Wet and Windy end to Wales Tour.

71.3 Miles. Now at Chester Fairoaks Club Site,  near Chester

Gypsy Rover at Chester Fair Oaks camp site.

Last night it blew and rained , rained and blew until about 1am when the rain eased but the wind just kept on blowing. Needless to say we both had a sleepless night and I was concerned that we wouldn’t be able to travel if I couldn’t re-fit the roof vent shield.

Views from the passenger seat along the sea front at Colwyn Bay.

Views from the passenger seat along the A55.

This morning was dry but still blustery when I ventured up onto the roof to see what sort of problem I was facing. I immediately found out why the vent shield had parted company with the roof. Water had got between the great dollop of silicone and the roof that was supposed to hold the shield in place. Water had also got between the silicone and the shield in places so if the wind hadn’t ripped it off last night it wouldn’t have stayed in place much longer anyway.

Along the sea front at Colwyn Bay. The railway runs between the road and the beach.

Ship loading facilities from quarries on the other side of the A55

We haven't travelled on such large roads for ages, here along the A55.

First job was to remove the silicone which came away quite easily once I got a sharp chisel on the job. The shield was completely clean of any silicone so that just needed a wash. In my tool box I have some reinforced double sided tape which is as sticky as anything and doesn’t let go easily. A layer of this was applied to the shield and once the roof was cleaned, I replaced the shield in it’s rightful place. I tested it to see how the tape would hold and it worked a treat. As the shield manufacturer had put in 6 screw holes in it I drilled the necessary holes, injected some silicon sealant and then inserted some small screw’s. To finish it off I put more silicon along the leading edge to give it added protection. I don’t think it will come off now.

Scene from on the A55.

With this unscheduled delay we didn’t leave Llanrug until 11.30am and not long after we set off it started to rain again. Our planned visit to Llandudno en route was therefore scrapped due to both the time and the weather.  When we got closer to Chester the sun did make an appearance but the wind is still with us even now 4 hours after arriving at our latest camp site.  I then climbed back up on the roof to check my repair job and it looks sound, the test today was the strong winds we had and are promised again tomorrow only worse.

A total of 2274 miles, since 5 March 2011