April Adventures

 Easter in Hampshire

The kind April weather has proved to be a "Brucey" bonus for the fair weather cyclists amongst us and so some of us spent the Easter weekend exploring or in some cases, re examining the backroads of Hampshire.  Maundy Thursday saw the Liphook Loafer & The Grange Gardener head north of Liphook to the infamous Devil's Punchbowl, a big hole in the ground that the old A3 used to run through until they built the Hindhead tunnel. Just exactly what caused this cavenous crater remains a mystery, suffice to say it is an impressive landscape well suited to off road biking, the sort that Richard and his woodland chums so enjoy. 

 We came across a monument on our route which bore testament to a gruesome murder in the 18th Century.  A poor unsuspecting sailor was en route from London to Portsmouth docks when he was befriended by three men in a pub.  The sailor bought drinks and food for the three men who then followed him, stripped him naked and  murdered him on the path and  then rolled his body down the hill into the undergrowth.  The men were later arrested trying to sell his clothes!  The trio were found guilty and sentences to death and their bodies were preserved in tar and hung from Hindhead Gibbet as a lesson to others.  Ah! The good old days!

By the time Good Friday dawned, we had been joined by the Highgate Viking and decided to explore a circular route to the south west of Liphook. After an early start and a few miles hurtling down the cycle track beside the A3 towards Portsmouth, the rumbling of our stomachs got the better of us so we headed for a great little cafe in Liss where vast quantities of healthy food were consumed  Suitably refreshed and sated we continued, and shortly came across a bridge that crossed the railway lines - bridges with steep steps are not designed for heavy e bikes ! 

Thankfully pity was taken on the eldest member of the group and The Loafer and The Viking gave valuable and much appreciated assistance. We continued onwards through picturesque villages skirting to the east of Petersfield before stopping for more liquid refreshment in South Harting. Heading north to return to Liphook we made it as far as Milland before the killer climb of the day.  It seemed sensible to refuel outside the Sun Inn - mistake - 2 pints of Peroni before a Class 1 climb is not a good idea - after all they don't do it in the Le Tour?

For Saturday's ride we decided on a route that took us south and west from Liphook towards Midhurst. A pleasant ride that meandered through the village of Lurgashall, home apparently to a vineyard and then  onward to the Cowdray Park where the vast green swathe of the Polo park is particularly impressive as are the views to the South Downs. The return to Liphook via Milland meant we had to negotiate that damn hill again, only this time The Highgate Viking had learned his lesson and restricted himself to just the one pint of Peroni.

Steak on the BBQ, lashings of Ginger Beer and talk of future cycling trips ended our Easter Saturday.  The following day The Viking returned to Valhalla and the Loafer and I headed off on our bikes for Day 4.  This time heading to the north and east.  Another sunny day with an easterly wind made for another great ride and took in the village of Selborne and the town of Alton and the garrison town of Bordon before arriving back in Liphook.

So the stats were - 5 rides (4 and a pub crawl) - 8 pubs visited - 211km ridden - 12hrs in the saddle - and a lorra, lorra laughs!

The Taff Trail

I've been meaning to cycle The Taff Trail for some time so with the fine weather continuing I booked myself and my bike on the train from Bridgend to Abergavenny and headed for the Brecon Beacons.

 The Taff Trail runs from Brecon to Cardiff and is 88km in length, so easily rideable in a day.  I chose to travel up one day, stay overnight in a Youth Hostel and ride back the following day.  Friends and family found great amusement in my desire to stay in a Youth Hostel.....sharing a dorm ? .... cleaning the toilets ?.... Youth Hostels have, I am pleased to say , moved on .... I had my own room and bathroom & toilet, a cooked breakfast, wifi and a fully stocked bar!  The last time I was in a Youth Hostel I was in the Lake District aged 16 and got caught in a pub in Hawkshead drinking under age!  

The ride itself was fantastic - downhill (apart from the first 5 km where the track rises gently but steadily through the forests alongside the Talybont Reservoir).  

