This ride was created to see and ride alongside the Dee Bore which occurs on days when there is a high tide higher than about 9.5 metres at Liverpool. See Tide table for Liverpool for tide times and heights.
The bore passes under Hawarden Railway Bridge between two hours and 90 minutes before the high tide at Liverpool (depending upon weather conditions on the day). The bridge is nine miles from Hooton station, so riders need to leave Hooton in time to get to Hawarden Bridge before the bore arrives.
The route to the Dee goes out across the railway bridge at Hooton to Willaston, then down Haddon Road and Dunstan Lane to Burton, across Burton Marsh path and through the Deeside Industrial Park onto the Chester Greenway to Hawarden Railway Bridge. You can then stop by the river (outside the old John Summers building) for a quick snack and/or drink while waiting for the bore to arrive. The timing of the bore’s arrival depends upon the sea conditions and prevailing wind, so you may have to wait a while for it to arrive, or sprint after it if you are late. The bore travels at around 7 to 8 mph and takes around 35 mins to go from Hawarden Railway Bridge to the Saltney Ferry foot bridge. Most people can ride that distance (4.2 miles) in under 20 minutes.
The route then follows the river all the way into Chester, around the racecourse and out past the Groves (where there are public toilets if anyone needs them). Then up Dee Lane and Russell Street to the canal, via Westminster Road to Hoole, and past Upton and Upton Heath, through Wervin, Stoak, Little Stanney and Wolverham, before taking the final part of the canal tow path to the Boat Museum for lunch. After lunch the route goes back through Rossmore, past the Vauxhall factory (one little hill), and through Childer Thornton to return to Hooton Station.
The ride is 32 miles long, grade C, and can be viewed and downloaded as a GPX here on Komoot: Hooton to Hawarden Bridge and Chester
PS: No guarantees that anyone will see the bore, or that it will be magnificent: it ranges in size from a few inches to four feet high. It all depends on the wind that day and on recent rainfall (we want dry weather beforehand). If you can’t go on this ride, here is a YouTube video that you can watch: Dee Bore
32 miles, Grade C
Created by John Hampson