So the time has arrived to test the legs & lungs with our Telford 2 Barmouth ride. The weather forecast prior to the weekend was not brilliant & with a late series of text to Mike we agreed to go for it. Leaving Telford at 9.00 a.m. we headed out past Shrewsbury on the minor roads to Welshpool, this was the point when I realised I'd left our map at home & we were cycling unchartered territory. Concentrating on the village names that I could remember we past through Worthen before getting to Welshpool.
At Welshpool we climbed up past Powis Castle [& I mean up] although this would prove nothing compared to what lay ahead. The undulating lanes that followed were a joy to cycle when suddenly our journey was halted at a level crossing by a "Fat Controller" [sorry to the lady in question - its just a phrase], as we cycled on we realised a short while after that this had been the Welshpool to Dolgelleu train & we could have just jumped on for a relaxing ride to the coast. Not down hearted by missing the train we pressed on following the main road as it ebbed & flowed through the Welsh countryside until after 62 miles we reached our nemesis - "Dinas Mawddwy". We managed to cycle about a third of the way up before evacuating the saddle & walking to the top - "defeated". Having crested the top on foot the ride down the other side into Dolgelleu was exhilarating.
Despite one deluge of rain the weather had held & we finally arrived in Barmouth after 5 hours 32 minutes having covered 86 miles - the victory was ours.
Sue & Clare were waiting to greet us with tales of a leisurely lunch & a lovely coffee shop - they were happy to see us as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment