Today we have cycled 58 miles. Tomorrow, our plan is to reach Tenby on NCN4 and catch the Irish ferry on Saturday
Thursday, 21 May 2015
USK TO LLANDOVERY
Wales is a little big country. Little is the size of the country but it is big because of its wide open spaces, panoramic vistas and such brilliant cycling. If the sun comes out as it did today, the Welsh scenery is spectacular and can be seen at its best. I buy my maps from Sustrans and, so far, this journey is working well with these maps. We leave Usk towards Abergavenny on NCN42 and one vista holds a windmill with a backdrop of the Brecon Beacons.
It starts gently, then you are lifted into hills passing livestock farms and tiny hamlets. Abergavenny is a "must see" town for cyclists. The variety of shops are easy on the eye and, if you can avoid the chains, there are plenty of locally owned coffee shops. We leave NCN42 and join the Monmouth and Brecon Canal Path. Unexpectedly it is a near flat cycle ride for 25 miles to Brecon. This is viewing the scenery the easy way.
There is no obvious cycle route west from Brecon without huge detours into the hills. The only route is the A40 which is a trunk road. Before setting off, I had thought that it would be quiet and it proved to have relatively little traffic. We made good time to Llandovery and, as I sit here writing this, a group at the table behind me in the Whitehall pub are having a passionate discussion about rugby. Dagmar and I meanwhile are discussing our route in Ireland
Today we have cycled 58 miles. Tomorrow, our plan is to reach Tenby on NCN4 and catch the Irish ferry on Saturday
Today we have cycled 58 miles. Tomorrow, our plan is to reach Tenby on NCN4 and catch the Irish ferry on Saturday
Wednesday, 20 May 2015
BRIDGWATER TO USK
This was a day of two journeys. This first part was the wide open countryside of the Somerset Levels while once in Wales, we found hills like those in Devon. What both had in common was beautiful scenery, delightful villages and each is a place to escape to. This part of Somerset is almost completely flat and has many good cycle routes.
We find a village called Mark where we want coffee. Dagmar seems to sense coffee shops and possibly she can smell its aroma from up to a mile away. She suggested visiting the church whose tower she could see in the distance. I humour her because pubs are often near churches but, as it was only 10.30, no pub would be open. Dagmar's sense was right as the church was having a coffee morning. I now think she has received a divine message from above as we are welcomed in by Rev Tonya Nixon for coffee.
We are offered coffee and cake without charge by a community of local people who treat us as if we are one of them. One lady takes Dagmar on a guided tour and, when done, quietly says she has lived here for 90 years. I talk with another lady of a slightly less age about Plymouth. She tells me stories how people courted one another when she was young. The girls and boys would walk in separate groups along Plymouth Hoe looking out who they would fancy. She told me that there were always lots of sailors.
We pedalled off looking for the Strawberry Line, now a cycle route but once a railway that took strawberries to London.
Bristol was getting near but I have been to Bristol before. It has good cycle trails away from traffic but nothing to commend it if you want to see the countryside. We cheat and catch a train. One hour after arriving at Yatton station, we are in South Wales and the lower slopes of the Brecon Beacons seem to be welcoming us. We climb what Dagmar calls a col through the Wentwood Forest and admire seas of bluebells. We arrive at Usk having cycled 48 miles.
Dagmar's story is on her blog. Tomorrow we set off for Brecon on the cycle route to the Irish ferry terminal
We find a village called Mark where we want coffee. Dagmar seems to sense coffee shops and possibly she can smell its aroma from up to a mile away. She suggested visiting the church whose tower she could see in the distance. I humour her because pubs are often near churches but, as it was only 10.30, no pub would be open. Dagmar's sense was right as the church was having a coffee morning. I now think she has received a divine message from above as we are welcomed in by Rev Tonya Nixon for coffee.
