Diwrnod un:Tro gan Gogledd Cymru; Arfordir a Chefn Gwlad ar Gefn Beic (2021)

Dreamy country lanes approaching Pwllheli.

Spectacular coastline on the Lleyn Peninsular

Day 1: Chester to Colwyn Bay

Following the A-road out of Chester towards Connah's Quay I found what I was looking for: a local cycle route (NCN 568) through a small park that connected me to the main NCN5 cycle trail heading westward into North Wales. It was around 1pm and I had caught a train to Chester that morning then cycled south on  a clockwise-loop around the city before stopping on the bridge next to the racecourse where I plotted an alternate escape route, after finding the road next to the river (Nuns Road) closed to all traffic. After many years of thinking about this tour I was thrilled to be setting off at last. With the weather set fair for the last week in August it was going to be a fantastic "Tour of North Wales: Coast and Countryside by Bicycle (2021)".

Crossing the bridge on the other side of the park brought me to the tarmac cycle track, surprisingly to me, on the north bank of the River Dee. Immediately I put the newly fitted aero bars to good use as I pushed into the stiff breeze that was determinedly defending the Welsh border. The aero bars also enabled me to fit a Carradice Barley saddlebag and that was eight litres of capacity that I needed for this trip. The River Dee here is wide, slow flowing and very different from the tumbling free-stone torrent that is more typical of the upper reaches, around Llangollen for example. The coffee-coloured water and detritus-strewn river banks were evidence of the recent storm, the brisk headwind I was riding into its last hurrah. It was only ten minutes later that I came to the "Creoso i  Gymru" sign. I had a good feeling that I would indeed be very welcome here.

At Hawarden Bridge I crossed to the south bank of the river entering the wooded post-industrial gravel-path world that is now on the site of the former Shotton Steel works (in operation from the late 1800's to 1980). I stopped to read the boards describing it's history and looked across to the still visible jetties on the Wirral-side of the river that were once used to transport the finished steel and iron ore to and from Liverpool. The site was originally known as the Hawarden Bridge Steelworks being set up just a few years after the bridge itself was built. The closure of the site was catastrophic for the region with 6500 job losses overnight. However, part of the site still operates today as a steel galvanising business employing almost 1000 people (run by Tata Steel).

At Connah's Quay the route takes you through a built up region and onto a busy A-road. This is a comparatively short but significant section of the ride. The route turns inland (and upland!) as you head into Flint on the main road. At the turn-off point I fleetingly considered sticking to main road along the coast. I looked at the steep hill along the lane to my left and decide that after that short section the route would flatten out until it dropped me into Prestatyn further round the coast (WRONG!). As hilly terrain goes its pretty epic in reality. I could ride most of it but there were a couple of very steep sections that my 28/30 bottom gear was inadequate for.

A series of climbs, some long, some steep, brought me out onto Halkyn Mountain. This beautiful heath-land plateau had sheep wandering around freely; the area is very reminiscent of The New Forest in Hampshire. There were walking trails heading over hills that beckoned me invitingly, but I thought I'd better be making progress as the day was slipping away, so I didn't even have time to take pictures. I have since learned that the Halkyn area is dotted with a number of lead mines, I don't know if they still operate but I do know that the lead ore galena often contains silver as well as lead.

Further along the route I topped out again before the descent into Prestatyn.  I decided to stop there to rest, eat and take in some of the views across the estuary and back over the hills.

Looking back across the Flintshire hills

The view north across the Dee Estuary to the Wirral.

On reaching Prestatyn route five winds attractively along a coastal lane; wooden bridges take you over saltwater creeks threading through the Gronant Dunes and eventually winding across Prestatyn Golf Club. Then I had reached the traditional seaside resort part of town. The late-afternoon holidaymakers were not allowing their fun to be spoiled by the grey clouds and cool temperature. However, it was clear that the ice cream, candy floss and deck chair selling was winding down for the evening which was a sure sign that it was time I  found a place to camp!

