Rhos-on-Sea

Sunday 15th November and we're expecting showers and 13 deg C, with sun in the afternoon. Neil and Phil are on time so we are off at 8am to pick Martin up (a late addition using up his sole dispensation) at Hawarden Bridge. It's a lovely day as we start the climbing, first to Northop and then into the Halkyns where, at Calcoed, we encounter our first rain. Through Gorsedd, Whitford and Trelogan before dropping down to the coast road at Gwespyr where Neil has a flat tyre due to a lifting patch. The Bells of St Mary's isn't doing its £3:50 carvery on Sundays so we'll have to look elsewhere. But it's easy going with no rain, light headwind and a flat coastal cycleway for 16 miles. We turn at Penrhyn, just below the Little Orme and head back into Rhos where Nino's is open for our lunch - around 1pm with 55 miles up. Some get serious with ham and chips, another with a delicate pasty and scones while the sensible one selects a baguette.
Then we're off again to do another 51m with, unbelievably, a tail wind. 20mph is easy but the sand patches are treacherous so we're careful. Coast road or Halkyns? Halkyns - unanimous. these begin at Gronant and we climb forever, there seeming to be no let up until Rhosesmor where we can virtually descend to the cycleway to take us back to the start. The average speed has only been 13.5mph due to the 4800ft of climbing and the headwind out, so we have lights on, and down the cycleway we find cyclist coming at us with no lights and walkers appearing out of nowhere in the pitch dark. We get back at 5:15pm with 106 miles up.

View the route via the link:-

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Smilers to Rhos-on-Sea