Seriously solo rider, Dan Campbell, struck out from his Stoke on Trent base to explore more north Midland routes… only to find himself confounded by a diversion that left him a little nettled on the first, and battered by ferocious thunderstorms on the second…
Stung and shaken in the shires Around Nottingham – DIY 200km This would be a lovely ride – if you could remove the sections of A-road, and ignore the potholes around Alfreton. But the area to the south of the city of Nottingham is soaked in history, and a cyclist will pass plenty of information points through these Nottinghamshire villages. As someone who enjoys night-riding, I had a 2am start from Stoke, which meant that the roads were empty – only one car in the first 12 miles. However, the road just after Rocester was completely closed and had me manhandling my bike over a footpath stile. I then spent what felt like hours wandering aimlessly through long grass and nettles trying to find the path which would take me to the other side of the road closure. This is why people with dynamo lights carry a spare light! It wasn’t long before my feet were very cold – but at least the nettle stings were numbed by the cold. Note to self: next time take the diversion!
Arrivée152Summer2021
I was able to maintain a good pace over the tops. There is a lovely section that gently climbs a valley between Blackbrook through to Belper Lane End to Ambergate which is worth a visit if you are ever this way. I stopped at the Bull’s Head and took a photo of the sunrise before the descent to Ambergate.
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I approached Alfreton at 6am as the rush hour began. The roads were more pothole than tarmac. I bypassed the town centre and cut through a housing estate which reminded me of the old coal mining estates where I grew up. As I climbed out of Alfreton there was a 24-hour petrol station with a Morrisons, so I took the opportunity to buy a couple of Mars Bars as I only had energy gels. Castlewood Business Park services at Derby (45miles) was very busy, the Costa had a queue, Greggs was still closed and the sandwiches in the Spar looked horrible. So I
opted for a small bottle of milk and pushed on. A short sprint on the Kings Mill Road East was not too unpleasant, and I turned for Ravenshead, past a Sainsbury’s Local. In hindsight, I should have stopped here for a sandwich. I took Longdale Lane to Calverton where I was hoping to find a café – no such luck. The road to Gunthorpe was fast and I only had one near miss with a white van who didn’t want to wait until the one car on the other side of the road passed. However, I nearly got wiped out by a delivery van in Shelford who thought that he would overtake a parked bus with a car waiting behind it for me to come through. He then shouted out of his window as if it was my fault! At Gunthorpe I turned west for Donington and the road home. The lanes were busy with traffic cutting the corner. Just after
Giraffe seen
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Radcliffe-on-Trent there’s a vantage point which provides vistas across to Nottingham and into Lincolnshire. Before I knew it, I was at Donington Services and I still had not found a café for a rest and a cup of tea. Ninety miles without a proper rest stop is too much for me and something I’ll not do again. I had a Greggs’ egg bap and a coffee sitting in the rain on the park bench. I don’t understand why more people don’t do Audaxing! I’ve completed the 40 miles section from Donington to Stoke on Trent several times, so I just put my head down and turned the crank. In reality, I had no choice as the wind had picked up, making my legs burn from the effort. I hoped that when I turned at Stanton by Bridge the wind would reduce but it didn’t – I had it for company all the way back to the finish. I had thought that I’d stop at Uttoxeter Services as the last 10 miles are mainly uphill. However, when I arrived the A50 was closed, and everyone was being diverted off. Uttoxeter town was just as busy so I pushed on. I turned off the B5027 to Stone at Bramshall and followed the back roads to Church Leigh and Meir Heath, to the finish line. The B5027 is the quickest route but in my opinion, can be unsafe due to the many blind corners.