Down through Merthyr Tydfil and past the haunting white crosses of the graveyard in Aberfan, a reminder of the awful colliery spoil tip collapse in October 1966 which left 116 children and 28 adults dead.  The descent continues through Pontypridd and beneath the iconic Castell Coch before flattening out to follow the River Taff through Bute Park and into Cardiff Bay.

So now into May....next plan ?  

AVON CALLING - DING, DONG!

 Good news - I have got my bike back and it's had a new motor fitted (free of charge!) and a new cassette, new chain, an upgraded computer and a new front rack and bag (not free of charge!)

What better way than to put it to the test but the 140km Avon Cycle Way over 2 days.  The route was launched by Avon County Council in 1989 and conveniently links National Route 4, The Bristol & Bath Cycle path and National Route 41 as well as many other local routes into Bristol City Centre.

SHIREHAMPTON TO WARMLEY

I'd arranged to leave my car on someone's drive in Shirehampton through JustPark for 24 hours and duly arrived at the property near Avonmouth. I'd chosen this location as my starting point in order to give me approximately 75km to cycle each day, so day 1 of the tour was to be Shirehampton to Warmley Station, a watering hole on the Bristol & Bath Cycle path. The first part of the day saw me negotiating fly tipping dumps to surpass all fly tipping dumps!  Old three piece suites littered the well marked Avon Cycleway along with all manner of other human detritus. Throw in my near collision with a drug dealer in the middle of a deal and my rapid escape from two snarling pit bull terriers about to escape from the lead of said drug dealer, I was pleased to reach the relative calm and safety of countryside north of the M4 & M5.  Having reached Thornbury and a quick look at the Thornbury Castle Hotel, where you can enjoy a 2 night Easter break for £823, I decided that a more reasonably priced bacon sandwich was in order in Shelly's Cafe!

From Thornbury the route heads east towards the village of Wickwar, the name adopted as part of the Wickwar & Wessex Pub Company - I thought I'd heard the name before.  Heading south and then west the cycleway meanders to the north of Chipping Sodbury and Yate before turning to the south at Iron Acton where a welcome pint of "Proper Job" was enjoyed in the sunshine outside the Lamb Inn.  

Back over the M4 and towards the suburbs of Bristol, I picked up the Bristol & Bath Cycle Path and decided that at Warmley Station it was time to seek a bed and some sustenance, so I headed back into Bristol and made my way to my friend Barry's house in Cotham.  A retired dentist who has a passion for fishing, Barry & I have been friends since our youthful days in Huddersfield. We had a great evening eating, drinking & reminiscing.

WARMLEY TO COTHAM

Day 2 began somewhat blearily - I'm unsure whether it was the cloudy ale or the spicy Sri Lankan food we'd eaten or a combination of both but I had to make a decision. Did I retrace my steps to Warmley Station or pick up the Avon Cycleway further on.  With rain forecast and conscious that I needed to get back to my car by lunchtime, I decided to head due south to Chew Magna and re-join the route there.

COTHAM TO CHEW MAGNA

A series of cycle paths and small roads saw me navigate (with the help of Komoot  of course) through the southerly suburbs of Bristol until I was out into the lanes of north east Somerset and a long descent into the Village of Chew Magna which is close to the northern edge of the Mendip Hills and almost equidistant from Bristol & Bath. Those of us who have ever flown out of or into Bristol airport will have not failed to notice the vast expanse of water which is Chew Valley Lake, a reservoir that was created in the 1950's and now famed for fishing and sailing among other recreational activities.

From Chew Lake I headed west towards the coast at Clevedon.  The route passes close to Bristol airport and the long sweeping descent towards Clevedon enabled me to make up some lost time after my tardy start to the day.  A strong cup of coffee in Clevedon and a chat with some fellow cyclists who stopped to admire my bike and I was off again heading north west following the well marked cycleway which runs parallel to the busy M5 but well below it - that is until you cross the Avon Bridge - where the path runs right alongside the oncoming traffic as it hurtles towards Taunton & Exeter.  This section of the journey was made even more disconcerting when I came across a Police man restraining a young person on the bridge. I did, for one nano second consider stopping and asking him if he needed any help, when reason got the better of me and I noticed a Police motorcyclist approaching in the opposite direction to assist his colleague.  Now I know why on some sections of cycle paths they have removed those annoying metal obstructions that stop you getting a bike through that's any bigger than a Raleigh Chopper.

