Two spins - Two countries

Two spins - Two countries

Being unemployed is soul destroying, endless hours of sitting in front of a computer, but for a keen cyclist when the weather is nice there’s nothing better than being on the bike

Thus due to the extremely nice weather we've been having recently, I've as they say been getting the miles in...

This week due to the monotony of cycling on local roads and after pouring once again through the pages of a map I decided to venture to different places and countries. I had been down to the Brecon Beacons the previous and enjoyed a hard hilly 70 miler with my friends from the South, but after a hilly walk on Sunday with the wife above Aberdyfi I discovered a new road Cwm Maethlon -  Happy valley

Tuesdays ride started with the leisurely Oakley drive hill climb - no Strava Pr’s today due to the uncertainty of the upcoming challenge.

The imposing Cader Idris looked stunning as I approached Dolgellau without a cloud in the sky, and if you want a challenge avoid the A470 up from Dolgellau to Cross Foxes, turn into town and take the climb that leads you pass Fronolau hotel, it’s relentless - it starts at 8% and peaks at 17 %, it’s a tough one. 

After descending to Machynlleth and carrying on to the village of 

Tal y Llyn

Pennal I turned right for happy valley and boy was I unhappy a grim drag of min 8% through wooded land that topped at 11% after a hairpin. I then had a chat with a farmer who had family in Porthmadog and he guessed I was from port with my accent, mmmm never knew that we had an accent in port....

He told me it’s all downhill now to Tywyn,,  and boy was I happy in the valley as I was rewarded with long fast descents -  the valley itself -  well was just a valley...

After leaving Tywyn I stopped to chat to a postman in Bryncrug for directions to Mary Jones’s house in Llanfihangel y Pennant, where do you ask, it’s a small hamlet on the road past Bird Rock  which can lead you to the village of Abergynolwyn.

The temperature on my GPS was now 24 Celsius and I was being rewarded with hovering bird of prey and herons rising from marshland.  I was chuffed to visit the ruin of Mary’s house, if she could walk barefoot to Bala, then I could make the effort to visit where she lived.

I then descended to Abergynolwyn and made my way past Tal y Llyn Lake, it was stunning.

The rest of the ride was a slog with more climbing to do but all in all I did a 100 miles and I wondered how the legs would be tomorrow.

I woke up Wednesday and felt ok but you don’t know how the legs will be until you’re on the bike.

I love cycling and visiting places I  see on the map so my plan was to cycle to Knighton from Llanfair Caereinon in a loop, I wasn’t sure how long it would take and this is part of the fun -well if you call climbing hill after hill fun.

I parked at the leisure centre in Llanfair with my map in my back pocket and the temperature was promising to be in the low 20’s again....

 Shock horror, I’d seen the black chevron on the map on the B road from Llanfair to Newtown  but boy was it tough, another min 8% max 14%, but the ascents were met with descents, but due to being unsure of them these were taken with extreme care......

I had to go on the A483 from Newtown which was a lovely hair pinned climb of approx 5 mils avg 3% until I turned on the B road to Knighton, here we go again 7, 8 11, 14 % on and on until I came to a road not to dissimilar to our Migneint, then it was a virtual descent to Knucklas where I stopped to take some photos of the viaduct which the Heart of Wales train line run over.

Next stop knighton, a nice town full of Welsh flags, and this is right on the border, these next few miles were horrible, long ascents followed by steep descent that lead me to the border town of Clun, by now I was weaving in and out Wales and one observation was that the road surface is much better in god’s country!

Tref y Clawdd  -Knighton

After Clun I went through the charming town of Bishops Castle which had an 8% climb in the town - I really should have stopped here to take some photos, I will return.

It was much easier now on the B road to Montgomery not as hilly, again another nice little town ,  after leaving Montgomery I headed for Welshpool and the last 8 miles back to Llanfair  was in  headwind,  but Jens Voight motto of ‘shut up legs came in useful.

I’m now having a rest day tomorrow and back to job hunting, but the map will be out again in the evening planning another epic ride to somewhere I haven’t been, alas there isn't many in Wales   - any suggestions?