Having returned from Fort Martin, we spent a few hours re-organizing equipment and loading the van before setting off again. The van has been officially off the road since mid-March and apart from periodically checking that the battery was still working, it's not really moved out of sight of The Cottage. It felt strange, yet familiar driving away in it that evening.
First stop on the tour was Rhos-on-Sea, mainly because it was a beautiful evening and we didn't want to spent it all just driving east. We managed to find some take out food from a pub and ate in the sunshine on the promenade after a nice walk, where we spent time catching up and planning the activities for the next few days.
Wales still has much tighter regulations on accommodation, food, shops etc, but over the border, the restrictions have been eased much more. Having found somewhere cheap to stay near Chester, we were delighted to find that, quite by accident, there was a cycle path right outside and a recommended tour that takes in various castles, churches and quiet country lanes. What luck!
Having gone prepared with breakfast, we pulled the bikes from the back of the van and set off along the canal towpath. It was nice to be away from traffic straight away, but a bit too narrow for passing walkers, so we opted to use the quiet roads instead.
One of the first villages we came though was having some sort of scarecrow type festival and all the houses had some really creative and funny scenes. There were fallen parachute, mechanics, scouts and guides, gardeners and drunks. I even came across the queen at the village hall! Great effort!
The ride was great. It was far enough to be a challenge (48km), but not too far to be exhausting. There are some really nice houses about in the villages - and old ones too. Quite a few had dates of around 1600AD above the doors.
Some of the cycle sections were really overgrown. Clare stopped here as there is a bench in front of her - overtaken by the bushes!
Went through Loddingtons distant cousin - Coddington!
The best thing we saw was overhead - a mass of swirling seagulls. There were thousands, seemingly soaring up on a thermal. A bit like a murmuration of Starlings. Not sure on the case or occasion, but it was an incredible number of birds all packed together.
As predicted, the sun came out soon after and we enjoyed the second half of the ride in short sleeves.
Another stopping point was Barnston's monument, with it's nice lions too.
We crossed the Welsh/English border a couple of times as we went over the River Dee. It's weird that one side of the river, the play park was taped off and overgrown and shops can only serve take out drinks, whereas across the river, a hundred meters away, the cafes were full and pubs open and busy...
This is the dividing bridge between Holt in Wales and Farndon in England.
We stopped for a picnic and a rest by the riverside, as we were prepared with blanket and produce. Afterwards, we set our sights on Chester City, stopping briefly for a coffee which was nowhere near as good as the sign has suggested it might be!
By early evening, we were in Chester, by the River Dee and came across the Wier where we used to go for kayaking lessons when I was at university in Liverpool! We left the bikes back at the van so we could take a shower, change and enjoy the ease of walking along the city fringes.
The city centre had a rowdy Saturday night vibe, but we managed to find some great food and a sunny place to go and eat it near the cathedral, before heading back to the pad feeling suitably tired and pleased.
Here's our route...
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