Wed Club Run to Broadbottom

We tried a different route out to the now expanded cafe at Lymefield Garden Centre in Broadbottom.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30157314

I missed the first turn to the virgin off-road territory of Brabyns Park at mile 16 where Marple surrenders to the genteel charms of Marple Bridge. No matter, native guide and new this year member Simon C on his first Wed Club Run adroitly re-orientated his nominal ride leader past Romiley Golf Club up to Hyde Cricket Club, and only balked a little when I called the turn to Werneth Low Road, merely commenting that it was ‘very steep’. As I gasped in the rarified air up to Werneth Low Golf Club (they play a lot of sport round here), I could only agree by nodding helplessly as I had stupidly stuffed the remains of my Cliff Bar (peanut butter) into my gob at the bottom only to find that I had to use my mouth for breathing not eating and couldn’t swallow it until I reached the top (and it was a long climb).

I was less taken by the (at least quiet) dual carriageway through the housing estates of Hattersley, skirting Broadbottom Cricket Club (another one!) up to Mottram Parish Church at mile 22 at which point I wondered if I was in the right county and whether route planning was really my thing or if it should join Elementary Mathematics O-Level on my growing list of heroic failures.

My companions seemed rather taken with the 24% descent of Gorsey Brow (so steep that it had ridges set into the concrete road surface) through Mudd (that’s the name of the place not a typo) and on to the cafe where we met local boy, new last year member, Jack, waiting for us in his civvies, who assured us that our descent was a renowned hill climb, so steep that he himself had fallen off on it twice while attempting an ascent. Also waiting for us was Simon G who had done the whole ride a few minutes ahead of us having started in Bollington, and who was characteristically delighted with the off-road Brabyns Park leg that, sadly, we had missed.

I thought I had taken a major wrong turn to descend back to Marple Bridge, where we bade farewell to our brace of Simons, but actually it seems that I had indeed planned that we should climb Longhurst Lane up to Mellor. I cut out a couple of loops off Mellor Road, thankfully, if not in the case of the second one entirely deliberately, after now looking more carefully at the profile of Apple Tree Road at mile 34 up to New Mills Golf Club (I told you they play a lot of sport round here) to descend into New Mills itself, once infamous for its homicide rate, according to Moray who was unable to join us for plumbing reasons (domestic not medical) and along to Disley and up Moorside, actually called Mudhurst Lane and Higher Lane, to Charles Head and up again and along to Rainow for most riders with three of us plummeting down the Brickworks, actually called Bakestonedale Road, are you keeping up? If you want some amusement, see how your Sat Nav pronounces that one. And no, of course I didn’t really plummet, did I?

Chris

Photo credits Simon C

Some bloke concentrating more on his Instagram profile than where he was going, drunk no doubt on the heady wine of finally digesting his Cliff Bar at the summit of the ironically named Werneth Low Road.

Raph

Mike

Pete

Dave W

Oliver

Phil

Dave

The Road Home. Higher Lane.