After so many tours sleeping in bunk beds it was decided that our ageing bones needed to be treated with a little more respect. Consequently Trevor and Sue scoured the internet for a 'large cottage' in a 'cycling region'. The only suitable one size-wise at a reasonable price happened to be at the south-east of the Brecon Beacon's National Park and when they offered us 7 nights for the price of 5 it became a 'no- brainer'! This lovely looking cottage which could accommodate up to 20 persons would be comfortable for, say 15. I must admit that at first sight I thought that be being situated at the edge of the coalfield and only just outside the boundary of 'Industrial South Wales' we would need to either cycle north into the Carmarthenshire Vanns and the Brecon Beacons on main roads or make every ride car-assisted. However, and it's a big however Trev managed to find us via Ordnance Survey and
Plotaroute four excellent rides partly within the old industrial area. Also of course it is almost two hundred years since the region's industrial heyday, and with the help of Sustrans and nature the scenery had become attractive once more. Furthermore the routes were certainly challenging enough for the majority and were extremely interesting. We also planned two carefully spaced days of walking to give our rears a chance to heal. We all arrived safely at Pen-yr-Heol around 4pm on Saturday although Neil, Karla and Bonnie arrived a little later. Trevor had carefully allocated rooms whilst Sue was busy with housekeeping duties. Thus we had ample time to acclimatize and be ready for our evening meal at The Aubrey Arms in nearby Ystradgynlais (3 miles).
This was an excellent idea and made a perfect start to our holiday.
Sunday
This was our first ride of the 'Tour' and was not only from the cottage but we didn't even drop down to the village but stayed amongst the lanes and tracks as far as the Aman Valley where we picked up a delightful Sustrans route through to our first coffee stop at Ammanford. After a relatively easy morning we had a long hard climb up to an interfluvial moorland with extensive views before plunging down to a nice pub by the lower Clydach river. The
journey back along the disused Swansea canal was very interesting and we were soon climbing up past the Golf Course to our cottage once more.
Monday
Our first car assisted ride began at a free car park in the village of Defynnog just south of Sennybridge. the route through the myriad of traffic -free lanes gave us wonderful views of the Brecon Beacons until we met the Monmouth and Brecon Canal and enjoyed chatting with tourists as they negotiated the many locks. We lunched at the canal basin right in the heart of Brecon at one of the many 'watering holes'. The return journey to our vehicles was quite thrilling as the thunder clouds gathered menacingly over the hills to the south but we upped our pace as we continued through the lanes along the edge of the national park boundary as far as Sennybridge where we sheltered in the pub for an hour. We survived the threatened rain apart from some drizzle as we approached the car park. Our BBQ was delayed for a day!
Tuesday
This was a scheduled 'walking day' around Rhossili Downs and also to allow Karla and Kelly to use their paddle boards. Although we missed the opportunity to walk the causeway to Worms Head due to false tide information Trev had planned an excellent 5 mile walk with magnificent coastal scenery and from the higher points inland views of the Gower Peninsula as well as out to sea. After a quick pint at the busy pub we all descended to the long
beach to join the girls to assist them with their boards etc. but the sea was so warm and inviting that we ended up bathing or, at least, paddling! A wonderful day which was only marginally spoiled by hitting rush-hour traffic on the return journey. The BBQ was very successful and half-way through a rousing cheer rang out with the safe arrival of Graham John who had sadly been on funeral duties.
Wednesday
Another ride from our cottage took us down to Ystradgynlais and then along tracks and lanes which followed the
national park via a couple of steep hills to the celebrated Hendrhyd Falls where we unanimously decided to have our first caffeine break. Some of us took the opportunity to walk down and view the falls but were slightly disappointed by the mere trickle from the usually swollen Nant Llech Pellaf! However, the exercise proved useful and, when assembled, we set off through the lanes to join the Neath Canal and followed it's tow-path. We did have to ride on a short section of main road but at least we were treated to a real coal mine in full view. We were soon back on unclassified roads which lead us pleasantly back to the Ynys-Cedwyn Arms by the Tawe River near Ystradgynlais. We sat in the garden where we heard the joyous shouts of the adjacent bathers! The refreshments certainly helped with the arduous climb back up to the cottage. An excellent circuit.
