I’d gone back down to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll to meet my sister and we got a hotel there for a couple of nights, the idea being that we could get a train up to Valley where I finished day 25 and ride back to the hotel via the rest of the Anglesey coast.
It was pouring down in Valley when we arrived, so we went for breakfast. It was still pouring down when we’d finished breakfast, so we set off.
A road closure meant we had to use the A5025 to get to Llanfachraeth, then we headed into the hills. Dropping down towards the coast at Porth Swtan, the rain stang our faces. The wind didn’t help us up the hill on the other side.
We went right round Mynydd y Garn at the top of the island and enjoyed a mostly wind-assisted ride on the lanes down towards the Wyfla nuclear power station site. The views would have been incredible, if we could have seen very far.
A Cemaes, Wales’ most northerly village the signs told us, we decided we’d earned our lunch. There was no table available in the cafe we chose. We waited, using the time (and the hand dryer in the toilet) to dry out a bit.
We rode the main road to Bull Bay where I fell over my bike when I was getting off it. I realised I was falling and turned it into a stylish roll (think parkour, or Lee Majors in the Fall Guy). It’ll take a bruised knee over a sprained wrist every day.
After Almwch, if the day wasn’t hard enough already, I saw we could stray from the route plan a little to get a better coast view. It was steeper. We churned out the pedal strokes and for the first time in the day we got a decent view.
Functional main road ride down to Moelfre, including a bonus 10% climb. It was still raining when we arrived at the RNLI visitor centre in the village. It rained while we had a cake stop at Ann’s Pantry – hands down the best piece of flapjack of the entire tour, and it was raining as we climbed the hill out of the village.
Somewhere between Moelfre and Pentraeth, it stopped raining. It was still damp. The trees were still showering us with water. The skies warned that they could precipitate at will. It wasn’t actually raining.
Drying out slowly as we climbed up to Llanddona, we knew we’d beaten the worst of the day. Then we dropped down to Beaumaris and stopped for coffee before making the final push back to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll. 
We stopped twice on the way, once in Menai Bridge to deal with a cramped calf, and of course at the viewing point to admire the two impressive bridges. After some deliberation, Karen settled on a favourite. She’ll tell you which, if you ask 🙂
The first properly wet day of the tour and easily the lumpiest. I was very glad not to be out there on my own.
Day totals: 61 miles, 4,698ft of elevation gain
Tour totals: 1,255 miles, 54,844ft of elevation gain