Offa’s Bike
The second of the InotM cycle rides started on a good note, though the task that lay ahead was no walk in the park. The route was set (sort of…) between Chester and Cardiff. Over the next day it was hoped that at least 100 miles would be covered by Matt, Baptiste, Gasman and Two-jeans! The second day was planned as an easier ride of around 75 miles (Statutory miles that is, not Winchester miles!) so that some energy was left for a night out in Cardiff.
Day 1:
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny over the West Midlands, with Matt and Baptiste woken to the sound of incoming text messages. Gasman and Two-jeans were already on a train from Cardiff to Chester. Matt and Leon were soon on the road too, with bus replacement services on the trains meaning some extra mileage was quickly clocked up. Nonetheless, by 8:30am sharp, all four of the intrepid riders were outside Chester station and ready to go!..... well almost…
The second of the InotM cycle rides started on a good note, though the task that lay ahead was no walk in the park. The route was set (sort of…) between Chester and Cardiff. Over the next day it was hoped that at least 100 miles would be covered by Matt, Baptiste, Gasman and Two-jeans! The second day was planned as an easier ride of around 75 miles (Statutory miles that is, not Winchester miles!) so that some energy was left for a night out in Cardiff.
Day 1:
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny over the West Midlands, with Matt and Baptiste woken to the sound of incoming text messages. Gasman and Two-jeans were already on a train from Cardiff to Chester. Matt and Leon were soon on the road too, with bus replacement services on the trains meaning some extra mileage was quickly clocked up. Nonetheless, by 8:30am sharp, all four of the intrepid riders were outside Chester station and ready to go!..... well almost…
This seemed a good point to make a few observations
+ Two-jeans wasn’t Two-jeans anymore. He’d bought a luggage rack & left the second pair in Cardiff. (Wise move)
+ Leon had some new panniers and seemed to be prepared for just about any eventuality.
+ Gasman had given us all a lesson in packing light, bringing only a slightly ‘veteran’ looking raincoat, an inner tube and a toothbrush sellotaped to his frame.
+ Matt was no longer using the trusty Faulty and had upgraded to a proper road bike, though there was still some evidence of gaffer tape.
After a quick stop to fill up water bottles at a local shop, the four departed from Chester cruising around an easy 22mph.
All went surprisingly well for the first forty or so miles of the day with no technical hitches or injuries. Navigation was going well too, with only a minor detour (through what must be the largest industrial estate in Wales!) to speak of.
Conversation quickly turned to Gasman, and his apparent lack of any kit whatsoever. What was he going to do for the evening in Bromyard? Would he get into a pub wearing running shorts? What would he sleep under at the unfurnished Bromyard house having brought no sleeping bag? ;-) Matt was quick to point out that there might be some left over dust sheets to sleep under, but no-one was willing to admit they were carrying a spare pair of trousers…
As eleven o’clock approached, the general consensus was that a tea break was in order! Steve was particularly keen to stress that only a ‘quaint’ tea shop would do… so the hunt began! Luckily it didn’t take long to track down a suitable establishment in Ellesmere and we were soon drinking tea and tucking into sausage and bacon baguettes.
After the break all four were back in the saddle and heading down the A528 to Shrewsbury. The original plan had been to stop here for lunch, but given the recent stop in Ellesmere, a quick trip to Boots would have to do. Lunch would be much better at a ‘quaint’ country pub anyway! A quick stop it may have been, but it was still long enough to get accosted by a random street preacher, apparently wanting to convert us!
We pressed on South out of Shrewsbury stopping for a quick photo op on the bridge (and a slight incident involving Baptiste and the one way street that wasn’t… )
Up to this point the going had been fairly easy, with ideal weather, plenty of places to stop, relatively few hills and good roads.
Shortly after Shrewsbury the route left the relative ease of the main roads for the peace and quiet of the un-named country lanes. Navigation wasn’t too much of a problem though, with good signage for the local villages. The first real challenge of the day came from the terrain. As the roads got narrower and turned into single tracks with a gravel down the middle, the terrain got interesting. Coming out the village of Pitchford, we were suddenly greeted with a massive hill. Every corner we turned seemed to reveal another incline. All four struggled on up the hill, sometimes so steep that they had to lean forward to keep the front wheel planted. Little did we know that this sort of terrain would go on for about 25mi. Meanwhile Baptiste started to regret his comprehensive inventory. The downhills were treacherous too, with gravel on the road surface making cornering tricky. There were many more of these hills as we headed towards the Wenlock Edge.
