With a dryish forecast for today and the ones for the weekend looking horrible I felt the need to get out. A quick clean and oil for the chain and I got out on the knockabout bike into a warmer than expected day, aiming to do my Longnor, Acton Burnell, Cressage, Walcot, Upton Magna route.
I headed over Lyth Hill at the start and dropped down to Condover, having to wave a driver past at one point as pulling right in to the verge and almost coming to a halt at the point where the road widens apparently wasn't enough of a hint I was allowing them to overtake.
After rain earlier the roads were wet and frequently muddy. Another hazard was that the hedge cutters were out. I was fortunate at Longnor that the tractor I saw hadn't actually started yet (the driver was just putting the warning signs out) but the one just after Frodesley and the one at Acton Burnell were in full flow. Fortunately I managed to avoid picking any thorns up as far as I could see when checking at my next drink stop.
While pausing for a photo at Cound Moor a few spots of rain started to fall. I carried on hoping it would blow past but about a mile down the road it was starting to come down properly so I pulled in and found the scenery obscured by a curtain of rain coming up behind me. The waterproofs went on and I decided to reassess the ride. I couldn't tell whether this was just a shower or if i was something more substantial rolling in but having been caught out before I decided this time to take a left and go the shorter way through Harnage and Cound.
I rolled out of the rain around Harnage and dropping down the hill it looked like it had been just a shower after all - oh well, never mind. The flag of the day at Cound was that of Turkey which with hindsight seems oddly coincidental (the earthquake Turkey suffered today occurred about 40 minutes after I'd passed the flag).
At Cound Stank I decided to risk shedding the waterproof layers which was just as well as I was overheating. I used a not-too-busy A458 into Cross Houses and had a driver wave me across the junction for Berrington Hall even though it was his right of way, which was friendly of him. Somewhere around here I picked up a thorn in the front tyre
and decided to leave it alone in the hope it would plug the hole until I got home.
Returning to Condover, the headwind seemed stronger than I had been expecting from the forecast and wasn't coming from a particularly favourable direction for the dash up to the A49 so I decided to retrace my steps over Lyth Hill (less traffic this way).
25.5 miles at 12.8 mph average. Shorter than the route I'd set out to do but it takes the mileage for the week up to 112 so I'm happy. The thorn I picked up turned out to be much shorter than expected so hopefully I've got away with that one.
Crossing Lyth Hill at the start.
I took this for the autumn colour at Cound Moor but it came out a bit dark.
Reassessing the ride at the junction for Harnage.
A damp portrait of the bike with the Wrekin as the backdrop.
Overlooking the nature reserve at Venusbank.
View to the Lawley and Caer Caradoc from near Kingstreet. The speck in the sky was a buzzard soaring on the breeze.
well this weather has put a end to my cycling , back soon with some posts i hope
