Liverpool
Not my favorite city. Almost no cycling infrastrucure to speak of and the little there is seems to have been designed less to aid cyclists than to keep them out of sight of cars. Not bike paths but this-is-what-you-get-for-riding-a-bike paths that are rather popular in German cities too. Some of these were already in terrible condition and the rain turned them into slalom courses around puddles and potholes.
No wonder there weren't any cyclists. Yes, that is no hyperbole: I passed through a city of 500000 and the only other cyclist I saw was a passenger on the Mersey ferry. Even if you correct for the weather which admittedly wasn't overly inviting today, that remains a very small number.
Cyclist problems aside, Liverpool is not the most scenic city to look at. Glad I was just passing through. Crossing the Mersey on the ferry takes some time. Including the waiting in line I got it over with in just under one hour. I set foot in Birkenhead around half past eleven.
Wales
Pedaling through some of the worst cycle ways near Thornton the road quality suddenly improved by orders of magnitude. And it stayed that way. What happened? The map as well as the road signage revealed that I had unknowingly passed into Wales already. The difference to the sorry state of bike infrastructure around Liverpool is enormous.
Also the countryside improved a lot from the post-industrial trying-to-maintain-relevance style that Liverpool exudes. After the rain retreated in the afternoon the beaches of North Wales were beautiful to look at so I largely stuck to the coastal bike route despite the moderate headwind.
The Creuddyn peninsula stuck out in particular. Llandudno beach is a sight to behold. Likewise Conwy, end of route for the day, with its castle and historical bridges. After riding through its six centuries old, walled city center and after my phone reset itself twice in a row in some kind of tantrum, I found a cosy room at the Llewelyn B&B right next to the medieval battlements. View on the castle included.
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