CHEW MAGNA TO SHIREHAMPTON

With the rain imminent I made it back to the car before my allotted parking time ran out with 154 km clocked up, the bike in great working order and ideas buzzing for my next trip - who's joining me?

Happy Birthday!

 

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY!

Saturday March 5th  - Riese & Muller Supercharger 2 GT is one year old and has clocked 7497 kms. So to celebrate it's birthday a 60km day tour from Monmouth was planned  with a cake baked by the Fairfield Flyer to add to the occasion (his Victoria Sponges are to die for!) But as they say  "the best laid plans.....

As the weather has been so awful last week, with the arrival of some dry conditions on Friday I decided to head off to Porthcawl.  Everything was going swimmingly well until after my coffee stop at the Cafe in Rest Bay.  No power assisting my pedalling and an error message on the display screen - ERROR CODE 500. Out came the phone a quick Google search for  Error Code 500 told me that there was an internal drive fault and that resetting the display might cure it.  Tried the reset - no such luck!  The next suggestion was very helpful...If the problem persists, take it to a Bosch Dealer.  So I phoned my Bosch Dealer who told me to bring it in for them to put the bike on their diagnostic machine.  Problem being that I'd bought the bike in Bristol and as it is still under the warranty it had to go back there!  Porthcawl to Bristol on a ebike weighing 32kg with no power would have probably have meant I may have made it back home for Christmas 2023  I considered the easier option of trudging as best I could to Bridgend (16kms away) to catch the train back to Llantwit Major - this would probably have meant I would have made it to Bridgend by Easter 2022.   I went for the easiest option - phone the 4th Rescue Service - Sue and get her drive my car to Porthcawl with the bike rack!  During the hour wait I popped into ONIT Sports, the bike shop in Porthcawl, who were very helpful and offered various ideas as to what might have gone wrong with the R&M. Sounded like a new motor which will have to come from Bosch in Germany - I'd been through this very scenario when I had a Cube Acid 500, which needed a new motor after less than a year's riding - that time the bike was off the road for 6 weeks.

 Sue duly arrived and the trusty steed (not so trusty Bosch motor!) was mounted onto the tow bar and driven  home in time for a cup of tea and to make the arrangement to take the bike to Bristol on Monday, where hopefully it will be fixed very soon!  

So, no birthday celebratory ride... no cake.... no candles....no Saturday morning bacon butty....

but here's the route we would have done.... and will no doubt do in the near future!

The Ways of the Valleys

 

START: Bridgend Railway Station

FINISH:  Llantwit Major

DISTANCE: 88km

TIME: 6hrs

I’m not sure if every other cyclist in Wales feels the same, but for the last 9 months The Fairfield Flyer, AKA Colin and I have been trundling along the same routes around the Vale of Glamorgan, always starting and finishing at our homes in Llantwit Major, which, whilst enjoyable and allowing us to get out and about, has become a little monotonous.

 So, with the weather sunny and a cold northerly breeze blowing, we decided to try something different and venture further afield and experience some of the National Cycle routes that South Wales has to offer.  To save a little time (we needed to be back to watch the football at 3pm!) we loaded our bikes onto the early morning train to Bridgend where, upon arrival we headed to a well-known fast food chain emporium for sustenance in the form of a bacon roll!

Fuelled up and ready to go our route took us passed Bridgend Rugby Club which boasts JPR Williams as one of its former players and follows the banks of the Ogmore river. NCR 883, The Ogmore Valley Trail, is well surfaced and along the trail the remnants of the Ogmore Valley Railway are visible.  This railway was used to transport the coal mined in Nantymoel down the valley to Porthcawl on the coast. The gentle rising track passes through the small villages of Ogmore Vale and Wyndham, once thriving mining communities before finishing in Nantymoel which sits proudly at the top of the valley and where the 1964 Olympic Long Jump Gold Medallist, Lyn “The Leap” Davies hailed from.

