I did.
I fancied my "old favourite" Chester/River Dee/Llangollen/Horseshoe
Pass/Llandegla Moors/Chester ride again, but for a change did it the
opposite way round. All the way from Chester, out over the moors, up past
the Ponderosa chokka with motorbikes, and a no-brakes descent to
Llangollen, it was a gorgeous summers day. Forecast of thundery showers? No
chance! Not a cloud to be seen! Cows lying down in the fields? They can't
always be right can they! Llangollen itself was heaving with tourists, just
getting into the town took ages, never mind finding a café.
It was only half past eleven, thanks to an early start, and it felt far too
early to do a flat and easy 30 miles back to Chester, so I ummed and ahhed
about where to go next, and as a recee for some future rides this summer,
decided to cross the hills on the south side of the Vale of Llangollen to
Glyn Ceiriog, then along the B4579 to Oswestry, and back to Chester.
So I left Llangollen, after an hour sat doing nothing, onto what I reckon
is the meanest climb I've ever pedalled up, despite the sign at the
bottom showing "13%", it must have been at least 20%, and it went on, and
on, and on, and on, only easing off a short distance from the 416m summit -
pretty much the same climb as the Horseshoe Pass, in half the distance.
Ouch.
The descent to Glyn Ceiriog was just as steep, with a couple of hairpins
thrown in as well, then it was off to Oswestry. Above Glyn Ceiriog were
some mean-looking clouds, but surely they just looked worse through my
shades? As I left, a few spots of rain splashed down, and there were a few
distant rumbles of thunder, but up ahead it was still bright so no doubt
I'd ride out of it.
A few miles later the rain was a bit ridiculous, and a roll of thunder
right above my head made me think "lets get off this tree-covered hill", so
I darted down a side road, not knowing if it would lead anywhere, and for a
while it looked like it would come to a dead end, but I somehow found the
Ceiriog-Chirk road again. By the time I was at Chirk the rain had just
about gone off, the sun was out, and I was absolutely soaked through.
The wind was still coming from the direction of the bad weather so I wasted
no time in getting back towards Chester, via St Martin's, Overton, Bangor-
on-Dee and Farndon. A brief stop to refuel at Holt allowed the deluge to
catch up with me again, and I cowered under the local information board's
1-foot-wide canopy until it eased off enough to do the last 8 miles to
Chester on flooded roads.
Another 73 miles/5 hours on the clock. Don't you just love British weather.