Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 4

Kidwelly - Tondu

Waking up from a pretty decent nights rest, I'm in the shade of the trees at the edge of the campsite & my tent is dripping with the morning dew. I need to air my kit out as it's starting to get a bit damp & smelly. I use the nearby children's climbing frame to dry out my bag nicely in the morning sun.

The site must have 75 static vans with awnings but I have only seen one person here! Nice site & lovely & quiet. I get my porridge cooked & start to break camp, determined to pack up my kit well today. It takes me a little while longer as I have to wait for my tent fly to dry off too. Packed up & washed up I see the first person today on this deserted camp site. The cleaner asks what I'm doing & we chat for a few minutes about the route & the strength of the sun. I've already applied some sun cream so I'm good to go.

After a ride through Kidwelly the route heads off the road & on into Pembrey Forrest. I do a lap or two around the cows in a field before I get my bearings & the route becomes more & more remote. With the sun beating down it's a lovely flat ride through this peaceful part of the country.

After about 5 miles of the above I arrive past a camp site & onto the sea front for a ride along the Millennium Coastal Park. I have to stop to cover up my sun burnt legs with my 3/4 length bottoms & consume yet another Snickers & a banana. Continuing through Llanelli I meet another cycle tourist coming the other way & we stop for a chat. Mark is doing route 4 East to West & we tell each other about the respective routes ahead. We shake hands & continue on our way. Shortly after I pass a rangers van & the horn blasts. It's Scott, back to work today & we have a brief chat & then I'm back in the saddle. The lack of hills today is most welcome & the miles seem to glide on by. I stop by the wetlands Centre for more food & to consult the guidebook. Looks like I should make Swansea by lunch time. I arrive at Mumbles by around 1:30pm & get some food & sit on the beach front to eat & get annoyed by wasps! I decide to check out the tourist nfo centre in Mumbles to see if I can locate a decent camp site somewhere between Swansea & Tondu. The ladies at the TIC are great & once they point out my pronunciation issues, they even ring the campsite so that I can check out the facilities - Thanks girls you're ace :-) I stop to use the public toilets on the sea front & wheel my bike inside as there's room in there.

I back track along the sea front towards Swansea & I'm still rolling on nice flat roads soaking up the sun & the happy vibes of the other beach front users. I get a bit lost on Swansea harbour but eventually find my way after asking a couple of people the way around.

It's quite a chore finding your way through the big towns & if you miss the signs its frustrating getting back on track. I got lost & ended up going down a river bank for a mile or so before it turned into a muddy singletrack & I had to back track again. I was glad to get out of Swansea but Port Talbot was no better. After riding along the sea front the route went through a pretty rough area & threaded it's way through a large housing estate which wasn't a pleasant ride as there were gangs of youths out in force & I was glad to get out of there. I was getting tired but knew I still had a way to go to get to Tondu so I carried on under the M4 & up to Margam Park. I went wrong yet again when a fork in the road appeared & the route marker said straight on!? I logically took the road instead of the footpath but after an evil climb & 15 minutes of pushing I knew I hadn't made the right choice. The only upside was a breathtaking view back over Port Talbot

So back down I went & then took the other path only to find a gate which I couldn't get my bike through. I had to take off the panniers, squeeze the bike around & reload up the other side. By this point I was swearing at anything & everything. I climbed up again through Margam Park & down the other side where - guess what? - another gate I couldn't get through....

By around 7:30pm I was stopped at a Spar in Pyle stocking up on much needed food & water, just a few more miles to the campsite to go.

When I finally made it to camp I was disappointed to find the site was a shit hole. There were broken down cars in the driveway with the engines scattered on the floor around them & a bunch of contractors vans parked up next to a bunch of caravans. I thought I'd stumbled on a pikey camp-ground. I was too tired to about face so paid for my (sloping) pitch & set up camp. The showers were dirty, the toilets worse still & the kitchen had dishes piled up by the sinks & the plug holes full of... god only knows? The place made my skin crawl & I had some guy turn up & park his car next to my tent & slept in the back of his car. I was determined to get the fuck out of there first thing tomorrow.