The gradual ascent from Nantymoel up the winding A4061 to the summit at Bwlch -y - Clawdd (450m) was achieved with much more of an effort from Colin on his Hybrid Pinnacle than from me on my Riese & Muller Supercharger 2 and as we rounded the corner at the top we were greeted by a gusting icy wind, spectacular views down to Treorchy and the welcome sight of a refreshment van just pulling into the layby! 

The road was originally a dead-end from Bridgend along the Ogmore Valley and was built in the 19th century, but concerns over travel difficulties, the environment and unemployment in the Rhondda following the decline in mining, led to a series of mountain roads being planned. The road was initially extended over the Bwlch-y-Clawdd towards Treorchy in 1928.

Refuelled with tea and Welsh Cakes we continued with a short but steady climb along the A4107 towards Port Talbot and down into the Afan valley.  The descent from the summit must be one of the best rides in Wales! Fast and smooth with Alpine like turns, we arrived very quickly in Abergwnfi where we joined the cycle track which joins up with NCR 887 Afan Valley Route at Cymmer. We glided along the well maintained cycle track with little effort, freewheeling down the gentle gradient passing through woodlands and the former mining communities of Pontryhdyfen, birth place of Richard Burton, and Cwmafan.

Our arrival in the bustling town Port Talbot had us searching, somewhat in vain, for the NCR 4, which would take us back to Bridgend via Margam.  After an unintended detour to Aberavon beach, we eventually found our bearings and headed east past the imposing structures of the steel works and connected with our intended route.  NCR 4 stretches over 430 miles from Fishguard to London and the section from Pyle to Aberkenfig on the outskirts of Bridgend passes through the Parc Slip Nature Park.  Once a mine, that witnessed a disaster of epic proportions when in August 1892 an explosion killed 112 men and boys, the area has been transformed into a tranquil area that is now shared by bird watchers, joggers, cyclists and walkers alike.

To conclude our Good Friday adventure, we decided to complete our journey back to Llantwit Major by bike taking in the NCR’s that we had come to know and love so much during lockdown – good old NCR 88 through Ewenny, Wick, St Donats and finally Llantwit Major…. Just in time for the football and to plan our next trip further afield.

Circular ride from Llantwit Major

 

Route Information

Start & Finish:  Llantwit Major Railway Station Car Park

Distance: 55km (32 miles)

Time: 3-3.5 hrs

We started this circular ride in the picturesque town of Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan but of course, being circular you can start it wherever you like!  Initially we headed west following NCR 88 to St Donats and onto the villages of Wick and St Brides Major. Hugging the coast line of the Bristol Channel the ride takes you through Ogmore by Sea and the outskirts of Bridgend before moving inland and eastwards to the affluent market town of Cowbridge and then returning on small country lanes to Llantwit Major.  The route includes several pubs and cafes for those in need of refreshment!

 

The route begins in the railway station car park where there is ample parking and is close to two supermarkets if you want to stock up before you ride. Riders need to head west and weave their way through the town’s west end passing through the town square with it’s War Memorial monument and three pubs.  St Illtud’s Church will be on your left as you leave the town. 

Illtud was a visionary and missionary who established a monastery, mission centre and school in 500AD and the school attracted students from war and wide. of learning in the country. Countless legends surround the life of Saint Illtud, but what we know for certain is that his early teachings played a significant part in helping to bring Christianity to Britain.

Coasting along Dimlands road after 3 km you will pass the entrance to St Donat’s Castle.  Built in the 12^th Century, it was once owned by the American newspaper magnate, Randolph Hearst and since 1962 has been the home of Atlantic College, the first of the United World Colleges, educating students from around the world. Follow the road through the hamlet of St Donats towards Marcross. Take the right turn at the bottom the short hill descent up Llan Road.  If you reach the Horseshoe Inn you have gone too far! Continue for about 2 km and take the left turn towards Broughton.

It's at this junction you will see this road sign – having cycled both routes, I can assure you that one way is longer than the other!

