25 years ago today I set
off with a good friend; Mark, on the third day of our attempt to circumnavigate
by bicycle Wales’ largest county; Powys.
To add interest to the venture we planned on visiting the highest point
of each of the eight 2,000ft hill ranges within the county, which are all situated
around its periphery, bikes included. We
were backed up by Hazel and Barry; without whom our little adventure would not
have taken place. Prior to setting off
and during our trip we raised money for the British Heart Foundation and the
Ystradgynlais Mountain Rescue team.
The following is an
account of this ten day expedition with each day’s journey appearing on the
Mapping Mountains blog 25 years after it had taken place.
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| The county of Powys with the eight 2,000ft hill ranges positioned around its periphery |
Day 3
28.07.90 – Dinas Mawddwy – Machynlleth – below Pumlumon
Today dawned fine with
sun pouring out of a blue sky, this was a welcome contrast to the rain and mist
of yesterday. I set off cycling a little
late and thinking that Mark and Barry were ahead of me I rode as quickly as I
could, I only stopped when I couldn’t find them, I waited and a few minutes later
they miraculously appeared behind me!
Today was probably going
to be the easiest of the trip as we weren’t heading over any mountains, our aim
was to reach the base of Pumlumon and to get there we left Dinas Mawddwy on the
minor road that runs parallel with the Afon Dyfi on its western side, this
narrow road was perfect as we spent the remainder of the morning on it and
hardly saw a car.
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| Mark on the road heading toward Machynlleth |
We passed through
Aberangell and continued toward Machynlleth with Hazel going ahead driving the
back-up vehicle. The lane led onto the B
4404 which again was quiet, after four miles this road met the A 487 and we
joined a multitude of cars heading into Machynlleth.
We soon met Hazel and
then hunted out the local bike shop for running repairs; here we found a copy
of the County Times which had run an article entitled ‘Cyclists set sights high
for charity’ all about the journey we were now on. Mark left his Spitfire at the bike shop for a
service whilst we visited the town.
Wandering around Machynlleth felt surreal as there were so many people
who were all busying themselves with their daily routines, we had only been
cycling for under two full days and yet we were already in tune with a quieter
way of life, and one that had very little association with that of a busy,
albeit small, mid-Walian town.
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| Outside the bike shop with a copy of the local newspaper |
We had a great dinner
before getting back on our bikes, this next part of the journey consisted of
the longest continuous stretch on an A road throughout the whole trip, when
including the mile or so into Machynlleth we were on the A 487 for 12 continuous
miles, it was like another world with an almost constant hum of fast moving
vehicles passing in both directions. We
stopped occasionally to look out over the Afon Dyfi to the Tarennydd
beyond. The great majority of these 12
miles were cycled in single file with each of us swapping the lead every couple
of miles or so. When we entered
Tal-y-bont and left this road it was a relief.
Barry joined us for the
cycle up the mountain road from Tal-y-bont, this road marches confidently above
the Afon Ceulan, which was down on our left.
It felt exhilarating to be away from the busy A 487 and back amongst the
hills. The narrow road gained height at
a good gradient with Mark showing off his cycling skills as he pulled wheelies
going uphill.
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| I've never been able to pull a wheelie, let alone doing it when cycling uphill |
Toward the top of the
road Hazel had found a small lay-by and we stopped for a few minutes, admiring
the view as we did so, with the Cambrian coast stretching southward to what I
thought to be the Preseli hills far off in the distance. It was proving a blissful afternoon.
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| Mark taking a brief rest beside the back-up vehicle |
As we crested the top of
the road we left the coastal views behind and swung around the northern flank
of Bryn Mawr, and shortly afterward we entered part of the conifer plantation
that stretches in a south – north orientation and which is on the far western
tip of Nant-y-moch Reservoir. It was
this reservoir that we planned to set up camp beside.
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| Nant -y-moch Reservoir with tomorrow's objective; Pumlumon, in the distance |
We continued around the
western and southern part of the reservoir, passing over its dam and finding an
ideal spot for the night’s camp close to where the track, which we planned on
taking tomorrow morning, led off from this narrow road up into the hills.
The next four hours was
magical as we sorted our gear and relaxed in the evening sun with copious
amounts of food and mugs of tea appearing from the camper van. We aired a lot of the gear in the sun before
finally setting the tent up.
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| Setting up camp beside Nant-y-moch Reservoir |
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| A wonderful place to spend the night |
Before the sun set in
the western sky we washed ourselves in the reservoir as a herd of cattle
visited the camp. We needed this time to
relax and enjoy the setting as tomorrow’s planned route took us over Pumlumon
and into the wilds of the Elenydd.
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| They took a bit of a battering during the trip and remarkably withstood everything that we threw at them |
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| Hazel being visited by a herd of friendly cows |
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| Taking a dip as the evening light fades |
Before bedding down for
the night I stood outside with not a breath of evening breeze and watched the
moon rise over Nant-y-moch as the sky turned a darkening deep blue. It had been a magical day and hopefully
tomorrow would be more of the same.
Tomorrow: Pumlumon –
Devil’s Bridge – below Drygarn Fawr
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