Lon Las (Sustrans) Ride 2017
May 26th-29th 2017
235 mile ride
Day 1 - Holyhead to Menai Bridge
31 miles, 1,400ft climbing
Hot! We caught the train to Holyhead and what a sweltering journey that was. The cycling itself started very soon after working out which way to exit the station from, and it was so nice to be riding along in the breeze. Very soon we were over the bridge and onto what I would call "mainland Anglesey". The scenery was a very pleasantly undulating field and cow combination, and my legs were finally coming out of hibernation.
After Bethel we reached a very straight river, which carried us along a pleasingly flat and traffic free path to the A5. Unfortunately I was enjoying it so much I accidentally led us astray, a detour that took us into Llangefi and along a nice but hilly B-road towards the Menai Bridge.
Crossing the bridge I admired the sun reflecting off the water, and the engineering behind the cable-stayed structure. I was also keenly aware of my saddle, and the fact we were just a mile away from our campsite at Treborth Leisure, so we pushed on (and up), making it with good light and finding a great pitch under a huge tree. Dinner was a filling combination of couscous and quorn, followed by a pleasant, quiet sunset over the trees.
Day 2 - Menai Bridge to Machynlleth
85 miles, 5,850ft climbing
Waking up I noticed it looked like rain, so we quickly packed up the tent. Not fast enough, it was soon raining more heavily and we finished packing under the relative safety of the sink block roof. I set off fully-waterproof which very quickly turned out to be a mistake. Turns out walking waterproof trousers are not bike suitable! However, the rain was letting up, so I whipped both waterproofs off and felt loads better.
The beginning of the route felt very downhill - we hit the coast at a marina in Y Felinheli, and followed it along all the way around to Caernarfon. It was warm and not too breezy, which were good conditions for riding. From Caernarfon and the first of many castles, it was gradually up to Pant Glas on a stunning track, from which the scenery looked more distinctly "Welsh". The mountains and sheep accompanied us to Criccieth, where we got a brief glimpse of the sea before climbing up towards Golan.
Here starts what I call "the bit with the diversions". The route here loosely followed an A-road's route - keeping off it by utilising the very steep bank behind it. The first of these "options" we avoided (noting the "20%" sign at the bottom...), but the A-road was busy so we took all the others. In doing this we introduced ourselves to a lot of climbing! My calves were screaming by the time I got to Porthmadog, so I was pleased to get onto the flat bridge over the river. This was familiar from a drive in the opposite direction earlier this year, as was the next stretch towards Harlech, which we we had walked in February.
At Harlech, the route took us off the main road and up towards the castle, offering up a great view over the duned beach and nearby flat fields. We gradually lost height to some excellent coastal scenery, ending up back on the main road and in quite a headwind! This had picked up suddenly, and combined with a quick shower, wasn't overly pleasant. When we reached Barmouth we were so pleased to get off the road, although the wind was still roaring along the promenade. Desperate for lunch however, we paused here to admire the beach and groynes and catch up on some food!
Further along the promenade, it turned out that Barmouth was actually a rather bustling place, with a bit of a traffic problem. Fortunately for us on bikes, this wasn't really an issue, so we made our way through the town and out onto the bridge over the River Mawddach. The bridge itself was a footbridge adjacent to a rail bridge, with the surface of the footbridge section reminding me greatly of the slatted wooden decks often used on piers. Incredibly uncomfortable to cycle on, but hugely scenic, my overall memory of this stretch is good. The bridge was also followed by ten miles of flat trail along the river estuary, which was extremely enjoyable.
The flat ended in a rather sudden fashion at a toll bridge in Dolgellau. Here we left the trail and followed a road up to the village of Tabor. The three miles of climbing this consisted off were gut-busting (especially at the end of a hard day), but doable. Tabor offered a little respite before crossing the A487 and reaching the foot of the final notable climb for the day. This was a little "wilder", with a narrow road surface, close mists and rain, and a steeper characteristic. Having persevered through the previous climb I'll admit I was now fairly spent, and did have to walk a few mini 15% sections!
