Sunday, November 11 – The Overton Hills

The morning turned out foggy and dismal when I got up at 8.30 – late.  When I made a start at 10.15, it was as bad as ever.  Hordes of people were going towards town, for today is Remembrance Day, the fifth anniversary of the Great War.  At Four Lane Ends I met a Bolton CTC rider, who had missed the club run through punctures, so we decided to go out together.  People were massing at Atherton and Leigh, and at 11am, Lowton, we stopped for two minutes – the  Great Silence.  On resuming, we came to a little church, outside which the people were singing ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’, and a big policeman stood at attention, displaying a breast full of medals.  Turning to Winwick, we reached Warrington, and soon, at 12.30, we were having lunch in the homely little cottage at Sutton Weaver.  Coming out, Jack found another puncture, which, however, was soon put right.

Frodsham passed, we turned into a bylane, and started climbing between Frodsham and Helsby hills.  The autumn scenery was glorious, a pleasing variety of colour meeting the eye, for the fog had long cleared.  Mouldsworth reached, we traversed the ‘switchback’ through pretty Delamere Forest to Norley, Crowton, and the Weaver Valley at Acton Bridge.  Dusk was setting in, bringing a light mist when we passed Little Leigh, and at Comberbach we had to light up, reaching ‘Big’ Budworth for tea at 5.30pm.  Leaving at 7.0pm, we took the road via Arley, High Legh and Broomedge, then Heatley, Warburton and the bylanes to Partington and Carrington, then  to Flixton and Barton, arriving home the usual way at 10.15pm.                                                      94 miles, 12 hours