Thursday
Our last car-assisted ride and final ride of the holiday was from small car-park from the northern suburbs of Merthyr Tydfil. Substantial roadworks in this part of South Wales made progress difficult at the start but Trev soon had us pedaling up towards the first of our 3 reservoirs at Pontsticill. After the second we climbed steeply up to reach the edge the Brecon Beacons before taking an off-road route along the southern side of Talybont Reservoir
passing a naval outdoor training centre and leading us to our lunch stop at Talybont-on-Usk. We were just in time to witness the lifting of the bridge to allow a party of young canoeists to pass under the road!
Unusually for this day and age we witnessed two punctures which hindered our otherwise rapid
progress along the 'B' road which closely followed the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. When we reached Llangynidr we knew we were in for a climb but I for one had not realised just how much! We actually climbed 400 metres in just over 3 miles.
Neil informed us later that it was officially one of Britain's top 100 climbs! the descent was only about 120 metres as we followed a 'Sustrans' route back to our vehicles which, essentially, by a clever mixture of small roads and tracks skirted the busy 'Heads of the Valleys 'Road. Well done Trev for unearthing it! A tough and exhilarating ride of just under 40 miles.
Friday
Our last full day was, fittingly, a walk up Pen-y-fan being the highest point in the Brecon Beacons at 886 metres. With the two Grahams opting to cycle (they chose Monday's ride in reverse) and Bonnie's sister, Fran, choosing to join us, 10 of us set off from the National Trust Car-park up the designated path. we were accompanied by a host of others including a large group of young school children who were, apparently, helping a less fortunate
classmate. In the heat of mid-day progress was fairly slow and 10 of us ate our packed-lunch on the eastern edge of the summit looking over the reservoirs of the previous days' ride and the more distant Black Mountains. Interestingly, we were constantly being bothered by huge flies which we thought were the dreaded horse flies! (see accomp. photos).
While having our sandwiches we where treated to an aerial display by a "Red Kite", what a beautiful sight. The journey down was fairly uneventful apart from meeting Sue and Fran, who was recovering from Achilles tendon surgery, just below the summit and Larry running alongside the second of two runners out training for a forthcoming event. We dipped our feet in the stream whilst we waited for everyone to return and then set off to find a pub. At the second attempt we alighted upon the 'Ancient Briton', a pleasant looking hostelry with outside burger bar and campsite. After enjoying some decent ale Trev wondered whether it might serve us better than Saturday's pub in Ystradgynlais - so after sampling the menu and discovering that they could fit us in at 7pm the 'last supper' was to be at the 'AB' since we had to drive anyway! There was just enough time a short kip and a bit of packing(or both) and at 7.15 Trev was tapping his fingers. It proved to be an excellent choice with everyone enjoying their meal and a nice way to finish such a good week away.
It was a good week and I should like to thank Trevor and Sue for finding such suitable accommodation and the former for plotting such good routes. I should also like to thank Neil personally for driving my friends and I around during the week. Karla and Neil have now accompanied us on four consecutive trips which I hope you feel they have enhanced them. Likewise, I would think that Trev and Sue would wish the same for their daughter, Kelly, who was a credit to them with pleasantness and good humour. finally, it was nice that Fran was able to aid her recovery amongst good company and also catch-up with Bonnie. Trev and Sue worked tirelessly on Saturday morning to ensure that the place was left spotless and I hope it was appreciated by the owner.
David Newman
Attendees: Trevor & Sue B, Dave & Niccy, Andy P, Graham B, Larry, Mike, Bonny, Karla & Neil, Jean & John Harris, Graham Kirkley ( Winkie) , John Durham + 2 Dogs Bueno & Tango
Arrival
Half of the group arrived at this "microcosm of Old England" just after mid-day on Sunday. Although well acquainted with the Google Earth image and maps of the site it was quite a shock when we turned off the High Street and headed steeply upwards and upwards until we encountered the Cumulus site and bungalow. We were clearly situated on the edge of the limestone plateau and even the walk from the car park felt healthy! The bungalow itself was a little cramped for such a large group but the facilities were adequate for our needs. The view to the north was stunning with Ballard and Nine Barrow Downs looking magnificent in the sunshine.