Distance = 69.93 miles
Riding time = 6h 59m

Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 3

Manorbier - Kidwelly

Got up around 7am & got some porridge & tea on the go, it was another glorious sunny morning & was already hot by 8am.

Scott was packed up but kindly waited for me to get my shit together & we hit the road to Tenby. The route took us through Kiln Park caravan site where I'd stayed as a child & it was such a lovely looking place, totally immaculate & made me want to book up to come & stay there! Tenby itself was also a beautiful place to ride through, with it's pastel coloured cottages & lovely views across the beach.

Continuing on to Saundersfoot we stopped for some food on the beach front & the skies started to cloud over. The ride to Carmarthen was hilly & once there we got food & Scott said he knew of a camp site near Kidwelly that I could stay at & he would continue on home from there.

By the time we got to Tanylan Farm camp site I was tired. Got a pitch for the night & said goodbye to Scott & thanked him for the company on the ride. The site was nice, clean & quiet & well priced too. Set up camp in a sheltered corner when it rained for all of 10 minutes & then showered, ate & got my head down for the night.

Distance = 51.92 miles
Riding time = 5h 51m

Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 2

Solva - Manorbier

Woke up around 6:30am & hadn't slept very well, I think the excitement of the trip had me tossing & turning all night! The weather had come out to play & what appeared top be a misty field on nowhere hill last night, turned out to have a rather nice sea view this morning.

Had my porridge & packed up my gear for my 1st full days riding & took the main A road into Solva to get back onto Sustrans route 4. I had to stop after a short while to get some sun lotion on as the temps were rising rapidly as the sun was heating things up a treat.

The route was very hilly again & having not recovered so well due to lack of sleep, I was finding it hard work. I rolled down the hill into Newgale where I'd surfed when I was about 10 years old on a Family holiday.

Descent into Newgale


Beginning the long climb out of Newgale

Upon reaching Broad Haven I was feeling ropey so stopped into the convenience store on the seafront to stock up with water, banana's & snacks to get me going again.

Moving inland towards Haverfordwest the route evened out a little & I plodded along pretty country lanes & cycle paths, stopping to grab some shade in a field & to scoff a pastie. Whilst riding towards Pembroke I sensed someone on a cycle right behind me & turned to see another touring rig draw up beside me. Scott, from Kidwelly, was on a 3 day tour of the Preseli hills on route 47 & back via route 4 from Fishguard. We rode together & chatted & followed the route into Pembroke where we stopped off @ the 'golden arches' for some much needed sustenance.

Pembroke marina


Pembroke Dock


Pembroke Castle

From Pembroke Scott suggested camping at the YHA in Manorbier so we came off route & located the YHA in a lovely location near the sea. There was a bunch of schoolkids on a trip staying at the site but we were OK to camp at the bottom of their field & use the facilities. We set up camp & showered & decided to walk into the village to get some pub grub for the evening. We stored the bikes in the YHA's bike lock up & walked up the hill & blagged a lift to the main road by some military personnel from the base nearby. The village was peaceful & pretty & the pie & chips in the pub went down a treat as we discussed touring, bikes, camping gear etc. Got back to camp & got our heads down for another day in the saddle tomorrow...

Distance = 40.19 miles
Riding time = 4h 52m

Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 1

Fishguard - Solva

I had been planning this trip for some months & was originally going to do this tour of South Wales with my brother. As it panned out I did it solo & I'm kind of glad I did as it turned out to be a difficult ride in places & my bro isn't an experienced cyclist. I caught a train to Fishguard which was a bit of a drag (2 changes) with a loaded cycle & as soon as I arrived at Fishguard Harbour around 1pm, I was into the toilets to change into my riding gear & then hit the road. Having the maps (West & East) & the guide book for the ride is advisable although the route is well sign posted, it's easy to get it wrong if you're not paying close attention in places.

