Monday 27 May 2019 – The Phoenix Park Circuit, a Bike Ride

Despite a showery start, Bank Holiday Monday saw a record turnout for a Monday morning bike ride, with Sue, Paul, Jeanette, Alastair, Richard and Jan all making it to the rendezvous point at Seamons Moss Bridge, albeit Jan was rather late having got lost in Timperley!

With Alastair and Jan normally having to work on a Monday, and Paul and Jeanette on child minding duty in the future, numbers are set to rapidly diminish.

I think it’s November since we last cycled this route (report here), though a shortened version with a café in Stockton Heath has been ridden a few times – see here.

Sue came as far as Grappenhall, so was included in the photo taken just as we joined the canal briefly in Lymm, where we received abuse from dog walkers despite being extremely courteous and doing no harm to the hard surface of the towpath. It has happened before; apparently there’s a ‘No cycling’ sign.

At Grappenhall we paused to show Jan the Cheshire Cat on St Wilfred’s church – see here, it’s obscured by the lamp in the next picture.

(Click on any picture for a better resolution image or a slideshow.)

 

We seemed to take different routes down the hill to Phoenix Park, and the others found their way to Norton Priory’s tearoom whilst I went up to Halton Castle. I soon returned to the tearoom. The coffee and cake had been demolished!

 

Then we went back to Halton Castle. It looks like I nearly got left behind again, as I seem to be leaving the tearoom without a bike. Duh.

 

The site of Halton Castle, at the top of a nearby hill, is accessed via The Castle Hotel pub, where the landlord unlocks a door to access the castle, which doubles as a beer garden. There are good views from here. Today’s visibility wasn’t brilliant, but we could see the old bridge, and the recently opened bridge that has relieved the traffic problems in the Runcorn area.



The narrowing of the River Mersey at Runcorn has provided a crossing point for centuries, with a regular ferry since the Norman Conquest, formally established in 1178 by John Fitz Richard, the 6th Baron of Halton.

There’s not a lot left of the castle. The information board shown below gives some idea…



For most of its life, the castle was used as a courthouse and prison. In 1737 the gatehouse was replaced by a new courthouse which is now the pub through which you enter the castle grounds.

From the raised area where the castle once stood, St Mary’s Church is overlooked, with the courthouse down to the left in the next picture.

The church dates from 1071, in the time of Nigel, 1st Baron of Halton. I don’t think what you can see now is quite that old! In fact, it’s a 19th century building.

Maybe I’ll visit this place again and delve a bit further into what must be a rich history.
 

 

We enjoyed cokes, etc (thanks Jan) before setting off back home by the usual route via Norton Priory and the Trans Pennine Trail.

As is normal on these rides, Richard got a puncture, Paul mended it, and the used inner tube (thorn removed) was passed to me to add to my collection of spare tubes.

 

Here’s the route I took. Others will be slightly different. My journey was 67 km with about 300 metres ascent, over a period of over 6 hours. We didn’t rush!