Cambrian Way day 4 - Aberystwyth

Today is the last day of cycling, but not the last day of the trip...   We knew the food options on the ride were limited, so we went to a cafe in Rhayader for a scrumptious breakfast, and got supplies from the Co-op too.

Rhayader hospitality at its best

After about four miles we arrived at the Elan Valley, to be greeted by a gigantic dam, holding some of Birmingham's water supply.  The reservoir is enormous, and as we rode up alongside it successive branches of the valley opened up, as well as another huge dam further up the valley.  The scale of engineering is impressive - the dams are vast, and the water supply pipes go underground all the way to Birmingham, where we started our ride three days earlier.  There's another big dam on a different branch of the valley.  The lower end of the valley was overshadowed by towering hillsides, and as we climbed up the valley it opened out with ever changing views.

Turning left at the top had us joining the mountain road to Aberystwyth.  We climbed gradually for another five miles, before reaching the head of the river Elan.  On the way we had a memorable picnic stop sitting on a rock almost dangling our feet in the river.  The sound and sparkle of the running water made it very special.  

Picnic stop with spa

Over the watershed and we joined Cwm Ystwyth - the Ystwyth valley, running down to, you've guessed it, Aberystwyth.  It started as a typical  narrow mountain valley and we passed old mine workings.  Later we took a track - Lady's Walk - for a few miles through a mix of forest and what seemed to be grand gardens on several levels, but we didn't see a grand house.

The Mountain Road

Lady's Walk (Hafod estate)

Our planned lunch stop, after 25 miles, was unfortunately closed, but a kind lady opposite offered  to fill our water bottles, and an emergency pack of mini malt loaves was deployed.

A bit later we joined a disused railway line, at great cost, because it was accessed by a very steep off-road track almost too steep to ride.  The railway line was nice, through woodland, but eventually we were seduced off again by a village shop, where we had a late mini-lunch.  Back on the railway line, we made good speed towards Aberystwyth although there were a few gaps in the track where something much more difficult (rough or steep) was substituted.  After a long time, we arrived in Aberystwyth, hot, thirsty, hungry and happy to be there.

Arrived!  The mouth of the river Ystwyth

And the main town of Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth has a lot going for it.  It's an interesting and picturesque town, with an impenetrable one-way system.  And no camp sites in the town.  Our camp site was over a hill, 140 metres high - just what we didn't need after a long day.  We contemplated catching the cliff railway with our bikes, which looked like a possibility,  but we were too late in the day.  It was an eco-campsite, and the instructions said something like, third field on the left with the impressive gate posts, camp wherever you like.  It was a field.  When I saw the Portaloo, I was a bit downhearted.  When I saw the showers, inside a few bits of  corrugated iron, I was somewhat alarmed.  We had no confirmation that there was hot water on the site.

But it was all good, in a low-key way (it was styled as an eco campsite).  There was a separate portacabin with loos, perfectly adequate.  And the showers had a gas water heater.  They were open-air, but fine.  Nice, in a way, but maybe problematic if raining.

The farmers had been busy all week making hay in the sunshine.  They were still at it at 10pm, just the other side of the hedge where we'd pitched our tents.  But we were too tired to care, and they stopped, or we fell asleep, soon after.  Then it was just the rooks keeping a vocal watch all night.

That was the end of our cycling tour.  But part two of our trip was a train odyssey the very long way home through Wales.  There was just one niggling problem:  we had booked cycle reservations for all our journeys,  but no cycle reservations had been printed when I collected the tickets from the machine.  Something to worry about tomorrow.

More coming soon...

Cambrian Way day 3 - Rhayader

We decided on a later start after a late night.  It was a very quiet campsite apart from masses of birdsong from about 4am.  We had breakfast at the campsite, brewing tea on Alan's stove, with a shared malt loaf to sustain us.

Today's ride had lots of hills, and not many miles.  It was still very hot, so we counterbalanced all that with lots of stops for a well-balanced, epic ride.

The first hill started almost immediately, uphill for two miles.  A long descent led us past a fancy glamping site, where we made good use of the cafe, but sadly not the swimming pool.  We didn't really look as if we belonged, covered in sweat as we were.  How the other half live: £21 for breakfast rolls and coffee, versus 90p for our malt loaf and home brew tea only 4 miles earlier.  Alan remarked that it's easy to fall in love with Wales: a view round every corner, so lush and green (although lush has a different meaning in Wales), lovely people, who are always happy to chat.