The weather was pretty poor, damp & a head wind but being fresh on my tour I was still enjoying the wild scenery & lovely coves I rolled down into & climbed back out of. I passed a bunch of MTB'ers riding the opposite direction & they gave shouts of approval for my loaded pack horse! The hills were pretty severe in places & I had to push up a couple of very steep ones. After having reached St Davids & checking out the Cathedral, I figured it was time to locate a suitable camp site & get sorted for the evening. I came off route & headed for Nine Wells camp site indicated on the map near Solva. Pitched up the tent in the fine misty rain & showered, cooked some pasta & chicken & got my head down for the night...

Distance = 26.49 miles
Riding time = 3h 25m

Fishguard Harbour






Abercastle






St David's Cathedral (with scaffolding)


My humble abode

Gaz's Birthday Ride out...

Did a 50+ mile Cafe run out on Sunday to Willoughby. Great days riding with lotsa laughs.

Happy Birthday mate :-)

Surly Bikes Cross Check...

Not had a great deal of time for blogging of late but wanted to report on my latest road bike build, my 2011 Surly Cross Check.

**Slideshow Pictures here**

I purchased a Surly Long Haul Trucker back at the end of summer but it didn't turn out to be quite what I wanted so I moved it on & picked up a Cross Check to replace it. I built this up with budget in mind, & got some great deals through Specialized Bikes & my LBS. I built the wheels myself with some previously used hubs & some nice Mavic rims I picked up off Gary G & sourced all the rest of the stuff at the best prices I could afford. I decided to go with the Black as I figured most folks will want the new Robins Egg Blue colour which I'm not overly keen on anyway!

Spec:
Frame: 2011 Surly cross Check 56cm
Fork: Surly cross check with mid-mount eyelet
Headset: FSA orbit MX
Brake hanger front: Tektro
Brake hanger rear: Surly SS
Stem: Specialized comp-set road 90mm
Bars: Specialized pro 2 road ergo 44cm
Tape: Specialized BG bar phat 4.5mm gel pads
Levers: Tektro RL520
Brakes: Tektro CR720 canti
Shifters: Shimano dura ace 9sp
BB: Shimano tiagra exo
Crankset: Shimano sora compact 50/34
Pedals: Shimano M520 SPD
Chain: Shimano HG53 9sp
Cassette: Shimano HG50 11-32t
Front Mech: Shimano sora double
Rear Mech: Shimano deore SGS long cage
Seatpost: Bontrager race lite
Seat: Passport pilot leather
Seat Clamp: Surly SS
Front Hub: Shimano deore LX 36
Rear Hub: Shimano deore 36
Spokes: DT swiss plain gauge 3X
Rims: Mavic T224 36's
Tyres: Bontrager all weather race hardcase 700x32
Skewers: Halo hex bolt
Mudguards: SKS chromoplastic P45
Rear rack: Bontrager back rack II
Rack bag: Vaude silkroad plus
Rear light: RSP tourlite rack mount
Front light:
Computer: Specialized wireless sport
Bottle cages: Bontrager race lite composite
Pump: SKS super sport alu


I wanted a classic look using older looking components & to be simplistic & functional. Very pleased with how it turned out & I still need to sort the steerer length & some other minor tidying as it's ridden in. After waiting for 2 weeks to ride her due to the poor weather, I finally managed to get a couple of rides in over the last few days.

Got all my winter weather clothing about sorted so I'm keen to get out as long as it's not icy. It's great having a rack bag as I can take everything I feasibly need for day rides & more?


cheers!

My first Century...

Whoa! & also my first post of the year, talk about unmotivated...

