Lleyn peninsula 2 days

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Mike
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Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2012 9:36 am

Lleyn peninsula 2 days

Post by Mike »

Something I've been meaning to do since last summer was to ride around the sticky out bit of North Wales... The Lleyn peninsula. As I didn't get around to doing it in the summer as a day ride, I thought I'd wait till the dark nights and cold weather set in. Leaving my house on Friday afternoon and heading for a night in the van at coed y brenin forest meant I could get an early start say around 830 would be good!!
Now the weather was looking fine although very cold at night. Sunshine was in the forcast :)

I had a great night in the van Friday night, I had the place to myself also. I arrived in the dark and set about cooking my dinner and getting a brew on. I was in bed by 1030 wrapped up warm n cozy. It was now starting to go cold and in the night rained heavy. The sound on the van is very relaxing. Too relaxing, I eventually got up at 10am! Whoops so much for an early start then?

I parked in a village I can't pronounce and got my stuff ready for the off at about 1150am. A tad later than I would of liked but I thought what's the rush. Anyhow I decided to do the loop the opposite way to my original plan. I went anticlockwise and headed for caernarfon. 20 miles with a brutal headwind right into town. I knew it was going to be windy but not like that!
2 coffees and a bacon n double egg cob and I was ready for the off. I stayed on the coastal roads as much as I could which took me over a steep climb on the B4417. Short lived it was but it hurt. Still with a head wind I was aiming for Aberdaron for the evening in the pub n dinner. I stopped at a garage for a coke n pasty at 4ish only to find out the pub was about 11 miles away.
By now it was getting dark fast with the light fading I could no longer see the views around me so decided to get my head down and cracked on. Aberdaron was a very quiet place ( likewise so were all the roads!) The pub was open but I had to wait an hour for food so I had a few beers and by the time I'd drank them the 3 local girls had sank two gins drinks, and 2 pints of Stella each. They were friendly girls but proper on it!! I had clocked a spot for a camp on Google earth in the week so i knew kinda where I was heading for.
I left the girls getting wasted in the pub and went out to what was a bloody cold night. I had on all my clothes that where spare. 3 miles to camp. I found the footpath leading down to the mines on the coast and after some walking around decided on the best spot, but still windy as. The wind came and went and by 12 I woke to a light on the tent. I thought not another farmer, on putting my head outside it was just the moon had came up. Now the temp dropped even more and it was colder still. I woke at 5am to all the condensation inside my lunar had turned white and frozen. I nodded back off and woke to full sunshine at 9am. What a morning, clear blue sky's as far as I could see! Breaking camp I made my way back upto the road and headed for Abersoch for breaky although it was 12 when I got there so more lunch really. By now I was riding on very flat terrain so my speed increased and I passed the miles away nicely. I finally reached Porthmadog at 3pm and only having done 93 miles decided to round it up and go the long way back to the van. I finally got back having covered 103miles. The first thing I did was get a brew on!

Anyone wanting some nice roads with great scenery of North Wales I can highly recommend this route. And go out of season because the locals assure me it's not that quiet in the summer

Pics to follow
Last edited by Mike on Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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whitestone
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Re: Llyn peninsula 2 days

Post by whitestone »

Nice one :-bd The Lleyn is one of my favourite areas, even in summer it's easy to find somewhere quiet, you do have to keep away from the beaches on the south coast though.
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summittoppler
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Re: Lleyn peninsula 2 days

Post by summittoppler »

Sounds like a nice little trip. I done one of my first 'touring' rides down that way some years ago. There's some short steep climbs for sure!
Looking forward to the pics...
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99percentchimp
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Re: Lleyn peninsula 2 days

Post by 99percentchimp »

Nice one Mike - I've been thinking of a trip to bivi in the hill forts and stone circles on the Lleyn for ages - looking forward to photos.

Cheers, Mark
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Richpips
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Re: Lleyn peninsula 2 days

Post by Richpips »

Sounds a good trip, but chilly.

Do you use a bivy bag and a big sleeping bag this time of year in the Solo?
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Mike
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Re: Lleyn peninsula 2 days

Post by Mike »

Rich I took the lunar as there wasn't any rain forcast :-bd
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pistonbroke
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Re: Lleyn peninsula 2 days

Post by pistonbroke »

Mention of Abersoch brings back many childhood memories. We used to take the caravan to the Warren campsite when it was a little site in the sand dunes. We had a little boat and my dad used to take me out to St Tudwals island and leave me there all day fishing, he would also leave my mum, sister and me in the van for the summer holidays and go back to work, returning at weekends. I once caught a dogfish and hid it under the caravan until my dad returned so he could see it, I still remember the smell. I also nearly drowned when we went out in the boat and it capsized with me wearing a duffel coat.
Happy days.
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