MTB Archives - A Simple Life of Luxury

Traws Eryri Day 4 – Betws y Coed to Conwy

Alan Cole — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:15:02 +0000

Day 4 of the Traws Eryri started wet, and it only got wetter. Fortunately, I had slept well, I think the earplugs helped with that. I was feeling mostly better when I woke up. It had rained overnight and was raining now, with the forecast for more heavy rain this morning. We had breakfast at...

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Traws Eryri Day 3 – Trawsfynydd to Betws y Coed

Alan Cole — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:39:35 +0000

Day 3 started damp and dreary, with heavy rain outside the window, but it promised to clear a little later. We waited for the Costcutter downstairs to open and then went to buy breakfast. Breakfast was fairly traditional for me: a pot of porridge and a yoghurt and granola pot. Mike went for a slightly...

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Traws Eryri Day 2 – Dolgellau to Trawsfynydd

Alan Cole — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 08:41:31 +0000

It poured with rain overnight and looked set to be quite showery today, but it was dry when we headed out early to the Co-op to buy lunch supplies. There would be few places to refuel today, so we needed to take food with us. We had a very nice breakfast at Ivy House; the...

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Traws Eryri Day 1 – Machynlleth to Dolgellau

Alan Cole — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 18:54:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I had a message from Mike, an old friend from university, saying that he was bike-packing the Traws Eryri, raising money for Alzheimer’s Research. He asked if I’d like to join him. I obviously said yes, bought the kit I’d need, and last Tuesday, the day to actually do it, rolled...

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Croatia – An Activity Holiday

Alan Cole — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 18:06:00 +0000

Another holiday? Yes, this one was booked quite a while ago and ended up somewhat shoehorned in between our recent trip to Sweden, the Traws Eryri next week, and a few upcoming weekends away as well. Fortunately, it was also a package holiday, so there wasn’t much organising to do and little in the way...

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Getting Ready for Traws Eryri

Alan Cole — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:38:00 +0000

A while ago, Mike asked if I fancied doing Traws Eryri with him. I’m not entirely sure whether this was an invitation or revenge. A couple of years ago, we did the OMM together, and, depending on which version of events you believe, I either pushed us both rather enthusiastically or nearly broke him. Either...

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Bees, Bikes, Burgers, Beers and Buttocks

Alan Cole — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:31 +0000

The amazing summer weather continues. We haven’t seen a drop of rain for almost three weeks now, and every day has been either hot or very hot. The sea is lovely, the grass is yellow and the trails are dusty. We’re recycling bath water each day to give the struggling garden plants a drink and,...

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Costa Rica Coast to Coast – Reaching the Caribbean

Alan Cole — Tue, 26 May 2026 06:37:55 +0000

Today was the day we would finally reach the Caribbean coast and complete our coast-to-coast journey across Costa Rica. The Pacific now felt a very long way away as we prepared for the final push. Early Start We had another early start, which suited me perfectly. Everyone else had been going to bed incredibly early...

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Costa Rica Coast to Coast – From Sugarcane Fields to Rafting in the Rainforest

Alan Cole — Sat, 23 May 2026 05:32:33 +0000

The Road to Rio Pacuare I slept a bit, but not much, so I was thankful for a fairly early start today and a quick breakfast in the hall before climbing back onto our bikes once again. We started with a pleasant ride along easy roads beside the Rio Pejivalle and then through endless sugar...

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Costa Rica Coast to Coast – Into the Interior

Alan Cole — Fri, 22 May 2026 07:42:33 +0000

Early Morning Stroll After a fairly relaxing night at the Rio Perlas Resort, I was up early for a wander through the grounds. Oropendola birds could be heard and seen in the trees, and the vegetation was amazing. I checked out the pools, hot tubs, and little natural lake, simply strolling around marvelling at the...

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