LEJOG Day 7 - All Stretton to Chester

After a good nights sleep at The Yew Tree Inn, we managed to get going at 10:00 hrs this morning. The north wind was a bit chilly so I wore a long sleeve shirt but combined that with shorts as I thought my legs would keep warm from all the exercise they would be getting.

The first few miles were on the A49 which was quite busy, so I had to try and keep my pace up. My bright rear lights kept the traffic behaving sweetly and whenever I spotted a large lorry behind I tried to find a lay-by or driveway that would enable me to let it past. I next used a set of lanes to skirt around to the west of Shrewsbury. I was quite comfortable apart from the fact that the wind was constantly in my face. There weren’t many hills and those I encountered weren’t very long. Some of the lanes were a bit rough though and on one I heard a crack and then a ‘ting’ and realised something had fallen off my bike. I stopped and found that half the bracket my Gopro was fixed onto had snapped off - as the camera was securely tethered to my bike, there was no risk of losing it so I left it as it was and apart from bouncing around a bit more it lasted the rest of the day.

During the morning I’d been riding in the valley of the River Severn. Then I met Jan for lunch at Ellesmere (this is nowhere near Ellesmere Port) and we had a nice break sitting in the sunshine by the Mere. After lunch (and a couple of hills) I was in the valley of the River Dee - so basically it was downhill all the way to Chester. Well, not quite, but I was enjoying the riding and the scenery.

Finally, after doing battle with the Chester road network I pulled up at tonight’s stop - The Mill Hotel and Spa.

We’re having a day off tomorrow and intend visiting my aunt, sightseeing in Chester and meeting a couple of my cousins as well as taking part in a pub quiz. Jan says my beard needs a trim, so that might happen as well! I won’t be back on my bike until Monday.

Todays stats:
Distance: 56.41
Avg. Speed: 11.4 mph
Max. speed: 33.8 mph
Climbing: 1722 feet
Accumulated mileage: 385 miles