Heading South but not too much sun......

 The cold grey weather continued but I layered up and began riding south along the river only to realise 90 minutes later that I had forgotten my bum bag with tools and two pumps in so although running tubeless I decided to return just in case. My earlier return prompted me to go to the circus so I joined the short queue on a cold night and purchased a ticket for a seat right at the front which was also padded - I'd taken my sit mat in case we were on wooden benches!

The big top was warm inside as it filled up with mostly families and then the lights went down before the circus master announced a promising evening of fantastic attractions....

This started with two acrobats on a pair of suspended spinning wheels who threw themselves around them both inside and out some thirty feet off the ground. There then followed a remarkable array of gymnastics, acrobatics, tight rope walking (and cycling), two well trained horses going through their paces and so on.

The appearance of half a dozen camels and four ponies engaged in a choreographed display was unexpected but rivetting with my chosen seat bringing me unnervingly close to these ships of the desert.

An excellent display, largely by the same performers on the trapeze was again astonishing and after two hours there was a final grand parade before the lights fell for the final time. It was a memorable evening and I gained an insight in to how much practice and effort must go in to every performance as well as the huge logistics of moving from venue to venue.

An aire at Les Rives Mayenne offered more cycling options, initially north to a remarkable bridge over the river with a fairly standard road crossing also incorporating beneath it a pedestrian walkway in the form of a series of wide, steep wooden steps that rose at an angle of 50°.

Further north I reached a familiar point where I had stayed on an aire 6 years ago - my memory fails me as usual but the 'Search' function on the blog helps fill in the gaps😳, so returned to the van passing some lovely water mills at weirs with the attendant locks and pretty keepers cottages.

A ride south to Angers brought my planned rides to a close, the river which soon after joins the Loire was very high and had flooded many of the surrounding fields.

Moving on the following day incorporated a launderette session and a big food shop including three 907 bottles - these are lasting  for about ten days which gives me a gas 'bill' of £60 a month but other than two 2 euro jetons for water my first month over here has cost nothing other than the usual food, fuel and entertainment.

A quiet aire at St Leger de Montbrillais provided the necessary but as much of it was on sloping wet grass I played safe and parked near the service area. The following day an hour's ride took me to the remarkable Fontevraud- L'Abbaye where a combined ticket got me admission to both the abbey itself and the museum.

In the main chancel of the abbey lay four tombs including those of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart and after being a place of retreat for up to 900 monks and nuns it had also served as a prison, the vestiges of which have now been removed restoring the place to one of calm and tranquility. I spent several hours there, had lunch in the caff and then whizzed home to a cosy van. Later I walked in to the village for a beer in the friendly bar : they had drawn the Christmas raffle and various people turned up to collect their prizes, the winning couple looking absolutely astonished to have gained a 55'' colour TV.

Warmer but very wet weather dominated a longish drive south placing me alongside the river at Coutras which as the rain eased I walked in to and enjoyed the last few Christmas lights strung across the large square.

Bergerac had an interesting mediavel quarter and another hugely impressive cathedral and provided a delicious lunch break but I only stayed a few hours before parking up at Issac, one of many mediavel villages in the area that count as bastides meaning they are semi fortified.

The aire in Villarreal was tucked away alongside a paddock of donkeys with a short walk in to  another very enchanting village with a huge central covered market place, immaculate town hall and a statuesque church. There were a couple of other vans staying but it was a very quiet night.

The unusually named Luzech on the Lot was reached after a quick walk round Montflanquin, another bastide but very quiet on an off season Monday however the one open cafe was warm and cosy and the hot chocolate very welcome.

Luzech had another lofty castle beyond which a walk out on the ridge led me to the remains of a Roman villa and on my way back to the riverside aire I was lured in to a patisserie for some no particularly well deserved treats.

A brief stop in Cahors provided some atmospheric photo opportunities at the remarkable Pont Valentre before I moved on again heading mostly south through hilly and wooded countryside.

The aire below the hill top village of Najac was on some old tennis courts but the services were shut off for the winter as advised on the invaluable Park4Night app but I was OK for water so parked up and walked the mile or so up a steep path to emerge alongside an old church. The nearby castle was as expected closed for the winter but had good views down in to the Aveyron gorge where I noticed a single track railway line. Against expectations this still ran regular services so I checked out options to go north towards Aurillac or south to Gaillac. The user friendly SNCF app showed a train cancellation for the following day which would have limited my options for returning from Aurillac or Figeac so instead I booked a 10.30 departure southbound to Gaillac. I walked down through steep woodland to check out the station which was only a 15 minute walk from the aire, where on my return a Spanish van had parked right alongside despite the huge area available, people are odd. Later that evening a text from SNCF said my train would be 20 minutes late but the following day I arrived in good time anyway and was soon in a comfortable seat heading through the twisting valley via a series of tunnels and bridges. After a quick look round Gaillac I found a cosy bar with a 19 euro menu de jour and arrived at the station for my return trip pleasantly replete. Parked up in a siding were a number of old postal service carriages, now of course made redundant by planes and vans. I was back in time to climb up to the village once more and enjoy some late evening patches of sunlight before returning to base.

