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Thread: I love Wales

  1. #31
    Master mr brightside's Avatar
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    Oh dear, this is looking like a classic tourist ride of all the tourist hotspots. It must be like someone turning up in Yorkshire and saying they want to go on a bike ride to Bradford. Betsy Coed is on the list cos i went there when i was a bairn, and i want to see some little steam engines so Ffestiniog is on the list.

    Where can i get a good quality, reasonable priced lunch in Betsy Coed? Or is that like asking for the moon on a stick?

    Might have to give the high passes around Snowdon a miss, the relief is probably more undulating than i'm giving it credit for, and i'd like to do a mini two-stage tour of the Llyn peninsula. There's this crazy little bothy cafe in Aberdaron that does a good crab meat chowder.
    Luke Appleyard (Wharfedale)- quick on the dissent

  2. #32
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    Moel Siabod cafe, just a couple of miles outside Betws-y-Coed is probably your best bet. Good food, good prices, friendly staff.

  3. #33
    Master mr brightside's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeoffB View Post
    Moel Siabod cafe, just a couple of miles outside Betws-y-Coed is probably your best bet. Good food, good prices, friendly staff.
    Cheers Geoff, might be a bit far out, we'll see.
    Luke Appleyard (Wharfedale)- quick on the dissent

  4. #34
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    Sorry to divert and change the subject back to the original post, but I just happen to love Wales too...!

    First holiday was to Tenby, which I was too young to remember. Then breaking down in our old Cortina on the way to Abergele with my parents and grandparents, for the wettest, coldest holiday imaginable... still went in the stream in Abergele though, I was tough even then...

    Phwelli, the holiday parks on the north coast, Morfa Nefyn, then south around Pembrokeshire, particularly remember Little Haven, New Quay, Aberporth. The fantastic beach just outside Aberporth with the waterfall (I won't spoil it and give the name away, but you'll find it on the OS map... Anglesey and the Holy Island, particularly Treaddur Bay... all holidays growing up (didn't go abroad until 16 so lots of places to explore here!)

    Then memories as a walker of going up Snowdon and the Glyders with my brother and mates. Getting hopelessly lost on one of the Glyders and cowering beneath a rock with a energy-giving can of cider to keep me alive... seeing the view from Snowdon for the first time, Moel Siabod also a favourite...

    It then fell a little out of favour for me as I turned to the Lake District (as someone says, the scenery is beautiful, but the Welsh mining towns and villages can be a little "real" for the guide books... now as a fell racer I am firmly back in love with the place, in fact preferring the races to those in the lakes... the scenery is incomparable, Peris and Welsh 1000m being all-time favourites, but also Arenig Fawr a hidden gem, and Black Mountains further south,as well as some of the small races bordering Shropshire/Mid-Wales...

    I have much more to see and really can't wait... something magical travelling along the desolate stretches of A5 between Llangollen and Betws-y-Coed on the way to Snowdonia for more adventures...

    Sorry if that's too much of a mouthful to read, but basically I love the place as well!!
    Last edited by Travs; 27-08-2017 at 04:04 PM.

  5. #35
    Master mr brightside's Avatar
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    Stage 1 and 2 of the Tour of the Llyn Peninsula were over-enthusiastically ridden back to back today, as i think a rest day could be beneficial before hitting the tourist trail in Snowdonia.

    Llanbedrog-Aberdaron-Meyllteyrn-Y Ffor-Llangybi-Penarth Fawr House-Pwllheli-Rhyd y claidy-Llanbedrog...a stiff undertaking of 50m with somwhere near 3000' climb. The route was peppered with uncategorised climbs and numerous points of interest including; the Rhiw Manor House, Y Gegin Fawr, St Cybi's well, Penarth Fawr Medieval House. Lunch was Bardsey Broth in Gegin Fawr.

    These little sunken lanes were most of the route


    Y Gegin Fawr


    Luke Appleyard (Wharfedale)- quick on the dissent

  6. #36
    Master mr brightside's Avatar
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    View coming out of Aberdaron


    St Cybi's Well. The waters in the well are reputed to have healing properties, so i splashed a little on my sore quads tendon. Miraculously the ailment abated! Some may say cold water will sooth an ache such as this, i say that having taketh of the blessed waters the spirit of St Cybi himself hath blessed my endeavour and relieved my suffering.


    I tooketh of the water some more and filled my bottle, the ride now had divine backing.
    Luke Appleyard (Wharfedale)- quick on the dissent

  7. #37
    Master mr brightside's Avatar
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    Penarth Fawr Medieval House. A really cracking place.




    Luke Appleyard (Wharfedale)- quick on the dissent

  8. #38
    Master mr brightside's Avatar
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    The Methodist Chapel count hit about 12 today! They are everywhere round here.
    Luke Appleyard (Wharfedale)- quick on the dissent

  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    Sorry to divert and change the subject back to the original post, but I just happen to love Wales too...!
    Yes, I have also grown rather fond of Wales, not least for all the happy fell-running memories that it has given me.

    Unlike Travs, I hadn't been to Wales until I was 12 years old, when I was at a scout camp in Herefordshire and we were taken over the border on one day. I had a cycling holiday in Mid-Wales at age 21, in 1979, but my first fell race there was Llanbedr-Blaenavon in 1981. I became quite a frequent visitor to the long races of South Wales, doing Llanbedr-Blaenavon 8 times, Brecon Beacons 3 times, Black Mountains twice and Trans-Fan once.

    I don't think I had ever been to Snowdonia before the JK (Jan Kjellstrom trophy) orienteering in 1984. My first Snowdonia fell race was the Moel Eilio Ridge in 1987, which I managed to fit in on my way home from Holyhead after a job interview in Ireland! I was back later that year for the Moel Siabod race. After a really good run at the race, I was slowly pedalling up to the Ogwen Pass towards my weekend accommodation near Bethesda, but the monstrous rocky excrescence filling the view to the left of the road was too much to ignore. So at about half past five, I changed back from cycling shoes to Walshes, and headed up the north ridge of Tryfan. Commonsense did return by the time I got to Bwlch Tryfan, where I decided that it would not be a good idea to go up Bristly Ridge as well. That was the last Saturday of July, 1987; by a curious coincidence, it was the last Saturday of July, 30 years later, when I eventually took myself along Crib Goch.

    Another happy experience in North Wales was my two-week cycling holiday in 1989, with a fell race on each of the three weekends: Moel y Parc, Snowdon and Moel Siabod. I still consider the Moel Siabod race that year to be the absolute pinnacle of my rather undistinguished fell-running career. And, like Mr B, I did cycle down to the end of the Llyn peninsula, where an Irish mist was rolling in from the sea, providing relief from the rather un-Welsh heat.

  10. #40
    Master mr brightside's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mr brightside View Post
    Quite like to see a bit of Blaenau Festiniog.
    Quote Originally Posted by molehill View Post
    Really ????
    Oooh, that place has seen better days, popped in and popped out.

    45m in Snowdonia yesterday, on the tourist trail bigtime. The day started badly when i took a scenic route and ended up riding through a farmyard, sheep crap all over the bike. Tan y Blwch station-Blaenau Ffestiniog-Crimea Pass-Betsy Coed-Ugly House-Betsy Coed-Penmancho-Llan Ffestiniog-Tan y Blwch station. Betsy Coed is nice, just like i remembered it.

    The Ugly House, had mushroom soup for lunch, there's a herb garden round back.


    Heading back off the last high pass, fast run into Llan Ffestiniog.


    This is called angel cake, you get it from Tan y Blwch station, it's great!
    Luke Appleyard (Wharfedale)- quick on the dissent

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