We are offered coffee and cake without charge by a community of local people who treat us as if we are one of them. One lady takes Dagmar on a guided tour and, when done, quietly says she has lived here for 90 years. I talk with another lady of a slightly less age about Plymouth. She tells me stories how people courted one another when she was young. The girls and boys would walk in separate groups along Plymouth Hoe looking out who they would fancy. She told me that there were always lots of sailors.
We pedalled off looking for the Strawberry Line, now a cycle route but once a railway that took strawberries to London.
Bristol was getting near but I have been to Bristol before. It has good cycle trails away from traffic but nothing to commend it if you want to see the countryside. We cheat and catch a train. One hour after arriving at Yatton station, we are in South Wales and the lower slopes of the Brecon Beacons seem to be welcoming us. We climb what Dagmar calls a col through the Wentwood Forest and admire seas of bluebells. We arrive at Usk having cycled 48 miles.
Dagmar's story is on her blog. Tomorrow we set off for Brecon on the cycle route to the Irish ferry terminal
Tuesday, 19 May 2015
GOODBYE DEVON
"Where are we going today?" asks Dagmar. "Yatton" I reply. "That's 130km" said Dagmar "I thought that this is to be a slow journey". "It is to be a slow journey" I reply after some thought. "Perhaps, that's too far. Let's see what happens". We have a mighty breakfast at Route2 cafe and then set off in a cloudburst.
We travel through Exeter and are amazed at how good the cycle routes are. I enjoy reading maps and took Exeter Cycle Map with me. It is completely reliable and I find the road out easily. The rain stops and starts regularly but as the day progresses, it eases off as the clouds are blown away by a heavy NW wind. We reach Cullompton and find a welcoming cafe next to the library. The lady behind the counter tells us about good cycling in Cambridge but is shocked that we are cycling to Ireland. Our cycle route takes us past Tiverton Parkway train station whose car park is full with everyone paying £6.20 per car. Cycling is free and we soon find ourselves cycling alongside the Grand Western Canal. The water is clear, ducks, moorhens and swans are everywhere and the countryside has developed a rich deep green colour. Dagmar enjoys our Devon banks
"Is this why English people are so polite?" asks Dagmar, "The lanes are so narrow that cars keep having to reverse to allow overtaking. Roads are not this narrow in Germany". We then arrive at a canal that links Taunton to Bridgwater.. Here pedestrians with their dogs move over as we cycle past. Everyone says "Thank you" so Dagmar names this as the Thank You Canal. For me, this is very reassuring. The main frustration which embarrasses me in this country is when some cars overtake cyclists too close and this is a bad English driving habit. We arrive in Bridgwater in a strong headwind having cycled 55 miles and decide to stop overnight. Tomorrow we go to the beautiful Somerset Levels
We travel through Exeter and are amazed at how good the cycle routes are. I enjoy reading maps and took Exeter Cycle Map with me. It is completely reliable and I find the road out easily. The rain stops and starts regularly but as the day progresses, it eases off as the clouds are blown away by a heavy NW wind. We reach Cullompton and find a welcoming cafe next to the library. The lady behind the counter tells us about good cycling in Cambridge but is shocked that we are cycling to Ireland. Our cycle route takes us past Tiverton Parkway train station whose car park is full with everyone paying £6.20 per car. Cycling is free and we soon find ourselves cycling alongside the Grand Western Canal. The water is clear, ducks, moorhens and swans are everywhere and the countryside has developed a rich deep green colour. Dagmar enjoys our Devon banks
"Is this why English people are so polite?" asks Dagmar, "The lanes are so narrow that cars keep having to reverse to allow overtaking. Roads are not this narrow in Germany". We then arrive at a canal that links Taunton to Bridgwater.. Here pedestrians with their dogs move over as we cycle past. Everyone says "Thank you" so Dagmar names this as the Thank You Canal. For me, this is very reassuring. The main frustration which embarrasses me in this country is when some cars overtake cyclists too close and this is a bad English driving habit. We arrive in Bridgwater in a strong headwind having cycled 55 miles and decide to stop overnight. Tomorrow we go to the beautiful Somerset Levels
Monday, 18 May 2015
IVYBRIDGE TO OBAN, VIA IRELAND; DAY 1 MEET DAGMAR
This is to be a new journey. Today is my first day and I am joined by Dagmar who has come to Devon from southern Germany on various trains that apparently competed with one another with extreme German and British efficiency. Dagmar tells me that the train company from Paddington is her favourite.