I moved on to Albi as overnight my gas had run out and as the loo needed doing it made sense to get to both hatches via the tailgate once the bikes were off. 

I stopped off at the bizarre Cap Decouverte which is a huge former opencast coal mine trying to reinvent itself as an outdoor activity centre (listen up Merthyr Tydfil) with a number of enormous earth movers, cranes and excavators providing great interest : truly the Titans as claimed.

The excellent aire provided everything necessary and on arrival there was a huge live in lorry parked up with his generator running. Due to the cold weather other vans were running their engines so I chose the quieter corner and took off in to town in search of bread. A bakery opposite the world's largest brick built cathedral did the job but I decided to return for photos when the sun made its forecast appearance in a day or two. Walking back to the van I got quite wet but yet again the Eber came to the rescue. 

Saturday was a grey, wet day and I barely left the van but enjoyed finishing a couple of books and cooking some delicious duck breasts with a couscous salad and the promise of sunshine for Sunday.

This arrived along with a marked drop in temperatures under a clear sky but I layered up and set off across town heading for the voie verte down to Castres. En route we managed to arrange for Pete and Nina to join me at Albi that night so I enjoyed the 67 mile round trip with a beef hotpot to look forward to. However I succumbed to a McDonald's in town at lunchtime as I'd a fair few miles to do to get back and thoroughly enjoyed the well maintained track through wintry countryside.

Back at Albi we had a great catch up on a very chilly evening with overnight temperatures well below freezing causing me to stick the heating on in the wee small hours and the hot water to prevent any issues.

After a further catch up with Pete who is heading south to Spain we looked at my onward plans and had a WhatsApp call to Mandy who with luck arrives tomorrow. After saying our goodbyes, and persuading a frozen water tap to start running we both filled up and went our separate ways. I have parked up at Mazamet having done the laundry and will restock the fridge and cupboards tomorrow morning before the hour's drive to the airport.

It's been good to see the sun and know that I can deal with the cold nights and of course things should get warmer as we head south - an overnight ferry from Toulon to Sardinia early next week will save 500 miles of driving and put me back on track with the Brexit timer....

A few pics here.....

La Francette

After the delights of the Lake District Storm Darra encouraged us to head directly back to Sheffield which gave me a useful extra day or two to prepare for departure. We used up the last of the Decathlon bike exchange voucher, the van had an oil and filter change and an ancillary belt for good measure : I have it done every year as at almost 8' long it's tricky to replace by the roadside and I was also pleased to get the right semi synthetic oil put in after the debacle at the Continental Garage, Galway.

A gentle run down to Brecon was only interrupted by an hour's delay north of Monmouth due to a landslide and I was soon tucked away in my usual corner before an enjoyable evening of badminton. At my dental appointment all was well so I immediately booked on the Portsmouth to Caen ferry for the following Thursday at 08.00. I caught the bus down to Neath to catch up with friends and then on the return broke the journey in Ystradgynlais which has seen a few changes in the 20 years since I left but the waitress in Merlin's cafe was the same. Back in Brecon I saw a double bill at the Coliseum and on Friday a group of us enjoyed a good catch up at the Shoemaker's over an excellent meal. I fixed an aluminium tread to the side door step whilst at Pentrefelin where the litter of puppies were as adorable as you would expect.

I walked out along the canal to Talybont on Usk to raid the bus shelter book exchange but couldn't nip over to see Mike and Claire as the swing bridge is out of order. The bus back to Brecon was late which had me thinking I'd have a 7 mile walk back after dark with a heavy bag of books....

Moving on to Lower Chapel I caught up with Pete and Jan and Ian. Pete had nearly come a cropper in his van avoiding fallen trees on the lane so we nipped down to resolve the issue and later enjoyed a good Thai meal in Brecon. The final engagement was the much anticipated Badminton Club meal at the Bull, Libanus. It was a memorable evening amongst good friends, many of whom I have known for over 20 years: as I was driving directly to Portsmouth overnight I stayed on the soft drinks and felt sure that my new shirt (an excellent present from Mandy's brother) went down very well.

There was little traffic on the M4 and south of Newbury I called the police to report a car that had careered off the road - it wasn't safe for me to stop - before arriving at the Portsmouth Ferry Terminal just after 6am. 

We were loaded and away on time passing our two new aircraft carriers docked as they always seem to be with a constant police presence on the water. Earlier in the year I had watched 'The Warship' a BBC series about life on board one of these huge and complex vessels : well worth a look.

After leaving the fascinating waterfront we headed out past the Isle of Wight (still on my list to visit properly) and I found a quiet corner to catch up on some sleep. We docked on time and I was soon away via a supermarket for some basics to a quiet park up in the Grimboq forest with one other van arriving later.

