Saturday
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Train to Gobowen arrived 10:46, then ride past the national border stone and up to Wayfarer's memorial stone. Blimey it's windy; blowing me off course as I pinballed uphill on the rubble. Difficult enough to be unpleasant, but not epic enough to be rewarding. Pushing is quicker.
Drier and slightly less windy downhill, I stopped at Llandrillo store for coffee and a very late lunch. The pub in Llandrillo closed down, but there's a bike-friendly pub that allows camping in the car park nearby (result!)
, so off I pedalled to the Bryntirion Inn. Unfortunately it's van-camping only (tarmac surface and limited area), so after a hearty meal and a look at the map I headed into the hills looking for shelter.It's either very steep, very private, or very soggy so I ended up back in Llandrillo with the reluctant intention of kipping on the village green. After a few "I wonder what's down here?" diversions I discover a cheeky, but fairly discrete, option with plenty of space and ample weatherproof shelter. The sort of bivi site that's best kept off the internet
. Lighting my dimmest headtorch and with a keen ear for curious locals I settled down for the night and awoke early the next morning to slight frost, but clear and sunny skies. Sunday
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A leisurely breakfast, then 0800 shopping at Llandrillo stores for today and tomorrow's lunch before pedalling south towards Llangynog.
This is "Let's Off-Road" country: the few permitted roads are gravel/shale/chippings/broken tarmac, which was preferable to the swampy bridleways at this time of year. A steady plod upwards takes me to the B4391, which you really should visit if you have a superbike.
Swapping the road for a bridleway after a couple of miles, I encountered an entirely useless footbridge, then slogged uphill through a tussock farm for an hour-or-two. At least I had plenty of time.
After the bridleway gate I slogged downhill through another tussock farm for a while, until the bridleway became more defined and I could enjoy the descent. I stopped for an extended lunch in an idyllic spot, sheltered next to a conifer wood and babbling brook. Delightfully quiet and peaceful.
Refreshed, I zoomed down the surprisingly steep bridleway for a mile into Llangynog, stopping at the dirt bike school I'd attend on Monday. The owner (7-time Dakar rally competitor, Mick Extance) was happy to chat, especially when he heard my answer to his "Where have you cycled from?" question, then offered me a lift back to Gobowen in the van after Monday's session, if needed. "I like people like you: you make a plan and just go and do it". Yay!
https://www.mickextanceexperience.com/
I called at the New Inn for a pint and chatted with the barmaid, who recommended a nearby campsite and a visit to a nearby shrine in Pennant Melangell. Free bivi was completed last night so I decided to use the campsite: although I found another excellent secluded-but-cheeky pitch, the campsite gave me a chance to pitch before the night's heavy rain. And...sometimes it's just nice to give something back, y'know.
Relieved of luggage I sprinted to the charming church at Pennant Melangell, housing a shrine to a girl who shielded a hare being hunted by a nobleman c1300 years ago. It's a tranquil and fascinating place to spend an hour.
A race back to the pub for dinner, then back to the campsite in the predicted blustery heavy rain. Saturday night's bivi site would have been ideal in this weather.
Monday
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Awakened at 03:50 by howling wind, creaking trees and hammering rain. After a few minutes contemplation I grabbed my kit and squelched over the campsite to kip in one of the immaculate toilet/shower pods. Kit laid out, I spent a few minutes cheering myself up with the hairdryer before retiring again. The Buffalo Bag hood was especially useful, as every time I turned over the ceiling light switched on
.I awoke after a solid 3 hours sleep (but taken in several instalments) to more wind and rain. Smart move to relocate, as the kitchen pod was next door so the kettle went on as I packed. After hot tea, hot cereal and some music I was again human and ready for Dirt Bike school, just down the road.
The day was very professionally organised with clean, modern 40bhp bikes, thorough briefings, excellent quality kit and a paternal, encouraging approach to coaxing the best out of even the least experienced (such as me). The loose, scrabbly steepness we ended up riding up and down was astonishing. Stuff I wouldn't take an MTB near was well within our capabilities with the dirt bike. The mountain-top exposure, howling wind, horizontal sleet and knee-deep puddles just added to the occasion, but we felt invincible wrapped up in our helmets and biker clobber. I thoroughly recommend it.
Back at base we changed, had quick look at dirt biking's future, a Stark e-bike with 60 "bhp" ("They make everything you rode today easier")
, bade our farewells and departed in the sunshine.My impending ride back to Gobowen had been received with astonishment, amusement and respect by all (including Mick) and earned a few modest brownie points.
The back lane ride back was breathtaking: for scenery and steepness, but once Oswestry was in sight I had a stunning blast down hill nearly all the way, before racing to Gobowen Co-Op for food and the 18.11 train home.
A superb weekend: "more" is definitely "more". I can't believe it was only 3 days
.Lessons Learned.
- Neoprene wetsuit socks are perfect for keeping feet warm in cold, soggy Wales (but do become a bit of a bio-hazard after 3 days
).
- Most food (except a few pieces of mint cake) was eaten. I don't need to eat as much as I thought I did.
- All kit (except the tool kit) was used. Everything worked.
- Rides are best when shared (especially the bad ones).
- "Skip bike" (a Claud Butler Pine Lake from 2000, rescued 15 years ago from a bloke about to lob it into the scrap metal skip at the tidy tip
) has become a great, cheap Velo-Snoozing ride, just by adding a curly 'bar, a Surly Troll fork, low gears and chubby tyres. Geometry is similar to my P7 or Inbred. It's just a bit heavy (like my Buffalo Bag), but is comfortable and reliable.
- All bikes are great (but knobbly-tyred ones are best)!
