The promise of a dry and bright start was nowhere to be seen today. Thick misty rain was getting blown hard onto the windows of the basement flat where we'd stayed the night. It was far from ideal cycling weather. However, given that we had no other choice, we had a brew, got togged up and set out into the day.
At least the first part of the day was downhill. We coasted the narrow lanes in the vague direction of Flint, through the damp and drizzle.
The wind was stronger than ever, but (as planned of course!), it was generally on our backs and assisted us in all but a few turns. The high hedges of the country lanes also gave us a bit of protection from the elements. Yesterday there had been fine views over the estuary to Liverpool, today there was just grey.
In Flint, we had intended to stop at the castle and have a look around, but it wasn't really the day for it, so we pressed on into an ever more industrial landscape.
We had a few chuckles at whoever had helped to put the cycle network together. It's an amazing resource and with mostly great surfaces, but zoom in on the photo below. The close sign say to bike on the left and walk on the right; the sign ten meters further, says do the opposite! And so it continued...
Then there were the 'gates'. Apparently, (I've since found out), they are designed to stop motorbikes getting through? But some of them also blocked our bikes from getting through too! Very odd...
Down but the River Dee, was where we next found ourselves, between factories and boatyards. The 'industrial' feel gave the tour a new phase.
From here we snaked led inland and over the A55, across the bridge that marks the English/Welsh Border. We stopped to take in the view that we'd normally pass by at 50mph.
Our next stop would be Chester - our final destination. The cycle route had some pretty cool mile posts along the way.
The old railway had been converted into the cycle path, which meant it was nice and flat and almost completely straight for miles.
There was no checkpoint at the border crossing.
Moving away from the railway, the Shropshire Canal guided us into the city for the final section.
We passed through a pretty marina, by some newly developed flats and over a tiny footbridge.
Then seemingly suddenly, we turned a corner and passed through the city walls into a world of hustle and bustle.
The flat fields and industrial units, we replaced by an ornate city centre.
We rode in past the town hall, just too late to catch the train we were aiming for.
Having missed out train, Plan B turned into a pretty good alternative. We got established in a very nice, warm coffee shop.
While we worked out when the next train would be leaving, we ordered a late brunch and settled into the newspaper and looked back over the adventures so far.
No longer in a rush for a train, we took our time and celebrated our tour success with a little cake as well!
A well-signed cycle route took us through the town centre virtually traffic-free to the train station.
And after negotiation the lifts and barriers on the platform, we were delighted to find the train on time and with the only two bike racks free for us to use. Less than an hour later, we were rolling out of Colwyn Bay station and down to the promenade, where the van awaited our triumphant return. Even in the sub-optimal weather, we were both buzzing. A great tour...
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