A VARIED MONTH

After the success of the Pennant work party I headed south to Llangurig for two days to literally recharge batteries, have a tidy up and briefly visit the local bothy where all was well before heading through the Cambrian mountains calling at three other bothies where again all was well and a note taken of the odd minor repair needed.

 A quick overnight at Sennybridge allowed me to deal with mail and enjoy a takeaway from the locals owned pub - The Shoemakers at Pentre-bach.

After receiving my second Covid jab all was well and on the Monday Jan, Pete and I nipped in to Moel Prysgau to repair the footbridge, fix a new picket gate to the front door, and remove a large camp bed/mattress/sleeping bag combination that had obviously been taken in by vehicle at some stage. Since some bright spark (ha,ha) had decided to set it on fire and the mice had moved in we dismantled it and took other rubbish out as well. Down at the confluence we also considered how best to allow access for horses through the gate but deter off road vehicles - later research on the BHS website produced the concept of horse stiles which I think will do the job.

Pete and Jan walked down the track to give her two Labradors a good swim and we all met up again at Nantystalwyn before returning via the Llyne Brianne - unfortunately the two pubs in Rhandirmyn were both shut on Mondays seemingly at odds with calls from the hospitality industry for a desperate need to generate trade.

Pete disappeared off to west Wales to meet up with friends whilst I took advantage of dry ground, good weather and the availability of my two trolley jacks and air compressor to strip and clean the van brakes, a task I normally do every year but had left last year as my annual mileage was so low. I noted that all tyres will need replacing before the August MOT. When that is done I will also have a timing and auxilliary belt change, oil and filter and get the gear linkage bushes renewed as well as requesting a thorough check of the cooling system - other service items I can easily do myself - all this being in the expectation of heading south for the winter in mid December.

 

Thursday night saw us all enjoy Jan's excellent cooking in the summer house as her friends arrived before their trip to Dorset. The following day Pete and I met a fellow caver above Llangattock to drag a steel gate over the moor to seal off a for now abandoned dig with Barry having crafted a substantial grid ingeniously secured to the existing frame.

Superb weather over the weekend gave us a hot but rewarding day out from above Trecastle over towards Cerrig Cennen and back across some quiet lanes and interesting tracks with the siting of a film location's base above Llandeusant prodding our interest. One section of blocked byway required lifting the bikes over 6 fences and was duly reported to the local authority a few days later.

 Watering the hanging baskets, pots and raised beds took a fair while but proved very relaxing and we all enjoyed beers on the lawn as the sun set.

Sunday was an easier day with a walk in to the local wood for a dip in the pond for some and a clamber round the recently toppled beech tree that once stood nearby before the Bristol contingent returned home.

 

On the Monday evening a local friend and his wife called in for eggs and brought the ingredients for a delicious barbecue enjoyed out on the lawn -

Jan and Ian returned on the Tuesday and kindly took us out for a meal before I took off for Rhayader where I spent the night in a quiet car park after a ride round the valley and an rv with Crad who had been on a local time trial. I had enjoyed a tough ride out along the Claerwen Dam to Teiffi Pools and back through Cwmystwyth via the Hafod Estate where the previously illegally blocked cycle route still has a misleading home made diversion sign, which of course I ignored.

Mandy's trip from Sheffield to Abergavenny was again delayed by cancellations so I took advantage of the spare couple of hours to shop and investigate train times with a view to doing the Radnor Ring bike ride over two days later in the year. We both headed across to Sennybridge for one night before stopping at Lower Chapel in cooler weather for a couple of days and then returning to Llangurig for the hilly two bothies ride through the wind farm.

An easier day followed with the back lane down to Rhayader - en route we stopped to chat to the young driver loading 25 tonnes of timber on to his lorry, harvested from a particularly demanding site, and heading for a fencing company in Cheshire, before riding up to the excellent cafe alongside Pennygarreg Dam : Penbont House. 

The Brigands Pub at Mallwyd provided an excellent meal and allowed us to overnight in the car park - belly pork and salmon from the chef's special board washed down with a bottle of Pinot followed by a quiet night as it rained steadily outside.

 

We had booked a two hour afternoon session at the National White Water Centre near Bala so after a couple of hours in Dolgellau arrived in time to watch a few groups descend the rapids whilst walking alongside the swirling waters. It's a great place to spend the day and well worth a visit. At two we all assembled to don wetsuits, helmets and buoyancy aids before a thorough learning session with Nathan out by the river. Two rafts were loaded up behind a Transit with soaking wet seats that took us up to the embarkation point and within minutes we were afloat and heading down to the first challenge. It was hugely entertaining, probably especially for Nathan as we attempted to listen to his commands, coordinate ourselves and avoid the slalom poles as we plunged in to foaming pools, beached on rocks and all too soon were back to the end point. However we were all keen to crack on and managed four runs with a wave surfing encounter that soaked us all and the whole experience left us keen to do more.