I found myself on the main road through Prestatyn and then Rhyl. I think I may have missed the coastal NCN5 route through there. It wasn't fun on the main road,  akin to rush hour in a big city. At one junction I seriously annoyed a woman in a 4WD vehicle by existing. She beeped her horn furiously and yelled a gobful of expletives at me, not the best example for the car full of children she was transporting; she must have had a stressful day at the beach! Very "un-croeso" behaviour!

I did eventually get back onto the coastal cycle path, passing many caravan parks. Walkers and cyclists were out and about enjoying the dry evening. I imagined them returning soon to their caravan and tucking into an evening meal, watching TV with a glass or two. I needed to find a place to camp. I passed through Abergele and was aware that a bit further inland, away from Caravanville, there were a number of  campsites that would have suited me just fine. I decided to stick to the coast and pressed on towards Colwyn Bay.

Approaching the town the track passed a rocky headland. I stopped at a bench there to make some phone calls, then walked a short distance along the dusty path looking for a pitching spot. I soon found it, the perfect place: a flat grassy knoll with rocks behind and the most spectacular view out to sea on the other side. It was however crawling with walkers with their children and dogs et al. Stopping there for ninety minutes until the light faded was a possibility, but I thought I could use that time to keep travelling and find another place further along. I have since seen that other cycle adventurers have wild-camped at that very spot.

At the Old Town (of Colwyn Bay) there were construction works blocking NCN 5 and a detour took me inland along  a quiet road up a hill and past a heavily wooded facility on my left. These grounds looked to have potential and then a large formal building came into view. It looked very official, almost prison-like, but the grassy grounds and wooded areas around the building were ideal camping territory. This was very promising. This will do nicely. I would be up and gone before they are in work tomorrow anyway. I continued along the road and came to the entrance of Conwy Police Headquarters. OK, maybe not! 

By now the darkness was starting to descend but there was still an hour or so of practicable daylight left.

On the other side of the road was a large parkland area. The view of this had been blocked lower down the hill by buildings and turns in the road. There was one large derelict-looking building opposite the corner of the Police HQ and the road ran 300m straight between the two sites up to a main road junction. I decided to explore the parkland, I didn't really have much choice by now.

I crossed the road and entered what looked like the overgrown front garden of the derelict building. This area proved to be larger than I first thought, I had missed the empty swimming pool completely. So I was in the grounds of what must have once been a very grand hotel. The gardens were all open and backed onto a large public park. I went through an archway at the side of the hotel and the back garden revealed an even larger ex-swimming pool (or was it just an empty park lake?). 

There were some teenagers hanging around in the shelters on the the far side of the pool so I made my way out into the open parkland beyond the "hotel grounds". To my left, one hundred metres away,  dazzling floodlights and the loud shouts and calls of young men meant one thing... pre-season rugby training. This was taking place within the high fencing of  what I now know was Colwyn Bay Leisure Center.

The parkland seemed to be a mixture of rolling grassy areas separated by lines of deciduous trees. A well-defined wooded area directly across the field in front of me caught my attention. This area was fenced off too, but there were gated access points and several pathways on the other side led to it from the rest of the very large park. The well-defined area I was in had two places with flat rectangular grass sections. Each of these sections had seven-foot-high wooden posts in each corner. Close to these two areas were two sets of small wooden tables with matching benches... a nature trail for primary school children was my thinking.

There was still daylight left but it was difficult to judge with the brilliant glow from the training ground. I set up on one of the tiny tot tables, heating up water for a brew and consuming some of the pasta salad and corn chips, bought in a Rhyll supermarket earlier that evening. I pitched my tarp-tent on what I considered the most well-hidden of the rectangular grass pitches and began to get the bike and everything sorted for the night. A group of older teenagers came through the nature trail and one of them asked me if I had seen anyone else. "Only your good self" was my reply. "OK" he said " We will leave you be in a second". They did.

It all worked out pretty nicely. By the time I was ready to settle in the rugby was over and soon after that the flood lights went out.

 Soon after that, so did I.

 It had been a long day.

Route Day 1:  Chester to Colwyn Bay