So anyway, there's a bunch of local guys who do an annual 100 mile bike ride on August bank holiday weekend & this was my second year riding it. Last year I only had my Kona single speed road bike so I was chuffed when I ended up doing 82.5 miles of the ride. This year, I have my new Surly LHT (build post to follow....maybe) so was all in for completing my first century ride. The route is basically a loop out of Banbury & around god knows how many villages & returning back in to town on completion so people have the option of cutting back if they feel like they've done enough. We started at 8am & it took us 10.5 hours total to complete, 8.5 hours riding time & 2 hours of snack stops, wee stops, tea stops & lunch stops!

Overall I thought the ride went quite well, we got soaked by a sudden deluge before the halfway point but it brightened up & we managed to dry out. I felt good up to about 60 - 70 miles but started to fade from there on in. We had a shitty head wind for the last 30 miles & it made for very hard work to the finish. Out of seven starters, five of us went on to do the complete route.

I don't mind telling you that I was very tired at the end of the day & it took two days before I felt fully recovered but I am pleased that I have now cracked the century mark.

I hope that next year if the ride is on again that more riders will join in as it's a good social gathering of like minded people & we all had a good laugh & a great days exercise!

cheers.

Week nights Banbury circular....

We have been doing the below route & I would like to get more people involved, so here is some nfo on what is going down (weather permitting).

The route tries to stay as close to the edge of town (without actually leaving it) as practicable & is 11.34 miles by my computer. The start point is from the Neithrop library car park on the roundabout at the top of Orchard Way & we aim to start between 7-7:15pm.

Route as follows: -

Ride up Woodgreen Ave to 1st R/H & up Mascorde Rd
Top of Mascorde Rd R/H into Bretch Hill
Continue on Bretch Hill to R/H Stratford Road (A422)
At traffic lights L/H onto Warwick Rd (B4100)
Over roundabout
R/H at next roundabout onto Hanwell Fields est
Follow Hanwell Fields down to Southam Road (A423)
R/H follow Southam Road to Tesco's roundabout & get on Cycle path
Follow cycle path left & over into Grimsbury Green
Over the train bridge & R/H into underpass to Manor Road
End of Manor Road take R/H (mini roundabout) onto Daventry Rd
At lights take L/H into Middleton Road
At (garage) roundabout take R/H into Ermont Way
At roundabout take R/H into Overthorpe Road
take sharp L/H into Overthorpe ind est & follow to end
End of Thorpe ind est take L/H into new estate Alma Road
Follow through the estate then L/H to join Merton Street
At lights bear left over train bridge to next lights
Take L/H at lights into Cherwell St & follow through next lights to Upper Windsor St
At next Lights take L/H turn past Morrisons on Swan Close Rd
Take L/H turn into Bankside
Top of Bankside take R/H into Sycamore Drive
L/H into Beaconsfield Road & then R/H into Elmscote Road
L/H into Timms Rd
R/H into Grange Rd
L/H into Springfield Ave
R/H onto Bloxham Road (A361) & then 1st L/H into Queensway
Follow back onto Woodgreen to start point

Here's the Start/Finish point: -


View Larger Map

And now the crunch... this is a single speed/fixed meet BUT if you want to do the ride on a geared bike then maybe you can work out a gear around 70 inches & just use that one gear? Whilst this isn't any kind of race it's nice to all ride with a similar gear but we're not going to shun you if you want to use more than one cog! :-)

Sheldon can help you figure it out

Alternately go see Banbury Cycles & get yourself a Single Speed bike ;-)

Get in touch with me for dates or comment here...
Hope to see you on the route.
cheers!

Cowley Road ramps 7th March 1993...

It was purely by chance I managed to get this photo, it was a passing photography student whom enquired if she could take some pictures for her college work at the time. I believe that Alex & I both got one, which she developed herself & bought back to the park the following week? The image is a bit marked & scratchy but I still love it, wonder if Alex still has his? be cool to see it if so...

