Cycling 2003

WINTER SUN

5/01/03

After a wet Christmas the weather had turned cold and dry, we met in Croesyceiliog for the first ride of the year. It was 1100 the sun was shining, but there was a biting frost which had turned everything white. It was a great way to start that year on that cold crisp, Sunday morning. We cycled on the old abandoned road to New Inn, then on to the cycle track that cuts through Pontypool, following the old railway line.

From here we took another old road, the virtually deserted road toward Hafodryns. It was good to back in the saddle again, there were a lot of people about walking also quite a few cyclists taking advantage of the morning Sun. Although it was cold we were nice and warm, Nick also had the addition of his new battery powered feet warmers!

From Hafodryns we climbed up the narrow steep lane that climbs toward the Star Inn on the approach to the British mountain. We stopped here for a bite to eat and a cup of coffee from my flask. A couple of miles more and we were heading northward on the plateau of the mountain , in the distance the peaks of Pen y Fan and Corn Du mountains could be viewed against a crystal clear sky.

We then cycled steadily up to the summit of the mountain and then took a steady descent down the narrow road to Tal y Waun. From this point we joined the cycle track southwards to Pontypool. This part of the ride was the coldest, as the track had not seen the sun all day, I wished at this point I had Nick’s feet warmers!

We made short work of this ride home as it was all downhill, we arrived in Croesyceiliog at 1500, it had been a very enjoyable outing and we were looking forward to the year ahead and more cycling adventures!

23 miles

12/01/03 BRYNGWYN CHURCH

It was a Sunday morning 1130 when I met Nick at the ‘Blackout junction’ near Newbridge on Usk. The weather was still cold and sunny as it had been all that week, the forecast was for it to get milder with of course, rain! But fortunately that had not happened yet.

There were many cyclists about that day, I had passed a few on my way up to meet Nick and as we were cycling toward the village of Llantrisant, a whole peleton of cyclists rode past us! We took the old Usk flood route, a nice quiet narrow lane that ends up on the old Chepstow road, sections of this were sheets of ice and with a biting wind, and it was very cold indeed, as we rode along the pleasant country road to Llandenny.

It was then only a couple of miles to Raglan, where we stopped for a cup of steaming hot coffee from my flask. We then went on the back road that eventually ends up in the village of Llantilio Croessenny. We did not go this far but turned at a crossroads that leads to the small village of Bryngwyn. Here we had a look in the church; it was open with the heating on, as they were going to have a service in an hour or so. The church had had a wedding in it the previous day and was adorned inside with many flowers and candles on each aisle. After a chat with the organist we set off toward Llanarth and then to Croes Llanfair. The weather as promised had now got a lot milder and it looked like rain

We cycled on the back lanes through Nantyderry and then to Goytre. Near here we looked at the flooded field along side the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal, where we used to go ice skating as boys , I had not been there since then and had forgotten about it, but Nick remembered, it still had flooded a bit, but by now the weather was warmer and there was no ice!

We cycled along the canal tow path, although a bit rough in places it made good riding in the heavy drizzle that had now started. We were unperturbed by the wet , in fact it gave me a chance to try out my Christmas present which was a Freestyle Goretex jacket, which looked good and behaved well, leaving me nice and dry!

We made short work of the few miles to New Inn where we got off the canal and cycled through the village to take the old abandoned road to Croesyceiliog, to arrive at 1630

40 miles

9/02/03 LLANOVER ROAD

We met in Croesyceiliog at 2.15pm on a Sunday afternoon. There was a biting cold north wind. Nick had been battling against it all the way from Newport. We cycled off down the hill to the cycle track, which goes along the course of the old railway line through Panteg, Pontymoile and Pontypool. There were a lot of people walking dogs on the track and they seemed to be annoyed that we were using ‘their’ path! However after stopping to look at the beauty of the Lasgarn woods, we strayed off the track and dropped down the steep Shop lane that comes out near the old brewery in Cwmafon. From here we took the forest track through the community wood to Blaenafon and the Llanover road. All was quiet here as we arrived near the top, the woods had been cleared a bit and we had good views of the valley in the cold sunny afternoon. After cycling over the bare mountain, we started to descend the Llanover road, this has been recently been resurfaced, but we still had to hang on to our brakes as it is very steep. Down the bottom of the hill we arrived at a bridge over the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal. Dark was approaching so we decided to cycle along the towpath. This was a bit of a mistake, as the recent wet weather had turned it, into something like a bad section from the Paris-Roubaix! After a few miles of spinning and slipping on the mud, we got of the path and cycled a mile or so to the Star Inn near Mamilhad. From here the towpath was quite good. And it was not long before we were in New Inn and home around 1900.

