catch the train to Piccadilly but it involves 2 changes each way and costs twice as much.

We will have to see what happens over the next few days.

 

[skudupnorth]

I am guessing it's not as fixie friendly as last year

 

[ColinJ]

I am guessing it's not as fixie friendly as last year

Ha ha - you caught me mid-update!

It should be, apart from the extremely non-fixed-friendly Swiss Hill. I suggest that you take the diversion at Alderley Edge with GuyBoden and wait about 15 minutes for the rest of us to catch up after the climb and descent.

Manchester Victoria finally reopened today and trains are supposed to be running to the normal timetable so Littgull and I should have no problem getting into Manchester on Saturday.

At the moment, the forecast is looking okay for the whole ride though obviously things can change by the weekend. Fingers crossed. eh?

 

[skudupnorth]

Ha ha - you caught me mid-update!

It should be, apart from the extremely non-fixed-friendly Swiss Hill. I suggest that you take the diversion at Alderley Edge with GuyBoden and wait about 15 minutes for the rest of us to catch up after the climb and descent.

Manchester Victoria finally reopened today and trains are supposed to be running to the normal timetable so Littgull and I should have no problem getting into Manchester on Saturday.

At the moment, the forecast is looking okay for the whole ride though obviously things can change by the weekend. Fingers crossed. eh?

Oh good, did not want to miss out

 

[k_green]

Manchester Victoria is still sealed off as police continue their investigation into the terrorist atrocity at the adjacent Manchester Arena earlier in the week.

I imagine that the station will be reopened before June 3rd but if it isn't then @Littgull and I will have to make alternative travel plans. The problem is that if we cycled over then we would have to add 40+ miles of busy roads into Manchester (and back), That would use up a big chunk of our Cheshire mileage 'budget' before we even got there. We could catch the train to Piccadilly but it involves 2 changes each way and costs twice as much.

We will have to see what happens over the next few days.

Check on national rail how your route is affected. The station is now (at least partially) open again but when fully closed tickets to Victoria were being accepted for routes to Piccadilly and some routes were being diverted to pic.

 

[ColinJ]

Check on national rail how your route is affected. The station is now (at least partially) open again but when fully closed tickets to Victoria were being accepted for routes to Piccadilly and some routes were being diverted to pic.

I'll check on Friday morning to make sure that all is okay for Saturday.

The problem was the rail replacement buses which didn't take bikes. Littgull and I really did not fancy doing an extra 25 miles or so of busy urban cycling from Rochdale on top of the planned 130-odd miles!

The other alternative would have been 3 trains each way - Littleborough/Todmorden to Brighouse; Brighouse to Huddersfield; Huddersfield to Piccadilly. A right pain and double the cost!

This is the profile of the Cheshire part of the route. Swiss Hill is very obvious. Those diverting at Alderley Edge will lop off that spike!

 

[Littgull]

I'll check on Friday morning to make sure that all is okay for Saturday.

The problem was the rail replacement buses which didn't take bikes. Littgull and I really did not fancy doing an extra 25 miles or so of busy urban cycling from Rochdale on top of the planned 130-odd miles!

The other alternative would have been 3 trains each way - Littleborough/Todmorden to Brighouse; Brighouse to Huddersfield; Huddersfield to Piccadilly. A right pain and double the cost!

This is the profile of the Cheshire part of the route. Swiss Hill is very obvious. Those diverting at Alderley Edge will lop off that spike!

View attachment 354720

I've been into Manchester city centre today. I went by tram from my son's house in Newhey but returned to Littleborough from Manchester Victoria by train and the service was fully back to normal. A train passed us from the other direction (i.e. from Littleborough direction) so it seems we should be fine for the early morning train on Saturday.

 

[GuyBoden]

I suggest that you take the diversion at Alderley Edge with GuyBoden and wait about 15 minutes for the rest of us to catch up after the climb and descent.

If it's ok, while you're riding up Swiss Hill, I'd like to meet up at the Wizard Inn or at the bottom of Artist's Lane, which you'll ride past on route, this allows me to avoid Wilmslow. Yes, it makes my ride even shorter, but don't worry, I'll be ok.

Hobcroft Lane to Artist's Lane here:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/21649165

 

[ColinJ]

If it's ok, while you're riding up Swiss Hill, I'd like to meet up at the Wizard Inn or at the bottom of Artist's Lane, which you'll ride past on route, this allows me to avoid Wilmslow. Yes, it makes my ride even shorter, but don't worry, I'll be ok.

Hobcroft Lane to Artist's Lane here:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/21649165

If you want to avoid as many hills as possible, there doesn't seem much point in riding up the hill to the Wizard. Either the junction of Artists Ln/Congleton Rd or Sossmoss Ln/Chelford Rd would be fine.

 

[GuyBoden]

@ColinJ

I had a ride of part of the route to the Venetian Marina today, beautiful weather for cycling, nice route, but I missed a turning in Crewe at "Moss Lane", but "Flowers Lane" got me back on route.

I found an alternative route using "Kent's Green Lane" to "Clay Lane", which avoids temp traffic lights and building work in Winterley around "Maw Lane".

The staff at the Venetian Marina Tea Room stated that they stop serving hot food after 3pm, but there's still plenty of cakes and a nice cuppa tea until 4pm.

 

[ColinJ]

@ColinJ

I had a ride of part of the route to the Venetian Marina today, beautiful weather for cycling, nice route, but I missed a turning in Crewe at "Moss Lane", but "Flowers Lane" got me back on route.

I found an alternative route using "Kent's Green Lane" to "Clay Lane", which avoids temp traffic lights and building work in Winterley around "Maw Lane".

The staff at the Venetian Marina Tea Room stated that they stop serving hot food after 3pm, but there's still plenty of cakes and a nice cuppa tea until 4pm.
View attachment 354825

So, is this the alternative route (in blue)? If it is then I will modify my GPX file to suit.

We have got to the marina a bit late in the past but I hope that we are able to get there well before 3 pm this time. We usually spend about an hour at that cafe.

After the cafe we will still have 70 km to get back to Dunham (~3.5 hours?), plus another 1.5 hours from Dunham to Manchester Victoria. If we could leave the marina by 4 pm then Littgull and I can get back to the station in daylight and be home by (say) 10 pm, which wouldn't be too bad. I'd prefer not to be later than that if it can be avoided.

 

[GuyBoden]

So, is this the alternative route (in blue)? If it is then I will modify my GPX file to suit.

View attachment 354834

Yes, Colin that new diversion avoided the temp traffic lights and road works today.

 

[ColinJ]

Let me just say that clicking on a screendump of the route in the mapping software does not achieve very much! I was starting to wonder why the software wouldn't let me edit the route ... d'oh!