It is becoming more and more time consuming to work out cycle routes as they get longer and longer. The challenge over the next few weeks is to increase mileage in the saddle to be as ready as possible for the London to Surrey 100 on 4 August.
I decided that it would be much more sensible to head for the gentle undulations of the Cheshire countryside rather than the stinging hills of the Derbyshire peaks. Little did I know that Cheshire has a few surprises of its own!
Click here to see last Sunday's route - 55 miles
Click here to see this Sunday's amended route - 60 miles
Chris and I set off nice and early on Sunday to make the most of the day; armed with directions written on a piece of paper that fitted into my pocket, and back up OS map; we headed out along the Middlewood way - a former railway line that runs from Rose Hill Marple to Macclesfield (about 10 miles). It is a lovely traffic-free route, very popular with walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders.
We came off at Pott Shrigley to tackle our first climb and give our legs a bit of a burn. The views from the top are very impressive - the whole of Manchester lies at your feet. Then comes the flying descent down the other side, which I can enjoy so much more now I have invested in glasses. Still getting used to the sound of bugs as they ricochet off them!
We spent the next couple of hours winding our way through the country lanes of Cheshire enjoying the countryside and the cycling. These quiet roads are really popular with cyclists and we were constantly exchanging greetings with groups as they sped past at high speed. Cyclists seem to be a very friendly bunch!
We were heading towards Tatton Park - Chris had had the brainwave to stop at the cafe in the park for a bite to eat as there are plenty of tables outside in the sheltered stable courtyard, so you can keep an eye on your bike while you re-fuel. This has been our pit stop of choice for 2 weekends on the trot now, and I can recommend both jacket potato (with beans and cheese and a side of coleslaw), and the full English breakfast. My mph dropped off a bit for the first few miles after the latter though!
The climb to the top at Pott Shrigley on the return was a lot tougher once we had almost 50 miles under our belts, but I am getting rather good at gritting my teeth and made it to the top with some huffing and puffing.
The plan now is to stretch this route by a few more miles next week, then will have a week of lower mileage and hit some of the hills round Marple before the next mileage increase.
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