After you have sped through the collection of farms and converted barns of East & West Monkton and as you enter the hamlet of Broughton take the right turn towards Wick. Cycle up the gentle hill into Wick passing the village green on your left.  At the junction of the B4265 take care and go straight on passed the Star Inn on NCR 88.  The long fast descent will take you into Castle Upon Alun where you will take the left turn before you go under the railway bridge.  Follow this way to the village of St Brides Major (2km).  A slight detour along the B4265 will bring you either to the Fox & Hounds Pub (run by former Welsh rugby international Gavin Henson) or the Farmers Arms. Take the B4524 out of St Brides towards Southerndown & Ogmore By Sea and enjoy the gentle descent into Southerndown, passing the Golden Cups pub on your right and the magnificent but empty,  one time convalescent home on your left.

 

From Southerndown to Ogmore you will be afforded some wonderful views over the Bristol Channel.  Ahead of you can make out Porthcawl in the distance and out to sea to the south Tusker Rock will bare its teeth at low water.

Once you reach the mouth of the Ogmore river the route heads east down the valley and in land towards the outskirts of Bridgend. You can see the vast expanse of Merthyr Mawr Nature Reserve on the other side of the river which is home to highest sand dune in Wales and goes by the name of the Big Dipper!  Depending on the wind direction the 4km ride which follows the river will be very fast or hard work!  On arrival in Ewenny a left turn followed by a right turn will keep you on the B4524 and to the Ewenny Stores on your right.  Well worth a stop for a coffee and one of their home-made pasties!

Onwards to Corntown and Brocastle you will arrive at the Golden Well Chinese restaurant on the A48.  This section can get very busy. Turn left towards Bridgend and continue down the A48 until the Ford Garage where you will turn right at the traffic lights into the Waterton Industrial Estate.  Follow the cycle path through the estate passing the site of the former Ford Engine plant which closed it’s doors to the workforce in 2020, to the village of Treos and then onwards to Llangan.  From here the route takes you through quiet country lanes across the valley of the River Thaw to Cowbridge via City, Llansannor, Aberthin and then Cowbridge.

Once you have arrived in Cowbridge,and if you are in need of refreshment,  you have  a wide choice of places to eat and drink along the bustling High Street.  One of Cowbridge’s gems is the Wool Barn which is tucked away off North road.  It’s home to artists and craft shops AND Simon’s Cycles!  Be sure to pop in to see the congenial proprietor, Simon Leadbetter – he’s always helpful, ready to chat and always  willing to drink a hot chocolate!

The last section of the ride can be tricky to follow.  The route takes you south west out of Cowbridge to the village of Llanblethian. Take the road off the High Street which goes passed the Old School (The Duke pub is on the corner) and follw this road up a steep hill, known locally as Constitution Hill.  It’s a short climb, at the top turn right and descend the hill into Llanblethian passing St Quentin’s Castle on your right.

At the bottom of the hill turn right and follow the country lane all the way to Llanmihangel. Once you pass the medieval Llanmihangel House ( on the market for £1.4m) and the church go straight on at the junction and then follow the signs for Frampton.  Pass Frampton House which is currently being renovated after many years of laying derelict and continue until you pass Windmill Lane playing fields on your right.  At the next junction with Llanmaes Road, turn right and return to the station Car Park.

Now you can visit one of the pubs in the town square for a well earned drink!

 

REFRESHMENT VENUES

The Horseshoe Inn, Marcross                                                   Cobbles Café, Ogmore Village

The Star Inn, Wick                                                                       Ewenny Garden Centre Café, Ewenny

The Golden Cups, Southerndown                                             Frolics Restaurant, Southerndown

The Watermill, Ogmore Village                                                Village Shop, Ewenny

The Star Inn, Treos                                                                      Aroma Café, Cowbridge

Hare & Hounds, Aberthin                                                           The Penny Farthing, Cowbridge

The Bear Hotel, Cowbridge                                                       Harry’s Café, Cowbridge

The Duke, Cowbridge                                                                  Coast  Café, Llantwit Major

The Old Swan Inn, Llantwit Major                                           Café Velo, Llantwit Major                           

The White Hart, Llantwit Major                                               Wine Street Coffee, Llantwit Major