It was nice being back in a hostel, especially this quirky one run by Su, who also had a cocktail bar downstairs, was an artist and was planning to open a Thai eatery in the town too. A great work ethic and focus on the things that she enjoys. But it was also nice meeting fellow travellers and hearing their trips (one guy was an ex bikepacker walking up Snowdon) and tips (EuroVelo for Komoot).

After an enjoyable continental breakfast I set off just before 9am in light rain, putting my trust in the weather forecast which said that it would clear up late morning after which there would be sunny intervals. The grey skies seemed ‘set in’ to me. The plan was for a pedal round Anglesey. The first 2 miles to the Menai Bridge were on a busy and narrow main road, but I then found the Sustrans 8 cycle path which was far more relaxing and took me down to the bridge.

Stopping at a Menai Bridge viewing point on the other side I noticed what appeared to be a house located barely above water level in the middle of the Menai Straits. This seemed ridiculous until I saw on the information board that it was actually a tidal fish trap.

The next (brief) stop was at Llanfairpwllgwyngyll the village with the longest name. The full name is 58 characters. It is also known as Llanfair PG. The place with the longest name is a street in New Zealand made up of 85 characters. I suspect that it’s quite important for generating revenue for the village, but this tourist didn’t get drawn in to buy a fridge magnet.

Given that the rain had stopped the plan was to head out on Sustrans 8 in the south of the island to Holyhead for some lunch. The country lanes were drying nicely, the wind was gusty and the scenery was great as the skies cleared.

Interesting sights on route included an ancient burial site (4,000-2,000 BC), sheep (both normal and easy care brands) and an antique telephone in a phone box, ironically where I couldn’t get a signal on my phone.

The gusty wind soon became a tailwind and turboboosted me to the A55 crossing to Holy Island.  It was a glorious day, just like the forecast said it would be.

Lunch was a couple of chicken salad rolls sitting in a sun trap in the High Street. The baker was an ex-cyclist who had broken his ankle ‘the wrong way’ and had stopped cycling / running. However, he reinforced a recommendation from a friend to go to South Stack about 3 miles away, half of which was uphill. It was well worth the effort.

After descending I continued round on the south side of Holy Island past wonderful beaches and rocky outcrops to cross back onto Anglesey over Four Mile Bridge. I was so lucky with the weather. The trip back to Menai was through rolling countryside on ‘B’ roads to the north of the A55, with more clear views of Snowdonia.

Arriving in Bangor, my stop for the night and only 10 miles from Caernarfon, I went down to see the pier (460m long) before checking in at a soulless hotel (I shouldn’t moan as it looked closed when I arrived and I could keep my bike in the room). 71 miles done. The cycling had far exceeded my early morning expectations.

After ordering, eating and enjoying a Thai meal, I realised that I had left my wallet in my room, so I had to persuade the owner that it wasn’t some elaborate scam and dash back to get it. Perhaps I need to put a card on my phone.