Travellers Tales: Old Favourites of Mid Wales

Moving on from Blaenavon I dropped in to Brecon for the regular badminton session and then moved on to the Mynydd Illtud Common near Forest Lodge where Wild Camping Brecon Beacons provides only the most basic facilities, ie a tap and a few portaloos, but is cheap enough and in a good location. On the Friday I set off along the Sarn Helen Roman road that heads south west to Neath and was a regular favourite when I lived towards the southern end twenty and more years ago. The curious weather system known as an anticyclonic gloom kept the cloud low and sun hidden but the temperature on the mild side for my thrash along the deserted track with only the steep rough climb below Cerrig y Gleisiad requiring a push. At the Ystradfellte road I followed this for a couple of miles and then took a side track passing the limestone quarries before emerging by the sadly closed New Inn.

Heading down towards Pontneddfechan I turned off on the Pont Melin Fach road passing a 'ROAD CLOSED' sign and in due course came across a long section that has collapsed in to the river. Walkers and cyclists could pass but it will be a major task to re open the route fully. Emerging from the forest back on to the Sarn Helen I took a nose at what was once a fairly close neighbour and gardening customer but Eddie had long since passed and his family have been renovating the various sheds and barns to a high standard.

The route crossed the upper reaches of the Nedd but as I slogged up the track selecting the easier surface two ignorant walkers heading downhill stood firmly in my way, neither uttered a word or seemed inclined to move so I dismounted, gave them a cheery thank you and left wondering why people in such glorious surroundings can be so uptight.

Back at the site I had a good chat with the farmer with whom I shared many acquaintances before settling down to a good night's sleep.

I moved up to Lower Chapel a day early as I wanted to clean the bike thoroughly and had decided to spray the white fridge, gas heater vents and EHU inlets black to match the new roof colour. Sunday on another grey day saw Jan and I knock out another 20 odd miles across towards the Wye Valley and back over Llandefalle Common. We also nipped down to give friends a hand fetching in some young Exmoor ponies before Jan as always fed me very well. They were away on the Monday to a gig in Shrewsbury and I finished off the spray job before looking at the possibility of rerouting my Eberspacher exhaust over the short length of exposed water pipe. Whilst this may be possible with access from a pit or ramp I decided to leave things as they are other than add a replacement terminal section that a careless trolley jack back in Ireland had damaged.

Pete arrived for a couple of days but the ongoing gloom dimmed our enthusiasm for a ride (plus my bike was too clean to get it mucky again!) so we took the dogs up the Crug and felt for a photographic group up from London on such a washed out day.

Jan and Ian returned safely on the Tuesday and we enjoyed an excellent Thai meal in Brecon after I'd loaded all my clobber back on the van ready for moving on.

Wednesday saw the three of us heading back up to Llangattock Escarpment for another day of hauling spoil from the ongoing Hereford dig. We raised some hefty boulders and steady progress was made with the rift now requiring additional ladders for safer progress.

After another energetic badminton session I moved on up to Llangurrig where I was to leave the van safely during my planned multi day ride. I left mid morning on the Saturday under more grey skies and followed the lane up and then down to the bridge and ford over the Afon Diliw before striking right on an improved footpath and rebuilt bridge towards Nant Rhys bothy. All was well there with the new stove looking good and the relocated long drop loo clean and tidy. Down at the locked gate three trials bike riders were squeezing their machines under the barrier but predictably had no readable plates and as I headed by the stationary turbines I met a large group of quad bikers travelling at speed.

Nant Syddion bothy was again in good order with 3 lads staying the night to explore nearby mines so I left them to it, locked the gate at The Arch as I passed through and began the steady climb through Cwmystwyth passing the ever thought provoking mines. Tillyd farm and small riverside camping seems to be currently unoccupied and apart from the Highland cattle at the top of the road it was a deserted scene.

Dropping down to Pont ar Elan I cut across the Bog of Doom which like the reservoir was as dry as I have known it and arrived at Lluest Cwm Bach just as the afternoon gloom became dusk. Four lads in the bothy weren't particularly engaging, nor seemed inclined to shift any gear to accommodate me so I took an old inflatable mattress in to the tool store and had a night interrupted by various rodents scurrying around beneath the bags of sand and a pile of scaffolding. The boys in the hut were up until late and I was away early so probably best I'd stayed outside and after cycling the shore line I was soon at the Craig Goch dam and then whizzed down to Rhayader as the rockfall in the Devil's Gulch has been cleared. I stocked up at the Co Op as Remembrance Day arrangements were being set up and stopped at the Elan Visitor Centre for coffee and a bacon roll. Despite the continuing grey skies the autumn colours as I headed up to the Claerwen dam were superb. Up at the dam 3 lads were filming a YouTube clip in homage to the Top Gear episode where they had recreated an old Land Rover advert.

I rode along the track keeping an eye out for any traces relevant to the wetsuit clad body of an unidentified male found at the dam a few weeks ago but nothing jumped out on this high and lonely route. Two lasses on bikes were heading the other way but otherwise it was deserted and I reached Claerddu bothy just as rain began to fall around mid afternoon. The picturesque cottage needed a bit of a clean out which kept me busy and the accumulated rubbish soon disappeared in the stove whilst keeping me warm as I sat on the very comfy sofa. More sandwiches as I'd not bothered with a cooker were supplemented by a donated Tesco's Finest tinned lamb curry heated up on the top in one of the cleaner pans. The vast majority from the kitchen needed ditching so I bagged them and other rubbish in the hope that the Elan Valley rangers will be able to dispose of them. I had a quiet night's sleep with stars emerging as the skies cleared and woke to a memorable dawn. A fast descent in to Pontryhdfendigaid was exhilarating and a small shop avoided the need to continue on in to Tregaron so I began the long steady climb past Strata Florida and in to the Tywi Forest to reach Moel Prysgau bothy by late morning. Again all was well and the MO's efforts to prevent bikers from accessing the bothy seem to be working. Another new stove looked the business and the bothy itself has new views across the stream following recent extensive felling. The bridleway up to the top track is hard going at present due to the timber extraction but once up there it is a good ride south to Nantystalwyn with good views back across to the bothy.

I called in to the Elenydd Hostel at Dolgoch and met Jim who is wardening for the week. He has accumulated a fair archive relating to the hostels, bothies and a long disappeared way of farming and I look forward to delving further when I return next weekend for a volunteering work party.

In glorious sunshine but falling temperatures I rode over to the superb chapel at Soar y Mynydd before taking the byway over to the Doethie Valley and Tyn y Cornel, the second EHT building. The track was repaired at great expense a few years ago following a huge washout but the weather has won again and the track is only passable to walkers and cyclists and even then with care and a more durable solution with improved drainage will be required. Peter, the warden, was waiting at the gate as I powered up the track and after a very welcome hot shower and change of clothing I spent an enjoyable evening with him and his wife who are retired farmers from near Hay and also here for the week.

I slept soundly, woke to another bright dawn and then left for Tregaron via the forestry tracks to find just the one small cafe open but with a pastie to die for. The cycle track alongside Cors Carron Nature Reserve brought me to Ystrad Meurig and a back road put me in Ysbyty Ystwyth and the start of a route through the Hafod Estate. Access issues at the start of that section seem to have been resolved which avoids a nasty and occasionally busy road climb and I reached Cwmystwyth again for the final climbs back over to Llangurrig. Another eroded section of track has been repaired but there is quite a deep ditch now to one side but at least it is passable and I reached the campsite after 120 miles and apparently 17,000' of ascent which seems unlikely. I soon had the bike washed, enjoyed a hot shower and settled in to reflect on a memorable ride as a cold night set in.