Nathan lives in a van full time and over winters when possible in other prime rafting locations such as Ecuador so was interested in my lifestyle and suggested we could probably stay in the car park overnight but as I had other plans we eventually left and spent a memorable night above Bala on the Bwlch y Groes. From here Mandy swooped downhill to Lake Vyrnwy where I met her for a spin round the Lake admiring the striking Victorian valve tower, collecting basic provisions at the small village shop and returning to the car park for lunch. Midges devoured me as I loaded and covered up the bikes before we walked through the woods to a small unofficial bothy sublimely located deep in the trees.

A short drive took us up to another wild camp from where the following day we walked across to inspect the next Welsh bothy project and return to the road  for a climb back up to the van collecting discarded cans and bottles as we went.

 

 

 Our destination that night was an hour or so away at Bryneglwys where a very well kept CL site provided a good base for four days. The immaculate facilities with water and electric at the pitches were really appreciated as was the view across to the Clywdian Range beyond Rhuthin.

Climbing up over Llantysilio mountain we spotted some good opportunities for future wild camps before dropping in to the Dee valley and reaching the Horseshoe Falls that feed water in to this arm of the Shropshire Union canal. Horse drawn barges still shuttle visitors along the impressive canal cut in to solid rock. Passing high above Llangollen we avoided the weekend visitors and soon arrived at the ever impressive Pontcysyllte Viaduct which we walked across as boats passed high above the Dee in the fragile looking cast iron trough. A few more miles saw us at the next viaduct near Chirk reached via two long low tunnels. We returned along the same route but continued on to Carrog to pass round the end of the mountain saving a challenging climb.

Back at the site Dorris the hen arrived for scraps as we relaxed after a 40+ mile ride.

Rhuthin's pleasant old town on top of the hill kept us amused as our laundry was done - the gardens of  Nantclwyd y Dre were a credit to the volunteers and provided a peaceful spot for a couple of salad boxes from Chatwins Deli take away. The  hotel in the old castle buildings had lovely grounds with peacocks roaming freely.

 

Clean laundry was collected and we headed off to Llyn Brenig for a two hour ride delighted to see that the ospreys have occupied the new nest provided atop an aerial access platform by the RSPB since some moron felled their previous nest a few weeks ago.

 

On a sunny breezy day we decided to have a rest from the bikes and climbed up to do the ridge encompassing Llantysilio mountain for good views across the entire area - at one point my GPS went in to a spin placing our location west of America with a trip distance of almost 6000 miles but a night with batteries removed seemed to reset things - good as it has been a most excellent device allowing us to enjoy so many different walks and rides.

Moving on we arrived at a simple field based site between Mold and Flint - at £5/night with nothing but fresh water and waste facilities it provided the start point for a ride down to Connah's Quay and then along the Dee to Chester. The huge Airbus wing factory at Broughton loomed across the water and we spotted the bizarre Beluga - a modified aircraft that takes single wings down to Toulouse in France where final assembly takes place. A couple of years ago whilst visiting the space complex there I saw the same plane taking off.

 The city is a delight to visit with the river, city walls, cathedral and timbered buildings adding to a relaxed atmosphere before we picked up the old railway line back to Queensferry. We were then tempted to carry on to Flint to see its old castle before heading back.

Yesterday we drove a few miles across to Burton where the Burton Mere RSPB bird reserve provided safe parking for our circuit of the Wirral Peninsula. Following old railway lines up to Hoylake in warm sunshine we made good progress along the estuary with another Beluga sighting and good views across to Flint. The northern edge of the Wirral was followed using the huge sea wall, although low tide meant the waters were a couple of miles distant with huge offshore wind turbines visible way out to sea. Lunch at Leasowe lighthouse refreshed us for the continuation round to Wallasey and down to Birkenhead with a traffic free promenade giving great views across to the wharves and cranes of Liverpool docks, the iconc Liver buildings and the Fred Olsen Borealis cruise ship due to leave for a cruise up to Scotland in a week or so.

 

Crossing Birkenhead to regain Sustrans Route 56 was a wake up call but we were soon following quiet lanes and tracks back towards Burton. A side excursion to attractive Parkgate near Neston gave us a chance for a refreshing pint before after 50 very enjoyable miles we were back to the van where the birds out on the marshes were remarkably vociferous.

We'd decided to grab a takeaway but were tempted by an Asian restaurant in Mold to try their 'banquet for 2' which gave us the opportunity to enjoy a remarkable range of delicious dishes before we returned to the almost empty field with surplus food and wine to enjoy tonight.

Tomorrow we move on to Derbyshire and in a fortnight I begin a two week stay in Snowdonia for another major bothy work party so until I report back from that please enjoy the photos here.