Our anniversary day! We were sure ready to get into the hotel spa, after a big day on the trail!
All started off flat and easy, past Rhyl, which seemed to have been blasted by sand and weather.
We had a quick race around the deserted concert arena before peddling on!
Getting to Prestatyn was almost problematic as we'd not factored the state of tide into our plans! It was on 'Springs' and getting towards high tide. Soon enough the cycleway would be underwater! We peddled like mad and had to time a few sections to get through between waves!
Little turnstones were huddled along the way, jumping between the incoming waves!
It was as if, as we peddled on, the way behind us was getting cut off!
Thankfully, we made it through and as we moved slightly in land, the sun began to shine through, making it feel a lot more spring like than February should.
Traffic was mostly okay, although we did have a brief wait while cows were herded. We also had an encounter with a red eyed rabbit who ran alongside us for a bit and a weasel to stopped dead in the road ahead of us, unsure which way to run.
Inland from Prestatyn, to head east and avoid the main road, there are some monsterous hills and essentially a massive detour. The climb up to the hills was tough, but the resulting downhill section was very steep and very fast. We managed to meet a tractor on the way down a very narrow track at a convenient spot, but on the final uphill section, we had to stop to let a truck pass, which resulted in a 20m push to get momentum back!
Back down at the coast, the town of Flint failed to provide the promise of a cosy café re-fuelling station. Instead, we had an overpriced and under-nourishing cold pasty on the edge of a shopping centre car park, washed down with an equally unfulfilling milky coffee. Clare's kick stand also broke off when we stopped, which added to the feeling of fatigue. The rest, and the draw of the spa hotel did give us enough renewed energy to press on.
Down by the River Dee, we encountered smooth tarmac and a 5km straight section. The wind was behind us and spirits were lifted!
A final crossing of the Dee meant that England was in sight!
Happily, we recieved a super friendly welcome in the village of Pulford. I had phone ahead to ask about bike storage and had been told we could just lock them at the back of the hotel, but the friendly receptionist suggested bringing them into the beautiful lobby and locking them in a porters cupboard. She didn't think anyone had ever arrived by bike before and we soon became a bit of a novelty. I was almost scuppered by the glass revolving doors and was just wondering what to do, when more staff arrived and split the doors so we could push the bikes though. Thankfully, we left no tyre tracks on the nice carpet and polished floor! All that was left was the final climb of the stairs to our room.
After viewing the ride profile, we felt very pleased with our efforts! A swim, sauna, jacuzzi and steam room all provided a superb end to the days excursions! Freshly scrubbed up and with a new set of clothes, we made it to the bar for pre-dinner drinks and a celebratory glasses of prosecco to mark nineteen years of adventures together.
Total Ride: 57.6km
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