Rose Pedals . . .: OK, Enough With the Rain!

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Cheddar to Chepstow, UK

45 miles, 2,930 feet of climbing

Our route today started with a 5-mile climb out of the Cheddar Gorge, most of which I was able to accomplish before it started to rain for the umpteenth time this week. Good thing I don't mind wearing my rain gear, especially my particularly dorky yellow plastic helmet cover. After today's initial climb, we encountered just a few steepish climbs (to keep our legs honest) and one longer, moderate climb before the route flattened out around mile 26. At that point, it had also stopped raining, so, instead of stopping at a cafe for our daily cappuccino break, we decided to take advantage of the rainless window and power through to the end. We made good time and arrived at our destination town, Chepstow, early in the afternoon. We entered Wales when we crossed the River Wye at mile 40. On our way riding through the town centre to get to our hotel, we noticed a Route 66 Diner, so we stopped in for a bite. It was great - a quaint slice of "Americana" to enjoy here in the UK. Our hotel for the night is the Castle View Inn, which, as the name suggests, is situated in view of Chepstow Castle, the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. Construction of the Chepstow Castle began in 1067, was completed in 1300 and was in use as a military stronghold until 1685. The rich history of the structures in the country is fascinating, hundreds of years of history.