The top was welcome as ever, but chilly so we soon began the descent, which was unbroken to Abenfenni - quite a strain on the hands to hold the brake levers in. From here the road undulated through a forest for seven miles to Pont-ar-ddyfi. At the bridge, we diverged from the route to cover the two miles to the campsite, which felt endless, especially as time was tight to make a much-needed dinner booking at the local pub. However, a slow chug up the hill and we had made it to camp! We quickly pitched (very close to the facilities) and popped back on the bikes (without cycling shorts - ouch!!) to head to The Riverside Hotel at Pennal for what turned out to be a very delicious meal.
Day 3 - Machynlleth to Hay-on-Wye
76 miles, 6,500 ft climbing
We left Gwerniago campsite a little later than planned - overnight my bike seemed to have lost a bar end and more critically a screw that held the pannier rack on, so I had to steal one from my bottle cage to do the job! It had probably worked loose yesterday but was certainly something that needed replacement. This, along with a slow puncture (not mine!) marked the start of "the day with bike issues"...
Leaving Machynlleth we knew we were on for a big climb, but what a great one it turned out to be! Perfect warm weather, little wind and an empty, smooth and wide road made it a treat to ride (all things relative, it was a bloody long climb after all) and the views were stunning, seemingly more so after yesterday's mist. The descent through beautiful country lanes took us near the sources of the Severn and Wye. We then followed the Severn to Llanidloes, before cutting across to the Wye, meeting it at Llangurig.
The downhill trend meant we were making good time, so after bypassing Rhayader we stopped at a shop for some food (whilst avoiding a potentially wet and muddy Sustrans "option") before finding a meadow-y field and taking a long and well-earned lunch break. With just 25 miles to go, we were well ahead of yesterday's timings, despite the late start.
We were rewarded for this long break, after reluctantly continuing on, with my gear cable suddenly snapping! The cable in question was for my rear derailleur, and hence posed quite a problem. Whilst I could possibly make it through on just little cog at the front, it was optimistic to assume that I could continue on little cog at the back (which was where my derailleur seemed to naturally sit!). To try to alleviate the problem, we took the cable out of its casing and tied it off with tension, intending to force the derailleur to keep the chain on a more reasonable (bigger) ring. Whilst this helped temporarily, every small undulation I attempted seemed to lose me a gear, so this wasn't to be a permanent solution.
Time was not on our side, as it was now after 5pm on a Bank Holiday Sunday. With my legs now rapidly tiring from the exhausting effort of climbing in a big gear, and not being able to utilise downhill momentum, we pushed on to Builth Wells. Here, we accosted the first group of cyclists we saw in hope of a spare gear cable (who carries one though?), but unfortunately they did not have one. They were, however, participating in a sportive, and suggested we might ride to the end to see if anyone there could help. This we quickly did, and I saw a man carrying a tool box around the car park. He fortunately took pity on my situation, and after a fair amount of fumbling I had a new (old) gear cable - hurrah!
Relief palpable, but aware we still had just under 20 miles or so to cover, we went back to Buith Wells to find our route, and onwards towards Hay-on-Wye! Thankfully, aside from an astounding number of unnecessary gates (a common theme for the trip actually), this was a friendly end to the day, with flat and fast sections broken only by small undulations and a light headwind. We reached our campsite - Seren Bac - in surprisingly good time, and enjoyed our meal of couscous and peperami, with views over the extremely flat-bottomed valley. A long day's cycling and a peaceful pitch meant sleep came extremely quickly that night too.
Day 4 - Hay-on-Wye to Chepstow
53 miles, 4,400 ft climbing
Today started with the infamous Gospel Pass, which started immediately as we left Hay-on-Wye, with an ominous sign saying "narrow mountain road". Through the first three miles of this eight mile climb, the mists, atmosphere and gradient all built. Glad to have actual gears, I spun (as much as is possible with all that weight!) my way up through the country lanes and onto the mountain. Halfway up there was a very steep kicker (15%) which had me traversing the narrow and gravelly road, before we came over a cattle grid and out onto wilder, flatter land. Although still climbing consistently, this felt much easier to overcome, and with the audience of sheep and a few horses (including a very young foal) I pushed on through the mist and to the summit.
