Saved by a cafe

We hoped we’d time our ride to head north as the rain was moving north, have time to complete our circuit in the volcanoes on the plateau and descend, maybe getting a little damp, back to base.

It was pretty apparent early on that we were heading into the late-leaving storm! And as if we needed confirmation, a rainbow appeared ahead of us. Sure enough the rain started and began to get a little heavy. Rich came to a standstill (extra). Time to take stock at the closest cafe which, thankfully was a couple of hundred yards up the road with a covered outside area.

Not long after we sat down, it was torrential, emphasised by the drumming on the canopy overhead. We checked the satellite and sun was still forecast for 'now' so we sat it out for a while in the vague hope it might actually move on. 

It took half an hour of willing it for the rain to stop and we dared to venture higher up, still with an escape plan. There were bits of blue sky starting to appear by now and we were lucky enough, we hoped, to have found the small bit of respite in the day. 

And what a fantastic road! A new one for us and some of the tarmac was gorgeous on tiny roads through farmland and conical mountains.

Very glad not to have missed it but keen to avoid the same band coming back to get us, we didn’t pause much and enjoyed the stunning scenery while pedalling. We only had one side swipe of a band of rain and nothing like earlier so counted ourselves lucky to then descend in the dry all the way to the coast with big black clouds looming all around.

This afternoon’s rain has been epic but we’ve chilled and stretched and snoozed and it’ll hopefully be dry to walk out for tea. Corking day!