Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! 27th December

And this year’s Christmas puzzle is a “spot the difference”

Here is The Descender in January,

and here he is again in December

 – has anything changed?

So, the final hill is done, and what a great one to finish on. The Descender and I set off from Elvanfoot (cue Hobbit references) and blasted across the moor to Drumlanrig Castle. 

Sadly, the much anticipated tea stop was not to be, as the Castle cafe was closed for the season. So, onto Mennock along the side of a swollen River Nith. A quick jink onto the main A road and then we set off up the Mennock Pass. It’s a great ride up to Wanlockhead, though towering fellsides and alongside a lovely stream. All the way up it appeared that we were heading for a dead-end, only for the road to swerve left or right into another steepsided valley. As it was Christmas, the snow began to fall as we first reached the village, 

and then finished the climb off a couple of hundred metres further on.

All that was then left was a fairly straightforward – though cold – descent back to the car and a final drive into Moffat for a cup of tea and the Descenders usual bowl of soup!

What a year it’s been. The hills were relatively straightforward, and a big challenge had been getting organised and finding the bottom or top of each climb. (However, maintaining the blog has also been quite demanding!)
 It was great to finish with The Descender after starting it with him in January.

How do I follow this, having had a challenge that has lasted a whole year? I don’t know, but what I do know is that it won’t be the second book, or I’ll be looking for a second wife!

Thank you if you've been following my exploits, and I hope it inspires you to have a go at some of them!

30 miles, 749m of ascent.

These things come in threes! 23rd December 2012

After a restful night at the Four Seasons in Aberysthwth (and a great burger at Salt), I set out on the journey back to the Devils Staircase and the scene of last nights abandonment. All together, the detour last night and the reutn this morning has added approximately 100 miles to the weekend, which was just under 900 miles of driving in total when I got home. Disaster 1 was the bike GPS not working today – it had frozen and needed a hard reboot when I got home!

I’m amazed at the remoteness of some of these roads. The journey from Tregaron to the top of the climb was about 15 miles of single track road. There would be some great riding here with lots of climbing and very little traffic. A return is a must!

Anyway, to the climb. I parked at the top and set off down.

It was a short, but steep descent to the bridges and you can see from the videos that they were still under a bit of water. They were more like fords than bridges though. 

I was able to drive the car through the water on the way to my next climb, but not until I’d made the climb back up. It was steep, but traction was good despite the wet and the leaves . 

But disaster 2 struck as I managed to leave my gloves at the top of the climb after putting them on the roof of the car. They were my fluorescent Altura gloves. Brilliant gloves, but I’ve hammered them for a year and they were at the end of their life so now I know what to spend my Wiggle vouchers on!

The journey up to Bwlch-y-groes was eventful, as disaster 3 struck, with a puncture on the car. I also managed to lose the locking nut for the wheels, major schoolboy error.

Hellfire Pass was steep and relentless. There was a farm called “Pant” at the bottom, and pant I did. The book gives it 10/10, but Hardknott is definitely more demanding. The ride down was eventful. Very windy, and I was almost blown to a standstill downhill. Plus, I had no gloves so cold hands were the order of the day.

Next up was Fford Penllech- billed as the steepest hill in the land. Vale Street in Bristol is surely steeper, but what fun this one was. I had to go against the traffic, but there wasn’t any! 

I had driven down it on my arrival and it was really entertaining. It is matched by a slightly less steep version the other side of Harlech Castle – what a great training loop that would be.

Next it was a rush to get to Horseshoe Pass before it got dark. 

I dug the lights out, only to find that one of the batteries was flat and knowing that I would definitely need lights on the last climb, I opted to turn them off for this ascent. A long swooping descent from the top down to Llangollen saw a quick turnaround and a flog back up in the gathering gloom. Not quite sure about the Ponderosa cafe and gift shop at the top, but it was a steady and picturesque climb, passing the Valle Crucio Abbey, the canal and the Eisteddfod pavilion on the way.

The day wasn’t over yet though. There was the little matter of the Shelf, and then a 175 mile drive home.

