Day 62 – Pembrey to Freshwater East (Pembroke)

Wednesday, 13 July 2011

69 miles; total 3,961 miles (470 miles to go!)

Rested, relaxed, refuelled, revitalised, ready and raring to go! That was me this morning despite the wet weather overnight. A proper day’s cycling to come, with some hills thrown in for good measure.

Yesterday afternoon I could hear, not too far away and for at least half an hour, a racing motorbike being ridden very quickly. The mystery was solved soon after I set off when I saw a sign to the Pembrey Motorsports Centre, which obviously includes a racetrack.  Much of the land near the Country Park is left uncultivated and in an area of long grass and meadowsweet, a Grasshopper Warbler was singing. It sounds a bit like an old fishing reel and is perhaps the most boring bird song there is but Grasshopper Warblers are quite uncommon, and Mrs Grasshopper Warbler must presumably like the song.

There is a big estuary here, with three arms of not quite equal size – the Gwendraeth, the Tywi and the Taf, stretching inland to Kidwelly, Carmarthen and St Clears respectively.  My route followed each arm in and out as far as practicable.  From Kidwelly to Carmarthen was the flattest section but some of the roads were the dirtiest I’ve been on. It’s a bit disconcerting wiping cow muck off the drink bottle before having a slurp!

Ferryside (where presumably there once was a ferry across the Tywi to Llansteffan) has a school and railway station, a derelict ‘educational centre’ and an interesting sculpture. It’s quite nice actually.

I skirted around Carmarthen, then returned down the other side of the Tywi to Llansteffan to gaze across at Ferryside where I’d been over an hour before (eminding me of Delfziel and Emsden – I think – on the North Sea Cycle Route except in their case it’s a full day!).  Then it became a lot hillier as the route followed the side of the Taf to St Clears – including one very steep little blighter!

Laugharne (I’ve no idea how to pronounce it) was the home of that most famous of Welsh poets, Dylan Thomas. I went to have a look at his Boat House and study (a wooden garage), both of which had stunning views of the estuary.  Laugharne has quite a big old castle too.  But they charge 20p for the public conveniences, and I didn’t have a 20p, so I… well, use your imagination!

At Pendine, where there is an MOD establishment and a Museum of Speed (the sands here are long and flat, and were used for the World Land Speed Record for some time), the road took a steep turn upwards into a very heavy shower.  For the second time on this ride, I was stopped by a farmer moving cattle along the road. He told me how they were bothered by tuberculosis now and again which meant that they had to kill lots of stock, getting only animal food prices for them. Most farmers seem very friendly – providing you don’t leave gates open or drop things that could be eaten by their stock.

It was cloudy and cool, and at the beach resort of Amroth there were a few people sitting in cars looking out to sea with flask and a miserable expression. The road went steeply up and down between Amroth, Wiseman’s Bridge and Saundersfoot, but I managed to work a flanker when I spotted a cycle path which even went through a long dark tunnel.

It may not be the school holidays yet but there were plenty of holiday makers in Saundersfoot and Tenby. Tenby is really nice, with a walled town, lots of lovely buildings, views,  beaches – the lot – I was most impressed. I even stopped at a bike shop to buy some handlebar end stops.

Manorbier has a castle, a popular beach – and more steep hills. After that, just a few country lanes to tonight’s stop of Freshwater East, but on the way, at a narrow point of the road, I had to negotiate my way through masses of big bits of wing mirrors.  A mile later, a motorhome had pulled into the side, sans wing mirror. I thought of suggesting to the driver that he go back and clear the mess up but I got the feeling he wouldn’t be too receptive to such a suggestion at this time…

For the fifth time since Frank and Bern took over on Saturday we’re eating al fresco.  I hope the weather keeps up: I’ve a similar day tomorrow around Pembrokeshire, finishing at St Davids, and when I think about it, for the last few weeks I’ve been doing three big zig-zags – along the south coast to Land’s End, back along the north coast of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, then back again along the south Wales coast. But on Friday the route turns north and makes big steps towards home. KPO then…

Day 61 – Gowerton to Pembrey

Tuesday, 12 July 2011

18 miles; total 3,892 miles

A lie-in!  -  Shortest day of the whole trip  -  I got bored!!  - I also got my hair cut.

