Tour de Flintshire

Road Cycling: HK-Buckley-Rhosesmor-Babell-Gorsedd-Rhuallt-St Asaph-Llandyrnog-Moel Arthur-Mold-HK
Distance: 100k+
Satisfying to weave the two Flintshire 'end-to-end' routes I'd worked out over the last few weeks into this, the inaugural Tour de Flintshire! Still needs some refinement and improvement, but this initial version gave a varied and excellent ride. From home I headed through Buckley and Sychdyn and up the short, steep climbs to Rhosesmor. Then over on wonderful quiet roads to Rhes y Cae (although not before making yet another erroneous detour: there are just no signposts up here!). From Lixwm and Babell, I headed north of the A55 on an extension to Gorsedd and Lloc which shows off another aspect of the county, with views over the Dee estuary to Wirral. Along the unpleasant Dyserth road, but only briefly before heading inland towards Cwm then back over the A55 to the old Rhuallt Hill and down to St Asaph via Pont Dafydd. After a superb feeding halt (thanks mum!) it was along the main road to Bodfari and Llandyrnog, and then the crux climb over the Clwydian ridge at Moel Arthur. This features in the '100 great British cycle climbs' book and fully warrants its place. It goes steeply up to a brutal 20% ramp, with a terrible rutted surface. A few minutes of pain, out of the saddle the whole way, before it eases for the last section to the bwlch between Famau and Arthur. I may have done it from this harder side before on a mountain bike, and have done it numerous times from the gentler eastern side. It adds a brilliant extra dimension to the Tour; a completely different ambience to the landscape further north. From here, a fast descent to Hendre and Mold, then back to Kinnerton. It would be nice to refine it further to take in some more notable Flintshire landmarks as well as some places of personal significance (and also to further minimise the main roads). So perhaps go further north from Lloc to take in Maen Achwyfan then Gwaenysgor and Dyserth before reaching St Asaph. Then, on the second leg, head off to Cilcain after the climb, then through Gwernaffield before reaching Mold and the homeward leg.