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