As i'm in a nice mood its here

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=27 ... 67994&lm=0

Infamous for the WRT Wendy House experience.
I'd be making a few phonecalls to see if its open though.

Fwiw there's a convenience store in Ysbytty Ystwyth, it's just on the left hairpin junction coming from Ffair Rhos as you enter the village.

Sorry folks, the store is in Pont Rhyd y Groes, its just down the lane to Llanafan, the hairpin left is correct though if you're coming from Ysbyty Ystwyth.

me and neil used this pub, made us a nice beef sandwich, landlord drank vodka like water people were smoking in it and miraculously all the beer was off apart from this bottled guiness he was trying to palm us off with, but clean and sunday lunches looked great, remember the down hill blast from cleardu, couple of years ago though

I'm telling ya, me n hux ( or stu? ) passed it earlier in the yr and it's now a house I'm sure. I will try and call the number tomorrow just to prove myself correct

When did you pass it though? You still haven't said.

As I said, I was there in May, and it was very much a pub... and it's on Strava, so it did happen.

Unrelated to that... it occurs to me that if you're slow (specifically if the first section is on tough terrain), then you could easily find yourself with not a single option on route for supplies.

Rhayader is available to all, all day, but you're looking at 15 mins added to get to the shop and back.

Elan Valley visitor centre, and any other pubs / shops on route are very much limited by their closing times... and most of them are only going to be accessible to the quicker riders.

Don't know the route cos not performing, but gleaning from aforementioned snippets is the Elan Valley Hotel (where? "Elan Valley" right next to the road from Rhayader) at the "right time" - 3-course luncheon perhaps? Evening meal with cocktails?

A little off route, but theoretically an option if people arrive when the visitor centre is closed.

It is Reg, albeit about a km off route after about 80km. Might be a decent option to stop for tea if the weather's nice and you can sit outside - i'm not sure they'd be too welcoming of our type in their dining room for evening service. Lovely food in there though.

"welcoming of our type" . For some strange reason they let me in wearing my full regalia some while ago, so they must have raised their standards recently . Admittedly I got a bit too drunk to remember the exact state of the food, but vaguely recall it was pretty good yes?

PS. Oh, and yes Borderer, the bar lady was very chatty too when I inflicted myself upon them

My rucksack has arrived. My resupply point is my back

I'm taking Ray Mears in my saddlebag.

RIP wrote:Don't know the route cos not performing, but gleaning from aforementioned snippets...

Same here but... wonder what time the café at Trallym trail centre closes? And how the Jones' may respond to a call asking if they'd stay open late on the promise of enough riders passing by?

There again, you guys are self-sufficient, should be plenty of wimberries on the hillside this time of year


EDIT: Sorry, see that the cafe is now permanently closed

Yeah shame about the Coed Trallwm cafe. I was on a caper a while ago and found myself HaB-ing the desperate 'bridleway' from Llyn Brianne to Abergwesyn. It was a bit of a diversion anyway cos I was aiming for Strata Florida but it was getting late and the promise of a nice cuppa and some cake addled my brain. By the time I got there several epochs, or even aeons, later I'd built the place up in my head to something approaching bikepacking nirvana where a band of nice ladies (possibly resembling the ladies of Castle Anthrax in Monty P and the Holy Grail) dispensed unlimited ambrosia and lemon drizzle cake while my aching feet were bathed in milk and honey. Er, closed that day. Even though I'd rung them a few days earlier. There's a special bikepacking jargon word (not that one) for when this extreme-no-cake-but-promised situation occurs but I can't remember what it is. Cakedisaster or something. Dejectedly plodded over to Dolgoch hostel, just me and the (decidely spooky) warden, ate plain pasta from the 'lost property' food box, and abedded smelly cos the solar shower had bust. Great day all round really.

So I'd actually met the Trallwm bloke on a holiday a while before that when cake actually was available, and indeed accompanied by tanninic beverages too. Ray-somebody? Nice chap and lovely cafe but the funniest thing was hearing about what a total waste of time the Welsh Govt were, closely followed by what a fantastic subsidy had helped to set the place up!

Thank you for allowing that OT bit of chat there. (Well only slightly OT cos the 'cafe' is/was en route as Peter says!). Consider it a free temporary suspension of thought from the horrific matter in hand . On a final serious note you folks have my admiration and respect for this BB200 thang. Doubt I could manage it any longer even if I ever could. Best of luck to one and all.

'R'

Thinking about words for no cake disasters.
Gateaustrophy. Flanfiasco or for the German speakers Torture,, I should be in advertising me.

Bearbonesnorm wrote:

Way too early to be second-guessing the weather; do you have too many people on the start list?

I'm not second guessing, I'm looking at a forecast which may or may not prove to be accurate. If I were guessing, I'd say it'll be 24 degrees, with a light tailwind and constant sunshine

That promise sounds familiar

pistonbroke wrote:Thinking about words for no cake disasters.
Gateaustrophy. Flanfiasco or for the German speakers Torture,, I should be in advertising me.

Donots, Sanssponge, flapsjogged, muffout, tartastray, fudgepacked,...

macinblack wrote:I'm taking Ray Mears in my saddlebag.

You must be the loser in this years BB200 handicap system?

"Torture" . "Donots"

Just for the record, the Teifi Inn was most definitely open, and oddly it seemed more like paramart described it than how I remembered it.

However, for telling my epic tale of cycling across bogs and mountains I was given a free rum and coke, and one of the regulars went out to his car to grab me a bunch of crisps.

I've been treated strangely before now, but this lot looked at me like I'd just dropped in from space.

YOU'RE DOING WHAT?!?

But you've got a tent right?

What do you mean you're not planning on sleeping?

Hang on, you've come from where, and you're going back there tonight?

But no... wait, you said you were off road? But it's all marsh up there...

Richard G wrote:... wait, you said you were off road? But it's all marsh up there...

They have a point.