Beginning in Stone
Lymestone, Beech and then your pie is a bike ride that begins in the town of Stone, an area that has been settled since at least the Iron Age. The actual history of Stone itself is less clear though with local legend stating that the town was founded around a church built on the tomb of a murdered 7th century prince. What is certain though is that an Augustine priory existed in the town till the time of Henry the 8th and it’s perhaps that, combined with the quality of the local water and the later development of the canals that gave rise to the industry on which the town expanded in the 18th century – brewing.
The town brewing industry is undergoing something of a resurgence in recent years with Lymestone Brewery the oldest of the modern breweries in the town and Joules (the modern incarnation of John Joule & Sons Ltd) returning more recently. It’s at the brewery tap of Lymestone Brewery just outside the town centre where our ride begins.
Getting to Stone
If it’s not within riding distance for you, our 25 mile route is easily accessed from Stone station. The station has direct connections from Stoke to the north and Stafford to the south. With a little more effort you can also reach stone from the east by getting a train to Blythe Bridge and heading the 7 miles over the hill via Rough Close.
Before we begin
Our route nominally starts at the Borehole, brewery tap of our long time RideStaffs friends at Lymestone Brewery. If you’re starting the ride in the morning and fancy a coffee before you head out, we’d recommend Bear in the High Street (for coffee), Clover (for a sandwich) or The Artisan which does an excellent selection of cakes.
Time to burn some calories
Back to the Borehole and the ride doesn’t waste any time to get the climbing started, the first major challenge of the ride is Old Road and starts after less than a mile after a little wiggle through terraced back streets and on past Stone Common Plot.
From there it’s just over a half a mile of climbing with an average gradient of just over 7% before you get any respite and a chance to enjoy some of the excellent views that come with all that elevation!
A little further climb and a very short stint on the A520 and the village of Moddershall with its pretty pub and duck pond are the next landmark before you begin our next climb – Leese Lane.
The next few miles of the route track the top of the ridge you’ve spent all those calories climbing before descending from Rough Close down eventually to Wedgwood, location of the eponymous Staffordshire Pottery company and on to Barlaston.
Half way there
Barlaston is the half way point of the ride but you’ll be glad to know that more than half the climbing is now under your belt. However, there are still 2 tough climbs to summit and those are next on the menu.
After a very short section along the A34 (take caution here as this can be a busy stretch of road) Chase Lane is just under a mile long immediately gives way to the descent down towards Tittensor that marks the start of the final major climb of the day – Beech Caves.
Spooky Ascent
Beech Caves is about a mile in length and begins in earnest just after you cross the M6 motorway. As you ascend through the tunnel of trees you’ll see the entrance to the caves on your left hand side. The man made network of excavations are understood to have been a source of raw materials for the building of Trentham Hall as well as a second world war ordnance store. Relating to the caves are numerous stories of hauntings down the centuries.
The way our route reaches its summit means that your climb up Beech Caves features a couple of hairpin turns before you emerge at the top, breathless and ready for some respite. The good news is that most of the return leg from here is mostly downhill (it’s an average of 1% for the remaining 8 miles of the ride and the maximum uphill gradient on your way home is just 3%)
Before you lose too much height though, consider stopping at the view point just before the village of Swynnerton where on a clear day you’re afforded views of the Long Mynd, Wrekin and even Welshpool.
Descending through Swynnerton village you’ll see Swynnerton Hall to your left hand side, seat of a 3,000 acre Capability Brown estate that is owned today by Lord Stafford.
And from there it’s mostly downhill on good B-roads back to Stone.
Take care on the run back home as you cross the A34 again then skirt the town on the way back to the Borehole and some well earned refreshment before you head home.
Speaking of which – are you curious why the borehole is called the The Borehole? It’s because the pub sits on top of the original water source for the brewery just up the hill. But to learn more about that you’ll need to come back another day and enjoy one of Lymestone Brewery’s excellent brewery tours where Brad the Brewer will tell you much more about the history of the brewery in both its modern and historic forms.
To find more Staffordshire Bike rides devised by RideStaffs, click here