27 miles

22/02/03 LLEWYLYN’S DINGLE

The sun was shining when we met at Newbridge on Usk, it was a Saturday 1630, but winter’s grip still had its hold on the countryside as we cycled out to Llantrisant village. From here we cycled up the small valley of Llewellyn’s dingle, it was a pleasant ascent up this secluded cwm. It looked more like the rolling downs of Wessex than somewhere in Wales, such is the diversity of the old county of Gwent. Before long we had descended into the village of Llangwm. Darkness neared, so we decided to have a look at the mediaeval rood screen in the old church of St Jerome. The quiet lane to the church was shrouded by a low mist, farm fires burned adding to the revered atmosphere. We were only to look quickly at the church as it was getting dark; we then set off for Usk with our lamps blazing. From Usk we were to cycle our ‘traditional’ route home, this follows the quiet lane to Llanbadoc Fawr, past the ruins of the hospital where we were both born and then on to the small village of Coed y Paen. This was the best part of the day’s ride, every turn of the wheel made us feel like it was great to back in the saddle again and to look forward to spring and summer. After riding this long climb we were before long back in Croesyceiliog at 20.00

30 MILES.

2/03/03 BIRTHDAY RIDE

I met Nick at the square in Usk at 15.45, it was a Sunday and it also was his birthday. We were to ride out on the main road along the Usk valley. The sun was shining and it seemed as though springtime had finally arrived! We turned off the main road and took the lane through the village of Bettws Newydd. I had some new tyres; I was fed up of the flimsy 23 mm road tyres, which did not give a good ride on the severe roads, we sometimes encounter, on the mountainous sections of some of our rides, so I had bought some Specialized Armadillo 26mm tyres. These are supposed to be tough and resistant to puncture, which I seemed to have a lot of on the smaller tyres! The plan was to do a test ride on them up the rough lane which is part of Offa’s Dyke to Whitecastle. I was now on my best bike, my Mercian; it was now all ready for the new season with its FSA crank set. The going was good as we cycled up one of our favourite lanes through the village of Llanarth and then to Llantilio Croessenny, we had splendid views of the Sugar Loaf and the Black Mountains. We then started our ride up to Whitecastle, this back road is truly rough, in the past I wrote about Nick sending stones and dust flying. Today however we were sending stones and mud flying! The new tyres gave a good ride and handled the rough stuff easily, no punctures yet, but there is always time for them! Up the top of the lane we viewed a brilliant sunset over the mountain, we then cycled to the castle. Fortunately Cadw, the agency entrusted with the castles up keep had not stated taking money yet for entry, as it was too early in the year. Until recently the castle was always open and free entry all year round, we have visited here late in the evening during the summer. In the last few years Cadw have annoyingly deemed fit to employ someone to take an outrageous fee to enter this splendid castle and padlock the gates out of hours! However no such problems today as we climbed the main tower of the castle, to view the glory of the countryside! We carried on homeward in the dark; I had my 10watt Vistalite while Nick had his 10watt Lumicycle. We now have no difficulty with illumination at night and it was a pleasant ride past the Bulmers apple orchards to Raglan. We then went on the main road through Gwhelog to Usk, this was a mistake as it was quite busy with traffic, but it did not take long to get to Usk. Here we decided to have some Chinese food, it was now 20.00, we ate the food but unfortunately I had cooled down and did not have a good last 7 miles or so ride, on our traditional route home via Prescoed and Coed y Paen. However before long we were back in Croesyceiliog at 22.00

50 miles

15/03/03 TRELLECH GRANGE

The weather was sunny and trying to get warm when we met at16.30 at our usual spot near Newbridge on Usk. It was a Saturday and there were a lot of cars and sightseers out and about. We cycled along the road to Llantrisant and then climbed up the very quiet lane that took us over to the small village of Llangwm in the Usk valley. Spring was nearing and the birds were singing so we decided to take one of our favourite climbs up to Cobbler’s Plain. We were now on the Trellech plateau a different place to any other secluded from the outside world except for the main road which was like a race track. Fortunately a few yards down the lane to Trellech Grange all was quiet again. It was now quite dark as we swooped down and up the small valley that led us to the crossroads at Trellech Grange. Years ago we had stopped here and consulted the map as we did not know where we were, but now this was one of our usual stopping points before penetrating further into the ‘Hinterland’. But tonight we were to head back toward the village of Llanishen and then down the long fast descent to Llansoy. We sped past the brightly lit Star Inn and then down the rough lane, toward the gliding club near Usk. I was pleased with my new tyres, their tough Armadillo casing were able to handle anything they had to go through. Also my new crank set was running very smoothly indeed. Nick was still on his ‘hack’ bike, which had a single 48t chain ring on the front, this did not bother him on any of the climbs and was a good case for simplification !We stopped briefly in Usk , the moon was a couple of days away from being full, it was very bright. On the way home on our ‘traditional’ route, I switched my main light off, just riding with my led on, the countryside was illuminated well. And a favourable wind helped us make light work of the ride home.

35 miles

23/03/03 WHITECASTLE

An unusually warm few days led us out into the beautiful lanes of North Gwent again. We met at 15.30, it was a Sunday and the weather was good, we were wearing shorts for the first time that year, so summer was on the way! As we left Croesyceiliog along the old abandoned road to New Inn, we noticed the heavy traffic on the main road, the weather had brought everyone out, so we decided to try and escape the hoards and find a quiet route away from it all. We cycled along the lanes to Glascoed and then took the route we know well, up Rumble Street to Goytre. From here we cycled to Chain bridge, we viewed the bridge which had been built in 1906 and then climbed up the road to Bettws Newydd. From here we did some more climbing to the ancient Iron Age fort of Coed y Bwnydd. Although not a long climb it was quite steep and we were glad of the descent toward Clytha. We were then to amble our way on one of our favourite lanes through Llanarth and Llantilio Croessenny. It was more or less taking the path we did two weeks previously, including the really rough track to Whitecastle, this had now dried out a bit, but was still rough and hard going! We stopped in the castle for a bite to eat; it was empty except for a local gentleman, to who we talked to for a while. He visited here every night with his dog and he told us a few stories of this strange enchanted place. Darkness fell and we left this remote castle, with its own special atmosphere, we wanted a quick route home, so we retraced our steps to Llanarth and then cycled to Goytre. From here we cycled along the canal towpath. The dry weather had made this track ideal for cycling, unlike a few weeks before. But there was now a different hazard; it was full of frogs, as it was their mating season. The noise of them calling was quite loud. Nick was at the front spotting the scores of frogs in the path, we dodged them successfully for several miles and we did not squash one little amphibian! This was an enjoyable part of the ride and before long we were back in Croesyceiliog at 22.00

