OVER THE BORDER

For a day ride in the Midlands you need only a little knowledge of escape routes from the cities and ring roads and before you realise it you are chomping along lovely quiet roads with vistas to the west promising verdant hills and vales, plus tucked-away villages with more character than modernised towns have speed bumps.

Starting off with a good breakfast at the Food Stop cafe (a mecca for bikers in Quatford, just south of Brignorth) seems a good enough reason to straddle