Sunday 19th July 2026
After completing my visits to all the English ceremonial counties (just in time before they reorganise them again) I have now listed all the Welsh and Scottish ones which I shall also endeavour to visit. I’ve already cycled in all of the North Wales counties but then I realised that although Denbigh is a county town (it lends its name to Denbighshire), I’ve never visited it. So that’s why today’s ride started there.
Parking was very straightforward (and free!) and I was soon on my way on a lovely warm day with little wind. Whilst it was a hilly day, no gradients were stupidly steep.
I was on a mission to fill in many of the missing Veloviewer tiles in the region so I necessarily zig-zagged and also included a couple of U-turns. The first of these was just outside Holywell partway down a steep hill. I was tempted to continue down to admire the view over the Dee estuary, but I refrained.
Instead, I hauled myself back up to a café in a delightful setting. It was unfortunate that it was in a pet cemetery (and also the home of the National Military Working Dogs memorial), and so I sat with my coffee looking over many elaborate grave stones, most of which were far better maintained than in regular cemeteries. The food was exceptional but I felt a bit sad seeing several dogs being brought in to the café; I kept imagining that they were being brought in to choose their plot.
I took time to admire a sculpture depicting three resting lead miners in Brynford before continuing on to Bodelwyddan. Usually I only glimpse the magnificent church of St Margaret’s whilst driving by on the A55, but today I felt privileged to see it up close. It’s quite a new church (1850s) which contains 14 types of marble and boasts a 202-foot spire.
Whilst today’s distance was reasonable (considering I only set off at 10.30), the climbing proved a challenge, peaking at over 6,000 feet (1,850 metres); I really felt that I had earned my burger tonight. Tomorrow, although longer, will be considerably flatter.
Overall Veloviewer cluster increase of 41 (the cluster now reaches to Rhyl); tile increase of 50. Mission accomplished.
Monday 20th July 2026
Another near-perfect cycling day (perfect would be when the wind direction changes to always be behind me) which took me initially east through the Delamere Forest and on towards a salt-mine near Winsford. Before there, I passed through the village of Whitegate which contains some huge properties of the sort I would expect to see in Alderley Edge or Wilmslow but I guess here they’d be absent the annoying neighbours.
The salt mine I passed surprised me. I think I’ve been past here before, but then I didn’t appreciate the sheer size of it. It is the largest in the UK and supplies rock salt which formed a 50-foot mound beside the road for about half a mile. It felt I was cycling past for ages.
Although it was a bit early (in both distance and time), I stopped at a café in an idyllic setting beside the Trent and Mersey canal near Middlewich: there was nothing else close to the route for a further 15 miles. I spent longer there than I’d planned but it was so relaxing enjoying a coffee and sitting in the shade people-watching.
The rest of the day was typified by pretty villages and rolling countryside and very little traffic.
I needed further sustenance after 45 miles so I diverted a little to find another café, once more beside a canal, but this time it was the Shropshire Union. Good tea, but I selected an unpriced flapjack which was winking at me on the counter. When I paid, I noticed that they’d charged £3.90! They declared it to be vegan, which I suppose justifies their reason to double the price.
I was back by 4.30 but still had energy left so I plotted an additional ride to capture a remote tile on Ince Marshes beside the Mersey. I had cycled within a few yards of this a couple of years ago and was annoyed that I’d missed it so I set off to correct my omission. The route looked fine on paper, but dire warnings about private property and not entering without authorisation made me doubt that I’d ever been here before. At that time I was travelling in the other direction which must’ve made a difference. The area is heavily industrialised, hosting several petrochemical companies who really seemed to dislike having visitors. After clambering over a concrete barrier and through a disused car park I finally found the cycle track which really wasn’t suitable for skinny rims with 22mm slick tyres but it was dry, so I coped OK. The tile I sought was close to the Manchester Ship Canal and lurked behind several large, intimidating signs banning entry, but there was no-one around, and threats of being recorded using ANPR held no fears for me.
On the way back, I found a useful addition to my toolkit lying beside the road. OK, perhaps a 1lb claw hammer may not be of immediate use on a bike, but it fitted easily into my back pocket so it came home with me.
Total mileage on the day was almost 85. I rode in 32 new tiles and extended my cluster by 52.
Tuesday 21st July 2026
I planned these routes several weeks ago and, since then, they’ve been sitting on a metaphorical shelf, waiting for the right weather and a suitable diary slot to coincide. So I will forgive myself for forgetting some of the specific reasons why I selected every twist and turn to scoop up missing Veloviewer tiles. I found myself passing within a couple of hundred yards of an orphan tile that I knew I needed. Spotting a footpath sign on the road, I locked my bike to a gate and set off on foot across a recently harvested field. A few minutes later, I felt quite smug, having claimed the tile.
Then, 22 miles later, my route sent me down a dead-end road for a couple of miles, only for me to discover that I was about to enter the very same tile I’d visited earlier, albeit from a different direction! Ah well, perhaps I should just trust my planning skills and not make decisions on the hoof… or should that be on the wheel?
The route was primarily through previously unvisited parts of Cheshire, although I did take a loop close to Wrexham to collect a single outlying tile. After 50 miles I was enjoying making swift progress, and I realised that if I continued on the planned journey through Chester I’d be slowed down by its many junctions. So I switched to a more direct route, while still making sure the ride topped the 100 km mark.
Only six new tiles today, but since they were all strategically important, they increased my cluster by 20.
I’m beginning to think I need a new base to continue my tile quest. Almost all of the tiles within 30 miles of my erstwhile base at Trafford Hall YHA, just outside Chester, are pretty much exhausted now. Perhaps somewhere near Market Drayton?
Home again now, with no more expeditions planned until late August, when, for three mornings I’ll be exploring the area around Rugby before attending a music festival in the afternoons.
Total distance cycled over three days was just in excess of 222 miles and I drove 175 miles which is a good ratio. I increased my overall tile count by 88 and boosted the cluster by 123.