Schedules are governed by various different things, and today it was the availability of caravan sites.  A slightly longer day would have been ideal but the only real choice of an overnight stop was here at Pembrey, so a mere 13 miles was the scheduled distance. I know, I know, hardly worth getting out of bed for.

Actually, the biggest problem was finding something to do – having to be away from one site no later than 10 am, and not wanting to arrive at the next before noon – with only an hour’s cycling in between.  So I dawdled a bit, then explored a cycle path along the Burry Inlet and had a cursory look at the Wildlife and Wetland Trust Centre.

But before that, I was contacted by another Twitterer: @Antz_e, otherwise known as Anthony Evans, called by on his way out for a morning tour of the Gower, introduced himself and made a welcome donation to Cancer Research UK.  It’s a good job he didn’t want to ride with me, as he would have been bored rigid!!

The roads around Llanelli, Burry Port and Pembrey were remarkably quiet. I followed the signs for the Harbour at Burry Port but they just led to the edge of the salt marsh, which seemed odd.

Pembrey Country Park is a big area of woodland, heath and dunes: there are signs of wartime activity here – pill boxes and bunkers still in view, and I think there was an airport. Now it’s a popular leisure area with long beaches.  I loitered around here for a while to pass the time before going to the caravan site, where, after lunch,

I GOT MY HAIR CUT!!!

Bernadette very kindly mowed my out-of-control locks, which hadn’t had any attention for the last nine weeks.  Now, after a number 2, I’m a lot tidier and possibly somewhat lighter. She also applied the same treatment to my beard (I’ve never had a beard long enough for a trim before!) so I’m looking pretty dapper! But not smart enough for a photo – I don’t want to lose any readers!

I then gave the bike a good check-over, which reminded me that Ian Hardy had sent me a photograph of Richard, just after he’d extracted the broken cable end from my gear shifters last week.  It’s a very delicate job – note the two pairs of glasses!

Back to normal tomorrow – 67 miles with plenty of ups and downs will take me to Pembroke – I’m approaching another absolutely beautiful part of the country, and looking forward to it.

Day 60 – Llantwit Major to Gowerton (Llanilltud Fawr – Tregwyr)

Monday, 11 July 2011

78 miles; total 3,874 miles (78 milltir; cyfanswm 3,874 milltir)

I love languages. Not too strong on English but I can get by in French, Spanish and Danish, plus a little bit of German and Italian.  So I feel qualified to say something about the subject.  What I don’t understand is this insistence on bilingual signs in Wales. By all means keep the Welsh language going, but why waste all that paint to say ‘SLOW – ARAF’ every time on the roads; or to make sure every sign that says ‘CARDIFF’ also says ‘CAERDYDD’; or to say ‘P’ – 100 YARDS – 100 LLATH?  If the lovely Welsh people want it written in Welsh, just do it in Welsh. Forget the English. Providing the first sign we see over the border is bilingual, we can remember ARAF and MILLTIR and LLATH after that, and you can save a shed load of paint.  Thank you.

Back to the bike ride. The village of Llantwit Major is very pleasant, and the quiet road nearest the coast through St Donats and Marcross likewise.  Apparently St Donats Castle used to belong to Randolph Hearst, the press baron.

Keeping to the south of Bridgend I went through Porthcawl, then past Kenfig nature reserve to some really busy roads around Port Talbot, where the steel works weren’t exactly the prettiest sight of the bike ride so far.  But in Port Talbot there was the Taibach Rugby Club, which seemed to epitomise this part of South Wales.

I was surprised at the seaside part of Port Talbot – a nice prom, with a good beach and modern sculptures, with a great view along the coast to Swansea and the Mumbles. Fortunately, on the way in to Swansea, where the roads were busiest, there were some good cycle lanes.

As is usually the case, the traffic is so slow right in the centre of the city that cycling is quite easy, but things slowed down towards Mumbles as temporary traffic lights were in use due to a ‘dangerous object beneath the carriageway’ – a bomb, mine, dragon? – who knows?

The prom at Mumbles was full on people walking this way and that – presumably having a look at the pier and then returning. There’s a good view across the bay back to Swansea. Catherine Zeta Jones comes from here apparently. I saw her walking along the prom. With Elvis.

