It was cold and a bit grey as I pulled up the hill from Fishguard harbour. A bit like how I felt - leaving Sian and riding off for weeks on end...but once I got out onto the clear roads with the sun rising in front of me, my spirits rose and I settled in to the ride. No traffic, dry tarmac and the little Honda humming along beautifully.
Wales and the hours slipped past. It was cold. Freezing. My fingers started to set. There isn't enough electrical power coming from the little 12v generator to support heated bars as well as the Satnav and lights so I just kept wiggling my fingers. A hundred times at a go. Counting: I count everything. Can't stop myself. Digital meditation to keep the fingers warm.
Satty takes me off onto the little roads as I head up into the Beacons. There's snow on the mountain tops but the road is fine apart from dung and debris from the local hill farm.
Stop for fuel and a welcome cup of tea. How do you get tea out of one of those fancy coffee machines that seem to have materialised like a malign Tardis in garages everywhere. I ask a man next to me. He must know as he's got a trendy haircut and skinny jeans. He just shrugs. Eventually I manage to get a large amount of boiling water overflowing a small, "Regular" paper cup and drop a teabag in.
I go outside and drink it while standing guard over the bike and bags. Easter travellers have started to appear and the roads are getting busy.
I push on for eight hours in total. 205 miles and the tank is almost dry when I pull in to Nia's house. Tired, relieved that all is running well and glad to make the ritual "Not Dead Yet" call back to Sian.
The only thing that went wrong was that somehow, I've managed to knock one metal foot off the bottom of one leg of the centre stand. So - if anyone is on my route and can weld, or maybe has a spare centre stand, do let me know. It would really help.
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