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.
.JPG)
