Tuesday, 19 July 2011
91 miles; total 4,357 miles.
The penultimate day! And the weather was kind – what a change! Visitors from Clitheroe, and attention from the media.
Tonight we’re going out with friends Alan & Christine Beggs who have come down to the Wirral to see us on the last night – so the blog may be a little on the short side!
We had an early night last night in preparation for an early start this morning, but at half-past midnight were awoken by the people in the next caravan having a party, or so it seemed. Not amused. Strange how this morning at 6.00 am I was feeling particularly noisy as I got the bike out and blew the tyres up!
The footbridge over to the magnificent Caernarfon Castle has a sign with a man pushing a bike in a red circle – so I presume they mean you CAN’T push your bike over. So I rode mine. Heck, there’s a lot of castle in Caernarfon !
It turned wet in Bangor, and after that came the extremely busy A55: there are cycle routes provided for so I didn’t have to risk life and limb with the traffic. When you get to the first tunnel at Penmaenmawr, the cycle route goes over the gantry with the lane signs, then over the top of the tunnel; for the second it goes on the seaward side of the cliffs. Absolutely great, and they must have cost a fortune.
Conwy was spectacular with the Castle and bridge together; then into the wind to Llandudno with views of the Great Orme before turning east with the wind right at my back. I loved doing 25 mph + along the prom!
At Penrhyn Bay I saw three familiar faces at the side of the road – my former neighbour and great friend Alison Fisher with her grown-up offspring Claire and Matt. Now that was a surprise! What’s more, Claire had brought £120 which she’d collected from the customers in her pub the other night. The three of them came to the next two fuel stops, which was good company.
I carried on apace, enjoying the high speeds, through Colwyn Bay, Rhyl and Prestatyn, then through Mostyn and Llanerch-y-Mor, where there is a surprise view of an old hulk of a ship. Over the impressive suspension bridge over the Dee – not bicycle friendly, with a path on the bridge but not even a dropped kerb at each end – then back into England at last, and a last 18 miles into the wind (I didn’t mind by now!). Parkside is an interesting village on the Dee marshes on the west side of the Wirral, but it certainly catches the wind.
During the day there have been calls from Radio Lancashire and Granada Reports, so there’s a chance that there may be some useful publicity to help fundraising for Cancer Research tomorrow.
So hopefully tomorrow, given a good day, I should be back in Clitheroe at around 4.00. Let’s hope there’s another following wind!
That’s it, I need to get showered and changed for a big pasta meal tonight. More tomorrow.
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