The second of our Stockport Community Cycling Club weekend recce rides was the Sunday longer ride. This would be from Keele University to Market Drayton.

Keele University sits on the top of a hill. We were staying in nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme. It was a bit of a climb for us to reach the start! Thankfully, the club weekenders won’t have to do this. 🙂

Our ride started by leaving the Keele University through the back door.

It was a nice downhill to start off with. This was a false dawn!

For the route gave no rest. It was constantly undulating.

After leaving Keele we began by cycling through the villages of Whitmore, Stableford and towards Bishops Offey.

We then headed for the village of Soudley and joined NCN Route 552.

Following NCN Route 552 we cycled through Market Drayton.

Just outside of Market Drayton we reached Fordhall Organic Farm.

This is where we are going to stop for our lunch at the club weekend. We tested out the Welsh Rarebit, and can testify that it is very good indeed!

After lunch, our route, while still undulating, was slightly more gentle for a while as we headed for Norton-in-Hales.

Here, we left NCN Route 552 and eventually joined Newcastle Road.

To join Newcastle Road, we took an (Andy S) shortcut along Gravenhanger Lane.

Newcastle Road went through Madeley, on the outskirts of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

As mentioned earlier, Keele University is at the top of a hill. So, the last few miles of the route were a slog back up to the university.

This was another excellent route. It is a challenging one. There are no big hills, but it is constantly undulating. By the time we arrived back at Keele University, we had cycled 41 miles and climbed just over 2000 feet.

You can view our Market Drayton route below: