CTC (We are Cycling) riders at Wrexham Cathedral
In June this year, Dave Matthews joined many other cyclists on a number of jaunts around the cathedrals of England and Wales as part of a new cycling challenge – the Bike Week Pilgrimages. This is his report on a couple of the intriguing spire-to-spire routes…
Dreaming Spires A pilgrim’s progress around a cathedral cycling circuit
WORDS & PICTURES DAVE MATTHEWS
THESE GENERALLY pleasant rides were tinged with sadness, for me at least – as I had to say farewell not only to a favourite bike, which finally gave up the ghost on the first ride, but also a much-loved “cathedral” of cafes, which has closed its doors after 90 years.
RIDE ONE Lichfield Cathedral to Chester Cathedral – 122km
It’s important to check wind forecasts before these one-way rides to determine
the best direction of travel. One week before my ride, the wind was forecast to be firmly in the west, so I booked my bike train tickets to return from Lichfield to Chester. Over the next two days the wind forecast veered to be solidly south-east which would have given me a bang-on head wind the whole way! So I went back to Chester Station and changed the tickets to Chester-Lichfield. The lady at the ticket counter was intrigued by my explanation for change and graciously waived the alteration fee. Thank you, Avanti trains.
The 7.30am train from Chester, via Crewe, dropped me off in Lichfield at 9am on Tuesday 1 June. I then had a noisy, traffic-filled ride for two kilometres to the cathedral where I paused for picture proof of the start. My first objective was Penkridge, some 25km distant. The initial route along NCR 54 was through pleasant, secluded lanes. But this didn’t last. After 10km I found myself in
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