Thursday, 19 March 2009

Delamere 21 March

Here's Ross showing us how to ride one of the narrow "bridges" he found on some singletrack, which was completely new to the rest of us, in Delamere Forest. Seven of us enjoyed the sunshine (until it disappeared) with the driest conditions so far this year. Lunch at the cafe, followed by a climb of Pale Heights to warm up again, then back into the forest for more fun.


New member Dave had no problem keeping up, he's obviously pretty good at the technical stuff. Andy was looking the part wearing his new lycra bottoms. In fact I'm worried that we are passing on too much information to these newcommers - Andy goes twice as fast up the hills now he's got some spd pedals. And he was the only one apart from Ross to ride over the log bridge. The great thing about these rides in Delamere is that you can do as much, or as little, as you like. It's never far back to the car park, or back home. Ross led Gareth and me back to Northwich via Crowton and Dutton Locks on the Weaver Way for a relaxing change.

Thursday, 5 March 2009

7 March Tegg's Nose for 3 Shires Bridge




Seven of us set out from Tegg's Nose country park a few miles E of Macclesfield for a challenging ride along tracks and back roads to Three Shire Heads where Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire meet. The bridge here crosses our very own River Dane just a mile or two from its source.

Here we are near Bottom of the Oven before the climb up to the Cat & Fiddle which we finished off on a track from the tea shop. Lots of model gliders were catching the strong updraft near the top. After Three Shire Heads we took a tough track past some motorcycle trials riders towards Flash. Down and up along some back roads to the Eagle and Child, which less young WVCC members will remember as a lunch stop in the 70s & 80s. From there a track took us over to the A54 and the cafe at Blaze Farm for a lunch of Staffordshire Oatcakes.

A short way down the main road and another track with a deceptively deep ford (wet feet) brought us out on the Wildboarclough road. A little detour over to Macc Forest before the final grind back up to the car park before we had seen more than a drop of the promised rain.