Needless to say, with the mist, the view wasn't great, but I was so pleased to have made it to the top and looking forward to an even longer descent. This turned out to be a fairly muddy and gravelly affair. When it opened out a bit we found ourselves in a plush green valley, which was certainly enjoyable, especially as the general theme of the moment still seemed to be down!
235 mile ride
Day 1 - Holyhead to Menai Bridge
31 miles, 1,400ft climbing
Hot! We caught the train to Holyhead and what a sweltering journey that was. The cycling itself started very soon after working out which way to exit the station from, and it was so nice to be riding along in the breeze. Very soon we were over the bridge and onto what I would call "mainland Anglesey". The scenery was a very pleasantly undulating field and cow combination, and my legs were finally coming out of hibernation.
After Bethel we reached a very straight river, which carried us along a pleasingly flat and traffic free path to the A5. Unfortunately I was enjoying it so much I accidentally led us astray, a detour that took us into Llangefi and along a nice but hilly B-road towards the Menai Bridge.
Crossing the bridge I admired the sun reflecting off the water, and the engineering behind the cable-stayed structure. I was also keenly aware of my saddle, and the fact we were just a mile away from our campsite at Treborth Leisure, so we pushed on (and up), making it with good light and finding a great pitch under a huge tree. Dinner was a filling combination of couscous and quorn, followed by a pleasant, quiet sunset over the trees.
Day 2 - Menai Bridge to Machynlleth
85 miles, 5,850ft climbing
Waking up I noticed it looked like rain, so we quickly packed up the tent. Not fast enough, it was soon raining more heavily and we finished packing under the relative safety of the sink block roof. I set off fully-waterproof which very quickly turned out to be a mistake. Turns out walking waterproof trousers are not bike suitable! However, the rain was letting up, so I whipped both waterproofs off and felt loads better.
The beginning of the route felt very downhill - we hit the coast at a marina in Y Felinheli, and followed it along all the way around to Caernarfon. It was warm and not too breezy, which were good conditions for riding. From Caernarfon and the first of many castles, it was gradually up to Pant Glas on a stunning track, from which the scenery looked more distinctly "Welsh". The mountains and sheep accompanied us to Criccieth, where we got a brief glimpse of the sea before climbing up towards Golan.
Here starts what I call "the bit with the diversions". The route here loosely followed an A-road's route - keeping off it by utilising the very steep bank behind it. The first of these "options" we avoided (noting the "20%" sign at the bottom...), but the A-road was busy so we took all the others. In doing this we introduced ourselves to a lot of climbing! My calves were screaming by the time I got to Porthmadog, so I was pleased to get onto the flat bridge over the river. This was familiar from a drive in the opposite direction earlier this year, as was the next stretch towards Harlech, which we we had walked in February.
At Harlech, the route took us off the main road and up towards the castle, offering up a great view over the duned beach and nearby flat fields. We gradually lost height to some excellent coastal scenery, ending up back on the main road and in quite a headwind! This had picked up suddenly, and combined with a quick shower, wasn't overly pleasant. When we reached Barmouth we were so pleased to get off the road, although the wind was still roaring along the promenade. Desperate for lunch however, we paused here to admire the beach and groynes and catch up on some food!
Further along the promenade, it turned out that Barmouth was actually a rather bustling place, with a bit of a traffic problem. Fortunately for us on bikes, this wasn't really an issue, so we made our way through the town and out onto the bridge over the River Mawddach. The bridge itself was a footbridge adjacent to a rail bridge, with the surface of the footbridge section reminding me greatly of the slatted wooden decks often used on piers. Incredibly uncomfortable to cycle on, but hugely scenic, my overall memory of this stretch is good. The bridge was also followed by ten miles of flat trail along the river estuary, which was extremely enjoyable.
