Day 22
Into Wales
Yesterday had been such a wonderful day that we doubted today could match it, and so it proved to be. People seemed more reserved, the roads less pretty. Carlsberg had left us to it, they were clearly busy with the Euros, the question was were they doing their ad for England or Italy?
We did achieve an ambition, when riding LEJOG to celebrate my cycling buddy Jackie’s 21st (or something like that) we cycled past the bridge to Wales. We ached to be able to ride over it and today we did! It was worth the wait, even if Garmin kept trying to turn us round back to England.
From here we rode on the Newport bypass, for what felt like forever. We didn’t see a single member of Goldie Lookin Chain, nor the Geriant Thomas Velodrome, but we did cross the road bridge from hell, Ali S. you would have hightailed it out of there my love! The traffic lights failed at a massive four-roundabout junction, kind car drivers took pity on us and waved us safely across. One highlight was seeing two Team GB cyclists... the roads were busy so we didn’t stop, but go girls!
Finally, we were back into lovely countryside, but we were tired and ready to stop. Then it started to rain heavily as we were signposted onto a disused railway line, the Sustrans route into Caerphilly. We were back into the hell of the Trans Pennine Trail, with gates so narrow that fully loaded tourers struggle to get through. After the third gate in 100 yards we gave up and took the main road for the last couple of miles. Sustrans, we love you, but can we have a few extra inches pretty please! We climbed more today than any other day, we rode into another country, we were in the land of my hero G, and the GLC, but we were tired and needed a rest. We changed our one night booking to two at Premier Inn, and settled down to watch England in the final of the Euros. All I can say is what a wonderful team they are, clearly at the start of a great future, bring on the World Cup!
