I've done a few runs in the last couple of weeks, but although the scenery, breakfasts and rides have been excellent, the photo count has been very low, so I've not bothered posting... however, the breakfast at The Old Brewery Cafe in Gillingham, Dorset, is very tasty.
Today I was hoping to be out with my mate Leigh. But he owns his own garage and is bloody good at what he does, hence working 10 hour days... every day. So instead of visiting Jolly Roger's in Bovey Tracey as planned, I headed over the Severn Bridge to Chepstow and then over to Raglan, Abergavenny, Crickhowell and onto the A40 up to Brecon and on to Llandovery where I sampled the breakfast at The Owls Nest Cafe... it's ...erm substantial and as I didn't want the black pudding, they gave me some extra bacon instead.
Part two of the ride was into the hills on a single track road that I can't even find a name or number for, but my point of aim was Carreg Clochdy, which is a viewing point that looks out over Llyn Brianne. Form there I headed to a little village called Beulah.
I'm afraid you'll have to google it to find out where it is, but if you are ever in the area... ride it!
The roads are all single track, 45 mph feels like 1000 mph and the views are magnificent. About 2/3rd of the way to Beulah I went down the Devils Straicase. This is, as many Welsh places are, slightly dramatically named as in truth it is two steep hairpin bends, similar to the easy bits of the Hardknott Pass or many others I have come across in Yorkshire or Scotland, but given the surroundings, the views and the fact I seemed to have a whole mountain range entirely to myself... I'll let the Welsh off this time.
End to end the ride was around 30 miles and a little over and hour and a quarter, but had I had the time, I would have happily turned around and ridden back again. What a road!
From Beulah I headed towards Builth Wells on the fast and swoopy A483, which is a smile a minute road when, like today, it is dry and deserted.
From Builth it was back to Crickhowell, another brilliant fun ride with sun, mist and mountains doing their best to distract me from the task of riding... brilliant fun.
Crickhowell back to Abergavenny, to Raglan, down the old road, and back across to Chepstow, the M4, M5 and home just as it was getting dark.
230 miles and my spotlessly clean bike now looks well grubby again.
Oh and in the CP at the Owls Nest was a black 18 plate VStrom... I am shyte at model identification so I'm not sure if it was a 650 or a 1050, but it was a damn site cleaner than mine, so I'd say the rider was local. Also, wonderful to hear a bunch of bikers of my age, chatting away in the CP... in Welsh.
