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.

more to follow