After a quiet night I cycled back north to Caen and then out to the ferry port at Ouistreham following the old railway line that forms part of La Francette a 600 km voie verte that extends out to the coast at La Rochelle. I very much felt for the group of African migrants occupying a humble array of tents and shelters as they attempted to cross to a new life and I could only I imagine the hardships they had already faced to get this far.

Reflections on another aspect of sacrifice came back at the Pegasus bridge, a vital link in the 1944 Normandy Landings when troops of the 6th Airborne Division landed by glider to secure the location. The original bridge, on display in the adjacent museum, was replaced by this faithful copy in 1994. 

After another quiet night in the woods and despite a worsening chest infection I cycled south the following day returning via lanes and a village bakery that unerringly sold me a memorably mis formed baguette.

After returning to Caen for a bigger shop and to get a Campingaz 907 (€30) I moved on to the small village of Clecy where the service point needed a jeton available from shops in the village for €2. The small deli I went in to was run by an English family who had moved here from Cumbria 32 years ago quite a bold move as there were two other similar outlets run by locals.

The weather remained cold and grey but dry although quite a wind blew up in the small hours but by mid morning it had abated and I rode north to Grimboq again before tucking away with the heater on and one of the dozen or so books liberated from Talybont bus shelter. A night of paroxysmal coughing and a dawning of grey blustery conditions persuaded me to rest up on what was the shortest day of the year, marked at midnight by an impressive firework display although given the torrential rain at the time I'm not sure how many saw it.

Down at Domfront the aire was tucked away on the north side of the town hall and only accessed by the narrow streets of this pretty mediaeval town with half timbered houses and impressive castle ruins. It provided a good base for rides on Christmas Eve and Day and I was surprised that on the 26th almost everywhere was open and all public services running - apparently Boxing Day is a largely British tradition.

The rides north and south filled in the gaps before I moved south to a small aire at St Loup de Gast right alongside the cycle track. Unfortunately the water supply was off so I headed across to Lassay Les Chateaux where the service point was working and even the sun came out as I walked round the pretty village with its convent, rose garden and yellow stoned castle.

With my coughing fits easing I rode north through the bocage of Normandy with barely a soul around returning after 20 miles for a delicious meal of roast duck washed down by a local farm cider.  

Yesterday saw me cover 63 miles down to Laval and back passing through Mayenne but it remained very cold and grey so the hot shower and warm van were appreciated more than ever. The lack of opportunity to use the solar panel combined with very little driving means that the leisure battery is having to work hard, particularly when firing up and powering down the Eber. It is better left on continuously and I have been using the EcoFlow power pack to charge phones, the SatMap and so on as it can be recharged when I do drive. 

So today I have moved south of Laval to Chateau Gontier on the banks of La Mayenne with a large parking area providing the necessary - easily accessible water and the prospect of two routes north and south following the river which joins the Loire at Angers. After yesterday's long day I have settled for a walk round the town admiring the huge old hospital building that at first looks like a castle and now watching people arrive for the Sunday afternoon performance at an Italian Circus located further along the bank. I may well give it a look tomorrow night after my planned ride south, the weather is forecast to get warmer if not brighter before rain midweek and beyond that the possibility of some sunshine.

I meet Mandy in Carcassonne in a fortnight so will be following this route towards the coast and then another inland via Toulouse and may well be able to intersect Pete and Nina as they head south in early January.

Free WiFi here has enabled me to get the blog done and compile a reflective album of the many highlights of 2024 - yet again I fail to see any tangible benefits of our ludicrous decision to leave the EU and would welcome any of the ' vote leave' brigade (who seem hard to find and largely silent) to list the top ten benefits so far....... OK, I'll make it easier : three will do!

Click here for this trip

And here for 2024

Lake District Delights

After my thoroughly enjoyable ride round the mid Wales bothies I carefully checked the unlikely figure of 17,000' of ascent on the OS mapping map which stated a revised figure of just over 20,000' !

A day on the Heart of Wales line from Llandovery up to Llandrindod Wells for lunch gave me lovely winter views of the surrounding scenery after which on the Thursday afternoon I arrived at the Elenydd Wilderness Trust hostel of Dolgoch for their autumn work party. I parked up in a flat corner, had a chat with Colin the warden and organiser and then settled down for a quiet night in the van.

A fine sunny morning saw others arriving and I busied myself with moving log piles, pruning round the car park and drive way and occasionally looking through the impressive archive of local farming history. I joined the other volunteers round the fire in the evening but had come fully prepared to self cater so retired to the van for around 7pm.

A group of us set to with barrows, shovels and a whacker plate to attend to over a hundred potholes on the mile long approach track and I discovered that Anthony knew the couple who had provided such good catering during the Shepton Mallett work camp and Daz had a shared interest in the rail industry being part owner of a Class 20 loco.

