- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Three rides to report on:
Saturday morning: My brother wanted a bit of a ride so I wasn't going to quibble. He was only looking to do about 12 miles so I offered a route over Lyth Hill and looping round through Annscroft, Exford's Green, Stapleton, Ryton, Berriewood and Condover before returning the flattest way along the main road.
Lyth Hill was as busy as ever with both the top and bottom car parks mostly full. I wonder if it'll stay as popular when lockdown does end? Having got through Annscroft and round to Exford's Green I thought I'd vary the route slightly by taking a right and a left onto some quieter lanes. A passing comment from a horse rider about how much traffic there was today suggested otherwise and we did have to stop a few times to let vehicles by.
After Stapleton we enjoyed having the lane through Gonsal to ourselves pretty much then at Ryton I realised that I'd understimated the distance a bit (something I've got a bit of a reputation for
) so Doug opted to cut out the bit to Berriewood and head directly for Condover. We were finishing into a headwind which was causing Doug to struggle a little bit. He did want to experiment with riding in my slipstream but it didn't make a lot of difference.
13.3 miles at 11.7 mph average.
Enjoying the view from the top of Lyth Hill.
Saturday afternoon: Yes, I'm a naughty boy, taking two rides in a day.
I'd enjoyed the trip with Doug but still had a hankering to get more miles under my belt so headed out again after lunch to do my regular Condover - Longnor - Acton Burnell - Harnage - Berrington - Condover route. The knockabout bike was already out so I used that again.
Taking the main road to Condover I had the wind at my back and enjoyed a fairly quick run through there and onwards to Ryton and Longnor. The flood on the way to Longnor has gone since last time but some signs warning about it have appeared. I had expected that I'd see a few other riders on the lane to Frodesley and Acton Burnell as this is quite a popular cycling route but today there was just the one and there weren't very many people out walking either. All watching the rugby perhaps?
(the Scotland - Italy match was under way).
Having passed through Cound Moor and Harnage there were more people walking in Cound and the flag of the day was the St. Patrick's Cross. I headed towards the A458 as usual but having a headwind didn't entice me to stay on it into Cross Houses, so it was the lane into Berrington this time. The wind helped a bit on the way back to Condover but like the earlier ride I had to slog against it back to the main road and home.
23.8 miles at 13.9 mph average.
A great display of daffs at Cound.
Sunday: A ride in the company of @gavgav, which he has already written up a few posts ago. Setting out on my Raleigh I had a bit of a moment on the way to our meeting point when a motorist did a rather risky overtake into a pinch point. He almost hit the kerb and I was unimpressed at having someone swerve across directly in front of me. It did him no good as he got held up at the next lights anyway.
The rest of the ride was much better though with sunshine and just warm enough that I braved short sleeves for the first ride this year. The route was a loop anti-clockwise around the north of Shrewsbury, as Gav has already described, and gave enough quiet lanes for us to be able to chat.
Near Merrington the wind got a bit colder than early on so a fleece was wanted. It seems that the road here and through Old Woods is new territory for Gav - Having been to nearby Yeaton with Gav previously I wasn't sure if we'd been that way as well.
Getting back into town it was nice that the roads weren't very busy and the detour through Nobold made for a change as it's prettier than the Reabrook estate. We'll have to enjoy this while it lasts as the area is all due to be built up over the next few years.
34.8 miles by the time I got home at 11.9 mph average.
Spring lambs on Haughmond Hill.
Catching up with Gav at the top of the same climb.
Saturday morning: My brother wanted a bit of a ride so I wasn't going to quibble. He was only looking to do about 12 miles so I offered a route over Lyth Hill and looping round through Annscroft, Exford's Green, Stapleton, Ryton, Berriewood and Condover before returning the flattest way along the main road.
Lyth Hill was as busy as ever with both the top and bottom car parks mostly full. I wonder if it'll stay as popular when lockdown does end? Having got through Annscroft and round to Exford's Green I thought I'd vary the route slightly by taking a right and a left onto some quieter lanes. A passing comment from a horse rider about how much traffic there was today suggested otherwise and we did have to stop a few times to let vehicles by.
After Stapleton we enjoyed having the lane through Gonsal to ourselves pretty much then at Ryton I realised that I'd understimated the distance a bit (something I've got a bit of a reputation for
) so Doug opted to cut out the bit to Berriewood and head directly for Condover. We were finishing into a headwind which was causing Doug to struggle a little bit. He did want to experiment with riding in my slipstream but it didn't make a lot of difference.13.3 miles at 11.7 mph average.
Enjoying the view from the top of Lyth Hill.
Saturday afternoon: Yes, I'm a naughty boy, taking two rides in a day.
I'd enjoyed the trip with Doug but still had a hankering to get more miles under my belt so headed out again after lunch to do my regular Condover - Longnor - Acton Burnell - Harnage - Berrington - Condover route. The knockabout bike was already out so I used that again.Taking the main road to Condover I had the wind at my back and enjoyed a fairly quick run through there and onwards to Ryton and Longnor. The flood on the way to Longnor has gone since last time but some signs warning about it have appeared. I had expected that I'd see a few other riders on the lane to Frodesley and Acton Burnell as this is quite a popular cycling route but today there was just the one and there weren't very many people out walking either. All watching the rugby perhaps?
(the Scotland - Italy match was under way).Having passed through Cound Moor and Harnage there were more people walking in Cound and the flag of the day was the St. Patrick's Cross. I headed towards the A458 as usual but having a headwind didn't entice me to stay on it into Cross Houses, so it was the lane into Berrington this time. The wind helped a bit on the way back to Condover but like the earlier ride I had to slog against it back to the main road and home.
23.8 miles at 13.9 mph average.
A great display of daffs at Cound.
Sunday: A ride in the company of @gavgav, which he has already written up a few posts ago. Setting out on my Raleigh I had a bit of a moment on the way to our meeting point when a motorist did a rather risky overtake into a pinch point. He almost hit the kerb and I was unimpressed at having someone swerve across directly in front of me. It did him no good as he got held up at the next lights anyway.
The rest of the ride was much better though with sunshine and just warm enough that I braved short sleeves for the first ride this year. The route was a loop anti-clockwise around the north of Shrewsbury, as Gav has already described, and gave enough quiet lanes for us to be able to chat.
Near Merrington the wind got a bit colder than early on so a fleece was wanted. It seems that the road here and through Old Woods is new territory for Gav - Having been to nearby Yeaton with Gav previously I wasn't sure if we'd been that way as well.
Getting back into town it was nice that the roads weren't very busy and the detour through Nobold made for a change as it's prettier than the Reabrook estate. We'll have to enjoy this while it lasts as the area is all due to be built up over the next few years.
34.8 miles by the time I got home at 11.9 mph average.
Spring lambs on Haughmond Hill.
Catching up with Gav at the top of the same climb.
Slightly fooled as I headed with bib 3/4s and a long sleeve jersey and quickly returned home for a top baselayer as the westerly wind was 
The Defys mudguards had been fixed, with the use of some threadlock, and to play safe a bag of spare fittings put in the saddlebag. North to Ripley again, this time I got well caught by a set of TTLs that to date I have good luck with. Then continued along the A61 puzzling what the 100m separated chalked markings were on the carriageway for at least 3.1km – an increasing count of the distance prefixed by CH 
Turned east through Bishop Monkton