50 miles

12/04/03 THE NARTH

The dry weather was keeping up and it was getting warmer also, at 16.00 we met at our usual spot near Newbridge on Usk. It was a Saturday so the roads were not too bad as we cycled along the Usk flood route. From here we went past Usk gliding club and then along the lane which takes a gentle climb to the church at Pen Y Clawdd. We dropped down the road to the old main road to Monmouth; we carried on along here to Mitchell Troy. We then turned off and went up the steep ascent that would take us up to the upper world of the Trellech plateau. As we cycled along the road to the village of the Narth, the birds echoed in the deep forest that surrounds this place. Every time we cycle here there always seems to be a new lane or different feature up here. The trees were not yet in leaf and this added to the very still atmosphere. Trellech was the next port of call, we were surprised to see old farm buildings here turned into executive flats. This area has changed in the last 15 years; it is now a dormitory haven for city workers, who tend to drive very fast in their big cars along narrow lanes. However the countryside was still splendid as dark approached. We carried on to Llanishen where we descended to Llansoy; from here we retraced our path past the gliding club and went in to Usk. Here we stopped for a drink and rations from the shop. I was now suffering a bit and it was slow progress for myself along our ‘traditional’ route home via Llanbadoc, Prescoed and Coed y Paen to get back home at 22.30

53 miles

05/05/03 THE RHIGOS

The May day holiday is usually the time to go somewhere different, this year we were to cycle up the Rhondda valley and over the mountain commonly known as the ‘the Rhigos’. We met outside St Woolos cathedral in Newport city at 9.00, the weather was good after a spell of rain, but I had battled against a strong head wind from Croesyceiliog and this was to remain for the first part of the journey. As we left St Woolos we saw a small group of Morris dancers waiting to be picked up by a bus, this added to the May Day feel to our ride. We quickly left the city and we were on our way to Caerphilly via the meandering lanes of Draethen and Rudry. We were following the route we had taken two years previously, when we had climbed over the Bwlch Mountain, which is on the south side of the Rhondda. We cycled past Caerphilly castle and then joined a good section of the Cardiff to Brecon ‘Taff Trail’. We got of this quiet cycle track in Pontypridd and then began the penetration into the Rhondda valley. The wind was against us, but we were to pedal well up the gradual climb of the valley. We were to go past the sites of the scores of coal mines that made this valley famous, they are all gone now, except for a mining museum near Porth. We stopped foe some lunch at Llwnipia, after resting in the warm sunshine for a few minutes we continued our trudge up the valley. We made good time on the main road, but it was a steady climb all the way. The Rhondda is made up of several villages which are all stuck together in a long ribbon. Ystrad, Pentre, Treorchy, Pen yr englyn, Ynsywen, Treherbert, Blaenrhondda, we passed through all these places with no recognisable gap between them. We then started the ascent over the mountain, a few switch back bends then a long climb of about six miles to the top. The views back to the south were spectacular, but after we had cycled over the 472 metre summit the northern view was the best. The Brecon Beacons were seen in all their glory and the rest of the South Wales Mountains including Carmarthen Van were also a spectacular sight in the sunshine of that late Monday afternoon. The wind we had battled against was now with us and we then descended the steep windy road to Hirwaun. It was great freewheeling down the mountain at 42 mph but the 4 mile descent was over all too quickly. We then rode for a few miles through Aberdare on the main road, we were making good time, but we made the mistake of going on a bad track in Mountain Ash where we lost time. However after going under the massive bridge that holds up the A470 dual carriageway we hit the main road again. We passed through Nelson, Ystrad Mynach and Maesycwmmer. We then reached the Sirhowy country park .There is an excellent track here which follows the side of the valley for about 5 miles down to Crosskeys. It was quiet along here, the birds were singing in the trees as the last light of the day elapsed, we could now relax and reflect on the days journey. Before long we were in Risca, from here we hopped on the canal tow path that took us in the dark back to Newport. On the outskirts of the city we parted, I cycled the few miles home to Croesyceiliog. It had been an enjoyable ride we were making plans to go out in a few days time; to try out Nick’s repainted Longstaff!