I'm riding my Mk 1 Hoffman Condor in blue
Beefed up rear dropouts & Alex's Canti mod front brake set-up
Haro kneesavers in black & chrome which actually broke off going over that very spine.
Manly 71's, sprocket pocket, OPC & DX's - bang on!
Zeronine wristwrap gloves, Dyno elbows & Hammer dogbowls/shins
Original 'the Crow' art T-shirt & a rather fetching hat...

That park was the tits, I remember some great sessions there as Sunil & I used to hit the place up at least once a week bitd. Also the Jam when Gerry Galley came over & totally ruled the place - awesome times indeed.

SWINDON RULER!

Birmingham to Oxford 1992...

This was a while ago, I did the B/ham - Ox ride with a work mate at the time & it was a great days ride. Seem to remember I cained the final 10 miles too! must have been a fit young man back then? I also remember Dawn waiting for me at the finish line & she was pregnant with our 1st child at the time.

I'm riding a Fisher Hoo-Koo-E-Koo (elevated stay Mountain bike)
Skinny road tyres
Scott AT4 bars (cut down)
Wardrobe by Cannondale & lenses by Oakley
Original Shimano SPD shoe/pedal combo
I don't recall who made the funky headwear tho...?
I'm also wearing a 'fanny' pack around my waste which I saw in my shed today

Go banana power!

Nearly 4 months!

Without a post, jeez I'm slack...

I've not really had the inclination to update for a while, sure I've been biking (lots of road rides & some BMX) but nothing has really made me want to talk about it.

I've been doing some good miles on my single speed (managed 82.5 of a century ride I took part in) & I've been riding Spiceball ramps, having some front brake sessions with Rayo now & again.

I've just got my printer/scanner set up & I found some old pictures that I wanted to share & maybe add some memories in words to...

Monday Monday...

Is a track by The Mama's & The Papa's

So the start of another week. It's hot & sunny & right on the money for a few miles out in the country on the bike with the breeze in your face. I had arranged to meet Tony for his recovery ride & we had a nice ride out which included much laughter a banter about the tribulations of life as we ate up 20 odd miles before we even knew where we were. Post ride we checked out some old BMX mags I had found in my folks loft when they moved house recently, drank coffee & talked films & cars until it was time out.

Splendid start to the week & I'm hoping my back continues to improve...

24 miles total

Back problems = no riding...

I've been suffering with a bad back which has kept me out of the saddle for a few weeks & I was getting quite down about it at one point as it seemed everyone around me was enjoying the nice weather out on their cycles. I have been wearing a back brace for a few weeks & along with a mountain of tablets, I am now feeling some improvement. So I have ridden my BMX a couple of sessions, once @ Long Itchington & the other in Banbury @ Spiceball. The ramp at long itchington is small, 4' high & no more than 16' wide but it is a little quicker than most small ramps I have ridden so was a bit of fun & a good release just to be back on the ply. I plan to return to session it with Joe this week sometime... The other session at Spiceball was great, I had my fingers crossed that Rayo would be about & true to form, his car was in the car park when I rolled up. We had a great session & he made some really good front brake tricks which stoked me up to go for it a little more. In all, we had a real good sesh & I was happy just to be able to ride again :-) As I'm sure you're aware we tend to take good health for granted & it's not until something prevents you from doing what you love, that you really appreciate what it means to you.

The other part of this post is regarding my road bike. I've decided to see if a shorter stem will maybe alleviate the back issues & to be honest, I've been more hesitant to get back on my Kona than my BMX. Iain D talked me into a gentle ride out just to see how we got on & we did have a good trip all told. During one of our usual loops out, I was feeling good so I said we should do the 5 mile run from the Top of Sunrising to Wroxton & time it, to get an idea of how long it takes me. Well off I went spinning my legs as fast as I could manage & I managed a 13:20 which I think is quite respectable for a mere novice such as I! I think I'll have crack at beating it every now & then to see if I can get it down much more than that.

So in conclusion, I'm being cautious & making sure I don't overdo it which really means stay off the steep up hills on my single speed for a while!

19 miles done.

Paddy Wagon 09 Review...