We crossed the Severn plain - again - and sweated up another two big hills, with a few tractors and the sweet scent of cow parsley for company.  At Llanidloes we found a community cafe, where the whole indoors was like an oven but outdoors was a peaceful and shady allotment garden.  We refilled our bottles for the second time and ate a fulsome lunch.  We had now ridden all of 10 miles.  Lllanidloes is also on the Severn, and we followed a tributary straight up the valley.  A long, steep hill with sprinkles of very steep bits.  It was 33 degrees again.  At last, the top, and we passed over the watershed of the rivers Severn & Wye.  Possibly, we had ridden to the source of the river Severn.  (Edit: I discovered later that the main tributary rises much higher in the mountains, at around 670 metres altitude.)

The source of the Severn?

We had earned another stop after 4 miles, at Llangurig village tea room.  Very nice but also with very hot and bothered serving staff.  We needed the fluids and a rest in the shade.  It was difficult to drink enough despite constantly filling our bottles.  By now we were dripping and very tired.

The last ten miles was generally downhill along the beautiful Wye valley but also had 100 metres of uphill undulations to Rhayader.  It really was a special road, varying from riding alongside the river in a flat plain to halfway up a steep sided gorge, widening out to a Lake District size valley with mountains either side, to a tunnel of trees.

Down the Wye to Rhayader

At last we were welcomed at a beautiful Camping & Caravanning Club site directly on the banks of the Wye, but also directly beside the quite busy A road.  Our priorities were clear: check in, park the bikes on our pitch, get an ice cream, pitch tents, shower - aaah - visit the pub (where we ate possibly the worst pizza ever), a walking tour of Rhayader, do this blog & bed.  An epic day.

Rhayader Wyeside CCC site

As we tried to get to sleep, we were entertained by thunder and lightning rolling round the hills for quite a while.  Alan says there was some light rain later but I didn't hear it ... zzzz.

> Day 4

Cambrian Way day 2 - Welshpool and Newtown

In our lovely campsite we slept like babies after our early start yesterday.  Alan was just warm enough in his bargain sleeping bag.  We resolved to be away by 8am, but we were so comfortable that it was more like 9.30 before we made the short trip to Greggs for breakfast.

It was a ride of three halves.   The first part was lovely and flat - well, undulating - on the Shropshire plain.   It was very hot in the full sun, and we were glad to reach Crew Green, just over the Welsh border into Powys, where we found a beautiful cafe in a campsite.  We tried various cakes and also fixed a puncture caused by riding over some melted tarmac, which then picked up something pointy.

Over the river Severn, into Wales

Lovely coffee stop

The second half contained two big hills which started almost immediately on leaving the tea shop.   We took it easy with our loaded bikes, but it was a struggle in another 33 degree day and full sun.  From the top we had impressive views over the vast plain of the Severn valley. The downhill was even  steeper and quite scary, but the views were amazing.  We knew we were in Wales!  Soon we were in Welshpool for an excellent late lunch.   Welshpool is back on the river Severn, and we realised we could have followed the valley and avoided the hills!  Those dastardly NCN route planners had added the hills to route 81 for fun.  Their fun, not ours.

And then the hills started ...

The third half was a fifteen mile ride along the Montgomery Canal.  No hills.  Unsurfaced.  Only one other person along the whole canal.  It passed through bucolic, lush countryside, golden fields of buttercups, with a few locks and bridges to maintain interest, and magical, shady avenues of trees.   The canal is only navigable for part of the distance we did, but we saw no boats.  

By the time we reached Newtown it was 6pm, and we were a few miles short of our campsite, which was at a remote pub, but the pub was closed on Tuesday.  We had a quick drink and decided to pitch the tents before heading back for a meal.  It had been very muggy and clouds were gathering.

Alas, the camp site was up a big hill,  which we now had to do twice, but we pitched among some ducks and hens behind the pub,  and returned to Newtown for a well-earned curry.  Just as we returned into town there was a roll of thunder, but thankfully it never rained.