83 miles

14/05/03 SEVERN SILVER

It was 19.30 Wednesday; we met in Croesyceiliog for a short ride. Nick was cycling on his repainted Longstaff, it had an unusual and striking colour scheme, it was blue and merged into violet. We cycled along the old road to New Inn and then on the cycle track to Pontypool. The evening was warm and sunny, as we made our way to Pontnewyndd, which is the other side of Pontypool. From here we cycled on the lane that would take us up to the British mountain. We had cycled here many times, but I never get fed up of the beauty of this small wooded valley. The climb to the village of Pantygasseg is to say the least steep! Nick shot off at a great pace, I was no match for him on the climb, but I had a good steady ascent. As we cycled on the narrow country lane that goes along the top of the mountain we had good views of the Brecon Beacons. There was not a breath of wind, a fact that we have noticed many times before. Darkness approached, the clear skies were now illuminated by the nearly full moon and the temperature dropped. On top of the mountain we saw a natural spectacle known as the Severn Silver, the Severn estuary, some 14 miles to our south was illuminated by the Moon, the ripples of the fast flowing water made it shimmer like silver. Fred Hando, the Gwent author had written about this in the past but it was the first time I had seen it myself. We dropped down the steep hill to Abersychan and then cycled through Pontypool. Nick went off a head on an unspecified route. I tried to find him again, but I could not. I decided the only thing I could do was to cycle home to ring him as I knew he had his phone. When I rung him, he was a couple of miles away on his bike! He had been waiting for me but somehow I had missed him! However it had been an enjoyable ride and we hoped to get back into midweek rides more often.

33 miles

20/05/03 THE TON AND THE PARC IN MAY

We met at the Dogan Heights, not far from the village of Ponthir. Nick had cycled 6 miles from Newport, while I had come 3 miles from Croesyceiliog. It was 19.30 on a Tuesday; we rode down the hill to Llandegveth village. Form here there is a very narrow and steep lane called ton road, that climbs up to a hidden valley which is quite remarkable! Only a few miles from the city and it seemed like we were lost in the deepest countryside! The weather had been wet but it was now dry, it was almost like summer except for the cold wind and threatening skies. Although this was a short ride, it was by no means easy, after traversing the secluded Ton, we descended to the village of Llangybi, we joined another lane called Parc road. We had a good ride over here, taking in the views of Wentwood. This road meets our ‘traditional’ route home just above Prescoed. We then cycled on through Coed y Paen and home via Treherbert road,

20 miles

7/06/03 ORGANY REVISITED

It was 18.00 on a Saturday evening; we met at the usual place near Newbridge on Usk. The weather was dry and warm but the cloud looked threatening. However this was surely the first ‘summer’ ride of the year! We climbed the remote lane that goes over to the village of Llangwm, these roads are usually devoid of traffic but this evening even more so. As we cycled over to Wolvesnewton, it was a few days past my 43rd birthday, I reflected on the fact that we had been cycling on these lanes for 30 years, so we should no them by now! On the way to Cobbler’s plain, we directed a family of Germans in a car , they were hopelessly lost looking for the village of Tintern .They were surprised when we knew the way and put them on the right track. We had a good ride in the evening sun to Trellech grange, the only noise we could hear were the birds singing and the wind in the trees. From here we cycled up the steep and tunnel like lane toward Organy pool. A few years ago this was a stone filled almost impassable track, but now it had been recently resurfaced and was a pleasure to cycle up on this pleasant evening. We reached the upland plateau of the Wye valley ,we stopped for a while to admire the beauty of the Organy pool in the late evening, it was like being transported backing time , as there were no cars on our route which made it great for cycling! We rode along these quiet lanes to Trellech cross, we then cycled on the main road to Llanishen, from here we dropped down the steep hill to Llansoy. We usually cycle this in the dark, but we were enjoying the last rays of the evening sun, making the descent even more enjoyable! As we approached Usk we began a ruleur, we sprinted toward the village and after a brief stop in the shop we carried on the fast pace in the dark to Caerleon. Here we parted Nick cycled to Newport city, I cycled back through Ponthir to Croesyceiliog.

43 miles

14/06/03 THE CLASSIC THREE CASTLES

This Saturday was a glorious day, the weather was warm and we were to look forward to an epic ride into north Gwent, taking in the brilliant vintage cycling scenery that has greeted people from all over for many years! We met in Usk at 17.30. From here we cycled out to Llandenny and then to Raglan. We then took a quiet lane we call the ‘cuckoo’ lane, this leads out into the beautiful countryside toward Hendre, near the Rolls golf club of Monmouth. We then carried on up a quiet and narrow wooded track to the village of Newcastle. It was not far from here to Skenfrith; here we viewed the first castle of the day. Skenfrith castle was now in danger of collapsing, we saw where the river had eroded the bank near one of the castle walls, it was getting dangerously close and it was possible that the wall might give way all together! From here we started the best part of the ride. The climb out of Skenfrith is what can only be described as magical! The late evening Sun shone low in the sky, the air was full of champagne aromas and the birds sang a soundtrack to our approach to Grosmont. The road here is quite wide but very quiet; it dips down nearly to the level of the Monnow River before climbing steeply into Grosmont. We stopped in the grounds of the small castle here, for a bite to eat. The light was fading so we left this picturesque village to cycle on toward Whitecastle. Our route took us high up on a ridge toward Cross Ash , it was nearly dark now, although a full moon was due that night ,it had not risen yet and even when it did the light it gave was not good due to a lot of cloud cover. We arrived at Whitecastle in the dark; the joint power of our lamps burnt a hole in the blackness, which made up for the lack of light from the moon. The time was now 23.00. We decided we wanted the fastest route home; we dropped down to Llantilio Croessenny, then through the dark lanes to Llanarth, Croes Llanfair, and Goytre and along the main road to Pontypool and Croesyceiliog. It had been an excellent evening ride, arriving home at 01.00.

