Let’s go cycling

Well…all I can say is it’s very hilly!  But oh so very scenic.

19th July, 17km of riding and 100km of water

A 3 1/2 hour ferry ride and we change countries.  No riding off the ferry this time- we manhandled our bikes onto the shuttle bus to take us to the terminal so that we didn’t have to mix it with the freight trucks exiting the ferry.  And our passports came out for the first time since Heathrow- the Welsh must be a bit pickier about who they let in 🙂

Short ride and we found a little but very busy Anglesea campsite with lovely views and a nice little walk to the beach.

20th July, Rhoscolyn to Llanberis, 60km with a couple of steep bits!

Really beautiful countryside ending in the foothills of Mt Snowdon with a campsite up a very steep hill

21st July 18c, cloudy patchy rain, and Neil’s turn to write.  We’re in his homeland, after all…

An early start to make the most of a forecasted dry morning. We caught a bus to the start of one of the Snowdon walks. I had ideas we could attempt the horseshoe walk. This involves some scrambling, Rachael was much happier taking the easier path to the summit and following the ridge on the easier side. We didn’t get too much rain, but were in mist for the higher parts as the cloud base remained stubbornly low.

22 July 20c, wet start, clearing rain

Today we followed cycle route 82, to Dolgellau. Truly fantastic scenery, riding along really quiet roads and some off road paths. Following rocky fast flowing rivers though steep sided valleys with mist cloaked mountains above. Some hills and open country past a decommissioned nuclear power station. Then a descent in woodland and a maze of bike paths to our bed and breakfast in Dolgellau.

July 23rd 19c, cloudy

65 kilometres not a huge distance, today gave us hills right from the start. Two huge ascents of nearly 500m elevation and countless small hills made for a big day. 1450 metres all up.

A campsite in Llanidloes is our accommodation for tonight, treated ourself to a couple of ready meals as the site had a microwave.

July 24th, 65km and back to Rachael’s ramblings.

A few moderate hills to start off the day, then a really lovely ride along a canal towpath, with an excellent coffee stop somewhere there in the middle…

Back a few weeks ago, in the Outer Hebrides we met a super couple, Jan and Rick, who happen to live not toooooo far from the route that we had roughly planned out. They had kindly suggested we stop by if we were going this way…so we went this way!

Somehow we foolishly (🤣) took their route advice and tackled the “Long Hill” ascent as we crossed over the border from Welshpool.  That was a bit of a doozy…some hike-a-bike moments for me…

But Jan and Rick met us at the top of the hill (champions!) and guided us down the road.

Some fabulous hospitality, incredible food, a little too much wine and a lovely sleep 🙂

25th July, 38km, a gorgeous day and a fun ride with company!

Jan, and Rick on his “Trike” (yeah, ya gotta be a little crazy…) rode with us to the not too far away town of Bishops Castle, where we also enjoyed excellent coffee and cake at the Poetry Pharmacy!

Left them to ride back up the hillside to home ( thanks again guys!!) and we trotted a short distance up the road to the nearby Fox Hole campsite for the night.

26th July 64km, a few more hills…and back into Wales.

Made it to the little and fascinating village of Hay on Wye.  Some guy  in the 60s decided to turn the township into the “Kingdom of books” and proceeded to buy up cheap properties and turn them all into bookstores.  Didn’t count them…but they are many! The town is focused around all things literary.

Our campsite was also quirky and very organic- much effort has gone into creating a space that gives all back to the land around it.  Nice one.

27th July Another day. Another bunch of hills… 80 km and a bit too much “up” for my liking.

Couldn’t find a campsite near Chepstow so we booked a cheap room at the Beaufort Hotel. Glad we did, ’twas a long day and we didn’t arrive until well past 6.  Good timing for a shower and a pint down the road a bit.

And that will be Wales! Today we’ll cross the big bridge over the River Severn, back into England and hopefully face a few less hills!