From Mumbles Head the character of the ride changed abruptly:  hills!  Ups and downs everywhere, through the suburbia that is Mumbles, Newton and Caswell, then into the rural part of the Gower Peninsula. I had expected a landscape of open heathland, like Purbeck, but instead it was a mixture of woodlands and fertile fields with narrow lanes a bit like parts of Devon.  Cycling was quite hard work again!

Toiling up one hill in woodland I came across this Elephant Hawk Moth on the road. I think it may have been pecked at by a bird, as it doesn’t seem to be in pristine condition.

Rhossili makes a fitting end to the cul-de-sac at the western end of the peninsula, with cliffs on one side and a golden beach on the other, with paragliders enjoying their sport in the air above.  It was busy here, so I turned tail and started back towards Gowerton. Riding across the north of the Gower was much easier, with flatter roads and a pleasant tailwind.

The road runs along the salt marshes of the estuary of the River Loughor, with signs warning of occasional inundation by the tide, but as I remembered it was a half-moon last night I wasn’t particularly worried. This is a nice open section, ending in the easy final miles to the Gowerton Caravan Club Site where we are staying tonight.

550 miles to go out of 4,400 - so the end gets ever closer. But it won't much tomorrow! - I'm having the nearest thing to a day off yet - 13 miles to the next site at Pembrey. But that should give me time to check the bikes over carefully, and after that every day but the last has a substantial amount of climbing, so the rest should do my legs good.

By the way, thanks to Elaine Marsden, who celebrated her birthday on Saturday with a night out for friends at  The Plough Inn at Wigglesworth and asked that instead of presents, guests donated to my Cancer Research UK fund instead.  And thanks also to my wife Val's Auntie Elsie, whose husband Max sadly died of brain cancer last week - donations from today's funeral are to be shared between MacMillan Nurses and Cancer Research UK. A sad day for the family - Max was always full of life and was the lucky winner of the raffle to blow up the Castle Cement Works chimney just over two years ago.  We'll miss you Max.

Can you help in the fight against cancer? All you need to do is go to my Just Giving page and make a donation  - it's that simple. Please donate if you can. Thank you.

Day 59 – Bristol to Llantwit Major

Sunday, 10 July 2011

80 miles;  total mileage now 3,797.

A dry day without a drop of rain!! I haven’t counted but I’m guessing that might take me on to the fingers of my second hand after 59 days!  It just needs to warm up now: 28°C would be nice!

Now and again something happens to warm the cockles of your heart and last night it was Mike and Lyn Stirling, wardens at the Baltic Wharf Caravan Club Site in Bristol, who went round all the caravanners and raised over £90 for Cancer Research UK. Thank you to Mike and Lyn and all those who donated.

Mind you, Bristol is party city on Saturday night – the discos could be heard for miles around. Not to worry – after nearly 60 days cycling without a break, getting to sleep isn’t a problem whatever happens!  Bristol also hosts an annual hot-air balloon festival – and this morning someone was obviously practising!

I left the city on the Westbury Road, past rows of Limes and Horse Chestnut Trees, and then made for the old Severn Bridge, where there is a cycle lane on each side. I love the engineering that goes into these bridges (although yesterday’s Clifton Suspension Bridge will take some beating).

The Old Severn Bridge

The New Severn Bridge

Once on the other side of Britain’s longest river, I was in Wales – another milestone, having been in England since 9 June. To think it’s taken a whole calendar month to cycle from Berwick-upon-Tweed to here. Time I speeded up!

Caldicot Level, between Chepstow and Newport, is a bit like the Somerset Levels, and made for easy cycling in the fine weather.  I skirted most of Newport but then had a bonus! – the Transporter Bridge over the Usk is like the one in Middlesbrough, but unlike Middlesbrough, this one was open.  What’s more, there was a ‘Zip-wire Challenge’ from one of the top stanchions, which had me sorely tempted, but I resisted. I’ll wait until I’m 60 and then do a bungee jump in New Zealand (they don’t charge the over-60’s!!)

Lunch was taken at St Brides, where Frank and Bern had parked at the entrance to a field with three friendly horses. But from here on, the rest of the ride changed character, becoming completely urban with hardly a rural interlude at all.  Cardiff was difficult to navigate (the National Assembly Building was interesting though), and as bikes aren’t allowed on the bridge over the River Taff, I had to take a cycle route which ended up with me trying to find my way out of a Morrisson’s car park!

