6 minute read
Dreaming spires
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 Dreaming of the intriguing spire-to-spire routes…
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A pilgrim’s progress around a cathedral cycling circuit Spires 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
Dave Matthews at Chester Cathedral
a built-up area with very busy roads. This town turned out to be Chase Terrace – soon followed by Heath Hayes and Hednesford. All very unpleasant cycling, often along fast main roads.
Once in Heath Hayes a long climb started up through the houses to Pye Green and the start of Cannock Chase. Relief at last. Shortly I turned left and descended for two miles straight to Penkridge, which gives an indication of the climbing necessary to get on to the Chase.
Once in Penkridge, my route to Chester was rural and obvious. Through Bradley and Broadheath to Eccleshall, then back on familiar territory to Audlem via Loggerheads.
It was a hot day, but I stoked up on flapjacks and drank a large mug of tea at the Audlem Deli, and then hammered it as fast as possible to Chester Cathedral. I took another picture for proof of passage after the 7.5 hours ride from Lichfield. All good riding except for the urban section before Penkridge – but overall a worthy day out.
I rode this leg on my ”Rider” bike – a beautiful Columbus steel bike with Colnago-style crimped tubing which I bought as a second-hand race frame for £100 from Graham Weigh in August 1996. It’s always been my favourite bike, and a long-suffering, loyal servant. On this ride, I kept hearing ominous creaks from the frame, especially when I used the front changer. Following intensive investigation, I came to the reluctant conclusion that the frame was finally coming apart at the seams. So after many adventures and thousands of miles, the frame was ignominiously stripped of all parts and laid to rest in my garage loft.
RIDE TWO Chester Cathedral to Wrexham Cathedral to St Asaph Cathedral to Rhyl – 97km
Chester & North Wales CTC had organised a Cathedral Ride from Wrexham to St Asaph as a club run on Saturday 5 June. This gave me the chance to piggy-back the connection by riding from Chester Cathedral to Wrexham to join the club ride at Gwersyllt on the outskirts of the city. I would eventually leave the club ride at St Asaph, continue to Rhyl and take the train back home.
I left Chester Cathedral on my hastily rebuilt titanium bike at 7.15am to meet the Wrexham riders at Gwersyllt café at 8.45am. From here we rode to Wrexham Cathedral, which I now realise is the Catholic cathedral and not the grander St Giles Church in the centre of Town.
The route now became rather complicated as it seemed that most of our group were to peel off at different points and times during the day. It was a very hilly route – far tougher than the normal cathedral route expectation.
After many ups and downs, we arrived at the Horseshoe Pass roundabout above Llandegla, and then ducked into the back lanes, past the gliding club to avoid the traffic-clogged main roads. After a few
The Eureka Audax circa 2014
Anne Peek on the last day at the Eureka Cáfe
kilometres we turned off down a horrific steep, narrow and gravelly descent to the A525. Once in Ruthin we all grabbed a quick sandwich, then set off on a relatively level route to St Asaph Cathedral. Beyond here we split up to head for various destinations. I followed the cycle paths to Rhyl Station from where I returned to Chester for a good long rest.
RIDE THREE Eureka Café
Finally, a pilgrimage of a different sort. It was a very sad day indeed when the Eureka Café closed its doors in June after 90 years – 36 of which covered my own visits to this “cathedral café”.
The café, on Parkgate Road, Chester, has been a firm favourite with cyclists, not only from Merseyside, but all over the country. Anne and Keith Peek, who’ve run the café for the last 17 years, announced their decision to retire on their Facebook page. So, it’s a big thanks to them for their dedication to the cycling community in general, and for their hosting of many AUK and CTC events.
● Editor’s note: Arrivée understands that new owners for the Eureka Café are being sought, and local cyclists are hopeful the café’s cycling traditions will continue.
The Cathedral Challenge
The Cathedrals Cycle Route Challenge was launched in Bike Week 2021 – an annual awareness-raising event to celebrate cycling, organised by Cycling UK. The challenge is the result of a partnership between Cycling UK, the British Pilgrimage Trust, Sustrans and the Association of English Cathedrals. It consists of a route of almost 2,000 miles across England and Wales, linking 42 cathedrals.
The official, continuous route starts and finishes in Newcastleon-Tyne, the most northerly cathedral, and wends its way around the country. The routes are available on the website, but experienced cyclists will most likely modify the route to meet their own, preferred cycling style. One big advantage of joining the challenge is that cathedrals tend to be close to railway stations, which allows for a wide range of focused, train-assist bike rides. More information is available at:
