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

LEJOG Day 6 - Newent to All Stretton

What a lovely day! My longest daily mileage so far and the second highest amount of climbing but hey! The sun was shining😄. The wind tried ruining the party by blowing in my face all day but failed - I just felt like I was getting extra oxygen each breath!!
We didn’t have a full English this morning but had muesli, yoghurt, fruit, croissant and some cheese and salami.
The route today skirted Ledbury, went through Bromyard, Tenbury Wells and Ludlow and then to finish off went over The Wenlock Edge.
I’m finishing this post for now - I need to go to sleep! I’ll update it tomorrow!!
And the update is:

I can hear you all asking “What’s happening on the Yellow Car Boom! Front?”. Well, at midday as I approached Bromyard I realised I hadn’t seen a single yellow car all morning. I was trying to come up with a theory for this based on regional stereotyping but Bromyard then came good - in the space of the next half mile there were four and then on the way out of town a fiffh, bringing the total to 73.
Jan and I met up for lunch at Tenbury Wells at a cafe by the river. I remember that they have had bad flooding here over the last few years and looking down at the river I could see that the water level must have been some 20 feet or more higher just to reach the road!

Approaching Ludlow I could see the Clee Hill radar dome off (and up) to my right. This reminded me of my mum and dad who had driven up there in the early sixties - I believe my dad may have done some work on the radar up there.

Just north of Ludlow, I used a road that is crossed by the racecourse in three places. A traffic signpost warned of the “possibility of delays” on race days - I would imagine the delay would be for the duration of the race meeting! Whilst I was stopped and taking photos a couple of cyclists came past, they asked if I was Ok: thumbs up and noting they had panniers I asked if they were going far, “Yes, Lands End” they said - I shouted I was going the other way and got a big wave and a thumbs up.

Next was just a question of knuckling down for the last two climbs of the day - Wenlock Edge was very steep but the countryside was lovely - and the last ridge (I can’t find a name for it - perhaps it’s just a precursor to the Long Mynd) was slightly softer. I had a nice fast freewheel down into Chuch Stretton and, turning right I headed for All Stretton. Our B&B is the Yew Tree Inn where we have a nice, fresh room and last night we had an absolutely delicious meal (washed down with a couple of pints of Butty Bach.

Todays stats:
Distance: 58.81 miles
Avg. Speed: 10 mph
Max. Speed: 39.7 mph
Total Distance: 329 miles