Yesterday looked as though it might be the only decent weather this week. After an unpromising start to the day when I took the dog for a walk in the morning the weather cleared up at lunch time. I decided to explore some of the back lanes in Whixall. It's very easy to get lost and there are skeletons of cyclists who have tried in vain to escape the confusing web of unsignposted lanes.
I turned off into Ash Lane from Ash Parva. This is usually very muddy, but the recent biblical floods have mostly cleared the road. There is a bit of a challenge crossing the A41. There is a gap in the Armco barriers which allows cyclists to cross over. The road is very busy and you have to pick your moment. If you survive crossing the road it's a pleasant ride into Tilstock, where I paused to photograph the Church. Once you leave Tilstock it's straight into the maze of lanes. I hadn't been down this road for a while, but luckily I emerged onto the T Junction at Hollinwood near to the canal and I regained my bearings. From here I was on my often cycled back lanes and soon arrived at the turn off just before Dobsons Bridge. From there it's straightforward navigation back to Prees and the steep hill up to the church. A long downhill stretch took me back to the A49. This is in the middle of a long straight bit of road, so you get a good view of HGV's as they thunder towards you.
Once over the A49 I headed back to Ightfield, where a light drizzle started. No worries I wasn't too far from home. 51km cycled and 300 metres of ascent. I realized that I hadn't stopped at all on the ride and hadn't eaten anything, so I enjoyed several mugs of coffee and some almond slices.
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Crossing the dual carriageway.
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Tilstock Church.
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