Others were splitting logs, felling trees, deep cleaning the hostel and attending to a host of minor internal and external repairs to prepare the building for the winter period. Being off grid and with low hours of sunshine there was little hot water so after another sociable early evening I was back to the van for a hot shower and home cooking.

A change of weather on the Sunday meant that after a few more hours of log splitting I was away to Llangynidr to collect a 22 year old terrapin that was being rehomed in Rotherham. Said creature was in a secure box on a damp towel and would I was reassured be OK for up to 48 hours. The owners kindly gave me a contribution towards fuel, some beers and some top quality noodles so I was OK for even longer.

I called to see my brother in Bishop's Castle but he had to leave for Shrewsbury later so with Lilly safely locked in his barn we enjoyed a good meal and catch up before he headed off. With heavy snow forecast I decided to get away very early and arranged for the reptile Rescue Centre to take Lilly a day early in case I got stranded in Derbyshire.

Thus I arrived at an ordinary enough house near Rotherham where a guy inspected Lilly and declared she had a touch of shell rot (caused by a lack of UV light) apparently so he rang the owners to confirm they would foot the vet's bills. He claimed to have about 500 rescued creatures and many were indeed visible on his numerous CCTV screens but it was all a rather bizarre set up and I didn't linger long.

Having picked up Mandy from Sheffield we drove via Matlock to Dethick for a very enjoyable evening with Pete and Nina in their comfortable Winnebago. Overnight 7'' of snow fell which gave the new all weather tyres a good test as we left the field and headed back to the Decathlon store where we spent some of the dosh from the repurposed bike.

Wednesday saw us travelling up to Barnard Castle for a night at the Red Well Inn that allows park ups. It was well below freezing but the pub was cosy and the Eber did the job overnight. BC was a lovely town to explore, although the actual castle was closed and we found a trendy deli for lunch before moving on to the Rose and Crown at Romaldkirk for a very comfortable night and a great meal. We had worked up an appetite by walking along the Tees to Cotherstone and then back along the railway line cycle track.

Friday saw us meeting Marcus and Sandra at Locomotion in Shildon which is a large and impressive railway heritage centre. Two huge sheds displayed a remarkable range of steam and diesel locomotives plus carriages, freight waggons and track maintenance equipment including two huge snow ploughs. A set of carriages from a royal train were beyond luxurious but a major highlight was the vast Flying Scotsman sitting quietly awaiting its next outing: just a year ago we had seen her powering through Dent on the Settle to Carlisle line.

Due to a planning fubar our next overnight was away to the south up on the North York moors where the Owl at Hawnsby put us up in a well presented annexe across the road and we enjoyed another excellent meal in stylish surroundings. Another 6'' of snow fell overnight so we waited for the forecast thaw to arrive before testing the Cross Climates on a snowy car park and then a steep icy hill, the latter being at the outer limits of my comfort zone but impressive nevertheless. We decided to detour around a series of hairpins on a 1:4 lane but were soon down on to the A19 near Thirsk where the thawing snow, heavy rain and strong winds scuppered our plans to head west through Wensleydale. With the A66 also blocked we took the more southerly option via Skipton where we bought a fortnight's food and then passed through numerous flooded sections on the A65 and A591 to reach Elterwater just as the light faded.

The lodge was as warm and welcoming as ever and as always immaculately presented so we were soon settled in to the familiar surroundings which have many happy family memories for me. This annual fortnight always gives me a time to reflect on the good fortune and adventures of the previous year and look ahead and plan for the forthcoming trip.

We walked in to Ambleside to get Mandy a decent down jacket and caught the last bus home making use of the £2 fare cap before attending the owners' meeting for an update on the large solar installation above the leisure centre, the proposed new adventure centre in the nearby slate mine and the planned power cut of 10 hours for the following day.

To avoid this we joined Andy the estate manager who has worked here for 42 years on a walk to learn more of the history of the site from when it was a gun powder factory to it's time as a caravan park and then the transformation to the timeshare of today back in the 80's. It was a really interesting talk with many of the site's quirks now making sense.

A memorable  ride over to Wray Castle, along the west shore of Windermere, across to Oxen Fell and back via the eastern shore of Coniston gave us the final section done in the dark using new bike lights to good effect. We persuaded two Chinese tourists in a hire car a long way from the tarmac to turn round and not attempt to find or explore Cathedral Cave at this time of night with only phone torches. A swim and time in the sweat rooms eased our limbs after some 40 miles of exertion.

Another ride in to Ambleside and round to Grasmere via Rydal gave us a chance to explore the quiet village although there were a few very dramatic passes of a quartet of fast jets threading their way northwards through the fells.

Marcus and Sandra joined us for the weekend with a walk back from Dungeon Ghyll and a good meal in Stove and more time in the pool being enjoyed by all.

A ride over to Grasmere again and then north over Dunmail Raise gave us the chance to return along the quiet western shore of Thirlmere before a welcome lunch to warm up on a cold day.

