A winters Welsh 200
Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:25 pm
Enjoyed the first winter weekend of the season. And yes I know it's not officially winter yet but tell that to marks feet!
I sneaked out of work early on Friday afternoon and peddled my way to Bakewell. Or is that pedaled? To be clear I rode a bike there. I didn't sell pegs, tea-towels or other chattels on the way!
It was a familiar route but with added rain and headwind. I could feel the character building with each pedal stroke...
I met up with Mark and we headed over, damply in my case, to welshest Wales to overnight at BBT. Woken up to blue skies and the fresh views left by the first of 'Mr Whites' visits of this winter. Setting off at a steady 'just before nine on Saturday' we trundled over the hill and down to Machynllth to buy eat and buy pies. Including a cheeky steak one from the butchers while waiting for the deli to open. Slow cooked pork and sweet chilli may sound controversial to a wiganer but my god it was incredible. More items found passage in Jersey pockets for later use.
Following a lesser spotted C2C route we headed end south eventually landing at nant yr Aran cafe for spiced lamb sausage in a crusty cob and eggs and beans on toast. Just in time for snow. It was short lived but we got pretty chilled on the quick road decent of the A44.
More forest passed us by and nightfall brought us to the teifi inn at ffair-rhos. The landlord was behind the bar drink shorts and smoking! It was just after six...
Two pints of good bitter ordered and as no menus or blackboards are in sight I ask if they do food. 'Yes, what do you want' is the just about friendly reply. 'What do you have' is my reasonable reply. A big pot of Cawl remains from yesterday and we are offered several bowlfuls with bread and cheese. The cost is £4 each, a fair cry from the £15 burger I had at the last visit during the BB200 in 2013.
A few more dark and cold sees us on the forest track above moel prysgau the quietest bothy in Wales. My highly accurate gpx track carefully made on Google Earth at full zoom does lead us right to the front door. But the lack of contours on the source material means a full on enduro-bro decent down a 45 degree bank that steepens towards the bottom. Or maybe we pushed...
As the bothy came in sight I smell a fire is on. Inside are 6 venture scouts and a bothy enthusiast from Oxford. It's 9 pm and pushing 30c in the snug. Lovely
not so quiet though
A bit of chatter. A bit of hip flask. Socks, shoes and leg warmers safe distance from the fire and we head to the other room to kip.
Up nice and early to the sound of heavy rain. Still dark. Fortunately for us the rain eases off pretty much as we head out the door before 7. A very steep ascent of the last night bank brings us back to the forest road. Still dark but light in the sky now. After an hours worth of forest tracks it's time for a second breakfast. Smoky duck pasty from the Mach deli is beautiful. Marks pizza slice looks good too. We are out of the valley now with blue sky above and wispy cloud below we ride a big loop of Llyn Brianne and turn east to the cafe at coed trwllm.
It's shut! The couple who it and the cottages turn up to feed the chickens. He is a lovely guy. Interested in where we've been and what we're doing. Telling us what's been going on locally. The lady is not like him. Grumpy. Frowns. Just bad vibes man. A memory comes to me of being served, by her on my only other visit in BB2013. It seemed like a hassle for her to grudgingly make me some tea and a bowl of soup then. Not very welcoming. The man tells us the cafe won't be opening again. Losing too much money. Not enough people coming back he says. Hmmm. Wonder if there's a connection there...
There is a tap at the back by the end of the veranda if you are passing though. We fill up. Eat some chocolate and head up the hill towards Elan via the moorland crossing of carnau. Despite the rain it's surprisingly rideable and over sooner than I thought.
A right turn to the spar at Rhayader for more food and some back roads to the forest adjoining BBT sees us back there after dark. We even found the bridge and avoided the ford.
210k/5000m, snow, pies, a bothy and whiskey. Good times.
There's a few quick snaps here - m.flickr.com/#/photos/ian_fitz
I sneaked out of work early on Friday afternoon and peddled my way to Bakewell. Or is that pedaled? To be clear I rode a bike there. I didn't sell pegs, tea-towels or other chattels on the way!
It was a familiar route but with added rain and headwind. I could feel the character building with each pedal stroke...
I met up with Mark and we headed over, damply in my case, to welshest Wales to overnight at BBT. Woken up to blue skies and the fresh views left by the first of 'Mr Whites' visits of this winter. Setting off at a steady 'just before nine on Saturday' we trundled over the hill and down to Machynllth to buy eat and buy pies. Including a cheeky steak one from the butchers while waiting for the deli to open. Slow cooked pork and sweet chilli may sound controversial to a wiganer but my god it was incredible. More items found passage in Jersey pockets for later use.
Following a lesser spotted C2C route we headed end south eventually landing at nant yr Aran cafe for spiced lamb sausage in a crusty cob and eggs and beans on toast. Just in time for snow. It was short lived but we got pretty chilled on the quick road decent of the A44.
More forest passed us by and nightfall brought us to the teifi inn at ffair-rhos. The landlord was behind the bar drink shorts and smoking! It was just after six...
Two pints of good bitter ordered and as no menus or blackboards are in sight I ask if they do food. 'Yes, what do you want' is the just about friendly reply. 'What do you have' is my reasonable reply. A big pot of Cawl remains from yesterday and we are offered several bowlfuls with bread and cheese. The cost is £4 each, a fair cry from the £15 burger I had at the last visit during the BB200 in 2013.
A few more dark and cold sees us on the forest track above moel prysgau the quietest bothy in Wales. My highly accurate gpx track carefully made on Google Earth at full zoom does lead us right to the front door. But the lack of contours on the source material means a full on enduro-bro decent down a 45 degree bank that steepens towards the bottom. Or maybe we pushed...
As the bothy came in sight I smell a fire is on. Inside are 6 venture scouts and a bothy enthusiast from Oxford. It's 9 pm and pushing 30c in the snug. Lovely
not so quiet thoughA bit of chatter. A bit of hip flask. Socks, shoes and leg warmers safe distance from the fire and we head to the other room to kip.
Up nice and early to the sound of heavy rain. Still dark. Fortunately for us the rain eases off pretty much as we head out the door before 7. A very steep ascent of the last night bank brings us back to the forest road. Still dark but light in the sky now. After an hours worth of forest tracks it's time for a second breakfast. Smoky duck pasty from the Mach deli is beautiful. Marks pizza slice looks good too. We are out of the valley now with blue sky above and wispy cloud below we ride a big loop of Llyn Brianne and turn east to the cafe at coed trwllm.
It's shut! The couple who it and the cottages turn up to feed the chickens. He is a lovely guy. Interested in where we've been and what we're doing. Telling us what's been going on locally. The lady is not like him. Grumpy. Frowns. Just bad vibes man. A memory comes to me of being served, by her on my only other visit in BB2013. It seemed like a hassle for her to grudgingly make me some tea and a bowl of soup then. Not very welcoming. The man tells us the cafe won't be opening again. Losing too much money. Not enough people coming back he says. Hmmm. Wonder if there's a connection there...
There is a tap at the back by the end of the veranda if you are passing though. We fill up. Eat some chocolate and head up the hill towards Elan via the moorland crossing of carnau. Despite the rain it's surprisingly rideable and over sooner than I thought.
A right turn to the spar at Rhayader for more food and some back roads to the forest adjoining BBT sees us back there after dark. We even found the bridge and avoided the ford.
210k/5000m, snow, pies, a bothy and whiskey. Good times.
There's a few quick snaps here - m.flickr.com/#/photos/ian_fitz
