Day 12 - Hay on Wye to Chepstow

 

3rd day in a row with no punctures!!! We are convinced it is down to the quality of the roads and amount of debris on the road/cycle paths. Some of the roads in scotland are in a poor condition and on top of that the cycle paths often dont get swept meaning bits of glass, gravel and sharp bits of tree and bush lay await. No tyre would have stopped the nail that got my tyre in Kilmarnock - that was the worst puncture luck so far.

Yesterday our weather improved as London suffered torrential rain and high winds. We got the winds but these were helpful for a change. After passing through Hay on Wye we faced the biggest climb of the trip up to the top of Hay Bluff, to gospel pass at around 500 meters. Odd that despite coming through many Scottish mountains, we never rode this high.

The climb up to the top was a long hard slog. We were tracking alongside the path of Offa's dyke for much of the way. We had to dodge around sheep in the lane. It was very windy at the top of the bluff, 40mph gusts but with the wind on our backs it helped push us over the top. The great thing about  living up 500 meters (ground out slowly in our granny gears) is coming down the other side. Some clear straight stretches mean you can let the bike go fast and be certain the route is clear of traffic.

Essentially it really was downhill all the way 40 miles to Chepstow, although actually just on average so we did face a few decent hills, but with great descents after.

On the way down from the bluff we stopped at a ruined 12th century Abbey, turned into a hotel, for lunch and some silght seeing. Fantastic home cooked meals here in the cellar bar.

The sun came out in patches, so did the rain and even a bit of hail just outside Abergevenny. But the worst of the weather was gone.

We stopped in Usk for tea and cake at the museum of rural life. Great cafe, I ate a Welsh cake flavoured with tea (vegan made with banana rather than butter).

As we set off for the last 15 miles the heavy rain came back but cleared again as we climbed the last hill before Chepstow. From the top we had magnificent views of the Bristol Channel and the new Severn Bridge. That's where we are headed on Thursday.