Dan’s diary – stung and shaken in the shires

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!

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. 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 near Cotgrave Near Pentrich

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.

Torrential Tour of Three Counties – Audax DIY 200km

The day had been hot – 30 degrees of heat in fact, so I set off on this lovely tour of the Cheshire Plain as night fell. But even at 9pm the temperature was still at 25 degrees I knew from the forecast that I risked thunderstorm by midnight but I thought I could make Chester before the storm. Only eight miles in there was already a lightning storm chasing me. By 18 miles I was standing under trees by the roadside, being battered by one of the fiercest thunderstorms I’ve ever seen. I was not alone. A local resident came past on his e-bike having been to the pub for a meal with some friends. He offered to put me up for the night, but I still had plans to complete my 200km. After 40 minutes the rain eased off, and the thunder was drifting away so I pushed on. One mile later I had to take shelter again, this time under a bridge. It was like cycling through an apocalyptic storm. Most of the way I couldn’t see the road, just the river it had turned into. I was riding blind into waist-deep pools. The thunder was actually shaking the ground and the lightning was striking all around me. Standing under a bridge was much better than standing under trees. I’d covered just 19 miles in three hours! DNF was now a very real possibility. Finally the rain reduced, and the lightning was behind me. I took the chance and pushed forward to Market Drayton. The streets were empty, but every house alarm was going off. I stopped for about five seconds and considered whether I should continue or return home and call it a night. But it was a fantastic night. It was a little strange to be cycling along country lanes watching the storm move away – though I kept catching the edge of it as I was obviously moving faster than the storm. When I got to Bunbury the roads were dry and the night air was warm. Now I was dripping with sweat rather than rainwater. What really stood out during this leg was St Peter’s Church at Waverton. The internal lights were on, illuminating the stain glass windows.

Stamford Bridge petrol station (55miles) was a welcome sight as I was ready for a rest and some food. The main issue was that the warm night had encouraged the insects out which always find me particularly appetising. I did the maths and realised that if I kept on riding at my current pace, I could arrive at the finish within the time limit (12hrs). This gave me a renewed incentive to ride faster. The next 10 miles to Helsby passed quickly on dry roads with no traffic. At Helsby

Lights in St Perter’s church at Waverton

there’s a long climb over the tops, which was nice after the flat roads of Cheshire. Once over the top it’s a long descent followed by flat roads that speed you to Knutsford. I had a quick stop at the petrol station to text my wife and finish my bottle of milk. The sun was coming up and I knew it would be hot before I arrived home. The section from Knutsford to Middlewich was fast but I was starting to dehydrate. I stopped at the Middlewich 24-hour petrol station and bought a meal deal and more milk, which I saved for the next long leg to the top of Keele Bank. I knew I’d soon be paying the price, fighting the morning sun and dehydration. Arriving at Keele University at the top of Keele Bank was a milestone. If I looked hard enough, I could make out the crop of trees on the hill where I live on the other side of the city. The sun was now at full cooking temperature and I was sweating just standing but I still had 10 miles to go. These final miles were long and hot with a few close calls. Stoke on Trent drivers! They’re one of the reasons I rarely commute to work. Arriving home up the 12 per cent climb, it was a great relief just to get out of the sun. Even though I’d put on sun cream I was still burning. Turn me over, I’m done this side!

Apocalyptic storms on the road to Market Drayton