Found this review of the current PW:

Paddy wagon 2009

A weeks worth...

Done several rides over the last week to try to resolve my back issues (it isn't really helping):

Sunday

Iain & I did a nice big loop around some villages that I hadn't ridden to before. The weather was nice & it was a good ride out.

28 miles done.

BH Monday

Hooked up with some guys I've met through the shop & did part of their all day ride. We ended up over the other side of Brackley & I came back from Syresham down the Welsh Lane, leaving them to their meal time destination. The weather was pretty poor but at least the rain didn't really kick in beyond a few spots.

36 miles done.

Tuesday

Keeping it going, I decided to do one of my usual routes. I ended up with a puncture at 5 ways so spent 1/2 hour sorting that out. My seat pack of stuff for this eventuality turned out to work fine but I struggled with the valve on the replacement tube as it wasn't long enough for my deep section rim. I have now changed them for the long valve variety :-) The mini pump I bought did put 80 psi in the tyre but only after a rather excessive number of pumps... emergency only I suppose.

17 miles done

Thursday

After work I was feeling a little irritable so I went out for a quick blast. Took the Shipston Road out through Taddy & swalcliffe & attacked all the hills well & then went cross country to Shutford. I ended up riding all through Shutford trying to see where the roads went (they didn't) & then carried on over to the Stratford Road through Balscote & the kissing seat where I stopped for a drink & gaze across the country side for 5 minutes. The sunny weather makes these country lanes all the more enjoyable.

16 miles done

Sunday (again)

Iain & I did the Warwick Road-Camp lane-Edge Hill-Sunrising-Wroxton- N Newington loop. I asked Iain to check the distance from Sunrising hill to the Village Hall in Wroxton as Gmaps says it's 5 miles. Proceeded to spank it all the way with a head wind & it was indeed just over 5 miles. May start to time myself on this bit as it is undoubtedly my fave piece of road to spin out my pedals :-)

20 miles done


117 miles total from those rides which I'm very pleased with.

Friday Morning FB session...

Met up with Ray at Spice ball for an AM session & he is now rocking his new lugged UKbikes forx - front brake session is ON! he made some nice tech stuff on the volcano & I learned opposite smith to nosepick (sketch).

summers a coming....

Nice ride to start the week...

Monday AM & the sun is out so it seemed the perfect time to get some sunny miles in. It was a little windy but with such nice sun shine I didn't let it bother me too much. Here's a list of the villages I visited today:

N Newington
Wroxton
Hanwell
Gt Bourton
Cropredy
Williamscot
Chacombe
Middleton Cheney
Overthorpe

I visited my sister for a coffee & a spot of IT support for my bro-in-law & also popped in to see Tony B too. Really enjoyed the fine weather & even the wind on the tough hills didn't faze me today. Hope to get my back problems sorted out so that I can get back to more riding in due course.

21 Miles done

Told you so....

Iain D had finished building his Titanium Raleigh frame up & was itching to get out & run it in, so we decided to do a route of his choice. When riding his Olmo frame he never seemed to be confident about it & I said it was definitely having an adverse affect on his riding abilities. After this ride it was clear that I was right as it was like riding with a different person! His speed seemed to have doubled & he was now leaving me on the hills not vice-versa. It was good to push each other more & I was certainly toasted by the end of the ride. That's the Iain I remember ;-) & If he does go for a single speed, as we have discussed, we are going to have some real fun on rides to come...

22.5 miles done

An hour...

I did the Warmington-camp lane-Edgehill-Wroxton-North Newington loop this morning & it's the 1st time out in over a week. Felt it a bit as I pushed myself but looking forward to getting out again soon.

16.5 miles

Try again...

As the coffee shop was closed for Easter the last time we rode out to it, Iain & I decided to do the route again. We had better weather this time & made good progress to Wyatts & back & even managed to get some photos in too.

Great time of year with summer to look forward to & a good Sunday morning ride all round.

36 miles completed.