60 miles

21/06/03 OVER THE TOP

The Summer Solstice had arrived, Nick’s idea was to cycle over some high ground and they don’t get any higher than the Gospel Pass, the highest public road in Wales! We met at 16.00. At Newbridge on Usk, as we cycled away Nick’s front mudguard had come loose. There was no way of fixing it, so he took them both off and hid them in some bushes to return another day to get them! After this we made our way to Usk, the weather had been warm and sunny, but it had now turned a bit overcast. However it was dry as we made good time to Chain bridge and then Abergavenny. We cycled on the main Hereford road to Llanfihangel Crucourney; we stopped briefly to look at the historic Skyrrid Inn and then started the assault into the Black Mountains. Unfortunately there is a bar in the ancient Llanthony Abbey, this and a pub further up the road attract a lot of traffic. These drivers tend to be in a big hurry showing no respect for these lanes or its users! I did a bit of moaning about this, but when we went past the last pub the road was quite quiet. The climbing up this valley is unusual in the fact that you have several climbs then flats all the way up. We had cycled up here last September in the dark but now we were greeted buy the beauty of this mountain pass in all its daylight glory! After going over the 544 summit, we descended quickly, flying past a couple of isolated farms before reaching the lane that would take us into Talgarth. We stopped here like the year before for a bite to eat from the Chinese. We then cycled up a different route up through Llangors village where we saw the lake glistening in the now dark night. I was by now feeling a bit tired; I had to pull myself together as there was another 30 or so miles to go. We reached the village of Bwlch on the main A40 road, we decided to cycle on this road to Abergavenny as it was now late and there were few cars about. Form Abergavenny we carried on along the dark country lanes to Goytre. Here we rejoined the main road to arrive back in Croesyceiliog at 02.30

90miles

29/06/03 EISTEDDFOD RIDE

The Bike Brothers mother; Merle Henderson, had planed to cycle a sponsored ride to raise funds for the Cwmbran Eisteddfod appeal committee. An Eisteddfod is a festival of arts held every year in a different location throughout Wales, next year it is going to be in the city of Newport. The ride was to be from Croesyceiliog to the Garn lakes near Blaenafon and back again, a total of 30 miles. Nick and I were to escort our mother for the entire ride. We left at 11.30. to join the cycle track at Bevan’s lane near Panteg. Our Uncle Ron, a former great cyclist, was there to see us off. The cycle track follows the old line of the railway all the way up the valley, Mum started at a fast pace , Nick and I had a job keeping up as she cycled up the valley. The track is a gradient all the way, with no let up, it is not particularly hard but it is a slow constant grind for mile after mile with no downhill to ease up on. The weather was warm and sunny and before long we were in Blaenafon .Here the cycle track ended, so we carried on through the village of Forgeside , past the Big Pit mining museum and then on to another track to the Garn Lakes . The Garn Lakes fete was in progress and there was a warm welcome from the Eisteddfod committee. We stopped here for a short time and then made our way back down the valley on the cycle track. It was now downhill all the way and we made short work of the 15 miles home, bringing a total of 30 miles. Mum hoped to collect over £200 pounds from all her sponsors not bad for someone about to celebrate her 71^st birthday!

9/07/03 THE CIDER ORCHARDS

A beautiful warm evening invited us out for a pleasant midweek evening ride. I had shed my heavy weight specialized tyres for some light Continental 23 mm folders and what a difference! I met Nick near Newbridge on Usk at 18.00, we cycled on the Usk flood route to Llandenny, and we passed a large dog show that was taking place in the Usk show grounds. We stopped briefly at the shop in Raglan and then carried on up the Cuckoo lane toward Tregare. We saw a couple of hot air balloons making advantage of the evening, for a flight over the picturesque Gwent countryside. The pace was fast as we climbed up these hilly lanes, the aromas of the evening were out, as we carried on through the Bulmers cider apple orchards. These orchards seem to stretch for miles as we stopped to look for a while. Llantilio Croessenny was our furthest point as we then turned back toward home via Llanarth. The light was now fading but it was still warm as we cycled to Goytre, Glascoed and New Inn. It had been a good fast and enjoyable evening out, arriving back in Croesyceiliog at 22.30.

45 miles

16/07/03 MYNDDISLYWN

The weather had been very warm this week with temperatures of 34 Celsius, but this evening was a bit cooler as it had been raining. We met in Croesyceiliog at 19.00 and cycled to New Inn and then joined the cycle track to Pontypool. We then carried along the old road through the steep sided wooded valley to Hafodryns. From here we dropped down the long hill into Crumlin, it was quiet out as it was a Wednesday and we had a pleasant ascent up the valley to Newbridge. We left the old mining towns for a quiet climb up the lane that goes over the Mynddislywn Mountain. It was hard to think we were only a few miles from the old industrial towns as we cycled over this narrow remote lane. The rain had brought out the usual evening scents as we held onto our brakes down the steep drop to Wattsville. As darkness fell we made our way to Risca, where we joined the canal to Newport where we parted as I cycles home to Croesyceiliog.

