Maybe, just maybe…

…..We had biked more than 20 miles in the last 3 days…..

…..Memories of yesterday’s easy ride was not so fresh…..

….The last four days of sunshine, was not still warming our bones….

Then maybe, we would not have gone out in the remnants of Hurricane Bertha as she raged through the United Kingdom….HA, and then we woke up!

Needless to say, we did not take any pictures, as we struggled to keep the bikes upright in the swirling wind and rain; thankfully, the roads were flat.  Once again, the chance to take pictures of freshly harvested fields of deep gold and the lush green fields contrasted by the black and white cows (every single one standing) was missed.  Cows are no better forecasters than the forecasters.

After two hours the the sky offered a small hope of better conditions,we stopped for a brief picture of one of the many magnificent homes and farms we had seen this morning.

At our halfway point,we took a break for our (now) customary soup and cappuccino.  The break proved beneficial in many ways, most importantly, the rain had stopped, though the cold and wind remained.  The break in the rain, also afforded the opportunity to catch a couple pictures of the our surroundings.  We remained dry, albeit, not sunny; the sky offering a bit of hope while the wind kept us humble.  Ten miles before town, our previously flat ride took on a definite uphill character.  The grade was not bad, but we could feel the change in our tired legs.  A quick drop into our town, showed us we had many things to explore once clean, dry and warm.  Beautiful sunshine and strong winds met us as we set out to explore the town of flowers and birthplace of Charles Darwin (1809).  The town is rich in medieval architecture (which we love), many original buildings from the 15th and 16th centuries, which we could not take enough pictures of.  There was also the St. Chad’s Church, the St. Alkmund’s Church,war memorials and the Shrewsbury Castle.  The afternoon had warmed up, the sun was shining, but the wind was really gusting…..Bertha was not leaving without a fight.  Thankfully our inn, at the foot of the Welsh bridge on the River Severn had a great restaurant, so we ducked inside before another shower blew through.

We enjoyed a hearty dinner, as if we’d biked a hundred miles, even though it was only 43.  We were happy to have been able to bike today, but more importantly, that the rain had stopped early.  Tomorrow is yet another day!