Penarth and Barry are clearly popular resorts. I’m sorry I’ve never watched Gavin and Stacey, as it sounds like I’ve missed out on some interesting connections Barry-wise. Perhaps I’ll watch the repeats when I get home, if I can remember how to operate the remote control.

I skirted Cardiff International Airport: at the end of the runway a group of plane-spotters was gathered, and at exactly the moment I arrived, four old jets – Hawker Hunters I think – screamed low overhead in close formation, wingtip to wingtip, along the line of the runway. Too fast for anyone’s camera.  Can anyone tell me who or what they were?  I suggested to the plane-spotters that Greece would be a good destination, with warmer weather, but they said they preferred Cardiff. Pity, because with a bit of luck they could have got a few months’ free accommodation too, though I understand it’s a bit on the rough side.

...I just felt artistic with the power lines...

Finally a power station and a cement works before arriving at the Acorn Caravan and Camping Site in Llantwit Major.  I thought for a moment I’d arrived in France, as the place was overrun with French teenagers – who clearly prefer the environs of the toilest and showers to any outside activities! Ah to be jeune again!

Another 70+ mile day tomorrow, to Swansea and a tour of the Gower Peninsula – more new territory for me – but getting closer to home all the time…

Day 58 – Burnham-on-Sea to Bristol

Saturday, 9 July 2011

44 miles – total 3,716 miles

Today started with an interview – for www.burnham-on-sea.com – Mark came out to see us off and take a photo, which hopefully will feature soon.  He mentioned that we were leaving ‘over the moor’, and as a result I thought we would have some steep roads to contend with.  But apparently ‘the moor’ in this area is nothing like the moor at home – in fact, it’s completely flat – just a section of the Somerset Levels, in fact!

Our first port of call was Weston-Super-Mare, home of that renowned (?) politician and author, Lord Archer.  As we approached the seafront, roads were closed and diversions were in place for a Channel 4 pop concert featuring JLS (I thought they sold sofas).  The pier, which was burnt down in 2008, has recently been re-opened and now looks very swish.  Further along, power boats were converging (on the road, strangely – I thought they’d be better off in the water), so presumably a major power boat event was in the offing.

And then a bit further along still we came across a Lakeland Coach which was on a trip to Weston – now Lakeland Coaches are renowned in the Clitheroe area (where I come from) as the best, most reliable, most value-for-money coach outfit there is. I’m saying this because I know John Lakeland very well and I gave my details to the driver to pass on to him in the hope that John will now make a generous donation to Cancer Research UK – hint, hint John!

The lanes across the Somerset Levels near the coast are characterised by wide, water-filled ditches running alongside.  At one point I came acrosss a Mute Swan by the side of the road: it was obviously camera-shy because it hissed at me very loudly as I passed by.

Carrying along near the coast through fields and small towns, we passed through Clevedon and then arrived at Portishead, where there was a boating lake with various dinghies looking like they were all about to collide with each other.

The road got busier as we approached Bristol and crossed the M5, before a steady climb took us to the wonderful, exquisite, marvellous Clifton Suspension Bridge, built by that great man whose parents must have had a strange sense of humour – Isambard Kingdom Brunel.  The views, both of and from the bridge, are just superb.

Then it was down through Bristol and over a swing bridge (which was opened for water traffic, just like a level crossing, so we had to wait) to the Baltic Wharf Caravan Club site.  The wardens here are terrific and have been round all the other tourers with a collecting bucket, raising money for our Cancer Research UK appeal – thank you guys!

Frank and Bernadette Brown, my new crew for the following week, were here when we arrived, so it was many many thanks and goodbye to Ian Hardy and Richard Dugdale and hello to Mr & Mrs Brown.  As we had some time to spare we visited one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s other creations, the SS Great Britain – and spent nearly two hours looking at the dry dock, the museum, and the ship itself – all absolutely fascinating.

And what do you think of this strange garage door nearby, with writing that reads differently from either direction? Very clever!

So a fairly big day tomorrow – 79 miles, into Wales, where I’ll be for over a week; over the Severn Bridge (I hope the crosswinds aren’t bad) and through Newport and Cardiff.  I’ll let you know how I got on tomorrow.  KPO…