30 miles

24/07/03 URBAN MOUNTAIN

It was 19.00 when we left on a Wednesday evening to ride over one of our favourite climbs the British mountain, which heads northwards over Pontypool. Our route took us along the cycle track to Pontypool; we then stated climbing to the small group of houses known as the Tranch. From here there is a narrow lane which climbs out of the houses and quite remarkably leads into open mountainside in a few minutes. This part of the ride is very steep, but was easily assailed after reaching for our lower gears. The ride over to the village of Pantygasseg was quick as was the climb to the slopes of the British mountain. We have cycled here many times but it never ceases to amaze me at how quiet and remote this road seems, as it is only a few minutes from the town. Another feature up here we have noticed is that on the top of the mountain it is strangely devoid of wind! After taking in the night air, we lit the lamps and dived down the mountain into Tal y Waun and then on home through Pontypool.

25 miles

30/07/03 The Ewes and the Lambs

This week we had planned a Wednesday evening ride out into the mountains, we met at Croes Llanfair a group of houses a few miles south of Abergavenny. Although it had been raining, it looked like it would be dry for this evening. We cycled to the main road to Abergavenny, here we crossed over and started to climb up the lane that took us over the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal and up into the hills. This narrow road climbs up the side of the Blorenge mountain, which is recognised in this area by the two large radio masts .The climb up the wooded part of the mountain is very steep, a few years ago we climbed it in the snow and christened it the Ewes and the Lambs after a farmer who talked to us about losing his ewes and lambs in the bad weather. We emerged through the trees where there is an unusually large car park and viewing area, here we started to climb the narrow road on the open mountainside, the views that evening were quite spectacular and it was not long before we went over the top at 500metres. From here it was heads down and a fast ride home all the way down the valley through Blaenafon, Pontypool and New Inn.

35 miles

3/08/03 OVER TO WENTWOOD

It was a fine warm Sunday evening as I cycled down to the old roman town of Isca now known as Caerleon. I cycled up the steep hill to the entrance to the Celtic Manor hotel, this hotel can be seen clearly off the M4 motorway near Newport and had recently been the start and finish for the British cycle championships. Here I met Nick; he had just finished his shift in the Fire station. I suggested to Nick that we would take an unmade forestry track toward the forest of Wentwood. We had a job finding it as we battled through some undergrowth to finally find ourselves on a rather muddy footpath! After a couple miles of cycling this track, it turned into the proper forest fire road I had expected. We were getting in some off road miles to prepare ourselves for our short tour of mid Wales later on this month. This track is quite a long climb with breathtaking views of the mountains of Waun Fach and Pen y Gader. Unfortunately Nick had forgotten to charge up his camera, so a good photo opportunity was missed! However a mental picture is as good as any, so we had to remember this spectacular site. We emerged from the track at the top of the hill at Wentwood, from here we plummeted down to Usk where we decided to take our old ‘traditional’ route home via Prescoed Coed y Paen and the Treherbert road

27 miles

15/08/03 THE TOUR 2003

Day one

Last year’s idea of being taken by car to mid Wales had proved successful, so this year we decided to have our Dad to take us to the market town of Builth Wells in the county of Powys, which is deep into the heart of mid Wales. It was a Friday lunch time and the livestock market was in full swing as we got our bikes ready for the journey ahead. We said goodbye to Dad and then had a bit of lunch in the town. It was now time to start, we cycled up the maim road for about 6 miles to the village of Beulah. The weather was warm and dry with a bit of cloud here and there. We cycled up the Abergwesyn road, we cycled along here on our first tour in 1999, this quiet lane still held all its splendour as it had done a few years ago. Like a lot of these narrow roads around this area, they were just dirt tracks 30 years ago, but since then they have been roughly coated with Tarmac, making them magnificent for cycling! After Abergwesyn we took the lane up the Irfon valley. I have written before about this beautiful valley and how we camped here a few years before, we cycled steadily up the valley, we knew it ended with the infamous Devil’s Staircase, the climb to end all climbs, this snaking pass takes some effort to get up it with a heavily loaded touring bike, but thankfully it is over quite quickly. After that ,there is a gradual climb up the mountain of Pen y Cnwc 475 metres, over to our west we could see the mountain of Drygan Fawr 642 metres, this is one of the highest peaks here, it also covers a massive plateau area. We descended down the road that leads to the top of the Llyn Brianne reservoir; we carried on the road toward Tregaron. Before long we reached the start of the forestry access road, which was to take us over the 548 metre mountain (which does not seem to have a name) to Strata Florida abbey. We had now left the public roads and were in another world of rough tracks and pine trees. The climb was steady but a bit rough as this part of the forest does not seem to be used much. We cycled this part a few years ago and we got hopelessly lost, but as with last year we now were carrying a small GPS to navigate with. It was late afternoon when we crossed the Hirnant River and then climbed to the top of the mountain. Here we joined up with the large dirt track we had cycled over the other way last year. We stopped for a while by the small lake near the summit, we were thinking about camping here, but it was unsuitable. We had seen no one in the forest, but the dust all over the trees meant that forest trucks used this road during the day. We decided to ride down the mountain; we eventually came to the spot we had camped on the way up last year. A good site is always good so we made our camp here, on the nice soft grass with the splendid view over the Tregaron Bog. I was now using a new set of Carridice bags, which have improved things ten fold from the old bags I used to ride with. Also now putting the tent up was second nature and before long we were all set up cooking our evening meal. We were then treated to spectacular sunset before we settled down to sleep.

