“PACK YOUR WATERPROOFS, WE’RE OFF TO WALES FOR SOME TRAIL RIDING.”
For the first time EVER we didn’t need them. Got just as wet, if not wetter, but from the inside out as opposed to the outside in. Blimey it was mighty warm.
This trip consisted of three days following the TET (Trans European Trail). Starting in Llanidloes, mid-Wales, heading west towards the coast, then north and up into Snowdonia.
The Mount Inn, Llanidloes was where we stayed the night before the ride began. You know how all the descriptions of hotels etc brag about a warm welcome? Well at the Mount Inn we certainly got one and thoroughly recommend this hostelry to anyone stopping in the area.
Our last TET jaunt was in eastern France at the beginning of June. Whilst being a great little trip, the riding could not be described as particularly challenging. Well………this was to prove a contrast in a number of places.
Anything But Direct
Our first day’s target was Machynlleth, a whole 20 miles on the road from Llanidloes. Of course our predominantly off-road route was anything but direct. We started a little late after a false start and it took us a good number of hours to reach our destination. One reason is the number of gates we needed to open and close, a theme for all three days. Similar to, but probably not as extreme as the Northumberland section of the TET we did last year. In the blazing sun it soon became a chore getting on and off the bike and goodness, how grateful was I for an electric start? How did we do this stuff before the start button and GPS?
Anyhow the riding and the views more than made up for the minor hardships.
We pitched our tents just outside Machynlleth at the Gwerniago campsite which had good facilities and was friendly.
Still Waters Run Deep
The next morning our first trail was a mile or so from the campsite. It went in a steep, upward direction with plenty of those loose stones and rocks that are designed to offer a degree of challenge.
Now just because it was hot ‘n’ sunny don’t be thinking there wasn’t any water about, this was Wales after all and everywhere it was very green with streams and puddles all over the place. Most were no problem but there was one, as ever, that was a problem and I found it when my front wheel disappeared into a hole. A big hole. We were on the top of a moor at this point and we took a few moments to take off our sweaty hats and jackets, before thinking about how to extricate the water bound KTM. Then, to our amazement a couple of guys in running gear with numbers on their shirts appeared and as luck would have, it one of them had one of those long walking sticks people use these days. They stopped to chat and we borrowed the walking stick to check the depth of the puddle (lake). It was deep, so reversing out was in order.
Turns out these guys were doing a 250 km race over five days. It was tempting to say they were crazy but they jogged on and we were left to struggle with my bike in the heat so who was the craziest?
I recall Milky noting that in the first two and a half hours we had managed a little under 10 miles. Not bad eh? Apart from that we progressed well for the rest of the day, all be it with a few more knarly climbs.
A Bridge Too Far?
The view down across the valley to Barmouth was stunning and when we got down the hillside there was a neat surprise, the route took us across a long wooden bridge next to the railway line that spans the impressive estuary and into the centre of Barmouth. Quite a bizarre experience as the other people entitled to use the bridge are pedestrians and cyclists.
We headed back into the hills after lunch and our next dramatic view was across another bay towards Portmeirion which is an incredible village made famous by being used as the set in the late 60’s cult drama The Prisoner. “I’m not a number, I’m a free man”. We didn’t visit this time coz it costs money and we were too hot and sweaty to go walking around in riding gear, next time. Also, we were disappointed not to see any Rover bubbles chasing escapees. You have to be a certain age….
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
The rest of the afternoon was spent in the mountains of Snowdonia, don’t really need to say a great deal about this section, you can imagine how magnificent the riding is up there.
Our day ended in a campsite a few miles outside Betws-y-Coed. A quick word of warning, this is an expensive town, even the fuel was 10p a litre more than everywhere else we came across, but apart from that, it was lovely.
Our third and final day was spent in the hills north and south of the A5 heading towards the town of Llangollen and the to Chirk and after that, the route turned back towards England. Here we decided to part ways. Milky rode off to visit his son and family up near Liverpool and I went to stay with some friends in nearby Oswestry. Both of us had hot ‘n’ sweaty rides back to the south east the next day.
Re-routing…
I reckon it might be better in future to do the route from north to south as that would mean a gentle start, with the trails getting more challenging as the ride progressed. The other thing to bear in mind is that we were on relatively big trail bikes, me on the LC4 and Milky on his 790, both with luggage for camping etc. On more than one occasion I thought that my little CRF 230 would have been the better choice but where would I put the camping stuff? And the 200 miles each way might prove a tad tedious too. Choices, choices. Either way we had a great ride through some stunning countryside. Roll on the next trip.
Have you been, or are you planning a trip to these trails or anywhere similar? We’d love to hear what you are up to…
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