An easy 300 ride from Poynton across Cheshire to Helsby, then into Shropshire to visit Montgomery .By ‘easy’, I mean that there are no big hills to negotiate, as 200 miles can be challenge enough. The ride counts towards both the PARTY award , and the Peak Audax SR award .
The ride heads west over undulating Cheshire roads to Helsby. From Helsby the route turns southbound through Waverton, then diverts from the Eccleshall route to take in Saighton and Holt. You will ride past Bangor on Dee race course, so it might be worth while checking their race dates as I recommend avoiding those.
At Gobowen you could just call in at the Co-op near the Railway station for a snack, but Betty’s Cafe, just before Whittington at Derwyn College and Hospital, is recommended as a stop.
After a cafe stop at Montgomery, the new route heads towards Minsterley and Pontesbury to find a 24 hour garage at Shawbirch, before passing through Newport to reach Eccleshall.
From Eccleshall, the final north-bound leg goes through Haslington, Sandbach and Holmes Chapel to finish at Poynton.
Note that our traditional car park off Park Lane (near Waitrose) is now Pay and Display and has a maximum stay of 10 hours, so you’ll need to look elsewhere. There may be free parking at Poynton Pool carpark .