30 miles

Day two

I was woken in the early hours by a blazing light shining on the tent; I stuck my head out to find it was a three quarter moon shining down in a clear night sky. I remember thinking that it should be sunny in the morning as I was feeling a bit cold. I was not disappointed; the sun was blistering in the morning, drying off the dew from our tents. We then cooked some breakfast and washed our pots in a nearby stream. Two forestry trucks went up the track in a cloud of dust; it was just as well we had not camped near there! We packed our stuff and went downward to Strata Florida Abbey; we stopped here briefly to look at this remote abbey, which in mediaeval times must have been like living outer space! However in those days there was a network of roads connecting the abbeys across the country, one of these is known as the Monk’s Way. On the map it is marked as an ancient road and our task today was to find it and cycle over the mountain to Rhayader. We bought supplies from the solitary shop in Pontrhydfendigaid, here we talked to German cyclist who touring around the country. He was the last person we would see for the greater part of the day. We climbed up the mountain road to the Teifi Lakes, we had cycled down here last year, but doing the reverse ride is like visiting a new place as the part we sped down the year before, we were now cycling up steadily, noticing different views. The Teifi Lakes are a remarkable sight; half a dozen pools are sat up here at 460 metres on the side of the Waun Claerddu Mountain. This place was totally devoid of all people, even though it was Saturday lunchtime and there is a surfaced road here. We left these behind to hit the real rough stuff and to find the ancient road. After a mile of a rough stony track we came to the trail. I was a bit shocked, there was no real path at all, just some six feet high white painted bamboo sticks, stretching over some boggy ground across the mountain. The hard work started, we dragged pulled and pushed our bikes over a few miles of this terrain. We both occasionally slipped into the muddy ruts that had been left by off road vehicles. We stopped to eat some lunch overlooking Claerwen farm, which is at the top of the large reservoir we had cycled up the previous year. This farm is certainly very remote and the only building around for miles. Over the other side of the Claerwen River we could see the track going up the mountain; it looked steep and very rocky. We made our way through the bog to the river; a few times I slipped and had a good soaking in the wet peat. The trick was to walk and try and glide the bike over the bog! We stopped for a while to cool down by the rusty coloured Claerwen River. It was now early afternoon and the sun was scorching. Nick hopped over the river, but I took off my shoes and socks and waded through the cool water. The climb started, it was so steep it took every effort to push the bike up this rocky road, the monk’s in the old days must have been desperate to get to the abbey along this trail, but it was probably a bit better in ancient times, as they had no off road vehicles to tear it up! The white bamboo sticks were now replaced by wooden posts marking the way. As we looked down the mountain, we could here strange animal noises emitting from the vast bog that heads up the source of the river Claerwen. We also had company, two Buzzards and two Crows flew in the sky, one crow sat on a rock looking at us, as we were not going to wait to be eaten, we carried on up the mountain. We eventually reached the rocky outcrop of the summit of Bryn Eithinog mountain 547 metres. I hoped now it would be downhill to the top of the Elan valley, but I was mistaken, the ancient “road” carries on along the mountain plateau for another six miles. The terrain was a bit better than previously, some of it was actually rideable, but it was still hard going as we hit a lot of boggy patches. Nick’s bike had rear and front panniers which seem to spread the load for more stable riding, whereas my rear panniers and large saddle bag made it difficult to control the bike on these rough tracks. Consequently Nick was ahead all the time riding the ruts in front of me. The views from this plateau are spectacular, 360 degrees of breathtaking mountains viewed in the afternoon sun. After a couple of hours of painstaking slow travelling we started to descend down the mountain. In the distance we could see the asphalt road to Rhayader, I started to ride down the grassy part of the hill, and I was making good progress until I was thrown completely off when I hit a rut! As I went down further I saw Nick scrambling out of some ferns, he was not checking out a new camp site, but had taken a fall as well which had sent him head first into the undergrowth! Eventually we arrived on the road at the top of the Elan valley, but it was 19.00 a few hours later than what I had expected. With only an hour and a half of daylight left we rode down past the dams of the Elan valley towards Rhayader. The ride down the valley was very quiet and enjoyable past the very low level reservoirs; it was great to be back on a surfaced road again! We arrived in Rhayader at 20.00. We decided to abandon ideas of cooking that night and ate in an Indian café. After getting supplies from the shop it was now nearly 21.00. We knew of an old quarry where we had camped two years previously, but that was along the main A470 road and as it was now dark it would not be a good idea as we had no road lights at all. However at the crossroads for this road in the village, there was a road closed sign. A council worker informed us that there had been an accident three miles down the way and it was impassable. The quarry was only a mile and a half away, so we cycled down the empty main road in the dark. We arrived in the quarry, I was now completely exhausted, setting up camp in the dark was difficult but we managed it quite quickly and before long were in our tents for some well earned rest!

30 miles

Day three

The old quarry was a good place to stop. There was plenty of room, although the ground was hard it did not matter because of our Thermorest mattresses, which must be one of the most important innovations to camping ever! It had been warm in the night and I had quite a good rest. After making some breakfast we headed off along the main A470 road to Newbridge on Wye. Here we turned off to visit the Church of Disserth, 35 years ago we had camped here for the first time with our mother and father, it had become one of our favourite family campsites and we wanted to look at it again. As we cycled down the lane toward it, we remembered coming here to a cycle race in the early seventies. We visited the old church and had a look at the campsite. I had not been here for twenty years and was surprised at the difference. We used to camp in what was just a farm field with the cattle. But now it had been turned into a very tidy caravan park with nice roads and cut trees. It was a far cry from the camping we had just done! From here we cycled on the road to Builth Wells, we then turned on to a road which is part of the national cycle network. This is a road that mirrors the main road on the opposite side of the river Wye. It was nice and quiet as we ambled along here for a few miles. We stopped in the village of Boughrood for a bit of lunch before going on the main road to Talgarth. From here we took the narrow lane that goes over the mountain pass in the Black Mountains and joins the main route to Crickhowell. The traffic from here was heavy and we encountered a shower of rain for a few minutes. However it was back to the sunshine as we rode to Abergavenny, we were then on familiar territory as we cycled to Croes Llanfair, Goytre and then onto the canal to take us home via New Inn.