One of the enjoyable things on this trip has been chatting to people we meet.  Last night, as we were buying our breakfast (a malt loaf), a young man came up and said he'd been admiring our bikes. "Steel - old school."  He is a gravel biker and he enthusiastically enquired about where we'd come from "Oh, that's some serious hills".   We told him we were heading for Aberystwyth and he said "Oh round the top, like?".  Round the top of what, we wondered.   We said we were heading south west, via Rhayader - he had to look it up - and the  he said "Oooh", or it could have been "Ow", and declined to comment further, but his look said it all ... we pondered on this as we looked forward to the following day.

> Day 3

The Cambrian Way

The Cambrian Way goes from east to west across the middle of Wales.  Alan C and I thought it would make a nice ride for a bikepacking trip, with tents.

route mapping from cycle.travel

It's 173 scenic miles, from Birmingham to Aberystwyth, via Shrewsbury, Welshpool, Rhayader, the Elan Valley, and quite a few hills.  You could do it in three days if you were keen.  We chose to do it in four, and then we added on a very complicated route home, of which more later.

Day 1 - Monday Bank Holiday- was billed as the hottest day of the year.  We dodged the London heat by setting off from our homes around 4am, arriving in Euston in good time for a gourmet breakfast from Pret, and then catching the 6.16 train to Birmingham.  We had the carriage, maybe the whole train, to ourselves.

Thus it was we rode away from Birmingham New Street around 8 am, heading for the canal and the Gas Basin, perhaps the centre of the canal world.  About ten miles on the canal to Wolverhampton - you might think it would be boring - it was anything but.

Gas Basin, Birmingham

Birmingham's canals are a fascinating network with many branches, intertwined with railways, and there's a huge amount to see.   In every mile there were half a dozen beautiful bridges or more, with plenty of route choices.  We had to navigate carefully - the wrong side of the canal, or the wrong fork, could have you retracing your steps.  There weren't many people around, but the windless air was thick with birdsong, and the limpid water reflected pictures of the bridges and hedgerow flowers. 

We were piloting heavily-laden bikes on a mostly good tarmac surface, but every bridge would have a line of raised bricks in the centre, something to avoid just when you were pulling hard up the slope and perhaps avoiding a bollard or a bright yellow gorse bush.   At other times someone had decided the floor should be made of bricks of different heights, a bit like riding over corrugated iron.  It was all-encompassing, and very beautiful in an industrial way.  Between Garmin and Beeline (and a helpful local) we found the correct route.  

Coseley tunnel

And then there was the Coseley tunnel.  About 1/3 of a mile of towpath in a tunnel, with a metal fence to stop you falling in.  It had a solid brick floor, and we cautiously decided to try it after an inspection.  (There is an option to go round it on the road.)  Never again.  The brick floor was wet and slippy, and there were gaps between bricks that could take your tyre in a different direction.  Maybe OK with three inch tyres but we got through it with gritted teeth and clenched buttocks.

We had 11s at a chai shop in Wolverhampton, still asleep at 10.30, and set off on a different canal, the Shropshire Union, which was much worse, as the towpath was rough earth or just grass.  Luckily it didn't last long and we were on actual roads with actual (small) hills.   By now it was really hot, 33 degrees, and we lost the shade of the canals.  We went round the outskirts of Telford on a series of nice cycle paths, but we were wilting fast in the heat.  

Wolverhampton

Shropshire Union Canal

A stop in KFC was needed for another gourmet meal.   Most important, we sat in the air conditioned restaurant for half an hour and cooled down.  Emerging from the built up area to the north west, we got chatting to a local who advised us that we were now entering the Shropshire plain and it would be flat from now on.  He was partly right - it was only a bit hilly, but they felt bigger.

Sweltering

Eventually we were riding alongside the river Severn, which led us directly and gloriously into Shrewsbury.  The Severn does a loop round three sides of Shrewsbury, which is up a small hill in the middle.  The banks of the Severn are lined with low-lying parks, or flood plains, lined with avenues of trees, so it is a gorgeous setting, leading eventually round to the highlight of the day, the ice cream stall.  Excellent ice cream helped calm our fevered minds to decide on a last gourmet meal of the day at Wetherspoons, before heading to the campsite for the even better highlight, the shower.  Two new tents put up, Alan's new £8 sleeping bag at the ready, a swift visit to the pub, and we were very ready for bed at 10pm.

Welcome to Shrewsbury

> Day 2