Five of us planned to take part in a short afternoon ride but unfortunately John H had difficulty sorting out his revolving parts, so it was just Trev, Larry and I who set off towards the afore mentioned ridges. Although incredibly dry, following the drought the lanes were very pretty and undulating. We were in fact running parallel to the chalk downs until we reached the eastern ramparts of Corfe Castle. From here we followed the Heritage railway line and crossed it near it's terminus at Norden, which boasts an interesting mining museum visited later in the week by Mike, Graham K and Niccy. We now entered the distinctive heathlands which dominate the landscape between the high ridge and Poole Harbour. We were soon cycling on rideable tracks (NCR 2) heading in an arc towards Studland Bay and getting frequent glimpses of Poole and Sandbanks. This route proved popular as we met a number of cyclists with similar ideas. When we finally joined the ferry road to encounter the fire damage heathland of yesterday widely reported on the news, with fire engine in attendance still damping down, then we headed south towards Studland- but not before showing Larry that great expanse of brackish water known as Little Sea. Trev found us a nice pub (Banks Arms) with views across Bournemouth Bay to the Isle of Wight where we shared an outside table with a pleasant young cyclist from Lymington and passed a convivial half an hour discussing cycling and sailing.
After refreshment we headed out towards the Foreland on a very popular bridle path. We paused to admire the view of Old harry Rocks the Isle of Wight etc.and almost left Larry behind as he became fascinated with a young man who was flying a drone. The path towards Ballard point was quite easy whereas the decent from the ridge was far from it, a small navigational error. I think the three of us received a number of cuts and grazes mainly from the gorse. I at one point decide to fall over rolling down the hill, much to Trev & Larry`s amusement Once we reached Whitecliff Farm the return was easy. Back at the bungalow Graham B and Andy were well ensconced but Neil, Karla and Winkie (Graham K) were still very much on the road. Mike was next to arrive so there was only Bonny still to be accounted for. Half the group went down to the nearby Black Swan to suss out the food situation, but Niccy and I waited for the others. Some of the remainder wandered down later and although too late for food enjoyed a jolly introduction to our little holiday.
Day 2
Most of the group woke early as was to be expected after a night in bunk beds. After a little reorganization of the kitchen/classroom it soon became an animated hub with various cooking smells permeating the building. Mike, myself and my family were usually the last to be ready, but Trevor managed to get us all moving by 9.30 rather than 10 o'clock.
Well, thirteen of us set off on bikes (Graham K, Niccy and Tango walking to Ballard Down) along the main road west before making the long steady climb on the B road through Langton Matravers to the Purbeck stone-built village of Kingston- no sign of Jerry the builder here! and then out on a beautiful lane to the car park for the local ramblers. Trevor moved Bueno & the dog trailer to his bike from Sues for the next bit of rough stuff. Here we followed a roughish track along the ridge to the stunning viewpoint above Swyre Head where we turned 90 degrees to follow another ridge down to the road near Kimmeridge. The final descent was quite challenging in fact, technical, with the result a number of us walked. The euphoria - for some of us - of being back on tarmac was soon forgotten as we climbed up onto the high chalk ridge. When we finally assembled at the top coffee was being talked of so Trev led us speedily to a really nice pub just to the north of West Lulworth where we had a nice lunch. Owing to the proximity of the firing range there is only one road into the scenic honeypot, but Trev felt that Lulworth cove was worth a visit and anyway not everyone had visited before. After viewing and taking photos we retraced our steps and were soon cycling through quiet lanes on the clays and sands which lie to the north of the dominant ridge. This tract of land afforded us an hour of very pleasant and undemanding cycling until we arrived at what seemed like magic, at the pretty village of East Creech & a nice cafe. After being full of cake- the Dorset apple cake was to die for- we suddenly had to climb back onto the ridge of the Purbeck Hills and this time followed a lovely track over Knowle Hill with great views to the east. The descent this time was much easier, and we were soon riding along a lane with yet another view of Corfe Castle. We skirted the village and returned to Swanage on the pretty but challenging route which runs along the southern edge of Nine Barrow Down. We seemed to be quite strung out along this section due mainly to electrical assistance and of course, Trev and Bonny! The last two and a half miles into Swanage were quite easy by comparison, and we were soon climbing the hill back to the bungalow, with 36 miles on the clock. It would have been quite nice for us all to have had a meal together in a local pub or restaurant, but Swanage was absolutely packed with holiday makers, and it was difficult to get a booking for such a large group thus during the week we made separate arrangements which included fish'n'chips, pizza, ready meals from the local Coop and Spar shop and even Chinese with a few healthier options thrown in!