Our plan to catch the open top bus from Grasmere to Kendal was scuppered as due to rain they put on a closed top double decker but we still enjoyed the lofty viewpoint from the front of the top deck. Kendal has some very pleasant corners and alleys along one of which we found an excellent vegetarian cafe after which we caught the mid afternoon bus right back to Elterwater.

A final day ride over to a very quiet Hawkshead was the coldest ride of the week and whilst the food and drink in the cafe revived us we were soon back to feeling the rawness of early December.

All too soon our fortnight was up but we managed to meet Mandy's family in Ambleside on the Friday as both our bookings for a planned meet up in Keswick had been scuppered by the campsite flooding. As it would have been £50/night for us as non members this was no great loss and we saw them again on the Saturday morning before a trouble free run back south as Storm Darra wreaked havoc along the west coast of Britain.

Back in Sheffield I have spent the time sorting out the van and it's contents for the start of another trip and am currently waiting at Autohaus Dolby for an oil and filter change plus ancillary belt before heading to Brecon for a dental appointment and COVID jab.

With luck I get a ferry on the 19th over to France and will spend a month getting down to Italy where Mandy will join me. Then it's on to Sardinia, Sicily and Greece as the Brexit clock counts down which will be reset by time in Turkey and with luck the Caucasus.

As always I will update in due course so enjoy more pics here until then.

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.

Today I returned to Brecon, took a cancellation for a last minute flu jab and will shortly return to the badminton court.

After the Dolgoch work party I am heading oop north for a month but will report on things in due course.......

Pics

Bridges, buddies and Beacons

After a steady journey through the Midlands where work to install additional safety bays on smart motorways meant miles of 50 mph zones (which suited me as that is my default speed) I arrived back at Rock Farm near Shepton Mallet where Caroline soon had me to work cutting and drilling more steel sections. These were destined to form part of the safety fencing that would line each side of the approaches to the proposed bridge installation linking two detached sections of the Strawberry Line cycle path. 

The new bridge was required to be some 4m higher than the original to accommodate the modern HGVs that now use the road and as a cycle path aims to have a maximum gradient of 1:12/13 these rising approaches would be around 50m long.

The previous work party had created the rebar and shuttering for a substantial concrete pour that created the two new abutments and after a few weeks curing these were ready to accept the new 15m bridge built near Huddersfield.

Thus early on Tuesday morning a significant number of volunteers and spectators gathered to await the arrival of first a large crane and shortly after the lorry carrying the bridge. A road closure was in force and one of the groundworks contractors used his tracked excavator with a multi purpose operating head to slice through a number of dead ash trees which would impede the lift and were in any case a potential traffic hazard. The deft operator soon had the debris clear enabling the crane and lorry to take up position in a still restricted operating space. Slings were attached and final checks made before gradually the crane took the strain and the bridge moved towards its final resting place.

There was a round of applause for the fitter who walked across to ensure that the four legs were true on the abutments and a final adjustment was made to square things up. A final short lift allowed two steel plates and two heavy duty rubber pads to be inserted at the end that effectively floats to allow for thermal expansion before final bolts were installed and a resin based bond inserted to finish the job. It was a testament to the skill of all those involved from preparing the ground to making the abutments, designing, constructing and delivering the bridge that it all fitted perfectly. Having the gap literally bridged also made it much easier to crack on with the fencing and building up of the surfaces to finished level. A team of civil engineers from Bristol had turned out for a volunteering day and said they had learned a lot from getting out of the office and seeing how the reality of a project contrasts with computerised design in an idealistic scenario. A box of biscuits fortified the troops for a final push and by the end of the day most of the important fencing was in situ.

After a very satisfying day I returned to the peaceful quarry for a quiet night and returned to site the following day in torrential rain to drill and fix some final securing bolts. Unfortunately the cordless SDS drill packed up halfway through the work and it was too wet to safely use the genny so the task was put on a long list of 'to dos' before the official opening in a few weeks time.

I headed off to Priddy after stopping off to stock up for the forthcoming weekend gathering and found the field soggy but empty. Thursday was a far better day and I set off for a day's ride starting with the descent of Cheddar Gorge. On the tightest bends at the lower end I had to sharply avoid 3 motorbikes that had overcooked the corner and were over the white line - all fully liveried police bikes! I followed the Strawberry Line as far as Sandford where a new cafe has opened up at the old station - The Pullman is actually run by the adjacent sheltered housing complex for the elderly and is a brilliant innovation combining good food for passing walkers and cyclists and providing a social stimulus for the residents. I returned towards Axbridge and then explored various options to put to the team at the weekend around Wedmore before reaching Wookey Hole and the final climb back up Ebor Gorge to Priddy, always a tough finish. I enjoyed the last hour or two of sunshine after an excellent day.

