Day 1 47 miles 6535 feet of climbing
PXL_20240717_093931806 by Kevin Hawker, on FlickrI set off from Knighton at 11 after a 20 minute wait in Boots to pay for a tube of toothpaste the GPS asked if i wanted to navigate to the end of the route i said yes and much to my surprise 2 minutes later it was all over when i reached the garage ! So i started again some nice riding took me into the Radnor forest and then onto a sunken track taking me out to the road near Bleddfa i have ridden it a few times in the past and it was never like this , about 400 metres of slurry around boot height with a large herd of young cows to add more fun to proceedings . It was a pivotal moment this early in the trip !! Lots of nice riding followed and as i worked my around Red Hill i met a couple walking the first people i had seen out and about . The track took me out to one of my favourite roads with great views across to the Brecons as they used to be known .
PXL_20240717_162834844 by Kevin Hawker, on FlickrThen onwards across Rhulen Hill and LLandeilo Hill on tracks i have known since my teenage years and past a famous local landmark
PXL_20240717_170057591 by Kevin Hawker, on Flickr .I was begining to feel hungry so i decided to go to the Pub in Erwood for some food and a beer which is just off route i got chatting to the locals who knew all the people i had known all those years ago which was nice its a lovely place to be so why move anywhere else . It turned out to be the only civilised evening meal of the entire route .
PXL_20240717_181317174 by Kevin Hawker, on FlickrMy intention was to get beyond Llangammarch Wells and find somewhere for the night well that didnt happen i was going well and as i reached the main road that goes to Upper chapel i saw two big white clouds rising from the ground i was a bit confused i carried on around the lanes towards the Epynt ranges with automatic gunfire and explosions for company a new experience . The light was going and after some climbing on tracks i came out in a large field a mixture of grass and thistles with paths going in every direction whichever way i went i was off course then two steps back course found ! as it was now dark and after about an hour of messing about i decided i would have to wait for daylight so found a nice flat place and bivvyed with the gunfire etc to lull me to sleep it was then i thought that the white clouds were probably smoke bombs .
PXL_20240718_040942640 by Kevin Hawker, on FlickrDay 2 51 miles 7057 feet of climbing
I had a decent night and was up around 6 for breakfast i packed up quickly and resumed the search for the way out extremely well hidden behind a huge clump of thistles i found a gate with a tell tale blue arrow next to it . I dont think the gate had been opened for a long time but after a stern talking to it moved enough to let me through this was one of the days better gates
I had moved into Bracken country but the way was mostly obvious a long descent took me to this fine example of gating nice view though .
PXL_20240718_053000411 by Kevin Hawker, on FlickrThe next section was a proper pain there were new fences everywhere that went straight across the line of bridleway so lots of lifting of the bike getting pedals stuck in the wire and swearing followed for the next hour or so i devoeloped a great respect for the attributes of new barbed wire during this period , i was thankful that i had given up the night before as this would have been almost impossible in the dark. I have to say the OS maps app came into its own here and eventually i got back to a track that was obvious on the ground and one of the 6 gates actually opened without falling on the ground
Back on the road and on to Llangammarch where there was a post office with shop so bought some food and got excited by the sight of a coffee machine until i saw the out of order sign . A bit further along the road there is a campsite with a coffee shed with an honesty box so i made the most of that by drinking tea . As i was riding through the forest towards Halfway i caught up with two ladies with a pony and trap and despite my best efforts they refused to swap modes of transport . A little further on a little Jeep caught me up and stopped a very nice elderly gentleman asked me where i was going i said Halfway he said i was going the wrong way i reasurred him i knew that and as with a lot of the route i was taking the path of most resistance . He told me that about 400 yards off the track i would take there was a place under the cliffs where at the end of the 16th century catholics went to worship to avoid persecution so i went to have a look no Catholics but what i think was a peregrine .
PXL_20240718_111222984 by Kevin Hawker, on FlickrA very late Breakfast was enjoyed in LLandovery followed by a trip to the shop for a resupply despite having been through town a lot of times over the years i didnt realise there was a castle .
PXL_20240718_133811635 by Kevin Hawker, on FlickrIt was getting hot as i climbed up to Mynydd Mallaen an area i had never been to before 4 hours and 5 miles later i had well and truly been there !
PXL_20240718_180644434 by Kevin Hawker, on FlickrI was cooked now and running short of water a cold drink and a fill up was in order at the Pub just up the road no such luck it was only open Fri, Sat and Sunday . I found a spring on the roadside so filled up and on into the woods above Llyn Brianne for the night as i was makind dinner i was joined by a very curious wild pony who did its best to pick up any unguarded bags after a while it got bored and headed off i was sure it would be back but was not seen again . Surprisingly considering the distance i had another night of gunfire and explosions for company .
PXL_20240719_050734757 by Kevin Hawker, on FlickrTo be continued
At the top of a steepish climb there is a phone mast with a nice wide track to it and beyond its not that way behind me is a rusty old gate and a feint path so a bit of jungle bashing later i emerge onto the aforementioned track for a long but enjoyable ride out to the Devils staircase road. This is one of my favourite roads on a motorbike so i knew what was ahead it was also very enjoyable on a bicycle but required a bit more effort. Back into the forest towards a track that a few enjoyed last October particularly in the dark !! Though i joined it above the horrors that lie in waiting for the unsuspecting, a few damp patches later and it was downhill to Strata Florida.
