The decision to postpone my journey looks like a good one although it was raining when I got up this morning so decided not to walk & ordered a taxi for 06:30. By the time I got to the ferry the sun was shining & the roads drying although the journey was a bit rough for the first hour (until we got into the 'shelter' of Anglesey)
Collected the bike & set off towards Chelmsford.
One or two heavy showers around Stoke-on-Trent but other than that, a good journey, arriving just after 18:00.