{"id":14767,"date":"2014-08-10T15:45:08","date_gmt":"2014-08-10T19:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=14767"},"modified":"2014-08-10T15:50:26","modified_gmt":"2014-08-10T19:50:26","slug":"day-44-sunday-august-10-chester-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=14767","title":{"rendered":"Day 44. Sunday, August 10 – Chester to Shrewsbury, England"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maybe, just maybe…<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

…..We had biked more than 20 miles in the last 3 days…..<\/p>\n

…..Memories of yesterday’s easy ride was not so fresh…..<\/p>\n

….The last four days of sunshine, was not still warming our bones….<\/p>\n

Then maybe<\/em><\/strong>, we would not have\u00a0gone out in the remnants of Hurricane Bertha as she raged through the United Kingdom….HA, and then we woke up!<\/p>\n

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. \u00a0Once 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<\/strong>) was missed. \u00a0Cows are no better forecasters than the forecasters.<\/p>\n

After two hours the\u00a0the sky offered a small hope of better conditions,\"DSCN1801\"<\/a>we stopped for a brief picture of one of the many magnificent homes\"DSCN1799\"<\/a> and farms we had seen this morning.<\/p>\n

At our halfway point,\"DSCN1804\"<\/a>we took a break for our (now) customary soup and cappuccino. \u00a0The break proved beneficial in many ways, most importantly, the rain had stopped, though the cold and wind remained. \u00a0The break in the rain, also afforded the opportunity to catch a couple pictures\"DSCN1806\"<\/a> of the our surroundings. \"DSCN1809\"<\/a>\u00a0We remained dry, albeit, not sunny;\"DSCN1816\"<\/a> the sky offering a bit of hope\"DSCN1822\"<\/a> while the wind kept us humble. \u00a0Ten miles before town, our previously flat ride took on a definite uphill character.\"DSCN1832\"<\/a> \u00a0The grade was not bad,\"DSCN1836\"<\/a> but we could feel the change in our tired legs. \u00a0A quick drop into our town, showed us we had many things to explore once clean, dry and warm. \u00a0Beautiful sunshine and strong winds met us as we set out to explore the town of flowers\"DSCN1841\"<\/a> and birthplace of Charles Darwin (1809). \"DSCN1882\"<\/a>\u00a0The town is rich in medieval architecture (which we love),\"DSCN1847\"<\/a> many original buildings from the 15th and 16th centuries, \"DSCN1866\"<\/a>which we could not take enough pictures of. \"DSCN1879\"<\/a>\u00a0There was also the St. Chad’s Church,\"DSCN1854\"<\/a> the St. Alkmund’s Church,\"DSCN1873\"<\/a>war memorials\"DSCN1853\"<\/a> and the Shrewsbury\u00a0Castle. \"photo-2\"<\/a>\u00a0The afternoon had warmed up, the sun was shining, \"photo-3\"<\/a>but the wind was really gusting…..Bertha was not leaving\u00a0without a fight. \u00a0Thankfully our inn, \"DSCN1905\"<\/a>at the foot of the Welsh bridge on the River Severn\"DSCN1845\"<\/a> had a great restaurant, so we ducked inside before another shower blew through.<\/p>\n

We enjoyed a hearty dinner, \"DSCN1909\"<\/a>as if we’d biked a hundred miles, even though it was only 43. \u00a0We were happy to have\u00a0been able to bike today, but more importantly, that the\u00a0rain had stopped early. \u00a0Tomorrow is yet another day!<\/p>\n\n\t\t