In which I try cycle touring from home....

I bought some panniers a while back as I've got a couple of long distance cycle routes that I fancy having a go at. Before using them in anger, I thought it prudent to do a short overnight trip to get used to the feel and ride of them, after all you don't want to find out any issues when you're miles away from home! So, with the weather finally playing ball after all the rain, I booked a pub just south of Bridgnorth and set about filling my panniers with what I thought I needed. First impressions were that they were individually not too bad weight wise, so I attached them to my rack and prepared to set off. The first thing I noticed was how heavy my bike felt at the back! 

I set off down the road, and it didn't feel too bad to be honest, although you could tell that there was a bit of weight at the rear. I'd done a couple of miles and was feeling pretty good, when it hit me that I'd left my bike lock back home sitting in the kitchen! I didn't want to go back, so planned to stop at a bike shop in Audlem that I knew was on my route. Feeling a bit happier I rode through Winterley and Haslington on my way to the first test of the day - the climb out of Haslington towards Alsager. It went surprisingly well, and I crested the climb comfortably and headed on through to Weston and then Wybunbury, and from there down to Audlem. The sun was out and although there was a chill in the air it wasn't too cold, in fact it was almost perfect autumnal cycling weather. I parked my bike outside the shop, leaning it against a post, but the assistant wouldn't have it and told me to bring it into the shop. Clearly he'd read the same BBC News item I had about Audlem Fire Station being broken into for the second time recently! I bought a lock, mentally wincing at the weight that was going to go into my panniers.

Climbing out of Audlem, I turned off shortly for Norton In Hales. The wind was from the south it seemed, and was one of those irritating winds that blow more or less constantly, making it difficult to hear if anything was coming up behind. From Norton I headed towards Market Crayton, crossing the Shropshire Union Canal (and a bit of a flooded road!).

Reaching Market Drayton I weaved my way through the town and headed out towards Cheswardine, recrossing the canal, where I stopped to take a photo of the lovely church.

There was a bit of drama when I set off again, a police Range Rover with lights going and siren blaring speeding in the opposite direction! Continuing on, I came to the A41 and crossed over to Chetwynd Park. Here my bike computer twittered at me saying I was off course, but I thought I was following NCN route so headed into Newport with the computer constantly chirruping and telling me to turn round. Eventually at the end of the road it relented and told me to turn right, which I knew would bring me back on course. Sadly it also brought me to a 10% climb, and I was starting to feel the extra weight on the bike by this time. I managed to crest it though, and then the computer threw me another curve ball by saying the end of the route was in one mile! There then followed a lot of toing and froing, swearing and use of maps before I decided I knew where I should be going and headed off.

If I thought things were going to settle down I was in for a rude awakening. I came to the A518 on the outskirts of Telford and was sent off on a number of different cycle paths, of various surface material, not all of which were easy to spot, and which were occasionally populated by sundry dodgy looking yoofs! Eventually I was thrown back out onto roads, near Wellington Station, and was promptly presented with the start of what I knew would be the biggest climb of the day, by far. What I hadn't realised until just now, was that the climb was The Wrekin, a well know and well feared climb. To be fair, it was a fairly steady climb with occasional awesome views over towards Shrewsbury with the M54 beneath me.

Eventually I got to the top and then descended to The Wrekin Forest Glen, where more climbing presented itself up to Little Wenlock. My legs were complaining by this point, so when the road reared up I had to get off and walk uphill. Soon I reached the top where more lovely views presented themselves south towards Ironbridge Gorge. Descending down to Coalbrookdale I had another round and round experience with the computer as I approached the railway viaduct. After heading into and out of the Enginuity museum I eventually retraced my tracks and headed straight on, instead of visiting the museum, up hill again. Fortunately this was followed by a downhill, tricky at times on surfaces that may have been original from the Ironbridge historical times, until I came to a T-junction and headed left through Ironbridge, where I traversed the famous iron bridge over the River Severn. On the other side I picked up the Severn Way, an off road surface which was suffering in places from the recent rain and which runs alongside the River Severn from its source. After a while the route ran alongside the Jackfield Tile Museum, an imposing building.

Further on, at Coalport Road, the route became a Permissive Way for five miles. This was by far the worst part of the whole trip, a lumpy, bumpy, muddy, pot-holed, rock strewn slog, which seemed to go on for ever and ever. I was getting really sick of the damn thing, tired and cold (it had clouded over and the temperature under the trees had dropped a little). Eventually it came to an end, and with the end of the trees the wind was in my face again. I cycled past Bridgnorth Golf Club and turned left at the main road into Bridgnorth, and through the town centre. There was another hiccup which led me to go over the high level bridge to Bridgnorth Railway Station, on the Severn Valley line. Their Diesel Gala was taking place and the noise of throaty engines was filling the air. My computer told me I'd gone wrong though, although I couldn't see how. I retraced my steps over the bridge and headed down to where I was sure I needed to go.

Fortunately the computer picked up the route again, and I headed out of Bridgnorth towards Chelmarsh, where the pub I'd booked was, and was three miles away according to the road signs. The road climbed heading out of Bridgnorth, and I hoped this was the final climb that I'd face, although the computer didn't announce it so I thought that was odd. At the end  of the climb the road continued on in a manageable rolling fashion before I was directed right down a single road with passing places. This turned out to be the climb I was expecting, and by now I'd had enough of climbing, as indeed had my legs. I got off and walked a couple of times, climbing back on at the top. This road again was an iffy surface, gravel in the middle and flooded at one point. I wondered why the route had sent me this way instead of staying on the main road, as the pub was signposted but not off the main road. Anyhow, eventually I rejoined the main road and lo and behold, half a mile later the pub came into view. I turned into the car park, climbed off and checked in, tired, weary legged and ready for a hot shower.

I'd learned a few things about how panniers affect the way a bike rides, not least that they get heavier the more climbing you do! Tomorrow, on the trip back, I might learn something more.