A quick spin  over to the Mendip Heights C&CC site saw me buying a few bottles of local cider and some biccies before Pete and Nick turned up and settled in. We enjoyed a good catch up and retired to await the arrival of Dale early on Saturday to complete the team. Despite two flat (bike) tyres he arrived raring to go so we dropped down through Cheddar once more and stopped in Axbridge for an early coffee. Our next track alongside one of the drainage ditches was a wet mud fest and persuaded us to stick largely to the quieter surfaced lanes. Lunch on a bench in the Wedmore church yard also gave us the chance to clean the worst off the bikes before we followed a network of lanes and the odd track back towards Wookey and Ebor once more. Nick whizzed off on his ebike with the benefit for us using more traditional steeds of arriving back just as his kettle boiled.

Friends from Dethick arrived on their return from a trip south to get their van windows tinted and on a dry but fresh evening we walked the mile up to the Hunters Inn. This place has barely changed in over forty years and we secured a table by the fire to enjoy a choice of ales and their basic but excellent food. Pete took a shine to the local farm cider and impressed all by downing four pints and remaining both coherent and upright. It was a memorable evening and Dale was kind enough to run Nina back to their van as her damaged knee was playing up before heading back to Bristol.

Sunday morning saw heavy rain leading to some fun and games getting them away before Pete, Nick and I walked back to the pub getting soaked in the first half mile by a final shower. We were in search of Nick's missing phone which Roger handed over with a wry smile as we ordered some soups and another round of beer. A good walk back past Priddy Pools, up to the remarkable Nine Barrows and back via the Swildon's entrance hole saw us warmed up and dried out and ready for an entertaining games evening in Pete's van. It was good to experience the layout of different vans over the weekend as we each have varying needs and priorities and seek different adventures, however IMNSHO the Topaz reigns supreme😁😁

With work a thing of the past the three of us set off on Monday to ride over to Shepton Mallet to give Nick a chance to see what we had been involved in. The groundworks contractor had made great progress on the two approach ramps but unfortunately back at the cemetery project the final stone work for a curved bench was yet to be finished so this sensitive area remained to be completed.

Some good off road sections and lanes returned us to Wells where I noticed an unusual number of texts on my phone. To my horror the phone had sent multiple emergency texts to the 999 service and they had replied numerous times. Then my phone rang and the Avon and Somerset Control room were relieved to hear it was all a mistake and I of course apologised profusely.

We cycled up the old Bristol Road back to Priddy and the others departed leaving me to enjoy a rest and the traditional BBC2 Monday night quiz night. I took another police call as more texts had been received - a longstanding irritation of my experience with the Three network has been that voice mails and texts can take days to arrive so there was a backlog of my unintentional messages. I figured that either my phone had been bouncing in the top tube bag and sent the messages or my Medical Alert app was malfunctioning so I deleted it and turned the phone off for the night. 

At 5am I turned it back on and almost immediately had another police call from another super polite and patient call handler as more delayed texts had been received overnight. Fortunately by coincidence I was calling in at the Three and O2 shops in Bristol and decided to change provider. O2 are one of the few networks not to impose EU roaming charges and have a more reasonable roaming limit of 25 GB a month so I arranged for a PAC code and signed up for 100Gb a month at £20. 3 were unable to match that offer or indeed explain the delayed texts etc : ironically I took a final call from ASP actually in the shop.

I stayed the night in Brecon before joining Jan and other members of the Hereford Caving Club on their weekly dig above the Usk Valley. A rift is being excavated in the hope that it might link up with known sections of the Agen Allwedd system. The cover was removed and a scaffolding frame raised in to position over the shaft to enable a 3 pulley rope system to be used to remove the spoil. Thus an energetic day in good company passed as we raised bucket after bucket of loose muddy material and some heavy individual rocks in a net to be deposited nearby. It was hard work but very enjoyable but I was more than happy to stay on the surface as the working void was tight and muddy. Regular breaks refreshed us and good progress was made with the draught increasing noticeably before we called it a day late afternoon as after lifting many tons the hauling crew were exhausted. My progress around the badminton court that night was even more sedate than normal and Guinness in the rugby club more deserved.

A cracking ride from Talybont over to Talgarth with Mike for an excellent soup in the Mill cafe was enhanced further by the main road being closed for resurfacing to all traffic other than bikes and pedestrians so our return was a reminder of those quieter times during Covid when roads were so empty.

I joined Jan and Ian at the Coliseum in Brecon to see The Outrun which was thought provoking as was the size of the Friday night crowd - 9, and returned to the park up where a number of vans were in residence.

A bright Saturday dawn and a forecast for two fine days inspired me to get up and get going on a long held desire to revisit the 40 plus mile long Epynnt Way which follows the perimeter of the Sennybridge Military Training area north of Brecon. I had failed to complete the circuit in a day a decade ago so had decided to allow two days given that the days are now shorter. I stocked up with sandwiches, pork pies and hard boiled eggs as I wasn't bothering with a stove and just took a sleeping bag, roll mat and bivvy bag for the night out.