70 miles

22/08/03 WHITECASTLE AGAIN!

As a wind down from last week’s trip, nick and I took our Audax bikes out for a good evening ride. We met at Newbridge on Usk, it was 18.30 and it was the Saturday of the bank holiday. W made a fast pace up the lanes to Llandenny, Raglan and then up the narrow classic cycling lanes through the cider apple orchards to Llantilio Croessenny. Here there was a brief shower, but it was quite refreshing in the warm evening. It also produced a magnificent full rainbow high in the sky. As we reached Whitecastle as it was getting dark; we stopped for a while to take in the still quiet atmosphere of that late summer. It was then off again at a rapid pace to Llanarth where we quickly rode our familiar lanes back home via Nantyderry, Goytre and New Inn. We arrived in Croesyceiliog at 22.00 after a very enjoyable 47 miles

2/9/03 THE GOOSE AND CUCKOO

The start of September was now here, I met Nick in Croesyceiliog at 19.00, it was a Tuesday and although there was an Autumnal feel in the air it was a bright sunny evening. The ride progressed through New Inn, where we hopped on the canal tow path for a few miles toward the village of Goytre. Here I plotted our route up the lanes and headed for the mountain road that hopefully would take us over to the town of Blaenafon. We had cycled over the mountain of the Myndd Garn Clochdy many times form both directions. This time however it was to be a new untried route! Nick expressed some serious doubts about my navigation, but I assured him we were on the right path! The narrow lane rises steeply here toward the Goose and Cuckoo pub, which is situated high up on the mountain, at the end of a remote no through road. The surfaced road gave way to a rough track, covered with big rocks that made it impossible for cycling. However after a few minutes of walking the track turned into a good coarse cycling road. We climbed up through the forestry, it was a steady climb and it was now dark. The forest ended and we were on open mountain side, before long we joined the public road from Llanover, we were a mile from Blaenafon. From here it was heads down and a fast ride all the way home along the main road Through Pontypool

27 miles

20/09/03 A FAST RIDE

It was a Saturday evening at 17.30 when we met on the road between Newbridge on Usk and Caerleon. We decided to have a fast ride out to one of our favourite places Whitecastle! The evening was dry and warm as we took our usual route along the Usk flood route and then on to Llandenny. Before long we were in Raglan. From here we cycled up the lane to Llantilio Croessenny. We deviated from our usual route and cycled up the road to Brynderi. From here we cut across to Whitecastle. It was now dark as we stopped for a few moments, it always seems a long way from home here, but the 20 miles back through Llanarth, Nantyderry, Goytre and Pontypool were demolished in an hour and a half.

50 miles

11/10/03 TRELLECH GRANGE

Saturday afternoon 17.00 the sun was shining and we were both wearing shorts! We had been blessed by some great weather, so we decided to take advantage of it. I cycled the two and a half miles from Newbridge on Usk along the Bulmoor Road toward Caerleon; here I met Nick on the Newport City limits. We then turned around and carried on to the village of Llantrisant. Earlier this week we had the sad news of the death of George Longstaff, surely the UK’s finest frame builder, Nick was riding his Longstaff, he has visited his workshops several times and an account of one of these trips is on the website. The ride took us up the narrow and steep lane that drops down to the village of Llangwm. We were then on the climb up to Cobbler’s Plain, it was quiet and peaceful as we rode up to the top. After a fast ride to Trellech Grange, we headed to Llanishen; it was now dark, so we lit our lamps and carried on to Usk. Here we stopped at the shop; from here we took our “traditional” route home. The Hunter’s full moon was shining brightly in the sky, so much so that we switched our lamps off and carried on in the moonlight. Before long, we had made our way through Prescoed and Coed y Paen, where the local pub the Carpenter’s arms had shut down. We arrived backing Croesyceiliog at 22.00

40 miles

13/11/03 LLANHENOC RIDGE

We had not been out for a while, just a few short rides on our own. We met in Croesyceiliog, it was a Thursday evening. The weather was cold and windy as we cycled up the Treherbert road. It was completely dark; Nick had his usual Lumicycle lamp, while I was using a 5 watt bulb in my Vistalite which gave a good beam and a good burn time of six hours. It did not take us long to reach the main Caerleon to Usk road. From here we climbed up the narrow lane to Croesyllwarch and then on the climb up to the Llanhenoc ridge. In the darkness we saw the faint outline of the mountain ridge of Wentwood to our east and to our west we saw the lights of Caerleon shimmering in the blustery night. As we cycled through the village of Llanhenoc it started raining, we put on our Goretex jackets and we were oblivious to the wet. We cycled along the myriad of lanes that cover these parts of Gwent until we arrived at Candwr lane. This road we had been on many times before and before long we were back in Croesyceiliog

20 miles