After a cracking weekend in the Gower a few weeks back, I thought I'd keep the momentum going by riding home from our pup's reunion barbecue (we had a meet up at the farm he came from so he could play with his siblings and get disapproving looks from his mum)..



Ours is the black and white one...

Anyhow, now the Wye Valley Greenway is open I had been waiting for a chance to ride through Tidenham Tunnel. It's just over a kilometer long so already quite spooky on your own - but added to that you aren't allowed to use lights in case they disturb the bats.


It's actually much darker than this makes it look.

The real kicker though is that the gates close automatically at 6pm. So if you find yourself heading into the tunnel at 5.50, it's a bit of a sprint to make sure you don't get entombed for the night...


I swear they were starting to swing shut..

Anyway, once safely through, there is a nice cyclepath with some nicely preserved examples of Victorian bodging..


Not quite the Clifton suspension bridge is it?

And after a quick resupply in Chepstow, I headed up to Wintours Leap for a beautiful bivvy spot...albeit a bit windy.


Definitely had to remember which side of the bivvy bag to get out of...

Mostly a peaceful night, apart from being freaked out by the obligatory albino cat...



After a quick pit stop at Greggs for coffee and carbs, it was off to Cardiff. I had planned a route inland over some hills, but the thunderstorms and wind made me opt for a gentle coastal alternative. After a while I realised I was following Sustrans Route 4, so basically did that all the way home.


Got to ride under the new bridge which was nice..


One section of *cough* footpath, was rather offputtingly blocked off so I diverted round.


And quite glad I did given this was the inland side of the same field..


And on the topic of shooting, I thought this looked like rather poor sport. Even I could hit one of them...


Finally getting nearer to home and passed another nice example of Victorian engineering in the way of Newport's transporter bridge..

Nice ride, despite the weather...

Top bivvy spot - I'd have constant dreams I was perched on the edge of a huge cliff and only just hanging on!

Oooooh! This looks good, especially the tunnel and the Wintours Leap thing - it's going on The List

I first saw that on my phone, and thought that you had done well to get to The Great Ledge on North Wall with a bike...

Rather relieved to see that you were in the quarry !

javatime wrote: ↑Tue Aug 10, 2021 10:54 am I first saw that on my phone, and thought that you had done well to get to The Great Ledge on North Wall with a bike...

Rather relieved to see that you were in the quarry !

Ha, yep. It's been a while since I last climbed there so the original plan was to scramble down to a suitable ledge - but on inspection the quarry seemed like the safer bet..

Great photos! 4th from the left (with a black & white dog ) is my friend Annabelle, small world!!
Great shot of the 2nd Severn Crossing too; I used to ride down to watch during construction, amazing bit of civil engineering (can also remember the original bridge being built, ahem!).
Even locals are amazed when I point out to them just how close the sharp bend on the B4288 is to the top of the 100m drop to the river below at Wintour's Leap, with only a metal barrier and a stone wall between them

psling wrote: ↑Tue Aug 10, 2021 4:29 pm Great photos! 4th from the left (with a black & white dog ) is my friend Annabelle, small world!!

Wow, that is a small world. My little lad (with my better half and one of our other little lads) is second from left. Was really nice to meet the rest of the litter and their owners. Lots of lovely dogs....