Day 3
With Mike, Winkie and Niccy going off to explore the history of Corfe castle on the heritage railway, and Karla and Neil up Ballard with Tango (their dog), there were 10 of us that belatedly set off past the station and the much-used Co-Op, towards Sandbanks ferry. What with the weather not looking too promising, and John H needing to wait for the cycle shop to open at 10 O'clock, for another problem with his bike, there didn't seem quite the rush to set off early. In fact, John's task wasn't straight forward and was referred to a hardware shop to fix his problem - so him, and Jean played catch up for the rest of the day. Eight of us were admitted on to the Sandbanks ferry by a rather grumpy loader who, apparently, had been under a considerable amount of stress. We alighted the other side the best of friends, but it involved considerable diplomacy! Sandbanks was amazing, with the country's most expensive real estate and Lilliput, a little further along the harbour was almost as exclusive. Our coffee/lunch stop was proposed at Poole Quay where Trevor knew a good watering hole from way back. Unfortunately, it had now been taken over by a chain and the service was poor with a long wait. However, we had plenty of time to watch the world go by, with the hustle & bustle of Poole Quay. There was still no definite word of John and Jean, but we guessed that they weren't too far away. We crossed the Poole lifting bridge towards Hamworthy, and followed a number of cycle route paths past Trevor and Sue's married quarters when he was first posted to Royal Marines Poole. Eventually, emerging from the edge of Poole to the village of Lytchett Minster. From here, we followed the main Wareham Road by means of a cycle path which was ok, but caused us difficulty at the frequent roundabouts. Trevor remarked on how much the traffic had increased since he lived there and was so pleased that he decided not to return. Eventually, we managed to arrive in Wareham unscathed and found a very nice pub and cafe alongside the river. On bikes again Trevor managed to find us a pleasant route across Stoborough and Middlebeare Heaths which avoided the main road to Corfe. Having seen the serious amount of traffic entering and departing this popular village we decided to take the B2351 ferry road and it turned out to be much easier than Monday's route. Once the fairly gentle incline had been negotiated it was plain sailing with great views over Poole Harbour and beyond to boot. The descent through Ulwell was exhilarating and we were soon in touch with the hordes of visitors.
Day 4
Owing to Purbeck being relatively small (approx. 15x8 miles) we felt it necessary to include one car assisted ride. We decided to park by the now closed Milton Arms at Winterbourne White Church. This key-hole shaped loop ride takes in the quiet lanes with a number or views and the attractive small town of Sturminster Newton. A little earlier in the week, Wednesday was thought to be the worst day, weather wise, with the possibility of thunder and lightning. We arrived at the start at about 10.30 and set off up the fairly gentle climb up to the ridge above Milton Abbas. The village itself with its long row of thatched cottages looked splendid, (built by one man to accommodate the estate workers) despite the recent drought and bin collection day. The view back across the village via the abbey was even more stunning and we all stopped to take photos. We continued on through Hilton and Ansty Cross up to Dorset's highest point of Bulbarrow Hill where we caught sight of the hill fort and the distant hills around Cerne Abbas (the Long Man) From here there was an excellent mile and a half of ridge riding with amazing views across the spectacular Blackmoor Vale and then the sudden plunge onto the lowlands. The transition from chalk to clay was evident by the distinctive composition of the buildings (chalk with flints giving way to sandstone, brick and thatch) We were soon entering the town of Sturminster Newton, and I began to search for a suitable lunch stop. John and Larry dived into one cafe, Trev and I searched for something off the main street. In the end Karla, Neil, Andy, Mike and I settled for the "Stur of the Moment" cafe which I belatedly realised I had visited before where as Trev and the rest found "Poets Corner" a Turkish cafe off the main street. Bonny pointed out it was probably good to share our custom throughout the small town and we probably didn't have to wait too long to be served.