The flat ended in a rather sudden fashion at a toll bridge in Dolgellau. Here we left the trail and followed a road up to the village of Tabor. The three miles of climbing this consisted off were gut-busting (especially at the end of a hard day), but doable. Tabor offered a little respite before crossing the A487 and reaching the foot of the final notable climb for the day. This was a little "wilder", with a narrow road surface, close mists and rain, and a steeper characteristic. Having persevered through the previous climb I'll admit I was now fairly spent, and did have to walk a few mini 15% sections!
The top was welcome as ever, but chilly so we soon began the descent, which was unbroken to Abenfenni - quite a strain on the hands to hold the brake levers in. From here the road undulated through a forest for seven miles to Pont-ar-ddyfi. At the bridge, we diverged from the route to cover the two miles to the campsite, which felt endless, especially as time was tight to make a much-needed dinner booking at the local pub. However, a slow chug up the hill and we had made it to camp! We quickly pitched (very close to the facilities) and popped back on the bikes (without cycling shorts - ouch!!) to head to The Riverside Hotel at Pennal for what turned out to be a very delicious meal.
Day 3 - Machynlleth to Hay-on-Wye
76 miles, 6,500 ft climbing
We left Gwerniago campsite a little later than planned - overnight my bike seemed to have lost a bar end and more critically a screw that held the pannier rack on, so I had to steal one from my bottle cage to do the job! It had probably worked loose yesterday but was certainly something that needed replacement. This, along with a slow puncture (not mine!) marked the start of "the day with bike issues"...
Leaving Machynlleth we knew we were on for a big climb, but what a great one it turned out to be! Perfect warm weather, little wind and an empty, smooth and wide road made it a treat to ride (all things relative, it was a bloody long climb after all) and the views were stunning, seemingly more so after yesterday's mist. The descent through beautiful country lanes took us near the sources of the Severn and Wye. We then followed the Severn to Llanidloes, before cutting across to the Wye, meeting it at Llangurig.
The downhill trend meant we were making good time, so after bypassing Rhayader we stopped at a shop for some food (whilst avoiding a potentially wet and muddy Sustrans "option") before finding a meadow-y field and taking a long and well-earned lunch break. With just 25 miles to go, we were well ahead of yesterday's timings, despite the late start.
We were rewarded for this long break, after reluctantly continuing on, with my gear cable suddenly snapping! The cable in question was for my rear derailleur, and hence posed quite a problem. Whilst I could possibly make it through on just little cog at the front, it was optimistic to assume that I could continue on little cog at the back (which was where my derailleur seemed to naturally sit!). To try to alleviate the problem, we took the cable out of its casing and tied it off with tension, intending to force the derailleur to keep the chain on a more reasonable (bigger) ring. Whilst this helped temporarily, every small undulation I attempted seemed to lose me a gear, so this wasn't to be a permanent solution.
Time was not on our side, as it was now after 5pm on a Bank Holiday Sunday. With my legs now rapidly tiring from the exhausting effort of climbing in a big gear, and not being able to utilise downhill momentum, we pushed on to Builth Wells. Here, we accosted the first group of cyclists we saw in hope of a spare gear cable (who carries one though?), but unfortunately they did not have one. They were, however, participating in a sportive, and suggested we might ride to the end to see if anyone there could help. This we quickly did, and I saw a man carrying a tool box around the car park. He fortunately took pity on my situation, and after a fair amount of fumbling I had a new (old) gear cable - hurrah!
Relief palpable, but aware we still had just under 20 miles or so to cover, we went back to Buith Wells to find our route, and onwards towards Hay-on-Wye! Thankfully, aside from an astounding number of unnecessary gates (a common theme for the trip actually), this was a friendly end to the day, with flat and fast sections broken only by small undulations and a light headwind. We reached our campsite - Seren Bac - in surprisingly good time, and enjoyed our meal of couscous and peperami, with views over the extremely flat-bottomed valley. A long day's cycling and a peaceful pitch meant sleep came extremely quickly that night too.