I first met Dagmar 5 years ago while cycling in Germany and this is to be our 4th bike ride together since then. She has introduced me to cycling in Switzerland, France and Germany while I have introduced her to Cornish pasties and English breakfasts. This time it is my route that we are following. I have not worked this out exactly yet but it is to include Ireland. We leave Ivybridge for a slow first day. We make our first stop for coffee and tea cakes in Buckfastleigh. "Do English people normally buy tea cakes in fish and chip shops?" asks Dagmar whose face is a picture of bemusement. "This is Devon" I reply. "Of course you can"
Dagmar has brought her Birdy bike, a touring folder that has Rolhoff gears. She has also brought "Badger" who is our jointly shared mascot that lives 1 year in Germany, then the next in Devon, then back to Germany, etc. This time Badger is on my bike. We leave our coffee, er fish and chip shop and discover a clapper bridge on our quiet lanes.
For a slow ride, we are cycling very fast because of an unexpected tail wind. But the hills are another matter. Dagmar sometimes cycles the Alps where roads take an even gradient climbing gently for several miles at a time. In Devon, they go straight up and over the top taking in a extra bends where they are not steep enough.
Dagmar tells me that Germans believe that Devon is cider country. This is correct but we also enjoy pasties and cream teas. Tonight we reach Topsham having cycled a modest 34 miles and are staying in a bike cafe. Tomorrow we set off for "Flooded" and "Hippy" countries.
This is where you find Dagmar's blog
I first met Dagmar 5 years ago while cycling in Germany and this is to be our 4th bike ride together since then. She has introduced me to cycling in Switzerland, France and Germany while I have introduced her to Cornish pasties and English breakfasts. This time it is my route that we are following. I have not worked this out exactly yet but it is to include Ireland. We leave Ivybridge for a slow first day. We make our first stop for coffee and tea cakes in Buckfastleigh. "Do English people normally buy tea cakes in fish and chip shops?" asks Dagmar whose face is a picture of bemusement. "This is Devon" I reply. "Of course you can"
Dagmar has brought her Birdy bike, a touring folder that has Rolhoff gears. She has also brought "Badger" who is our jointly shared mascot that lives 1 year in Germany, then the next in Devon, then back to Germany, etc. This time Badger is on my bike. We leave our coffee, er fish and chip shop and discover a clapper bridge on our quiet lanes.
For a slow ride, we are cycling very fast because of an unexpected tail wind. But the hills are another matter. Dagmar sometimes cycles the Alps where roads take an even gradient climbing gently for several miles at a time. In Devon, they go straight up and over the top taking in a extra bends where they are not steep enough.
Dagmar tells me that Germans believe that Devon is cider country. This is correct but we also enjoy pasties and cream teas. Tonight we reach Topsham having cycled a modest 34 miles and are staying in a bike cafe. Tomorrow we set off for "Flooded" and "Hippy" countries.
This is where you find Dagmar's blog
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
HELLO FROM THE CAMEL TRAIL
This is a cycle journey to be taken slow and allow your senses to savour the scenery around you. It is a former railway track converted to a bike path so you could cycle it fast but then the point will be missed.
The start is at Snail's Pace at Wenford Bridge on NCN3 just below St Breward on Bodmin Moor. Snail's Pace is a cafe that looks interesting. Being off the grid and built in wood by its owner, it sets the tone because my wife and I go in and spend an hour here before we even start cycling. We enjoy its local food and for the first time in my life I drink camomile tea. The route lazily wanders through old woodlands alongside little fields and the River Camel that glides alongside us. We are in Cornwall and we stumble across places named Boscarne, Nanstallon and Crogley Halt. The sun peers through the trees and brings out the colour of bluebells lining the route.