After lunch we set off north- east through Manaton on a rare B road until turning south back into the lanes through Fontmell Parva, Child Okeford, Shillingstone and Okeford Fitzpaine before our last and toughest climb up to the fire beacon at the top of Okeford Hill. Next it was the long gentle descent through the Winterbournes- Stickland, Clenston and back to Whitechurch and our cars. I felt that it was a successful ride with good weather and lanes and only a few spots of rain as we mounted our bikes on cars. It was a shame not to have been able to have a drink at what looked like a nice pub. I only wish I had thought about a pint three miles back up the road at W-Stickland. Twenty- nine miles on the clock.
However, for Winkie, Tango and Niccy it was an entirely different story. Whilst walking back from Worth Matravers via the coast in the vicinity of Dancing Ledge the heavens opened accompanied by thunder and lightning and the three of them arrived back absolutely soaked to the skin!
Day 5
Sue, Graham B and Andy decided to take a day off from cycling and accompanied by Bueno headed off towards Ballard Down and the much talked about Old Harry Rocks with a view to continuing on to the pub at Studland and then catching the bus back to Swanage. Meanwhile, Winkie, Niccy and Tango went off in the opposite direction to Anvil Point and then round by Durlston Head.
Ten of cyclists set off from Cumulus at 9.30 and took the usual route eastwards via Langton Matravers and Kingston to Corfe. Here Karla and Neil set off left to do some off-road riding on their new gravel bikes. Mike agreed not to complete the whole ride but was not willing to give in just yet - in fact he didn't leave us until East Lulworth and managed 40 miles! on his own little tour. We had a really good ride out through Church Knowle and up over the Purbeck Hills. We were unfortunately delayed because we helped a rather under-prepared fellow cyclist mend a tricky pinch puncture.However it did give us an opportunity to take in the views over Kimmeridge and Worbarrow Bays with the Isle of Portland in the distance. The wooded lanes through the grounds of Lulworth Castle were particularly attractive and even the "B" road from Coombe Keynes to Wool was faily quiet. From here the route followed the railway along the valley of the River Frome to our coffee/lunch stop at Moreton. Well, it doesn't get much better than this! Situated within a sculpture garden containing an array of trees and shrubs we took our refreshments in the shade overlooking the hostas. Moreton is a typical estate village serving the nearby house and judging by the volume of visitors must be very popular. After our lunch we continued through the gardens and across a foot bridgewhich spanned a wide and shallow section of the river. This is in fact a ford but was too deep for even Trevor and Bonny to attempt! The route continued as a rough track known as Moreton Drive with the odd plantation interspersed with poorly drained heathland being unsuitable for any type of agriculture.Our next stop and the mid-point of the ride was Lawrence of Arabia's cottage at Cloud's Hill. Four of us entered the NT property and listened to the short lecture which we found interesting, Bonny, John D, and Trevor waited patiently for us and discovered something of the ownership of this rather sombre Hardyesque landscape.
The journey back to Wool was interesting as it passed a Tank Training Area, then through the camp with a little off road to relieve the boredom of Bovington Camp. From Wool we passed the remains of a Cistercian Abbey(1172) before entering the, by now, familiar heathland lying between the ever widening River Frome and military land. As the route turned due south, we realized that we were retracing part of Mondays ride and we faced a fairly strong SW wind. East Creech again was a sudden surprise although on this occasion the cafe was much busier.
Onwards, instead of the track along the ridge were turned to Corfe Castle via the village of Church Knowle and as before returned to Swanage by the ferry road and Ulwell. I think that the general consensus was that this was probably the pick of the rides although that is not to demean the others. When we arrived back, we learned that the Sue party excursion had gone to plan and that Karla and Niccy had managed a swim, photographic evidence provided by Mike! The evening went quite quickly with the majority of the group using up food in the fridges or having a ready meal. Karla and Neil set off at about 6 o'clock to break their journey to the depths of Cornwall whilst John D decided to set off an hour later. Bonny went for her usual rural ramble and the rest chatted and packed. I don't think we were too late to bed that night!
Last Day
We were all up fairly early and the bungalow was spick and span by 9.30, Trevor introduced me to the lady in the office with whom I had spoken with on many occasions. Jean and John left first followed by Myself, Niccy, Winkie and the rest decided to walk around the headlands from the country park having a final coffee at the Globe.
All in all, we felt it had been a fabulous successful annual Tour.
David
