A Cheshire jaunt with John Mann.

Had a ride out to Cheshire with John Mann today and it turned out to be a great relaxing few hours. A strong breeze favoured a ride into it and so dictating an easy ride on the return leg. The forecast was for a nice mixed day but to expect sudden heavy showers here and there, fortunately for us, none came our way. The lanes were a delight and as we neared Bollington it was decided to carry on and visit Tatton Park entering via the Knutsford entrance. What we did not know was today was the first day of the Tatton Flower Show and we were soon engulfed in standing traffic queues. We took great delight in passing standing and slow moving cars, overtaking them with great aplomb. We reached the Knutsford end with no difficulty at all and again whizzed passed cars queuing for the car parks. We left the park at the Rostherne exit and found the village was out of bounds to the show traffic so we rolled along at leisure enjoying traffic free lanes back to Agden and Bollington. The weather was just perfect, sunny and warm with enough broken cloud set in deep blue skies to accentuate the lush greenery of the Cheshire landscape. We went down to Bollington past The Swan with Two Nicks pub and Bollington Mill crossing the tight narrow footbridge over a rapid flowing river, the water rushing over the weir indicating someone had had heavy rain overnight.
Passing Dunham Massey Park gates we took the next left and headed for Red House Farm tea room, this was a first for John, he had only ever seen it mentioned on club runs lists. I on the other hand have frequented the place many times and had a reason for wanting to visit again. The cream teas, wow, they are just devine here, nice scones, nice jam, and served with delicious genuine clotted cream, I salivate as I write, mmm.

Back on the way home from here I promised John another treat, a rare experience, so rare it defeats short term memory loss we oldies are prone to. The big treat is, a strong tail wind up the normally fatiguing 'Holcroft Lane', the scene of many " Leave me, I'm dying" scenarios. And what a treat it was, rolling along almost without effort resisting the urge to engage the 'big ring', not that I could have done anyway being on a low fixed gear. I was content to twiddle along as was John also in a comfortable gear, two contented old codgers enjoying a day in Cheshre.