A Grand Tour of Cheshire
Riding the classic Cheshire Cycleway Route 70, May 2018
Day 1: Norley to Gawsworth (95km)
The Cheshire Cycleway is a veritable classic, devised back in the 80s I believe by Bob Clift, a stalwart of the local cycling scene. Sadly he died some years ago but his legacy has become a must-do ride in these parts. Rather less romantically also known as Sustrans regional route 70, and covering a total of 280km it is no pushover and deserves to be savoured rather than rushed. I rode the route solo some 3 years previously on a rather fine September day, raising a bit of money for a sight charity along the way. It was always my intention to go back and do the route with Helen at a more leisurely pace and a couple of months or so previously we made the decision that we could fit it in over the 2018 May Day bank holiday weekend, taking 3 days over the journey, starting and finishing in Sandiway (just off the official route). The beauty of a circular route like this is that you can choose just where you want to start and finish. We co-opted friends Pete and Sharon to the team and I came up with an itinerary, sorted out the accommodation and away we went. At the last minute we were also joined by Andy and Lynne, the more the merrier in our view.
The first day, a Saturday, dawned bright, sunny and warm. A good start. We met up in the village of Sandiway and, having done some rudimentary checks, we rode out to join the Cheshire Cycleway route just below the village of Norley east of Delamere Forest. Today was definitely going to be the tough day, with some big hills and some tough gradients along the way, a definite challenge for some in our party. The first part, though is gentle enough and we rolled along in the morning sunshine past fields of bright yellow rape and bluebell glades toward Knutsford and a first coffee break at Tatton Park. The cherry blossom on the trees in Great Budworth churchyard were a picture in the spring sunshine and we stopped awhile to enjoy. This was followed by the alarming sight of a road closure due to badgers! After a couple of hours of riding we cruised through the grand entrance and down the long tree-lined avenue at Tatton Park and rolled up to the great courtyard. As we sat basking in the warm morning sunshine supping our coffee (and a little bit of cake) we reflected on how easy all this was going to be!Saturday morning in east Cheshire can be a tad frenetic as motorists tear around the country lanes of Mobberley and Wilmslow and we found the next stage a bit busier and more stressful. Eventually we got off the bigger roads and wound our way through to Alderley Edge and the first categorised climb of the day's ride, Artist's Lane which took us up to the Wizard, a well known local hostelry (and a welcome place for a spot of lunch). For me this is a nice climb, not too steep and not too long, what I would call sporty! We gathered at the foot and set off in a staggered handicap fashion, the idea being to arrive at the top roughly together. Sadly a couple of motorists were not the caring, sharing type and their impatience rather spoiIt the mood. The climb certainly split the peloton, but we regrouped at the pub at the top and settled down to some food in the beer garden in the sunshine.
The afternoon was an altogether tougher affair for our plucky team, with some challenging roads over some beautiful but tough terrain. Up until now we had enjoyed a rolling parcours through pleasant leafy lanes. We saddled up again after our lunch stop and sailed down the predominantly downhill section into the leafy village of Prestbury (where the footballers live) and on to Bollington. It was here that the nature of the ride took on an altogether more demanding nature as we headed up into the Pennine hills below the Cat and Fiddle road which climbs high over to Buxton from Macclesfield. It is lovely countryside, but hard on the knees and lungs. Blaze Hill, the second categorised climb and decidedly more Cat 1, rises steeply out of Bollington and the team were split asunder, some resorting to pushing up the demanding inclines. The views were a distraction, especially on a beautiful spring afternoon, and eventually we all regathered high up on the moors and caught our breath (and rested some weary limbs for a moment). The road wound its way down past Lamaload Reservoir where the young lambs gambolled delightfully in the fields alongside us. We then hit the next climb, Ankers Knoll Lane, an HC monster due to the most appalling
road surface and some horrendous 25% gradients. Now we were all proving that our bikes are indeed pushbikes as we groaned and muttered our way up the awful slopes. At the top the views were again jawdropping, and the camera was out again as I captured the moment. What followed was probably the most delightful part of the whole ride (all 3 days of it) as we dropped down the lovely winding valley east of Shutlingsloe toward Wildboarclough. The gradient is gentle and the road (and accompanying stream) wind steadily down to another stop, an impromptu one this time at the Crag Inn where we indulged in a welcome cheeky beer before the last categorised climb of the day.
The steep haul from Wildboarclough south of Shutlingsloe up Nabbs Road took us west back toward Macclesfield. With some now very tired legs this proved to be a climb too far for the team as we ground our way to the summit, but again we enjoyed some splendid views out over the Cheshire Plain, now laid out before us. Glorious. And now it was fun time, the descent past Hanging Gate and down to Sutton. The last 20km were (relatively) easy and eventually we rolled into Gawsworth and made our way to the Premier Inn where we were staying the night – after a much needed evening meal in the pub next door. Great day, hard day.
