We’d realised last night that Owain Wyn Evans, who’s doing this year’s Radio 2 Children In Need Challenge, would be coming our way today. He’s cycling 400 miles over five days, through all four nations of the UK. We looked up the route and saw he was coming through Chester and then Tattenhall. We watched the live tracker, and noticed that his morning rest stop was in the car park at the Ring O’Bells in Christleton! Once he’d set off again, after the 11am Armistice Day silence, we drove up to Tattenhall. Outside the school, all the kids were rehearsing their singing.
After a while, a mini bus with blacked out windows turned up and Pusey Bear got out. This sent the kids wild.
We could see on the tracker that Owain was getting nearer, and then sure enough came police outriders and the start of the convoy.
There was a 4×4 with a camera crew hanging out the back, with Owain cycling long behind. He’d waved to all the kids as we went by, and looked surprisingly happy given how much pain he must be in on day 3.
Once the excitement was over, we decided to carry on to the Tail Trail to give Macc a walk. This is a place my sister told us about. It’s on a dairy farm over the border in Wales, and they’ve created a two mile trail round the edge of the farm, all fenced in, with gates every couple of hundred yards. You have to wait until the previous people have gone through the gates ahead, so all dogs can be off the lead.
Part of the route on the way back is on a lane, but the rest is the secure path. In the car park is the Solar Shack, with a coffee machine, and dispensers for fresh milk, milkshakes, and ice cream.
It was lunchtime by now so we looked for a cafe. We ended up at the Hideaway Cafe which was on the route back. It turned out we could only sit outside with Macc but we had nice panini and hot drinks. There’s a lookout over the Cheshire plain with great views.
It’s been a much sunnier day than forecast, and didn’t seem so cold either. It was really nice to see Owain, and to have a bit of an explore.