- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Saturday: As @gavgav has reported the two of us have been over to the mid-Wales coast for the weekend and bikes came too. This is the first time I've taken the Raleigh there so I was looking forward to getting out on it.
With a hot and sunny weekend forecast it seemed like everyone had descended on the coast either for holidays or a day trip. The main road was busy but it was as nothing compared to when we got to Barmouth where the car parks close to the town were already almost full and there were streams of traffic arriving. Last time I was here Barmouth Bridge was heaving with people but this time it was surprisingly quiet with most people being in town or already on the beach. We did encounter some errant motorbikes on the path again.
The Mawddach Trail was fabulous as ever for the scenery but a bit slower going than usual due to the headwind. Like a lot of places it's pretty dry and dusty at the moment so the bottom half of the bikes slowly changed colour to grey as the miles racked up. Before reaching Dolgellau we turned off the path and doubled back on the other side of the river heading towards Coed Y Brenin. We knew this would be hilly but hoped that would be offset by there being more shade under the trees. We'd not long got onto the quieter lanes when we encountered the BMW that Gav mentions - the driver was quite chatty and wanted to tell us about the lane being so narrow and his wife holding on out of fear, before asking if they were going the right way for Barmouth. Strictly speaking they were, but having managed to get onto this lane rather than the very obvious main road that runs just the other side of the valley it did make Gav and I wonder if they managed to find their way. We parted with Gav having warned them that they'd probably struggle to find anywhere to park.
It was lovely riding under the trees and in one little valley a blast of cool air sprang up unexpectly which was very refreshing. We did feel the heat on the climbs though and on one steep bit in particular the trees have been felled so we had no protection from the heat of the day. Having reached Capel Hermon there was a nice long descent alongside Afon Wen which was very enjoyable before a bit more climbing took us to the Forest Garden where we had a break for lunch.
Even in the shade it was pretty warm by now which meant that continuing the climbing after our stop was quite hard going. We did make it to the top (where the Precipice Walk is signposted just off the road) and started the descent back to Dolgellau. This road is pretty well surfaced and has some good straight bits where you can let the bike go - I hit 42.5 mph on the way down which is a new maximum cycling speed for me.
Back at Dolgellau we had a bit of a meander round town then headed back onto the Mawddach Trail but not before having a look at the cricket match that was taking place. We had a tailwind but still weren't very fast as tiredness had kicked in. The trail had a steady flow of cyclists, as it had earlier, and we recognised many of the people as ones we'd seen on the way out. Barmouth Bridge was a little busier, but not much, however the town was manic. Every on-street parking space was taken, drivers were queueing fruitlessly for spaces in the car parks and some had just left their cars any old place, including in the turning circle at the end of the promenade.
Traffic wasn't too bad on the way back but we still took to the shared-use path as soon as we could since it's just easier when not being hassled. Something we hadn't seen on the way out was feed stations for an ultra marathon that was taking place - we didn't spot any of the runners though. One of my cousins was supposed to have been taking part but decided to drop out. He won't have been the only one I'm sure.
My speedometer recorded 43.5 miles at 10.1 mph average.
The usual shot of Barmouth Bridge as we join the path.
Headed along the Mawddach Trail.
The toll bridge at Penmaenpool.
Headed into Coed Y Brenin. This road was great - we saw just one car in about six miles.
On the road alongside Afon Wen.
A nice spot for our lunch stop.
The view from the last big climb before descending back to Dolgellau.
A bit of cricketing action.
The view to the bridge as we head back to Morfa Mawddach.
Looking back towards Barmouth before we rejoin the coast road.
With a hot and sunny weekend forecast it seemed like everyone had descended on the coast either for holidays or a day trip. The main road was busy but it was as nothing compared to when we got to Barmouth where the car parks close to the town were already almost full and there were streams of traffic arriving. Last time I was here Barmouth Bridge was heaving with people but this time it was surprisingly quiet with most people being in town or already on the beach. We did encounter some errant motorbikes on the path again.
The Mawddach Trail was fabulous as ever for the scenery but a bit slower going than usual due to the headwind. Like a lot of places it's pretty dry and dusty at the moment so the bottom half of the bikes slowly changed colour to grey as the miles racked up. Before reaching Dolgellau we turned off the path and doubled back on the other side of the river heading towards Coed Y Brenin. We knew this would be hilly but hoped that would be offset by there being more shade under the trees. We'd not long got onto the quieter lanes when we encountered the BMW that Gav mentions - the driver was quite chatty and wanted to tell us about the lane being so narrow and his wife holding on out of fear, before asking if they were going the right way for Barmouth. Strictly speaking they were, but having managed to get onto this lane rather than the very obvious main road that runs just the other side of the valley it did make Gav and I wonder if they managed to find their way. We parted with Gav having warned them that they'd probably struggle to find anywhere to park.
It was lovely riding under the trees and in one little valley a blast of cool air sprang up unexpectly which was very refreshing. We did feel the heat on the climbs though and on one steep bit in particular the trees have been felled so we had no protection from the heat of the day. Having reached Capel Hermon there was a nice long descent alongside Afon Wen which was very enjoyable before a bit more climbing took us to the Forest Garden where we had a break for lunch.
Even in the shade it was pretty warm by now which meant that continuing the climbing after our stop was quite hard going. We did make it to the top (where the Precipice Walk is signposted just off the road) and started the descent back to Dolgellau. This road is pretty well surfaced and has some good straight bits where you can let the bike go - I hit 42.5 mph on the way down which is a new maximum cycling speed for me.
Back at Dolgellau we had a bit of a meander round town then headed back onto the Mawddach Trail but not before having a look at the cricket match that was taking place. We had a tailwind but still weren't very fast as tiredness had kicked in. The trail had a steady flow of cyclists, as it had earlier, and we recognised many of the people as ones we'd seen on the way out. Barmouth Bridge was a little busier, but not much, however the town was manic. Every on-street parking space was taken, drivers were queueing fruitlessly for spaces in the car parks and some had just left their cars any old place, including in the turning circle at the end of the promenade.
Traffic wasn't too bad on the way back but we still took to the shared-use path as soon as we could since it's just easier when not being hassled. Something we hadn't seen on the way out was feed stations for an ultra marathon that was taking place - we didn't spot any of the runners though. One of my cousins was supposed to have been taking part but decided to drop out. He won't have been the only one I'm sure.
My speedometer recorded 43.5 miles at 10.1 mph average.
The usual shot of Barmouth Bridge as we join the path.
Headed along the Mawddach Trail.
The toll bridge at Penmaenpool.
Headed into Coed Y Brenin. This road was great - we saw just one car in about six miles.
On the road alongside Afon Wen.
A nice spot for our lunch stop.
The view from the last big climb before descending back to Dolgellau.
A bit of cricketing action.
The view to the bridge as we head back to Morfa Mawddach.
Looking back towards Barmouth before we rejoin the coast road.
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