Today our target is a little pub campground in a place
called Wrenbury, about 50km from Telford. The weather is overcast and rain is
forecast, but I think for tomorrow. What
we intend to do is to stay one night at the campsite and then get a hotel in
Chester for the next three nights, giving ourselves a chance to look around
this beautiful old town as well as check out some of the numerous bike shops as
we think we will buy new gear for our next trip – yes that’s right, next
trip. We are still loving it and think
cycletouring is THE way to travel.
We were up early and downstairs for a cuppa. Julia’s phone
is now connected and her plan includes a trillion texts…a million talking hours
and a hundred million mgs of data…..or something like that. Whatever the
amount, for ten quid, it is sufficient.
Had some breakfast and did the dishes before getting our gear together,
ready to hit the road.
We found our way out into the country easily and started
heading from village to village along the quiet country lanes. The cycling was great and the weather
perfect. The surface was flat to slightly undulating and although we did have a
headwind a bit later on, it was more of a breeze.
 |
| the University at Edgmond |
At Edgmond we met a couple of ladies and asked them about
the lovely old university we’d just passed. It had advertised that it had been
voted university of the year, by the students and I have to say it was a
beautiful facility. They, however, seemed to think that it had been rigged as
they get a lot of overseas students going there.
Found the Shropshire Union
Canal at Knighton and jumped on here for a rather uncomfortable 4kms. Spoke to
a guy, his wife and grandson who had a gorgeous forty year old mahogany river
cruiser, who told us where to get off for Market Drayton.
 |
| Market Drayton |
Once off, the riding was very pleasant. After picking
up supplies in Market Drayton, we asked a guy where Norton in Hales was.
Received perfect directions, although they came with a warning. “Ooh it’s a fair old bike ride”, he said. “It must be about 4 miles away”. We smiled to ourselves and and off we
set.
Not too much later on we stopped
for lunch and pushed our bikes down onto the towpath to sit on our groundsheet,
next to a canal bridge as the narrowboats filed on by. It was quite busy
actually, but very scenic.
The afternoon shift took us to Swanbach and Aston and also
covered some delightful country lane riding, in fact it was, for me the best
riding of our time in England. The scenery and buildings were lovely and the
fields and hedgerows were straight out of a painting.
Around 4.15pm, we cruised
up to the Cotton Arms, the pub, who have a campground connected. Paid our fees
and pitched in a large field next to a couple and their son in a caravan, from
the Wirral. After Julia had chatted to
them, she came back and told me about their twelve week old Tibetan Terrier,
called Alfie. I then wandered across for a good catch up about the Wirral and
Liverpool. Back at the tent, Ju had fallen asleep, so I got on with typing the
day’s events.
Debated whether to go to the pub for dinner but in the end
decided to cook up our can of minced beef and gravy with corn and pasta – and very
nice it was too. As we finished our
coffee and muffin, it started to rain so we got a new stormcover ready (i.e.
cut up a rubbish bag) in readiness if the tent started to leak, before we
settled in for the night.
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