Bishop Bennet Way (BBW) is a trail in Cheshire described as being suitable for walking, horse riding or cycling. It consists of off-road sections connected by minor roads and I was planning to ride part of the southern section. I'd done some research and had the route on my GPS.

I started from Nantwich and joined the route at Wirswall. The map and signs were encouraging (notice the clean bike).

Leaving the tarmac the trail looked good

But it wasn't long before the trail headed towards a country mansion and seemed to deviate from the track on my map. Some walkers had also lost their way.

Reversing I found a footpath sign and stile, which didn't feel right but it was going in the right direction so I hauled the bike over and was soon back on a lane. But shortly after the lane finished and the signs indicated a footpath so once again the bike was hauled over a stile. It then became apparent that the path was being obliterated by the planting of crops right up to the hedge. I soon met more walkers who were struggling to find the trail. The GPS was showing the track correctly but on the ground it was very poorly marked in places. Next it was some minor roads and then a trail across fields with clay like mud that stuck to the bike like glue.

The signs could be misleading.

Then a field with fresh crop planting and the path across the field was nowhere to be seen.

After finding the gateway the route went into a field of cows. A bike is quiet but they quickly noticed. The path went straight across the centre of the field but was undefined. What soon became evident was a bull amongst the cows. I decided to ride around the outside of the field, along the first side, then at right angles along the second knowing there would be a gate somewhere in the hedge. But then I was confronted with a mini-swamp. So I reversed, the only choice then being a completed flooded gateway which I had to go through. More cows but good news, no bull in this field. The best way out was a fence with barbed wire above it. That was a challenge - the bike is about 24kg. Managed it without mishap then eventually found a way out of the fields to the road.

Did a bit more of the BBW on the minor roads but by then I'd had enough of the undefined parts of the trail and headed back.

Here's the bike at the finish. It needed a couple of hours of cleaning, had to take the wheels and chain off.