Another ride from Poynton, a popular venue for Peak Audax.We'll have a brew and parking from the Methodist Church to start, and refreshments in the Church Hall at the finish.
This ride starts with an easy stroll across the Cheshire Plain and through Delamere forest, which should be glorious at this time of year. To reach Wales, we have to pass through the heart of Chester City centre using the excellent traffic-free Greenway cycling route. It's tarmac, but we share it with runners and dog walkers so please ride responsibly.
After entering Wales we cross the Dee on the rattily Hawarden railway bridge on the way to Flint. That's where the climbing starts, but Halkyn 'Mountain' is no Everest, topping out at a mere 200m. From here, there are great views of the Welsh coast and Merseyside.
We drop to Bodfari, on the edge of the Vale of Clwyd and make our way back westward through the Clwydian Hills, with the road rising steadily through the pass between Moel y Parc and Moel y Gaer ('moel' being the welsh for a bare hill, and hence the title for the ride). There's a short, sharp climb to Northop, which might have you spinning your back wheel.
We return to England along the Greenway again, but the climbing isn't finished with as we have to reach Newton-by-Frodsham, from where you have views overthe Cheshire Plain towards our finish at Poynton.
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