The Shelf proved to be quite a challenge to find. It was squirreled away east of Ruthin and difficult to find in the dark. Added to this was another flood that had to be negotiated, with yet another detour and I was much relieved to park up at the top.

I knew it was the right hill though when I found ALLEZ ALLEZ EDDIE written on the road!

I rode the hill mainly in the dark with no lights as it was really moonlit. It was a fantastic and fitting end to a demanding weekend. I’d had to push myself mentally quite a lot, spending a lot of time wet and behind the wheel of a car, so the surreal experience of cycling up hill in the moonlight with great views over the welsh hills was brilliant.

Back in the car and on the way home, and it was time to reflect on a great weekend with lots of different experiences. Looking ahead – only one to go!!

 19 miles 1176m of climbing.

Whoa, what a day! 22nd December 2012

After a comfy night in the Lion Hotel, having been serenaded to sleep by the Ebbw Vale Male voice choir, I rose nice and early for quick getaway. The choir was amazing, but what struck me was how old they all were. Talking to the lady that ran the B&B it appears that they are really struggling to replace old and dying members – sad, but does it reflect a change in what is cool?

Breakfast was OK, but sausages that have been in the freezer too long are always chewy!

I set out into a wet and windy day, and what a day it was to be!

First up was Bryn Du from Aberdare. Following the choir theme, I was encouraged at the start by the statue of a local chorister, and set off into the teeth of gale, with strong winds and lots of rain.

And so it was to be for the rest of the day. Bryn Du set the pattern, upwards into a wind and driving rain, and a quick scoot back down to the car to try and get dry.

I discovered a number of drying techniques during the day as my kit got wetter and wetter, but the best was to have the blowers going full tilt and sit hats and gloves on the dash.

Next came Rhigos, and the first disaster as my phone got wet.

This was a relatively straightforward ascent, alongside the local colliery.

Fortunately my phone dried as the day progressed, but no pictures of The Bwlch. (But heres a picture of the Clock Tower at the start, taken in much better conditions!) 

The Bwlch was hard and probably the toughest ride I’ve done today – not because of the climb, which was relatively straightforward, but the weather went from bad to worse. The last kilometre was uphill, directly into the wind and slow going. The descent was great, though very gusty on a couple of the bends.

Next came a slow drive into Swansea and Constitution Hill.

I’ve tried to do every climb in one go, but was finally beaten by the slippery cobbles at the top. As the book said, I avoided the easy paved gutter – but sadly lost it on the final 30m. So, I dropped down and did that section again, this time successfully. (This was used in the Tour of Britain 2010. It must have been amazing to watch the racers hammering up it!)

After a portion of fish and chips from Rossi’s, I ended up at the foot of Black Mountain. 

This was another tough climb, characterised by a long drag through the farms at the bottom, then a great section with some switchbacks and finally a long slightly up hill drag into the teeth of the weather. It was a great freewheel back down to the car though just as it got dark.

I had to abandon the last climb planned for today. Having arrived at the two bridges mentioned in the guide, I couldn’t cross as the rivers had burst their banks and flooded the road. A 50 mile detour round to Aberystwyth ensued, and I’ll have to go back for this one tomorrow.

30 miles 1316m of ascent

Racing the rain – 21st December.

Crunch time has finally arrived. It’s the end of term, 10 days to the end of the year and 13 climbs to do. No panic though, we have a plan!

School finished at 1.30, and 6.00 pm found me at the Lion Hotel in Abergavenny. 270 miles and a world away from the final hours of a tough school term.

It may have been dark, but the forecast for tomorrow is crap so I set off into the dark to do a couple of hills.

First up was Llangynidr Mountain. 

Climbed from the north, it was relatively straightforward, but with a couple of twists and turns. I quickly realised that I was going to miss the views on both these climbs, but needs must!

Next came the Tumble. 

I’ve always wanted to ride this since I saw it in the Nationals a few years ago, and it didn’t disappoint. Could I have raced up it? No chance. The car park at the top was interesting- dedicated to a local councillor!

Tomorrow beckons. Lots of wind and rain forecast. Hopefully I can tick a few and make it up as far as Harlech!

13.5 miles, 1470m of ascent.