June 3, 2016
Lon Cambria. Shrewsbury to Abermule
Narrow lanes and Gnarly hills.
A bright and sunny morning finds us waiting at Ye olde Wilmslow station for the 8:40 to Shrewsbury. Our apprehension about getting our bikes on the train proves to be needless and soon we are speeding along admiring the pleasant farm vistas and villages among the soft hills.
We arrive in a sunny Shrewsbury and head for Broadway. The cycle shop had immediate solution for Michael‘a assembly problem (so simple- bearings in wrong place!) as well as new Allen keys. (Thought we left our set at airport despite our final check of the assembly area- in fact they turned up later). SIM cards next, cup of coffee, and thanks to Michael’s pre planning, we were out of the town without a hitch.
Remembering half timbered buildings from our visits in 70s. Lots of children in parks and along riverside.
We find cycle route 81, Lon Cambria, with The Bredyn hills blue in the distance. The lanes are narrow with occasional traffic. Hedgerows, wild flowers and shady trees, thatched cottages, farm houses, sheep and cattle keep our interest. A roadside pub with seats outside provides a thirst quenching rest stop and our first English beer.
No longer blue, the hills loom. Our first ‘up’ with a load. Michael more dogged, keeps going. I push on trying to keep my mind on not giving up. The downhill stretches make up for it and we continue our wending way until it seems there’s no more climbing. In fact, there’s a steep descent into Welshpool. We find out later that we have crossed the “Long Mountain ”.
By Welshpool, M has a pedal problem, and Brooks cycles, spotted immediately, is where a temporary repair is made. From here we join the nearby canal path, to head to Abermule. A slight hiccup occurs when the path came up to the road and we lose our way due to a detour, but interrogation of some local lads has us back to the road and through a paddock of long grass to join the canal again.
It is a pretty ride with water nearby , birdsong, and leafy overhead. This botanical beauty also proves our downfall when a Hawthorn prickle punctures Michael’s tyre. Our focus changes as Michael now had one malfunctioning pedal and a puncture. Grateful for mobile phones, we contact Rufus, who agrees to meet us at Berriew.
We have no idea how far we are from said place but eventually came to the numbered lock. Directions from a young couple walking, help us make the crossing to the village where our rescuer is waiting with bike carrier and van. Thence to Abermule and Rock Mill with its glorious garden and Cherry’s welcome and a cup of tea. Day one has forced us to consider a number of key lessons: better tyres to thwart the deadly Hawthorns; pedals must be threaded carefully and correctly; photograph one’s bike carefully before disassembly. The consolation: the more trips, the better we’ll get!
Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 77 km (48 miles)
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