Well that was harder than I expected. Drained from yesterday, a little more climbing than expected and some routing challenges made for a slower journey than planned. The trip was noticeably less pleasant than the previous days, the roads busier, and more industrial areas. Signage and Komoot(the best app for cycling routes) routing was unusually lacking in places as well. In the end I was glad to make it to the hotel.
The day started around 0700, the sun was out and although there was no rain last night, there was a lot of condensation/dew on the grass and inside the tent. I packed what I could, and then as things dried packed more. Eventually I left around 0920.
The legs were tired and I badly needed coffee and breakfast. The roads were good at this point, and after about a half hour I found a nice little place in Davenham, the first built up place I came across. The veggie sausage and hash brown roll (no baps here) was very good - and needed, the coffee was…average. That’s slightly unfair I’ve had much worse coffee this week.
Over the next hour I pedaled my legs into a reasonable state, I could get to 80% but if I spent too long at 100% I felt it. I was making progress, if not at the same speed as the second half of yesterday. Then it all turned into a bit of a slog. Komoot first led me alongside a busy A-road for far too long, then redeemed itself for 10km or so, before really causing a problem.
A section near the River Weaver was actually a private road - very clearly marked as being not a right of way for cyclists. I checked the map and saw a footpath to the right, which looked to go along the river and later could rejoin the planned route. Since retreating and going around would add 10-plus kilometers I thought I’d check it out. As always with this sort of thing, the first part of it was ok, a mowed grass path that lead down to a passable woodland trail, all ok so far…
Then there was a metal kissing-gate to pass through. These are engineered to let humans through but really not bikes. This was a sign, one I duly ignored. I was committed now – going back up through the woodland, up the grassy hill path and then another 10km along nasty roads wasn’t something I fancied doing. This would shortly become a perfect illustration of the sunk cost fallacy.
So, off came the rear panniers, then I lifted the remaining 20kg of awkward e-bike + spare battery + tent etc. over into the gate and squeezed myself in. Then it was time for a little creative swearing whilst I rotated everything to get myself and the bike through the gate. It was not pretty.
Then it was a beautiful walk along the River Weaver, with paddle-boarders and kayakers serenely gliding down the river. For me this took some mental agility to appreciate as I fought my way along a moderately overgrown single-track path with brambles, and nettles and seemingly every other stinging or scratching plant native to these isles. Eventually though I got to the second kissing-gate and fought my way through that one and out onto a nice gravel path. A gravel path that quickly disappeared into WHAT appeared to be a tractor-flattened grass path alongside the river. I followed this, then turned up the hill to rejoin the Komoot route – free at last!
Finally, I reached Frodsham, a town with some pretensions. Fancy cafes, restaurants, delis etc. on one street, and then slightly less salubrious shops around the corner. I had a coffee and multiple cakes at a very nice place. I’d really wanted some lunch but cake was a good stand in, and the coffee good. I then walked a bit further in search of a water refill and a coke which I found at a Costa, before I could find an off-license or supermarket.
After leaving Frodsham, I was quickly onto the National Cycle Network (NCN) route 5 which at this point runs along a pothole-ridden gravel path and through a wind-farm. Sadly, the turbines were not spinning, but maybe that’s a good thing, as a headwind would have finished me off!
The potholes got the better of my stem pouch and out popped first my phone and then the battery pack. I stopped and retrieved both. The phone had popped out of the case on presumably its first bounce, only surviving by bouncing into some mud, fortunately it wasn’t too sticky or wet.
The NCN 5 runs to Chester though and soon dipped south of where I was heading, but another Komoot problem saw it trying to send me through an industrial estate that had been closed. I once again had to replan and this time did a much better job, apart from where I tried to rejoin the route which caused a few questionable turns but eventually I was on the right track. I did pass over the motorway at one point and took great pleasure in the cars being stuck in traffic on a 3-lane motorway whilst I whizzed past.
I was still in some very industrial areas, but was in the right place. Then, some confusion with some private-road signs and industrial gates that I had to go through but it seems like it was a valid through-road – or maybe it just was from the other end. Either way, I followed Komoot all the way to a big motorway junction, across it(!) and then into Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port depot. I was a little concerned at this point but spotted a sign saying “Cycle Way” so that must be ok, right? Nope, at the other side it was a locked gate. Cue a u-turn and replanning. I’d lost faith in Komoot’s knowledge of this area and switched to Google Maps.
I stopped a few miles before the hotel, finding a pub that looked over the River Mersey – brown water, horrible grey/brown haze over the water, I miss the Isle of Wight views of the Solent – and got some food and a couple of drinks. Cider for the nerves, Pepsi for the caffeine and sugar.
After some more industrial, busy, roads, I finally made it to the hotel around 1520, making the trip 6 hours including stops. The hotel doesn’t allow e-bikes in the rooms (meaning no recharging for the bike) but would allow analog bikes in which was something. A little frustrating as reputable brands are treated the same as low quality kits in the eyes of insurers at the moment. Hope that changes soon, I had the same problem at the work office.
Elpie and Megan arrived at 1920, roughly taking the same time as me, despite doing 3.3x the distance. I think I still had a better time, even with the nettle stings and industrial road anxiety.