I surprised Crad by arriving early above Sennybridge to leave the van parked up and then rode out over the common to join the route proper with almost immediately a section closed for timber harvesting popping up. However the contractors were not working and the only 'hazard' was a very deep and muddy extraction track.

Thereafter followed many hours of hard graft descending numerous valleys, climbing out of them usually pushing due to the gradient, all the while keeping an eye out for the yellow topped posts that mark a route that is rarely otherwise evident on the ground. My Satmap enabled me to retain my precise location as deviating from the route is ill advised due to the risk of unexploded ordnance but it was still quite a challenge to spot the various twists and turns of what was as I remembered a very demanding route. I passed a platoon of soldiers and waited for another group in a firing exercise to spot me and allow me to continue but they were fully absorbed in their task so I had to bypass half a mile or so of the route proper. The northern section above Garth and Beulah across to Tirabad was easier as it parallelled the scarp face and on a section outside of the range I found a place at a small ruin to set up for the night. I had covered 30 miles in 9 hours with an average moving speed of only 4 mph which gives an indication of the challenging route so was ready to get settled down as the sun set. A tumble late on in to a stream had left my clothing rather damp so I hung it in a tree and donned my Superman onesie, bought as a joke in a charity shop, before lying back to watch the stars emerge. I was asleep in minutes and only woke when a rogue shower required me to zip up the bivvy bag and enjoy the total silence.

I woke at first light but had no idea of the actual time as the clocks had changed and there was no phone service. However I wanted to crack on so with a ground frost keeping it a bit fresh I put on the damp clothes but was grateful for dry socks and then hastened up the hill to warm up in the bright sunshine. Another 4 hours saw me knock off the final 15 miles with plenty of descents and ascents, stunning views of the Brecon Beacons and a final tough climb back to the start of the route. I was really pleased to have managed the full circuit but would advise anybody not to underestimate the rough terrain and isolation. A quick shower and a catch up with Dawn after her trip to Venice was followed by a shop and sort out in Brecon before we all met up at Talybont where Clare produced an excellent meal and Mike undertook the duties of maitre d'.

I stayed the night and slept soundly before moving on to the Whistle Inn above Blaenavon where today I have enjoyed a steady 30 mile circuit down the Clydach Gorge, along the canal to Pontypool and then back along the old B&P railway. The pub did a good curry last night and is now gearing up for the Halloween trains to arrive whilst I move on tomorrow, possibly for some more digging and then a brief farm sit at Lower Chapel.

My onward plans include a multi day mid Wales ride visiting various bothies and a volunteering weekend for the Elenydd Hostels folks before returning north for our annual fortnight in Langdale.

Beyond that I have plans to head away south before Christmas - watch this space for the intended itinerary....

More photos here...

Bothies, Bicycles and Follies

Our week at Brecon saw a mixed bag weather wise leading us to head over to Merthyr Tydfil on a particularly miserable day to experience the retail experience that is Trago Mills. The huge store allowed us to buy a few bits for a project on the van and midweek I went to badminton whilst Mandy enjoyed the cinema.

 

We set off on a fine day for a ride round the back lanes of Cray and Trecastle but recent hedge cutting saw me get two punctures in half a mile so we repaired to the Castle Coaching Inn for an excellent lunch instead. I then tackled the project to remove one of the van's high top blinds which had become unusable, fill in the window with insulation and then carpet the interior to disguise the leak stained original finish, add two storage pods and then various Velcro strips to allow phones etc to be charged there as well as tidying up the 12v wiring and USB outlets.

 

Jan and Ian joined us in the Shoemakers on the Friday for a very sociable evening and we were away via the military ranges and Tirabad early on the Saturday morning. Our destination was the MWMAC training centre at Newbridge on Wye where a dozen MBA volunteers undertook a First Aid Training Course led by the dynamic Daz who ensured we were up to scratch on a variety of topics. We all stopped in Rhayader for fish and chips before heading through the Elan Valley and Cwmystwyth to Nant Syddion bothy in the forests behind 'The Arch' for the MBA Wales Area Autumn gathering. We of course tucked away in the woods in the van but joined the others for an evening of catching up in front of a warm stove. Sunday morning saw our meeting concluded in a little over two hours after which some of those with long journeys headed off whilst a few of us remained to carry out minor repairs including relaying the top steps on the access path that were something of a hazard.

We left late afternoon and called in to Nant Rhys bothy where all was well and then had a cosy night down at Sue Pope's site at Llangurrig as the temperatures dropped. She was delighted to receive the all clear on the TB front for her cattle just as we departed on the Monday to get laundry done in Rhayader. Whilst there we called at one bike shop for spare tubes and patches as a forecast of fine weather had tempted us to ride the 190 mile Shropshire Cycle Way over 4 days. We also checked out a newer bike shop just along the road and spotted a rather nice Merida 29'' wheel carbon fibre hard tail for sale second hand. At only a grand I decided to try it out and immediately decided this would be the perfect replacement for the bike stolen in Spain. It felt very well put together, was already set up as tubeless and sported Deore XT components and a decent set of Rock Shox forks. We nipped back for the washing whilst Neil gave it a final check over and were pleasantly surprised at how easily the bike rack took on another steed.

