Day One – Sunday 22nd October – two days after Storm Babet.
Over the previous two days the country had been battered by torrential rain. In Shropshire we weren’t as badly affected as in other parts of the country but it was still very wet. We had to abandon a trip to Shrewsbury due to appalling road conditions.
It finally stopped raining on Friday morning but I recognised that some areas of my planned route from the start of the Montgomery Canal in Newtown would be at risk of flooding. And checking the Powys council website confirmed that most of the low-lying Severn valley around Welshpool would be seriously flooded. The small village of Llandrinio even made the national news. Rather than abandon, we decided that I would instead start from Queens Head outside Oswestry and use mainly roads rather than the canal towpaths.
I had packed the panniers on Saturday – heavier than I had imagined and fitted my new pannier covers – thank. You Altura for sending them so quickly. We managed to fit Shirley into the back of Sue’s car together with all the other gear and set off early on Sunday morning. Arriving safely I refitted the front wheel and loaded the panniers. In practicing I had ridden with “ballast” in them to get used to the feel of the bike but when I started to ride around the car park before setting off I was soon aware that I would be needing the lowest gears fitted to Shirley (34*34) if I encountered any sort of slope.
A few pics taken and I set off. This section would be all on the road until I reached Ellesmere. I made good time initially and soon turned onto the small lane leading to Frankton where the Montgomery Canal joins the Llangollen Canal. In preparation for the trip I had planned road routes using “Ride with GPS” (RWGPS) and soon my phone on the handlebars was giving me warnings of where to turn etc. I had never used the app before but came to rely on it over the next few days. Just before Lower Frankton and the junction of the canals I discovered an unforeseen hazard. Old canal bridges are very steep on both sides and getting up and over on a fully laden bike was to prove challenging. I remembered this particular bridge from the Montgomery Canal Triathlon (SEE POST) in 2017.
As I reached the junction of the two canals I took the obligatory photo and then started up the hill towards Welsh Frankton. I say a hill. Normally it would not have been too bad but with all the debris and the weight it was a slow grind to the top. A short stretch on the main road and then down a lane to Tetchill to encounter another unforeseen hazard. The road was flooded for about thirty metres and the water was deep. Despite trying to walk around the edge pushing the bike in the water I ended up having to walk through the water. It was very cold and my feet would remain wet for the rest of the day. Between Tetchill and Ellesmere I encountered three more similar floods and by the time I got onto the canal towpath at Ellesmere I was beginning to question whether this was a good idea at this time of year. However the towpath was relatively clear and although there were other towpath users they responded well to my “BIKE” warning and I was sure to thank them.
Shortly after I came to my first tunnel of the journey. Stop for photo and then I pushed Shirley along the towpath. Remounting I headed towards Linneal but became increasingly concerned about the condition of the towpath. It was muddy and uneven and although Shirley coped well I was very conscious of the water on my right hand side. So I turned off and had a very pleasant road ride along the side of Colemere. A combination of National Cycle network signs and RWGPS kept me on course. I did encounter two more floods which refroze my feet – in between I think my socks and shoes were acting as a sort of wetsuit and my feet were recovering. But then I was on the outskirts of Whitchurch in just over two hours. I went off course into the town centre looking for a cafe and so I ended up heading towards the Sainsbury’s cafe. Time for something hot to warm up.
No such luck. There was a queue and as I stood there I realised that the till was not working and therefore the people in front of me could not pay. There was a typical British reaction with three members of staff looking at the till and pressing random buttons, taking it in turns. The queue kept getting longer. The manager arrived. “We need to reboot it, and it will be OK in a couple of minutes”. It wasn’t and after another ten minutes I gave up and bought a meal deal from the kiosk.
I sat outside in the sun and enjoyed my lunch. Talking to Sue, She confirmed that the Strava Beacon was working and that she has been able to follow my progress. I decided to save each section of the road and so I added the first part of the ride to Strava.
Refuelled, I set off in what were very pleasant conditions with sunshine and a gentle breeze. Although there was a lot of water on the road I did not encounter any further flooding and soon rejoined my RWGPS route. I took a brief detour to visit the Swan at Marbury which Roger had recommended. I didn’t stop but will perhaps visit in the future. The next section of the ride was really lovely – I crossed the canal a couple of times and also visited Wrenbury where I have ridden virtually a few times on Fulgaz. This is really beautiful countryside and I was having a lovely ride. I soon reached the canal again and made the first navigational mistake of the trip. The towpath looked OK and I decided to go onto it and ride along the end of the Llangollen canal through Hurleston Locks. Although there was a grassy track I was soon up to my sprockets in mud and fighting just to stay on the narrow track. In places it became just grass and although I tried to greet the people on the passing narrow boats I couldn’t do any sightseeing as I had to focus on the track ahead. And why is it that distances look so short on OS maps but can take so long to negotiate? I finally got to the locks where the path was worn by generations of boaters and I could get some grip.
I emerged at the junction. Two canal sections completed and I said goodbye to the Llangollen Canal and joined the Shropshire Union. When I took the obligatory photo of Shirley I realised just how much mud I had accumulated. I decided that an urgent priority would be to clean the bike. I attempted to do so unsuccessfully with a twig and the water from my water bottles. Slightly better and I thought that as it was light I would cross the aqueduct and cover some of the towpath that afternoon rather than in the morning. As the firm surface was coming to an end I descended from the canal and onto the local streets.
I met a couple and enquired if there was anywhere that had a jet wash. They weren’t sure but suggested Morrisons. I followed their directions and found Morrisons. No jet wash. I decided to try and find my way to the hotel and followed the signs for Crewe. This took me out of the town onto a ring road where I found a Co-op supermarket. Here I loaded up with kitchen towel, a plastic dishwashing brush and some water.
Just as I started I had a phone call from Susan. She had been tracking me on Strave and was worried that I was “wandering” and then stopped. I explained the situation and she was relieved. She also explained that I was a long way off course for the Premier Inn. Having cleared a lot of the mud I set off with the remaining kitchen rolls stuffed inside my top. Again I sought directions from a couple in their garden and witnessed an “interesting” discussion as they argued about the best way.
As it turned out I had to cycle almost back to Morrisons and then out on the Crewe road. I found the Premier Inn and the check in was as efficient as ever. Also the young man on the desk advised me that I could use the tap outside the door to clean the bike.
First ride completed. I had learned that I should have worn overshoes and also should have thought about how to keep the bike clean.
I had a quiet evening in the pub next to the Premier Inn. A butternut squash burger which was tasteless but improved by the extra portion of halloumi. A couple of glasses of red wine. I discovered that the pub would not be open for breakfast so decided I would ride to Morrisons in Market Drayton in the morning so an early start.
Off to bed by 2200 – Keep Pedalling
Strava Records
| Day Distance | 46.9 miles |
| Day Time | 3hrs 34 mins |
| Total Distance | 46.9 miles |
| Total Time | 3hrs 34 mins |