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Im staying in Chester with work this week for a night, and was scoping out a spin in the road bike, using the Millenium Greenway and the river Dee path/Wales Coast path. Are the surfaces suitable for a road bike, and i assume as its Chester, that there are no areas to avoid as such early evening/dusk?
I’d say it would be ok on a road bike. Ridden round there on a “gravel” bike with skinny tyres. Chester does have its fair share of scrotes but not too bad. But then again I ride round Liverpool a lot and look at the hysteria posts about my city usually produce. I must be double dead hard like!
It's absolutley fine on a road bike, it's tarmac all the way, bar a tiny bit of fine surfaced gravel from the Dee bridge crossing at the old steel works for abotu 200m towards Connah's Quay.
Personally I wouldn't ride the section past Blacon in the dark as it's rough as **** - a wheel chair ex-marine was attacked at knife point there last year!!
thanks for the pointers, maybe a tuesday night won't be too bad, but will review the route if it looks like dusk is approaching!
I ride those sections as a commute, not had any problems through Blacon at any point in 8 or 9 years, doesn't worry me. Not saying something bad would never happen, but vanishing small chance.
Once you get to Deeside Industrial Park zone 3, the nicer extension is to go over the marshes to Neston and the bottom of the Wirral. Connah's Quay and Flint isn't very picturesque.
Another option is to head out in the opposite direction torwards Mickle Trafford and Bridge Trafford, and onto the rural lanes up Manley Hill & through Delamere forest.
Yes, also a good option. There's not an easy way to avoid the A56 for a mile or two, but it's a nice wide, straight road with good sightlines and no reason for drivers to risk a close pass.
I quite like nipping to the end of the Greenway and then on to Beeston or Peckforton Castle.
Or along the Dee path and over the bridge to Wales.
Just make sure you plan the ride along the river with a tailwind, save the headwind for the relatively sheltered Greenway!
Head from Chester down hill from Blacon and then onto Burton Marshes,, turn round at the end of the trail and return via river dee,all smooth tarmac, did it all yesterday.
Watch out for sheep on Burto marshes if dark.
I ride the Greenway lots (in fact, I'm doing a gentle cafe ride from Mickle Trafford to Neston on Thurs with my wife as se's off work this week - nice!). I'd agree with the Blacon comments but if you're going anti-clockwise and setting out early-ish, you'll be through there before the scrotes are out anyway.....
If you do the recommended extension out to Burton and back via the Dee path, you'll get 25 miles in without hitting a road & you'll have some mega competitive Strava segments to chase too if that's you're thing!
Head east on A51 / A41 to Christleton (5-10 mins in a bit of traffic but manageable) From there you can enjoy miles and miles of country lanes. Just look at a map. Head towards Cheshire Ice Cream Farm (Tattenhall) then down towards Beeston Castle and Peckthornton Castle. Loop towards Tarporley from there via Bunbury, then back (or via Delamere if you have stronger legs).
Enjoy