I was mightily glad that I arrived in Shrewsbury mid-afternoon on the Friday. First thing that I did on arrival was to get my bike ready, and realised that I'd not fitted a bracket for my front light. Looked up the local bike shops, and was just about to head off for the most promising one when I realised that I'd left a small bag with various bits inside at home. Those various bits included my Garmin, my backup Garmin, the powerpack and all the leads to charge everything. Given how organised I like to be, that moment when I realised what I was missing was not very pleasant!
A quick shopping trip later and I had a suitable light bracket, powerpack and cable for my phone. Then in the evening I sorted out getting the GPX onto my phone.
As it turned out, the ride went really well. I rode with jiberjabber, with the intention that I'd use my phone if I ended up by myself along the way. That wasn't needed as I had a kindly riding buddy.
Controls were brilliant, especially the bowls club and the Old Wheelwright. I was a bit cold at times, especially my feet, but knew the weather would improve later in the ride, which helps psychologically. The scenery was absolutely fantastic, and I'm looking forward to being back in Wales for a few rides this year.
Many thanks to John and the various helpers for making this ride both possible and enjoyable.