The Pant-yr-Ochain at Gresford

 I know there is a gap between posts, we do not always have a ride and I am not always able to head out.  But today I was free and 'Shorts' Dave had planned a short route to the Pant-yr-Ochain via Kinnerton.  

Yesterday's weather was dismal first thing but turned out to be quite nice.  So, coupled with a glorious red sky last night I was very hopeful until my 'weather' cat came in quite wet as I was preparing to leave.  And it stayed drizzly, damp, and dreary for the rest of the day.

I seem to have missed the transition from shorts to longs, but today was a waterproofs, long trousers, gloves, caps - full winter wear basically.  A few Chester Road Club chaps were already in the cafe when I arrived, I asked where they were heading and one piped up 'we may stay here', which seemed quite a wise retort.

I was shortly joined by Gareth, then Sarah, then Dave and Catherine, making five souls setting off into the gloom.

We set off along the river to Saltney Ferry; Catherine and I were commenting on the history as she had noted the jetty from the old ferry; we wondered when it ceased to run.  I do not recall there not being a bridge there, in fact I am sure there used to be a small sunken boat the other side for several years.  So, now I am home a quick google tells me the bridge was built in 1968.

We headed up to Bretton and Lower Kinnerton, when we stopped at Walters for morning coffee.  Unfortunately there was no where to sit - but fortunately for us the 10:45 reserved table was still free at 11, so we could sit there.  Although the Giraffe is still there, it was good to see the quite sad looking zebra has found I hope a better home.

The church next to Walters (as Dave overshot, we were so deep in conversation) had a lovely display of knitted poppies (as Remembrance Sunday approaches next weekend), a very striking display on a gloomy day.

We crossed straight over to 'Green Lane', a cut through to the back lane where we headed right up lower mountain.  But we turned left to go towards Golly (I remember finding this area as a teenager, I thought it was a marvellous name!) - also Sarah's favourite lane.  And it really is a roller coaster (better going this direction though I think!)

On the back road near the Rackery, Dave stopped us by Yr Ackery farm, to show us a tiny crown set in the wall.  Why?  I walked to the farm and asked the lady; she did not know.  Her late husband had built the wall, the crown was originally in the wall of the slurry pit.  She wondered if it had come from a nearby pub.  We will never know!

After this we crossed the Llay 'B' road to the back lane which skirts Ballswood Quarry, one of many gravel pits around Wrexham, and after dropping to cross the river Alyn and A483, we climbed up the rather brutal but today also quite glamorous hill under the railway bridge and up into Gresford, re-grouping by the church.

Then just a short hop alongside Gresford Flash to the lunch stop.  Gresford Flash (according to a quick Google search) does not appear to be a former gravel pit or similar, and is instead manmade, in the 1950's.  It is considered by its members to be "the smallest lake used for a dinghy sailing club anywhere in the world"!