Bull Bay to The Cottage by Bike

Who'd have thought that I'd be cycling in shorts and t-shirt at the tail end of October on Anglesey! Day 3 of 'The Tour' was a beauty. After a 'full Welsh Breakfast' (very similar to a 'Full English' as far as I could tell), we set off from Bull Bay. My tyres were alarmingly squishy from the outset and despite having to stop twice to pump them up, I could never seem to get enough pressure in them. 'Would they last back to The Cottage?' was the question. Given that we had no real choice but to press on, we just pressed on. A brutally steep hill took us up to a viewpoint overlooking Point Lynas.

With my semi-inflated tyres, I seemed to be having to work much harder than Clare. The tyres literally whirred audibly with the friction of the tarmac. I think it's important to be able to laugh at oneself, especially when the going gets tough. We roared with laughter as Clare coasted effortlessly past me pedalling at full speed, in top gear on the next long downhill section.

Concern about the length of the coming day and the state of my bike (and me!) meant that we bypassed the potential detour up Parys Mountain.

Instead, we stuck to the lanes and pumped out the miles. To give you an idea of just how rural, rural Anglesey is, we overtook an old couple who were out for a Sunday ride in their horse and cart! Nice hamper on the back too!

As we neared the completion of the Copper Trail circuit, we came across a fantastic windmill.

As the sun was blazing, we sheltered by the side of the cafe, and had a drink while soaking up the rays.

We arrived at Valley station, just in time to catch the next train. It's a tiny station.

So tiny in fact, that you have to flag the train down if you want it to stop!

It was surprisingly busy, but the friendly conductor managed to squeeze us onboard and find us a seat.

The views were great as we made our way back to the mainland.

While crossing Britannia Bridge, we got a glimpse of Menai Bridge and Clare's old house.

Then before we knew it, we were back at Bangor Station.

From the station, we had to retrace our steps back to the boatyard. This time we stopped and had a look around before setting off up the hill towards The Cottage.

It was a long climb. Just a gradual incline, but enough to make us feel like we were working hard. It felt like a bit of a sting in the tail as we headed up towards the sun.

Things levelled out as we made the final stretch towards Bethesda. It was a perfect autumnal late afternoon and the scenery was fantastic.

The cycle route took us straight to town, where we picked up a few goodies to get home with.

Arrived back totally exhausted. Collapsed in a heap on the lounge floor. Another 55km and 800m of height gain. Such a brilliant 'Tour'. Happy and tired - a nice combination...