Getting out in The Cambrian Mountains

Having not been out in the big wide world that much since my heart attack it was time to change that. So, on Friday I started with a little walk up Plynlimon.

Plynlimon

Plynlimon in the Cambrian Mountains is never that much of an inspiring hill. It’s a big dome that barely has a noticeable peak. It is the highest point around though, and worth a walk when covered in snow. That wasn’t the case on Friday which was a dull, grey kind of day with temperatures just above freezing. It might not be the most exciting of walks but it was better than doing nothing and good to get out in the hills at last.

I headed up with Rhys who hadn’t been there before. Usually I do these sorts of things on my own, but I’m not allowed to now. We had a steady stroll up to the ‘summit’ where we had some views down to Nant y Moch.

It was then back down along the ridge and then down to the car. Not a bad way to spend a Friday morning.

Riding in the Cambrian Mountains

Whilst on Plynlimon we had some nice views out to the valley in which we had parked and on to the Cambrian Mountains beyond. These are cloaked by the Myherin Forest. I just so happened to mention to Rhys that I hadn’t ever explored this end of the Myherin Forest. Funny then that a planned gravel bike ride on Sunday would by chance take me there.

The plan was to meet Colin in Ponterwyd. He had a route mapped out that took us up to the Hafod Arch and into the Myherin Forest. It then looped all the way around towards the A44 before heading back to Ponterwyd.

I was, as usual, a little early so I started to ride back along the A44 from Ponterwyd towards Nant yr Arian hoping to meet Colin on the way. I made it all the way to Nant yr Arian just as Colin and Steve pulled into the lay-by and started to get ready. There was no way they would have made it to Ponterwyd by 10am so had I stayed there I would have been waiting a while.

Martin and Mike arrived too. By the time they were all ready it was getting on a bit. Apparently Ade was meant to be meeting us in Ponterwyd as well so we headed off to meet him. Ade had obviously got fed up of waiting and we saw him driving up the hill in his car looking for us. We had to stop again for him to get ready, only for him to discover he’d forgotten his helmet. Yep, the usual mayhem of cycling with others was well and truly underway. A new plan was hatched. Ade would go home, get a helmet and meet us at The Arch.

We all finally made it to Ponterwyd where I had started cycling about 40 minutes ago. From here we headed up towards Devils Bridge but turned off up a steep, muddy, slippery track. Colin stayed on the road just in case Ade caught us up. Martin, Mike, Steve and myself made the steep climb up into the Myherin Forest and then weaved our way through the fire-roads to The Arch. Here we met up with Colin and Ade once again and finally set off on the ride proper.

It was a cold day with temperatures around 2ºC. It was grey too, but at least it was dry. We headed NE past Pen y Garn and into a land dominated by towering wind turbines. The tops of the turbines were shrouded in low cloud as the blades turned slowly in the breeze. There were a few nice descents on the smooth forest roads and of course some nice climbs too. The route looped around through the forest until we eventually emerged into the valley that contains the main A44. Here we headed back into the hills a little for a long climb back up to the top where the wind turbines continued to turn. From here it was a bumpy descent with some big sweeping turns and then out onto the A44 just below Eistedfodd Gurig. A quick descent into Ponterwyd and we were done for the day.

At just over 30 miles mainly off road and a time of over 3 hours it was a little longer than I was expecting and loads more than I’ve done since my heart attack. I made it though and didn’t feel too bad during or after. Once again, nice to get out in the real world exploring the Cambrian Mountains, even if it does mean I now need to clean my bike.

Tags: Hiking