Monday 24 March 2025 - A Bike Ride to Rostherne

On a sunny Monday morning, Sue and I couldn't resist the attraction of joining Richard and Jenny on a bike ride to Rostherne and back - just a couple of hours in the saddle. The perks of retirement... Make the best of every day...

We took the canal towpath to the site of the Bay Malton by Seamon's Bridge, then Cheshire lanes to School Lane, crossing over the canal where it is blocked due to a collapsed conduit in the January storms.

It looks as if the towpath to Lymm is no longer blocked, with access for pedestrians being granted. (This section of canal is barred to cyclists for some reason - cycle along here and you incur the wrath of the Lymm Dog Walkers - though as part of the Bridgewater Way, it should surely be available to cyclists.)

The mildly undulating route took us along country lanes past Dunham Massey to Rostherne, where we enjoyed a coffee and cake break in the sunny churchyard.

Continuing in a little loop, we got a glimpse of Rostherne Mere at a point where there's a distant view of the mere. This is about as close as you can get without an observatory permit. Note the daffodils in the hedgerow, these are a constant feature of these Cheshire lanes just now.

Returning to our outward route, we passed by Dunham Massey and took a left turn by the church in Dunham Town. Down here I turned right along the Trans Pennine Trail (my preference being to avoid roads wherever possible) whilst the others took a slightly longer route through the lanes. We reassembled at Seamon's Bridge.

I was placed in front of our mini peleton as my bell is the loudest, and we pedalled without incident back home.

A lovely way to spend a couple of hours on a Monday morning. Here's the 30km route with about 130 metres ascent, taking nearly two hours.