Lon Las Cymru (was: Group/self guided tours in the UK)

[Alex321]

I plan to ride one way, all the way to Holyhead, then return to Hartford by train.

Nice. How many days are you expecting to take?

 

[mjr]

I plan to ride one way, all the way to Holyhead, then return to Hartford by train.

Hereford, or is there a Hartford near that I forgot? Else beware as they'll happily sell you a ticket to hundreds of miles away, then penalty fare you for going somewhere else.

Sounds like a good ride to me. I think it's 280km which would be 4 days to me. I forget how long you have.

 

[dimrub]

Nice. How many days are you expecting to take?

I'm going to start on the 12e in the afternoon, and finish early on the 16th, so almost 4 full days.

Hereford, or is there a Hartford near that I forgot? Else beware as they'll happily sell you a ticket to hundreds of miles away, then penalty fare you for going somewhere else.

Hereford, of course, my bad. Hurricanes hardly ever happen in neither, or at least used not to.

Sounds like a good ride to me. I think it's 280km which would be 4 days to me. I forget how long you have.

Yep, 306km, 3200m climb.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Hereford, or is there a Hartford near that I forgot? Else beware as they'll happily sell you a ticket to hundreds of miles away, then penalty fare you for going somewhere else

Totally off topic but when I was working in Theale I spent a whole month travelling on a monthly ticket to Deal with no problem. I only noticed near the end of the month. The ticket seller misheard me and as they cost about the same I didn't notice.

 

[T4tomo]

Hereford, of course, my bad. Hurricanes hardly ever happen in neither, or at least used not to.

that Hertford, Hereford (and Hampshire) you dimrub

 

[mjr]

that Hertford, Hereford (and Hampshire) you dimrub

Are you sure? Hurricanes must be less likely in Hartford because there are fewer hills to its southwest than Hertford.

 

[dimrub]

 

[bluenotebob]

Bonne route !

 

[richardfm]

From Hay on Wye, you won't be getting to North Wales in just a few days of cycling, if you need to return to Hay (which is a lovely place itself BTW). I would be surprised if you get further North than Machynlleth.

But it is all beautiful country around that area, with some lovely riding. Pretty hilly in places, though the Lon Las Cymru route in that area mostly follows the valley of the river Wye, so shouldn't be TOO bad.

There has been talk in the last few days of my local club (from Pontyclun 10 miles West of Cardiff) taking a trip up that direction, and cycling over two days from Rhayader to Aberystwyth - roads I have driven a fair few times, but never ridden on (I have a sister in law living just outside Tregaron, and my stepson is just outside Machynlleth).

I rode from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth via Rhayader last year. I went south from Shrewsbury and stopped overnight in Bishop's Castle and then turned west and had another overnight stop just past Rhayader heading up towards the Elan Valley.
It was a very enjoyable ride on quiet lanes with fantastic scenery and not too many hills.

 

[dimrub]

The views here are pretty spectacular. And may I say that I would really like to one day live in a place, whose main issue appears to be that wind turbines are spoiling the views? (Yes, I know, tourism vs. immigration - but still).

Drover cycles turned out to be nothing like I imagined them to be. Pretty efficient nevertheless.

The public transit, on the other hand, is atrocious. But you folks know that already, no sense in rubbing it in (but some sense in venting it).
There will be photos later. The WiFi in my hotel might as well have been provided by Transport for Wales (i.e., it's atrocious).

Also: cycling alone (aside from commuting) is... weird.

 

[dimrub]

Second day is over. Magnificent views again, but also a massive climb followed by an absolute behemoth of a downhill. In rain, side wind, on a wet road, a narrow, winding mountain road. Bliss! Llanidloes was lovely - made a second breakfast stop there, and Machynlleth, where I'm now, is also lovely. Tomorrow - 2 absolutely massive climbs, both bypassable, want to bypass neither, have no idea how I'll tackle them.

 

[dimrub]

I was chilling in my hotel room when I heard the unmistakable sound of someone freewheeling their bike downstairs. Looking out a window I saw a guy trying to find the bike shed. I told him where it was, but got curious, so I went downstairs and we talked. His name is Richard, and he takes place in some kind of epic offroad race, that goes all the way from Dover to somewhere in the North of Scotland. He's now second in the running - he showed me the app with all the participants. Alas, I didn't ask the name of the event - and I couldn't find it right now. He was obviously tired, having come in at around 8pm, so I didn't bother him with any more questions. Perhaps I'll catch him at breakfast...

 

[dimrub]

Ah, found it! https://greatbritishdivide2024.maprogress.com/
Looking at it, Rovert is already way out there, some 20km north of me, so I guess I'm not meeting him for breakfast at the hotel.

 

[Ian H]

View attachment 740880

How long did you have to wait for the train?

 

[dimrub]

How long did you have to wait for the train?

I'm still there, waiting. I think the steam is now noticeable hotter.