Larkling ride to Werneth Low TOB Special

Five larklings set off to beat the ToB riders to the top of Werneth Low, but at a somewhat more leisurely pace. First order of business was a stop at Earlhams for coffee, tea and a bacon barm - with a strict time limit of 20 minutes.. Mission accomplished.

The route then became an urban mystery tour through Heald Green, Cheadle, Stockport, Bredbury and Greave. Surprisingly the roads were wide and traffic free and ‘cycle only’ routes through parks and Stockport centre were excellent. Only one bridge over a railway and one set of steps interrupted the steady progress towards ‘the hill’, especially for the rider who had inexplicably brought his heaviest bike.

The roads kicked up as we neared Werneth Low and finally we made it to the bottom of Werneth Low Road, which was a **!#*!! long and steep hill to the very top of Werneth Low, which added several extra minutes to the journey especially for the riders who had inexplicably not brought an electric bike. We arrived at the KoM finish area with time to spare to park our bikes amongst the hundreds of others and walk to the KoM finish to watch the race. There was just about room at the side of the road just 30m below the finish to stand and watch in the sunshine.

After many motorcycles, cars and riders had passed we waited 15 minutes whilst the roads cleared and then made our way down Werneth Low (the only sensible direction) and through Brabyns Park to Marple, where we stopped for another break at Costa.

It was decided to proceed home via the Middlewood Way.

A great day out.