 

 

En route to my brother's at Bishop's Castle we called in to Montgomery for a look round Bunners the remarkable hardware shop, lunch in the hotel and then turned up at Mark's - unfortunately they had left for a holiday in Spain but were happy for us to leave the van there whilst we were on our tour. I swopped the SPD pedals from my Decathlon bike and tweaked the new Merida before we walked in to the small town where Mum had enjoyed her last couple of years in one of The Wintles eco homes. We had a quick catch up with a former neighbour and then returned to the van to pack a few belongings and enter our route on my recent SatMap Ebay purchase. Tuesday morning was grey and wet but by lunchtime, as forecast, things were brightening up and we set off out of BC to pick up the route proper near Churchstoke. Quiet but watery lanes took us across to Oswestry after 44 miles with the black and white timbered church at Melverley being a highlight.

 

The rural nature of the route and delayed start meant that we arrived at the plush Wynnasty Hotel in need of sustenance so booked a table for dinner, enjoyed hot baths in the very well presented room amd then dined well in the stylish surroundings of the new dining room whilst our bikes were securely stored in the old one. 

 

After a good night's sleep and a full breakfast we headed across flatter terrain towards Ellesmere and Whitchurch with coffee overlooking the Mere and some lovely quiet lanes south to Market Drayton where grabbing lunch proved amusingly tricky. In the end we settled for a jacket potato in a pub but I felt a bit queasy so couldn't finish it or my cider shandy - quelle horreur.

 

A few more miles south towards Newport brought us to the Swan Hotel at Forton where another very comfortable room, secure bike storage and good food revived us after 55 miles. Newport led on to the more urban sprawl of Telford after which we were in the old favourites of Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale before following the Severn down to Bridgnorth. Heading south again we arrived at Hampton Loade station on the Severn Valley Railway in time to see a few of their diesel locomotives taking part in the Diesel Derby. As always the staff seemed to be enjoying their work and as on the cycle path, hostel and bothy volunteering fronts I felt many people would benefit hugely in getting out and contributing to these undertakings.

 

Climbing out of the valley reminded us that our final day would be amongst the Shropshire hills but quiet lanes with a couple of fords, stunning views and some superb country properties took our minds off the gradients and we had a long and restful final descent in to Cleobury Mortimer where the Talbot Hotel allowed us to store the bikes in their dining room. We decided to eat out for a change and enjoyed an excellent Indian just across the road at The Spice Empire - to be commended for its excellent food and friendly staff.

The final day's 50 odd miles brought our total to 204 with a much needed coffee stop late in the day before the final hills around Clun returned us to Bishop's Castle in time for an evening meal at The Castle Hotel to celebrate our third memorable UK cycle route of the year - this I felt merited a large and succulent steak before we collapsed in the cosy van. My new wheels had performed faultlessly and as ever Mandy had shown remarkable strength and determination on what were long demanding days. With a day of rest planned we walked in to town for a breakfast before heading out to the remarkable Hawkestone Follies north of Shrewsbury stopping on the way at Salop Leisure to inspect some of their display vans. I was concerned at the flimsiness and poor finish of even new vans and we didn't see any variation on layout that we felt out performed ours. With new prices now nudging £80k plus I hope to keep our 22 year old bus on the road as it has met our needs for years now.

The Follies were well worth a visit with the White Tower and Monument set in mature woodlands. We were able to ascend the latter for views over most of our cycling route and then enjoyed the numerous gorges, chasms and caves spread out across a sandstone ridge. In one grotto a themed wedding had taken place which would have been very different and the walk back along the Reynard path included numerous sandstone features and outcrops.....8 miles in total, so much for a rest day!

 

 

Two steady hours over to and around Derby brought us to the quiet site at Dethick where on the Sunday we caught up with Pete and Nina just back from their Scandinavian trip over breakfast in a local garden centre. They have a good set up for their RV and camper with a huge barn alongside and all services available and a recently acquired runabout will give them some practical transport for local use.

Thus we finally returned to Sheffield after a busy few weeks where all was well and have today had both vehicles successfully MOT'd. I'd elected to have a lower wishbone ball joint done as the opposite side had been replaced two years ago and problems in that area in the old van had caused fun and games in Morocco ten years ago. I also had the gear linkages and bushes etc overhauled as after 22 years they were a bit slack - what a difference. Two drop links were all that were required for another year on the road and I arranged with Maddy at the ever reliable Autohaus Dolby for an oil and filter change plus auxillary belt in early December before my planned long haul south through France, Italy, Tunisia, back to Italy, over to Greece and on to Turkey and possibly beyond.

In the short term I return to Somerset and South and Mid Wales for other adventures with plenty of free time to research the winter trip - reports on this in due course.

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