Day 2: Gawsworth to Hoole (115km)
Our second day on the Cheshire Cycleway was, on paper, an “easier” day as it didn't include any of those monster climbs we had endured the previous day. To offset this I had extended our mileage by some 20km up to 115km – much to the horror of the team. We awoke to find another glorious sunny day, decidedly uncharacteristic for bank holiday weekends. An early start, we rode out from Gawsworth down the evocatively named Maggoty Lane through the lovely Nancy's Wood, across the main A536 and on to the village of Marton, only a short haul from our overnight hotel, and here made a planned stop for a leisurely breakfast at the wonderful Chapeau! Café, once more taking advantage and sitting outside in the already warm morning sunshine. This was almost like continental style touring. A nice way to start the day. Of course, as is often the way, we stopped for far too long. That's the trouble with coffee stops!We eventually got going again and almost immediately encountered a road race on our route, a moment of excitement as we nearly got caught up in it. East Cheshire is a comparatively gentle terrain (away from the Pennines) with rolling roads and green fields aplenty. The next phase of our ride was along these rolling Cheshire lanes and we headed generally south toward first Congleton and then Audlem. Sadly, routefinding was a bit more challenging as, in places, the signage wasn't always clear. But we had maps, it was a lovely morning and we knew roughly where we were heading. The heat of the day was growing, but it was generally lovely riding. At Audlem we had planned a stop in the Old Priest Hole coffee shop but this was rather crowded (full of Sunday cyclists, now there's an irony) and we wanted to enjoy the sunshine so we opted for a nearby pub garden instead.
Another prolonged (but enjoyable) stop put us way behind the clock, with still many a mile left before our scheduled overnight in Hoole. We cracked on, piling on the miles but the team was by now flagging in the heat. The network of back roads and lanes in this part of Cheshire is a veritable maze and it was necessary to crosscheck our route on the map at times. Wrenbury, No Man's Heath and Malpas came and went. At Tilstone we opted for another of those impromptu stops which make the touring ride such a joy, at the newly refurbished Carden Arms. Amazingly dehydration and sunstroke were a danger for some of our team and, with still some 30 hilly kilometers to go, the stop was entirely strategic.
We were now on the home stretch, so to speak. Undeterred by the long miles and uncharacteristic weather, our intrepid group continued, up over the Sandstone Ridge and down to Beeston and the Shady Oak, another impromptu stop. This was turning into a pub crawl! Living in Chester, this last leg was all very familiar territory, the bikes could almost ride themselves and we finally rolled into Hoole at about 7.30pm, some very tired legs for some of the team, but elated at covering a long day. Time for a very pleasant evening meal sat out in our garden with a bottle of wine and the odd beer to set us up for the last day.
Day 3: Hoole to Norley (75km)
Our final day on the Cheshire Cycleway was definitely an easier day. Just 75km today, and the "flattest" of the lot as we took in the Wirral then headed back onto the Cheshire Plain, over the Sandstone Ridge in Delamere Forest, and triumphantly to our finish. And it was yet another gorgeous sunny morning, so typical of May Bank Holidays! This was going to be a breeze!
We opted for a decidedly leisurely start, heading out from Hoole on the Chester Millennium Greenway, over the Burton Marsh boardwalk and on to Net's (with a cheeky first café stop of the day) and finally up to Parkgate, where the Cycleway turns about and heads back toward central Cheshire. Whilst some of this wasn't strictly route 70, it took us in much the same direction and enabled us to avoid busier roads on a bank holiday. Parkgate is, amongst many things, home to some famous ice-cream parlours. It would, of course, have been rude not to so we queued with the masses and enjoyed a fast-melting ice-cream cornet in the bank holiday sunshine, gazing out over the salt marshes of the Dee Estuary. All very idyllic.
Now came, for me as navigator-in-chief, the tricky bit as we had to negotiate our way through the backstreets of Ellesmere Port. Probably not the most scenic part of the Cheshire Cycleway, it does have a certain industrial heritage with its proximity to the Manchester Ship Canal and the Shropshire Union Canal, as well as the undoubted eyesore that is Stanlow. The route out of Parkgate took us along the old railway that makes up part of the Wirral Way, and this was very pleasant with the trees offering welcome shade. It was naturally enough busy with any manner of people out enjoying the holiday, dog walkers, families out walking and cycling, and lycra clad cyclists alike. The refurbished old railway station at Hadlow Road was a delight. Once safely through Ellesmere Port we picked up the canal towpath for a few kilometers, enjoying the spectacle of supermarket trolleys and rusting mountain bikes which have been fished from the canal, before turning east onto the west Cheshire Plain, roads we are so familar with as they are our very back yard. The clock was ticking so we headed for Meadow Lea, ironically not 4km from home, for a late lunch. Very welcome, very enjoyable - and again far too long!
All that remained now was the last 20km or so, out past Manley Mere on the well signposted route 70 roads we know so well, up onto the Sandstone ridge at Mouldsworth and through Delamere Forest to Hatchmere before one final descent from Norley and across our finish line that we had crossed a couple of days previously as we started out on our Cheshire Cycleway journey. It was a jubilant moment in the sunshine and we stopped for hugs and cheers and even the odd tear or two. In total we had clocked up about 285km over the 3 days, with some tired legs but elated souls. On reflection, Bob Clift came up with a real gem when he put together this route round the county that takes in just about everything that Cheshire has to offer – quiet lanes, woodlands, green fields, canals, industrial heritage, and, of course, the challenge of the Pennines. It has been a cracking ride in great company, well worth the effort and planning, and something to look back on in years to come and savour. You never know, maybe we'll do it again one day.