We see a track turning to the left that says Bodmin and another that says The Borough Arms. We hear the hoot of a steam engine, then 5 minutes later there is a railway station with steam train waiting to leave. We peddle on and tucked in the trees we see a little tea garden. We then come across Gaff Wood, obviously a wood grown by mistake.
After 12 miles we arrive at Wadebridge where the river opens up and trees disappear. We find almost as many bikes as cars and this is definately a cycling town. Here it is 6 miles of majesty to Padstow as the river, now tidal, continues its meander with blue waters and glimmering sand bars shimmering in the sun. We cross the restored Petherick Bridge into Padstow, the end of the line.
The journey is 18 miles each way and can be found on Cornwall Cycle Map.
The start is at Snail's Pace at Wenford Bridge on NCN3 just below St Breward on Bodmin Moor. Snail's Pace is a cafe that looks interesting. Being off the grid and built in wood by its owner, it sets the tone because my wife and I go in and spend an hour here before we even start cycling. We enjoy its local food and for the first time in my life I drink camomile tea. The route lazily wanders through old woodlands alongside little fields and the River Camel that glides alongside us. We are in Cornwall and we stumble across places named Boscarne, Nanstallon and Crogley Halt. The sun peers through the trees and brings out the colour of bluebells lining the route.
We see a track turning to the left that says Bodmin and another that says The Borough Arms. We hear the hoot of a steam engine, then 5 minutes later there is a railway station with steam train waiting to leave. We peddle on and tucked in the trees we see a little tea garden. We then come across Gaff Wood, obviously a wood grown by mistake.
After 12 miles we arrive at Wadebridge where the river opens up and trees disappear. We find almost as many bikes as cars and this is definately a cycling town. Here it is 6 miles of majesty to Padstow as the river, now tidal, continues its meander with blue waters and glimmering sand bars shimmering in the sun. We cross the restored Petherick Bridge into Padstow, the end of the line.
The journey is 18 miles each way and can be found on Cornwall Cycle Map.
Saturday, 25 April 2015
COAST TO COAST THRU SHROPSHIRE AND THE WELSH BORDERS
My brakes squeeled as I came down the 25% slope off the western escarpment of Long Mynd. In front were a group of club riders riding very slowly in fear of brake failure while to my right I looked out over a wide valley with the River East Onny flowing through it. At the bottom, my brakes were too hot to touch and I was glad that they were still almost new. This was part of a 193 mile ride with my buddy, Andy, that started in Chester and finished in Chepstow.
Our first day took us along flat quiet country lanes to meet the River Severn where it does a loop around the centre of Shrewsbury. Our only hill was as Andy warned the railway bridge coming out of Chester. This was nice easy riding to get the body moving prior to the challenges of Long Mynd and the road south. The journey so far was full of charming villages and rural tranquillity.
The sun, though cool, came out each day and the smiles widened as we realised that we had a following wind. I thought "It cannot get much better than this". Long Mynd was our first real challenge and this as where Andy moved ahead. The club riders overtook but I was happy to extend my distance from two mountain bikers coming up behind. They puffed and panted at the top then turned left to cycle over some cross country trails. We joined NCN44 at Lydbury that took us up a hill just as steep as Long Mynd. We followed this to Ludlow passing the The Apple Tree in Onibury only to turn back, not because we needed a stop but because it looked like a wow sort of pub.
A beer killed the rest of my afternoon's cycling but a chat with a couple of guys taking part in First World War songs and poems at Stokesay Court helped to mellow my mood. I don't normally drink alcohol while on my bike because it makes me dozy so the remaing ride to Ludlow was really hard.
