We're about to check out, but we really like this hotel. The room is lovely, it has a bath, the staff are welcoming and helpful - and the breakfast is second to none. Remind me to stay here if I ever have need to come back to Stoke.
It's pouring down as we have breakfast, so after we've eaten we put on our waterproofs; but by the time we're ready to leave, the rain has stopped.
We're soon out of Stoke, and as it's a Sunday there's not a huge amount of traffic about. From what little we've seen of Stoke city centre our impression is that it's a little bleak. However, as we leave Stoke through back roads we are soon on a wonderful cycle path; really well-maintained in this section of the path, with magnificent views over moorland and heathland. We also see what looks like an old coal mine.
We stop to talk to a woman who's walking her dog - we come across dog walkers all the time on this journey. She asks where we're going, so we explain that we've been to Land's End and that we're heading for John O'Groats.
"Good for you!" she says," It's good to do something with your life. Some people never do much, They moan if it's sunny, they moan if it rains. I'm 74 and I get out with my dog every day. It keeps me active."
Some parts of the track are not as good as the first section, but it's still easy to cycle on. We're heading in the direction of Congleton. A man walking his dog tells us that we can go all the way to Congleton on this cycle path. With a hint of sadness he tells us,
"I used to ride all the way to Congleton, with my sister, every Sunday. I couldn't do it now. I have bad ankles."
My mind is now in coffee mode. I think Congleton = small town = coffee stop = cycle faster. But unfortunately our route actually bypasses the centre of Congleton, and our golden rule is not to go off route unless we really have to, as it all means extra mileage. Oh dear! No coffee today. As it's Sunday we decide to have Sunday lunch in a pub if we can. Reg stops to ask 3 older ladies where the nearest pub is. They explain but we don't find the pub. We ask a man and he mentions a pub which appears to be nearly on our route - the Swettenham Arms. In the end finding this pub does take us 2 or 3 miles off route, but we do need something to eat. We discover the pub is in the Michelin guide & is absolutely packed- we are very lucky to get a table, after a 15 minute wait. We have a delicious roast dinner.
Most of the rest of our journey is on country roads and "B" roads, with a short cycle path through a park. The roads have good surfaces which makes for fast riding (apart from up the odd hill), and we arrive at our B&B at about 5.45 pm, which is early for us.
This B&B on the outskirts of Manchester is unusual - our sleeping accommodation and ensuite are made out of a converted garage, separate from the owner's house. The accommodation is lovely, freshly converted and decorated, and extremely spacious. The only drawback is there's no bath!
Reg is impressed with the HD wide screen TV, and spends the evening watching football and cricket.
Thank you Kirsty, for reminding me that I haven't been commenting on toilets, as I usually do. The toilets in the B&Bs have been good ever since the one with the broken flush earlier in our journey. However, on route it's pot luck, usually involving finding a field without a gate.
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