Sam and I try to meet up with our great friends, Jean-Michelle and Hillary, every few months or so. We live up north; they live down south, so for this meet-up we had decided to rent a house in Malvern Wells; an area that none of us had explored before. Encouraged by the success of my last adventure, I decided to cycle the 250km to the house that would be our home for 3 days.

Marple to Ludlow to Malvern Wells

For this journey I would use my much-abused Vitus Energie Evo: a carbon cyclo-cross bike that is currently sporting full mudguards and is used as my winter road bike. It feels very fast after riding the ISO! But have no fear, the ISO would not get left behind as Sam would set off a day later and travel up in our van; my ISO safely stored in the back. She would also bring a hefty supply of food, beer, whisky and cheese.

I had plotted the route to almost entirely follow smaller B-roads. I traced a westward arc in order to miss the bigger towns and cities as I headed south. I would split the journey into two parts: the first day would involve cycling 174km to Ludlow (just over 100 miles), the second would be a short but hilly 60km to reach Malvern Wells. I have not cycled 100 miles since before chemotherapy; in my fitter years I always regarded 100 miles as being a hard ride; thus, it was with some trepidation that I cycled away from home on the bright, breezy, yet cold late-January morning.

I had decided to mentally break the ride into 3 manageable chunks of 60km each. The first 60km was fairly easy, although the icy lanes caused some tense moments. I did not spot a cafe at the 60km point, so decided to aim for 90km before stopping. The cycle computer had just rolled over the 100km mark as I rolled into Wem. I spotted a cafe that looked promising. The owner advised me they were closing in 15 minutes… so just enough time for a toastie and coffee. And a sausage roll for the road.

The next 80km became more challenging. The light headwind was a constant; I guess that’s the gamble with long, straight-line routes. I had quite a bit of discomfort floating around but this was helped by taking a couple of Flarin’s regularly throughout the day. Mentally, I remained strong although I did start to become slightly bored with the scenery as I was almost always hemmed in by hedgerows. Although not in their full summer foliage, they acted like blinkers and made it feel like I was riding in a tunnel. It was much better when the road undulated and views of distant hills and fields revealed themselves.

Night began to fall with over 50km of my journey remaining. I soon found myself riding in the pitch-black on very worn and potholed roads. I had been following a very bright light in the sky- a star? a planet? Not sure, but I decided to have a brief stop. As I stretched my neck skywards I was astonished to see millions of stars. Several constellations were clearly visible, although I could name only one or two. Amazing, we just don’t get skies like this in the Peak.

This tiny country lane deteriorated even further. The temperature had fallen to around 1 degree and I was ever more conscious of the likelihood of black ice. I detoured slightly to get on to a slightly bigger road. It was frightening, yet comforting, as cars whizzed by; their headlights briefly illuminating the unlit roads. Note to self- bring a more powerful headlight next time!

It was getting late as I arrived in Ludlow. My rented accommodation (The Lilly Pad) was perfect for the night, and I wasted no time in having a shower and rushing out for fish and chips. I’d definitely earned them!

Day 2 was a hilly 60km ride. These hills felt very different to my familiar Peak District climbs; the road was a constant roller-coaster; the punchy climbs were never long, but neither were the descents! I broke this ride into two parts and thoroughly enjoyed my midday dinner and recharge at the Cosy Cafe in Bromyard. It was then just another couple of hours on small, hilly backroads. I was even joined by a local rider for the last few kms. He was quite surprised when he asked me where I’d cycled from! After a few gps hassles, I arrived at our weekend accommodation in Malvern Wells. Sam had arrived there just an hour before me. It was great to have such a warm welcome and a much needed brew 🙂

The Reunion

It was late when our friends arrived; they had both had long days at work followed by a 3 hour drive to our home for the weekend. Just enough time for a glass of wine and a quick catch-up before we were all falling asleep!

Saturday’s weather was perfect for January; bright skies and sunshine although a cold wind blew at times. After a very leisurely breakfast, and adequate amounts of coffee, we readied our bikes and set off to explore the local trails. Sam had downloaded a route from the internet. This gpx file was tricky to follow at times owing to the huge number of trails and paths. Lots of cheeky stuff too! Our route took us to the top of Black Hill where we turned north and followed the undulating ridge over Pinnacle Hill and Jubilee Hill. We all got off the bikes and pushed at some point; the climbs being very steep in places although the surface was grippy and presented a myriad of line choices.

Sunday saw another relaxed breakfast as we caught up on each others’ lives. We discussed what we might like to do for the day; there was a vote for going on a walk, but my “enthusiasm” for biking won the day and we were soon planning another ride. I always vote to ride rather than to walk!

A slightly shorter loop with simple navigation was planned. This largely followed the official Red Route, although we did plan a little diversion into Malvern Wells for coffee and cake. Another dry and chilly day with sunshine just about breaking through. Navigation was a little easier today; partly as we were retracing some of yesterday’s trails, but also because occasional signposts helped to nudge us along.

After a couple of hours fun, we flew down a lovely leafy descent and found our way into Malvern Wells where we immediately spotted a likely looking cafe named “Faun”. I nodded at the La Marzocco machine as we walked in, and could not help but comment, “Nice machine”. The barista’s face lit up at this and I knew we were in for excellent coffee. And it was. Lovely cakes, perfect sourdough bread and quirky staff too. This would become my go-to cafe… if only it was little closer!

Back at the house we enjoyed a few beers with our evening meal, with cheese and whisky to follow. Our last night already; the weekend had gone so quickly. I wish we could have stayed longer… the trails, cafe, surrounding area and, of course, the company were just perfect 🙂

Monday morning came too quickly. A final leisurely breakfast and then it was time to pack the van and wave goodbye to Malvern Wells and our great friends. Ah well… where shall we meet next time?