By this point we were all desperate to find a pub to get some lunch, but every village we passed through was pub-less. On the way down a particularly savage hill, disaster nearly struck. A mystery item came loose from Matt’s bike at about 30mph, narrowly missing Steve who was right behind! Luckily the U.F.O. turned out to be one of several spare tubes Matt was carrying, rather than a critical part of the bike! As we reached the bottom of the hill, the first technical gremlin of the day struck in the form of a flat front tyre for Baptiste. This was quickly patched up by Baptiste and Matt as Martin and Steve caught some afternoon rays.
Midway thoughts / observations:
+ Call this a village?! There’s only 3 houses!
+ Not another hill….
+ I can’t believe this road / track is actually on the map
+ Nice views though
+ That dog looks like it’s about to piss up my bike.
+ The locals must all be teetotal.
+ Maybe there’ll be a pub in the next village…
The food situation was turning into a bit of a joke by this point. We’d come at least 15 miles from Shrewsbury without finding a single shop or pub. More worryingly all four of us were running low on water and it was a hot day! As we rolled into Longville on the Dale we thought our luck was in. There was a pub – and it was open!
Unfortunately though, it was not to be. The landlady turned out not to have much entrepreneurial flair, declaring that the kitchen was now closed (at 3pm) and that no matter how hungry we were there was no chance of any food (with the possible exception of bar snacks!). Luckily though we could fill up the water bottles which was most welcome. We all pressed on from here up the other side of Corve Dale through more pub and shop free villages towards the village of Cleehill… And what a hill it was!
Luckily, at the top of the hill there was a shining beacon of hope – a mini supermarket! Our first shop since Shrewsbury!! Never has a shop been so welcome. Panic buying of Lucozade, assorted cakes and chocolate ensued and we all took a well earned break. No-one seemed to care that we were sitting on the pavement next to the wheelie bins.From Cleehill onwards progress was good. There was one road which took us all the way through Tenbury Wells to Bromyard and it was mostly downhill. Speeds over 40mph were seen by all on the steeper bits and we arrived in Bromyard at around 6:30pm.
After a quick look round the Bromyard restaurants, we all agreed that a curry was the best option. After that we hit the pubs of Bromyard… for about 1hr… before the call of bed became too strong.
End of day thoughts / observations:
+ Gasman had the right idea packing light- even if he did have to wear a pair of borrowed waterproof trousers all evening.
+ We’re all sunburnt
+ Asking the pub landlord to turn over from the Hatton fight to Eurovision might cause controversy amongst the locals…
+ Matt is pissed on 1 pint. Again.
+ Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Day 1 Stats:
+ Basic distance (Chester – Bromyard): 95mi*
+ Max distance laden: 112mi* - Baptiste
+ Max speed laden(unladen): 43.5mph* (45mph*) - Matt
+ Max altitude (approx) 400m, Cleehill village (Clee hill spot height 533m)
+ Breakdowns / injuries: 1x puncture (Baptiste) 1x Achilles tendon (Steve)
+ Best Road: B4214 Hairpin section, Cleehill Descent
+ Distance without pub / shop / civilisation: Approx 35* miles.
+ Worst place for a night out: Plaish, Shropshire
+ Borders crossings: 2
* = based upon Matt’s speedo (Conservatively calibrated)
After a quick look round the Bromyard restaurants, we all agreed that a curry was the best option. After that we hit the pubs of Bromyard… for about 1hr… before the call of bed became too strong.
End of day thoughts / observations:
+ Gasman had the right idea packing light- even if he did have to wear a pair of borrowed waterproof trousers all evening.
+ We’re all sunburnt
+ Asking the pub landlord to turn over from the Hatton fight to Eurovision might cause controversy amongst the locals…
+ Matt is pissed on 1 pint. Again.
+ Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Day 1 Stats:
+ Basic distance (Chester – Bromyard): 95mi*
+ Max distance laden: 112mi* - Baptiste
+ Max speed laden(unladen): 43.5mph* (45mph*) - Matt
+ Max altitude (approx) 400m, Cleehill village (Clee hill spot height 533m)
+ Breakdowns / injuries: 1x puncture (Baptiste) 1x Achilles tendon (Steve)
+ Best Road: B4214 Hairpin section, Cleehill Descent
+ Distance without pub / shop / civilisation: Approx 35* miles.
+ Worst place for a night out: Plaish, Shropshire
+ Borders crossings: 2
* = based upon Matt’s speedo (Conservatively calibrated)