Day 4 - Hay-on-Wye to Chepstow
53 miles, 4,400 ft climbing
Today started with the infamous Gospel Pass, which started immediately as we left Hay-on-Wye, with an ominous sign saying "narrow mountain road". Through the first three miles of this eight mile climb, the mists, atmosphere and gradient all built. Glad to have actual gears, I spun (as much as is possible with all that weight!) my way up through the country lanes and onto the mountain. Halfway up there was a very steep kicker (15%) which had me traversing the narrow and gravelly road, before we came over a cattle grid and out onto wilder, flatter land. Although still climbing consistently, this felt much easier to overcome, and with the audience of sheep and a few horses (including a very young foal) I pushed on through the mist and to the summit.
Needless to say, with the mist, the view wasn't great, but I was so pleased to have made it to the top and looking forward to an even longer descent. This turned out to be a fairly muddy and gravelly affair. When it opened out a bit we found ourselves in a plush green valley, which was certainly enjoyable, especially as the general theme of the moment still seemed to be down!
We continued in this manner until reaching the town of Usk. The part of the town we saw looked pretty, and we made a very much needed supply shop stop as we were all out of snacks! Lots of other cyclists seemed to be utilising the routes through town, and indeed the wide, flat road following the river away from it.
A few more miles ticked over before large droplets of rain began to fall. Whether to jacket-on was a tricky decision as I knew there was an imminent climb, but I went for it anyway and in the end was very glad! I was less glad about the climb however - 210 miles into the trip and we were presented with the toughest climb yet - a solid 16% beast, going on for a few miles without respite. With my new enlarged calves and quads this was still the hardest climb of the weekend, or possibly ever, but I dug deep and made it to the top without a foot down, proud and relieved.
The climb had been nicely sheltered by trees, but out at the top and without the distraction I realised it was really raining. We rode on, trying to release the lactate in our legs, and find some shelter from the now pouring rain, which somehow always feels worst on a downhill or at speed! A very substantial looking bus stop provided a welcome break, probably our last before Chepstow.
Supplies from Usk suitably depleted, we got back on with fewer than eight miles to go! With no let up in the rain, this last section was about getting to the finish. This we did with some safe, solid riding. There were a few cheeky uphill sections into the town, and the typical Sustrans winding through it, but we made it to the station - soaked through, but happy to have completed the ride!
Food was soon acquired, dry clothes put on, and warm drinks had. We went to the platform fairly early in order to prepare to board our train. Unfortunately, there were a number of bikes trying to also board the same train towards Birmingham and we didn't have reservations. A particularly unpleasant guard refused to let more than three of us on, so I ended up waiting for the next train (to Cheltenham) which thankfully had room for four more bikes. This was a relief, as trains from Chepstow are not frequent occurrences (every 2 hrs to Birmingham!). At Cheltenham we sneaked a few bikes onto the next train to Manchester, happy in the knowledge that the guard (distracted by a fare dodger - thanks!) could do no worse than force us to get off at the next stop, which happened to be Birmingham and nearly home for me. A slightly frustrating end to the weekend, but nothing could really dampen our sense of achievement at having topped-and-tailed the beautiful country of Wales.
Times
Total time: 29:26:00
Total distance: 235 miles
Total climbing: 18,100 ft
Food was soon acquired, dry clothes put on, and warm drinks had. We went to the platform fairly early in order to prepare to board our train. Unfortunately, there were a number of bikes trying to also board the same train towards Birmingham and we didn't have reservations. A particularly unpleasant guard refused to let more than three of us on, so I ended up waiting for the next train (to Cheltenham) which thankfully had room for four more bikes. This was a relief, as trains from Chepstow are not frequent occurrences (every 2 hrs to Birmingham!). At Cheltenham we sneaked a few bikes onto the next train to Manchester, happy in the knowledge that the guard (distracted by a fare dodger - thanks!) could do no worse than force us to get off at the next stop, which happened to be Birmingham and nearly home for me. A slightly frustrating end to the weekend, but nothing could really dampen our sense of achievement at having topped-and-tailed the beautiful country of Wales.
Times
Total time: 29:26:00
Total distance: 235 miles
Total climbing: 18,100 ft
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