Tag: Cliff

June 2nd – A visit to Draycott is always a good opportunity to do Marchington, Woodroffes and the Needwood Valley through Newborough and Hoar Cross. This time I returned through Rowley Park, the Ridwares and Armitage, which made a change.

At Marchington, the frankly ugly 1740 church is still a remarkable piece of architecture, complete with the curious, over-door war memorial. The church at Woodroffes is also still beautiful, sat in splendid isolation under Marchington Cliff.

The ride ended with a spectacular sunset enjoyed on the old Hit Bridge at Armitage.

Another 50 miler, and a great weekend’s riding.

September 18th – Afternoon escape into Staffordshire, and I piled it in up through Abbots Bromley and Hoar Cross to Newborough to try the cake shop there. From there, I took a bimble over Marchington Cliff to Buttermilk Hill, and back via Blithfield and Rugeley.

The church is at Woodroffes, the isolated, beautiful church I visited earlier in the year.

A pleasant 70 miler. I realised near Marchington Cliff that I was riding the road that was the last place I saw the late, great Maurice Purser.

These lanes were his, and I rode in his shadow today.

June 7th – I also called at the Church of St John, MArchington Woodlands, at a place called Woodroffes. It’s a gorgeous church clinging to a hillside in the middle of nowhere. It overlooks the Dove Valley and is the most beautiful, peaceful spot. 

The meadows were dappled yellow with buttercups, the church was bright in the sunlight, and a distant cricket pitch dozed in the warm afternoon.

It doesn’t get much more English than this.