by Jeremy
There are so many superb road cycle rides to be had in mid-wales. The roads are quiet, the area is sparsely populated, there are so many hills with views and valleys with rivers and streams. We really are spoilt for choice on our doorsteps.
Here are some videos to whet your appetite:
> Cambrian Mountains Sunday ride
> Cambrian Coast Sportive 2019
To help you on your way here five of the local riders’ favourites. These rides are suitable for the reasonably fit cyclist who is not afraid of climbing and is looking for a ride that will keep them out most of the day. So get on your bike and see what happens, you won’t be disappointed:
1. Llyn Brianne Loop
Using Tregaron as a base, this beautiful circular route takes in hills, valleys, breath-taking views with an excellent lunch stop at Tywi Bridge Inn. Take the mountain road over the Cambrian Mountains towards Abergwesyn before turning off towards Llyn Brianne. The road runs along the Eastern side of the lake, drops down past the dam wall towards Lampeter via lunch/coffee at Tywi Bridge Inn, Pumpsaint, and on to Lampeter. From there its an easy run back to Tregaron along the Teifi Valley.
Distance 80 km; Climb 1570 m.
2. Elan Valley Lakes
One of the best. Starting at Devil’s Bridge you ride up past The Arch, down through Cwmystwth and up the valley along the Ystwyth river, past disused lead and silver mines before entering the Elan valley. The route takes you past the turn-off to the lakes into Rhayader, where The Old Swan Tea-room welcomes cyclists. Return past the Elan valley visitors’ centre and follow the route along three of the lakes before re-joining the road from Cwmystwyth and returning to Devil’s Bridge.
Distance 71 km; Climb 1756 m.
3. Nant y Moch & Devil’s Bridge
Starting in Aberystwyth the route takes in Clarach, the coastal town Borth, Tre’r-dol, Tal-y-bont, the remote Nant-y-Moch reservoir, Devils Bridge and then back to Aber. You will get lovely views of Borth and the coast, after which you’ll make your way back to the main road and head south again to Tal-y-bont. From here its a long climb up an alpine-like road to the top of a valley before circling round Nant y Moch. On to Devil’s Bridge where a well-earned lunch is best enjoyed at Woodland’s Cafe. After lunch the routes crosses the Devil’s Bridge itself leaving you about 20 km back to the start.
Distance 70 km; Climb 1280 m.
4. New Quay for Lunch
This ride through the back roads of Ceredigion in the heart of sheep and cattle country. Starting from Tanyresgair the road passes through the villages of Bethania, Cross Inn, Pennant, Ciliau Aeron before climbing up to Dihewyd and on to Madroilyn before aiming for the coast along the top of the hills. New Quay has many good lunch stops with views over the bay and coast line – try The Blue Bell or The Old Watch House (sit outside). Back home taking different minor roads to Bethania before following your footsteps back to Tanyresgair.
Distance 75 km; Climb 1263 km
5. On Top of the World!
Again, using Tregaron as the base, ride along the secondary road to Llandewi Brefi where you then take a minor mountain road towards Ffarmers, very steep. Rather than continuing to Ffarmers itself, you stay on the mountain road which takes you along a ridge well above the Teifi Valley before dropping down into Cwmann and then into Lampeter, where Granny’s Kitchen is a very good place to stop for coffee and or a light lunch. From there its back to Tregaron along the Teifi valley.
Distance 43 km; Climb 680 m.
reusable slates put aside. We were short about 1000 slates but luckily found enough reclaimed Welsh slates on eBay. The rafters and purloins were retained, as was the ridge beam, hence the wavy ridge line.
wooden or tiled floors, so we opted for the up-cycling route. The wooden floors were reclaimed old pine roof boards which were about 100 years old. We sanded them to get them smooth whilst retaining the holes, knots and other signs of age and then varnished.
After redoing the roof we were left with plenty of slate tiles which we wondered if we could use for the floors in the kitchens and bathrooms. Everyone told us this would not work – but we ignored this advice. When laying the slate we ignored the common practice of patterns recurring and ensured there were no repeating patterns at all. The tiles were then sealed.
The bathroom doors were a challenge as nothing modern suited an old barn. Back to reclamation yards where we found old ledge & brace wooden doors, again about 100 years which we cut to size and finished with a traditional wax rub.
The original barn had external wooden doors which had to be removed, but we didn’t throw them out. Nor did we discard the old tree trunk used to support the floor in the Hayloft. The wood was used to make all the internal lintels, coat hooks, mirrors and window sills.
The external window sills were made from slabs of slate which we managed to find after scouring several reclamation yards.
Cardigan Bay is home to the only resident population of Bottle-nosed Dolphins in the UK. You might be lucky and see them from the shore anywhere along the Ceredigion coast, but the best way to increase your chances is to take one of the dolphin-watching boats from New Quay. Its well worth the ride just for the scenery even if you are unlucky with the dolphins and you’re likely to see an Atlantic Grey Seal or two resting on the rocks as compensation.
Starlings might not strike you as the most interesting or exciting birds, but you’ll change your mind when you see tens of thousands of them flying in fantastic formations, called murmurations. They put on this display over the pier in Aberystwyth as sunset every evening in Autumn/Winter before disappearing under the pier to roost for the night.
This is something not to be missed whether you are a bird/wildlife enthusiast or not. At Nant-yr-Arian Forest, which is managed by Natural Resources Wales, you can watch hundreds of wild Red Kites being fed scraps of fat a few yards in front of you. This happens every afternoon at 3pm in the summer (2pm winter), and the birds from far & wide know what time to start collecting in the surrounding trees – ready to swoop down over your head to the thrown treats. Take your camera.
Ospreys were extinct in Wales until recently when they have started to nest here again at a few protected sites. One of these is the Dyfi Osprey Project south of Machynlleth, managed by the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust. This is a superb little reserve with a boardwalk leading to an observatory overlooking the estuary and an osprey nest platform. You are almost guaranteed to see these magnificent birds during the summer months – the pair usually have 2/3 chicks. The nest is also live-streamed.
At the Magic of Life Butterfly House you can experience hundreds of huge exotic butterflies and caterpillars in a tropical environment and maybe even witness one emerging from its chrysalis.
A drive into the beautiful and remote Cambrian Mountains from Tregaron on the old drover’s road to Abergwesyn could bring you face-to-face with the only known Golden Eagle in Wales. “Eddie” as he/she has been named has taken up residence here and seems to be thriving on the local rabbit population. And in the forests up here there are known to be small populations of Red Squirrels and Pine Martens.