Ludlow seems to be a centre for food and festivals and here is Andy contemplated missing "The Fringe".
It was just 37 miles to our next stop at Hay on Wye. We cycled through Wigmore, Lingen, Staunton on Arrow and joined NCN825 to Kington. This section dazzled with glorious vistas, rolling hills, spring flowers and kites flying overhead. Cycling does not come much better than this. At Hay, we join NCN42, the lower west section of Lon Las Cymru, Wales' epic coast to coast from Holyhead to Chepstow that I have done before. Another epic hill follows as we climb the Gospel Pass.
At the top, a mist partially hid the scenery so we do not see it at its best. On our left is Hay Bluff at 680m while to our right is Rhos Dirion at 713m. A long downhill takes us to Abergavenny ready for final climbs to Usk and through the Wentwood Forest to Chepstow. We ask if anyone can speak Welsh in Chepstow. Few people do but one guy said he does. I want to know the English translation for Lon Las Cymru. I knew Cymru is Wales but the guy does not know Lon Las. I check Wikepedia and it is Wales' Green Lane. We have green lanes in Devon but none are 250 miles long
If you want to do this journey, the maps can all be purchased from Sustrans with these links: Shropshire, Herefordshire and Lon Las Cymru. Keep pedalling.
Our first day took us along flat quiet country lanes to meet the River Severn where it does a loop around the centre of Shrewsbury. Our only hill was as Andy warned the railway bridge coming out of Chester. This was nice easy riding to get the body moving prior to the challenges of Long Mynd and the road south. The journey so far was full of charming villages and rural tranquillity.
A beer killed the rest of my afternoon's cycling but a chat with a couple of guys taking part in First World War songs and poems at Stokesay Court helped to mellow my mood. I don't normally drink alcohol while on my bike because it makes me dozy so the remaing ride to Ludlow was really hard.
Ludlow seems to be a centre for food and festivals and here is Andy contemplated missing "The Fringe".
It was just 37 miles to our next stop at Hay on Wye. We cycled through Wigmore, Lingen, Staunton on Arrow and joined NCN825 to Kington. This section dazzled with glorious vistas, rolling hills, spring flowers and kites flying overhead. Cycling does not come much better than this. At Hay, we join NCN42, the lower west section of Lon Las Cymru, Wales' epic coast to coast from Holyhead to Chepstow that I have done before. Another epic hill follows as we climb the Gospel Pass.
At the top, a mist partially hid the scenery so we do not see it at its best. On our left is Hay Bluff at 680m while to our right is Rhos Dirion at 713m. A long downhill takes us to Abergavenny ready for final climbs to Usk and through the Wentwood Forest to Chepstow. We ask if anyone can speak Welsh in Chepstow. Few people do but one guy said he does. I want to know the English translation for Lon Las Cymru. I knew Cymru is Wales but the guy does not know Lon Las. I check Wikepedia and it is Wales' Green Lane. We have green lanes in Devon but none are 250 miles long
If you want to do this journey, the maps can all be purchased from Sustrans with these links: Shropshire, Herefordshire and Lon Las Cymru. Keep pedalling.
Wednesday, 22 April 2015
PLANNING A COAST TO COAST RIDE
Meet Andy. I am travelling with Andy through Shropshire and down the Welsh borders.
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Andy lives in Chester and he tells me there are no hills there, except over a nearby railway bridge. In fact he has to cycle nearly 50 miles to find hills. We have cycled together before and he powers up hills much faster than me, so I don't believe him. Our plan is for a 4 day ride from Chester to Chepstow finding new cycle routes with a few coffee shops and pubs on route.
Andy lives in Chester and he tells me there are no hills there, except over a nearby railway bridge. In fact he has to cycle nearly 50 miles to find hills. We have cycled together before and he powers up hills much faster than me, so I don't believe him. Our plan is for a 4 day ride from Chester to Chepstow finding new cycle routes with a few coffee shops and pubs on route.
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