The first 1000km

We have now cycled around the Welsh coast, around the Wirral and have clocked up the first 1000+ kilometres. The estimate for the whole UK coast is between 6000 to 7000 km, so 1000km is a reasonably recognisable and smallish fraction, and I can start to reassure myself that 1/7th to 1/6th of the route is complete! 

When we first 'went public' with the cycling plan to friends it felt like a risky thing to tell people - Nick has completed long cycle journeys before, but I had not. No-one likes to fail at something, and so having completed 1000km gives me hope that maybe there is a possibility that I can complete.

This week there have been gale force winds and quite a lot of rain - dealing with each day as it comes has been the way to keep up motivation and actually, although I am always delighted and relieved to arrive at the B&B of the day, the cycling has not been as difficult as it was in my imagination.

Amazing Wales!

It is day 24 and so far we have only had 2 full days of heavy all day rain, the other days being cold and overcast, or quite often warm and sunny. The cycling is starting to feel like a slightly normal activity and I suspect I am managing the more gradual of the hills a bit more easily. The coastal scenery has been spectacular and very varied - the adverts on TV promoting Wales as a holiday destination don't prepare you for just how lovely it is along the Welsh coast. The cycling has been predominantly on National Cycle Network paths or quiet 'yellow' roads and this has allowed a calm cycling experience where you can just stop whenever something needs a closer viewing. 

Taken as a whole I have really enjoyed the first 3 weeks of this journey - will be leaving Wales in less than a week, but already have plans to visit here more often in the future.

Hills and the importance of having a bag of your favourite sweets

There seem to be quite a lot of hills in Wales! 

Hills in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion are both long and steep, with many having the dreaded arrow on the map which basically means 'push' - at least it does for me! 

As cycle touring is a bit of a new venture for me, I am having to learn all the skills needed to be a proficient cyclist. I am getting better at prejudging the steepness of a hill and getting into the correct gear before hyperventilation sets in which then induces severe wobble and ends up with an abrupt stop. 

There is also the balance of fitness, cycling speed and determination to get to the top of the hill. I am not a competitive person and even if hundreds of people were lining my route shouting 'go on - you can do it!' it would not make me perform better. I'm not sure if I will begin to challenge myself to keep going, but at the current time only my bag of sweets is a motivator. 

When my son was younger, and we were on an unrealistically demanding walk or journey we were at least nice enough to supply him with daily bags of sweets (over which he had total eating control) and also a couple of 'despondency bars' which were his favourite chocolate bars and could be eaten whenever he felt very despondent! Thus, I now have a large bag containing only red and black jelly babies and fruit-pastilles as these are my favourite flavours - in the event of needing a mouthful of sweets to help morale on steep hills there would be no benefit in getting a green sweet - it would not do the trick at all!

Although I have pushed my bike up a number of steep hills so far, I do think that I am getting better at them and I am sure that by the time we get through Wales I'll have had plenty of practice!

Rain and the wonders of waterproof clothing

I suppose, given that it is early March and we are in Wales, that it was not going to be long before the first totally wet day. Cycling off after breakfast already wearing full waterproofs - trousers, jacket, gloves, and shoe covers (so your socks and feet don't get soaked from road spray) is a bit demoralising, especially given the Welsh hills. I find cycling in wet cold weather much, much harder than when it is dry - the rain drips down your face, your nose constantly runs and I feel like the embodiment of dejection. 

On our first wet cycling day we arrived at our B&B very bedraggled, leg weary, and a bit shaken because worn brakes don't work that well in a torrential downpour! Amazingly only my merino top was damp (although I remained pretty warm), and my legs and feet were dry-ish.  Hot tea and Welsh cakes, a hot bath, and dry clothes soon revived us. The next morning Nick fitted new brake blocks, and after we had eaten an enormous breakfast of fruit, cereal, yogurt, toast and sausages, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, with juice and coffee - the idea of cycling seemed more sensible again. The sun was shining, it was warm, snowdrops and primroses were by the roadside, and it was a joy to be out and about.

When people say 'there's no such thing as bad weather, there's just inappropriate clothing...' I take their point - but I do have to say that cycling for 5 hours in lashing rain is quite bad!!

Cycle routes and getting into a daily routine

Our chosen coastal journey uses as many quiet roads and national cycle network routes as possible, as  the focus is to enjoy the cycling and to get a feel for the scenery in each area we cycle through. 

In the last few days we have used National Cycle Network routes 8 and 4 which have both been amazing. We have spend hours cycling along car free paths next to the sea, crossing rivers and railway lines on dedicated cycle bridges, and enjoying the spectacular scenery of Cardiff Bay, Aberavon Promenade and Swansea Bay. 

Route 4 has been especially well signed with an amazing route weaving it's way through Port Talbot past the Tata Steel works. 

I have even enjoyed the stretches of cycle trail which go alongside dual carriageways as, free from the fear of being crushed by traffic, I have loved the novelty of being on huge road bridges crossing estuaries and looking across to adjacent motorways or  railway lines.

Today is our first 'rest day' with no cycling - which I was ready for.  In the past 7 days we have got ourselves into a daily routine - breakfasting and leaving the B&B by about 9 - 10am and arriving in our destination by about 4pm. Being slightly worried that we will end up putting on weight with our daily Full Cooked Welsh Breakfast, we have been stashing some of the breakfast sausages and bacon with toast into plastic lunch boxes and then eating it when we start to feel a bit weak at about 11.30am. We have a thermos flask as well as a water bottle on our bikes, and I am always very happy to stop for hot chocolate or hot Ribena. Washing of cycling clothes gets done on arrival in our B&B room when we see there is a hot radiator or some way to dry things by the morning. 

We have had a few stops in tea shops, and have had 3 evening pub meals, but realise we need to plan for meals a bit better, as some evenings have been composed of a food forage in a local Spar.

Departure day arrives.....

Actually it was a relief when departure day finally arrived. No more worrying about what to take, if I would cope physically or whether I would enjoy the journey. It was sunny when we cycled away from our house, bikes loaded with panniers and the journey around the coast of the UK ahead of us. 

I wanted to leave several days before my first cycling post so that I had a few kilometres under my wheels, and it would be easier to give a balanced account of how things are going. It is true to say that I still feel like someone dressed up as a cyclist, but who isn't a 'real' one yet! I am happy to have experienced lashing rain in my face (only for about 30 minutes), a bit of sleet, and some nasty busy roads with cement lorries and skip trucks thundering by - because this means that I know I can deal with these eventualities. Best of all I have already had to push my bike up a couple of hills - so am not burdened by the 'never had to get off my bike' pressure that would get worse the more days of the journey that I had completed.

I have, however, had a nice time so far, seen some amazing sights, stayed in some great B&Bs and met really friendly people. My thighs and bottom are suffering a bit from the fact that I did no cycling preparation what-so-ever, but I am coping well so far!