Eight riders assembled at Delamere Station cafe and were joined by Bryan, Dave and Liz, for coffee. Dave M also arrived on his bike and was buying a Christmas Tree - good luck getting that home in one piece Dave!
Three of the eight riders were keen for a brisk ride despite the threat of Storm Caroline heading our way. So taking account of the prospect of strong north westerly winds I decided on a route that would take us west as far as Alford and then south to Tilston before turning north east after lunch.
From the cafe Steve T ,Paul and myself headed out to Hatchmere then left through Ashton before crossing A54 into Oscroft- no sign of Dave and his Christmas tree.
Our good pace on familiar roads meant the journey from Oscroft through Waverton and Alford was soon covered , it was surprisingly pleasant given the wind and cold forecast had not yet materialised. In Churton we turned left down Pump Lane into Coddington , at the junction of Mill Lane and Broxton Road, we decided to see if there was route through Carden Park Golf Resort as this would provide a nice shortcut into Tilston. The Hotel and golf course all appeared very quiet and the way through the estate was easy to navigate providing the short cut we had hoped for. Still enjoying fine weather and dry roads we made easy work of the lanes through Duckington and Bickerton before arriving at our lunch venue.
The Bickerton Poacher has had a facelift since I was last here and seemed all the better for it. The staff were very welcoming, we were quickly seated with both drink and food orders taken at the table, the food arrived promptly and was excellent. Lunch topics included Christmas travel plans and Paul’s new Tifosi cycling glasses bought from Evans cycles for £16:00, including three interchangeable lens -bargain!
Back on the road our route through Peckforton and Bunbury passed quickly but it was here that a brief senior moment meant I missed the turning to Bunbury common so we had a small detour through Alpraham and Long Lane. Fortunately it went unnoticed by both Paul and Steve and only added a little more mileage.
With a little help from ‘Caroline’ the ride back through Eaton to Delamere passed without incident. Here we all parted company, Paul and Steve both cycling home while I had an easy drive home.
Although today’s route was on roads familiar to CER riders we had a pleasant 44 mile ride, in part due to the absence of the threatened weather. However, in our haste to beat ‘Caroline’ we didn’t stop for a photoshoot.
KP
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