Route help: Train out Cycle home to Manchester

Audrey, Cathy and I usually go for a ride on Sundays, but various
commitments have shifted us to Saturdays for a bit. This is an opportunity
to go somewhere by train and ride home (not enough services/bike spaces on
Sundays). So we are trying to come up with some ideas for train out cycle
home to Manchester, in the 35-45 miles range. I'd be grateful for any local
knowledge of these routes, the mileages, cafes and train peculiarities, or
alternative suggestions for where to go.

1) Chester
Advantages: flat route home, no need to reserve bikes on Arriva Trains
Wales, 4 trains per hour so not a big deal if cycle spaces are full on some
trains.
Disadvantage: last 15 miles or so will be very familiar territory.
I can see the Cheshire Cycleway marked leaving Chester to the north-east.
Any tips on finding it? Is it worth finding? My possible route goes Mickle
Trafford, A56 to Bridge Trafford (any way to avoid the main road?), Manley,
Delamere Forest, Norley, Cuddington, Northwich (cafe in Garden Centre).
Then two alternatives to Knutsford - Wincham, Pickmere, Tabley (all B roads
but familiar territory) or Broken Cross, Lach Dennis, Lower Peover
(unfamiliar but a bit of A50 at the end). Tea and cake or ice-cream at
Tatton Park, and after that it's home territory.

2) Hope
Advantages: not our normal direction, some hills practice for Audrey and I
Disadvantages: one train per hour, on Northern Rail, not clear whether need
to book (probably too hilly for Cathy, so 2 bikes only per train isn't a
problem)
Proposed route: Hope, Castleton, push up most of Mam Tor (is it still open
to bikes and walkers, not shown on my new OS map), Sparrowpit, cafe at
Chestnut Centre (is it still there?), Wash, Chinley, Buxworth, Whaley
Bridge, Lane Ends (can you get into Lyme Park from this side?). From there
it's home territory.

3) Stoke
Looks both built up and hilly - any good routes to Manchester?

4) Crewe
Looks quite tempting on the map, lots of country roads to the west and
north, is the cycling any good?
--
I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain.
Lily Tomlin
Steph Peters delete invalid from lid
Tatting, lace & stitching page http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm

On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 23:18:39 +0100, Steph Peters
wrote:


So we are trying to come up with some ideas for train out cycle
home to Manchester, in the 35-45 miles range. I'd be grateful for any local
knowledge of these routes, the mileages, cafes and train peculiarities, or
alternative suggestions for where to go.

aww, go on, someone help us out. please ?

audrey wrote:
So we are trying to come up with some ideas for train out cycle
home to Manchester, in the 35-45 miles range. I'd be grateful for any local
knowledge of these routes, the mileages, cafes and train peculiarities, or
alternative suggestions for where to go.

aww, go on, someone help us out. please ?
Indeed, please help. Didn't go by train this week, but next week's ride
will be a Saturday so we'd like to try the train then.

--
Cleverness is serviceable for everything, sufficient for nothing.
Henri-Frederic Amiel
Steph Peters delete invalid from lid
Tatting, lace & stitching page http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm