I'd not been well over the summer and so I thought I'd try an October weekend challenge before the weather finally turned wintry. I 'd been watching the weather which was on off 'cloud / light rain' with a better forecast for day 2 . I would start at Ffairfach, one station short of Llandeilo
and follow the Tywi on the south side and then climb to the source of the Usk on the Black mountains and overnight in Brecon, to take NCN route 8 to Cardiff. As it happens, I had to be available for dog sitting on Saturday night so it was out and back more or less on the same route and I'll do Brecon to Cardiff via the Taff trail another day.
I'd scouted out the start of the ride with my Airnimal as my wife's in Llandeilo once a week
- this is the Caegolwgtribontfach/fawr (I think the farmer's just boasting of the field's view of a railway bridge, a footbridge and a road bridge). The road which is gentle following the Tywi west of Llandeilo begins to climb to Bethlehem. (I know I'm a month early!) Here's the Post Office where you can no longer get your cards franked with the Bethlehem postmark
The road climbs out of Bethlehem and drops over to Afon Sawddfe. Hey, maybe I have been here before on an Audax which has a control at the magnificent Castell Carreg Cennen, near Trap.
The road drops back to follow the river which was a gentler climb of course, but the rain had started. I stopped to eat when my phone rang. A passing and pretty wet roadie kindly stopped to ask if I was all right , just at the Beacons National Park boundary stone
It was now on and off with waterproof leggings and I climbed slowly to Llanddeusant where there was some weekend event at the village hall- maybe scouts or a party? Another photo opportunity at 1000 feet in the rain
Perhaps I shouldn't be up here on such a crap day? Still , I could walk down to the A40 in an hour if the p*nct*e fairy struck. I was happy to note the barometric pressure was the same as the height 1011ft - not sure why the rain was driving in if it was 1011 mBar! (These little serendipities please the male mind, don't they?)
I hurtled across the moor with a following wind - about a mile from the source of the Usk - now what's the Usk doing rising here, I wondered - it flows out at Newport Gwent! It's about 100km to the South East I'd not really thought about it before , but it is the river that passes through Brecon and I was about to follow it all afternoon. (And the Severn follows a surprising route till the Usk joins it at Newport). Still raining as I stopped at Pont ar Hydfer to snap a magnificent maple and sluice off some water. I'd given up trying to wear glasses on the moor but now put them back on .
not sure what happened to the fallen telegraph pole - except to say lots of power line workers were queuing at a burger van in Trecastell , where I had a hot coffee - so I guess there'd been some action at the top of the mountain.
= My lunch stop - no time for a siesta
1.30 pm and I have to do 2-3 miles of A40 - happily I avoided Irish and Polish truckers who use this route, and peeled off north just before Sennybridge to take lanes parallel to the A40 and the former railway line, which pre-Beeching went all the way via Cray and Abercrave to the Swansea Valley.
Near the village of Trallong , I picked up a couple of blackthorns farmers were out previously flailing the hedges - and was relieved that it was now dry enough to repair a flat
- but with only one pair of disposable gloves had a lot of road and aluminium crud on my hands when I arrived at Brecon to find a handily located bike shop on Ship Street; and a pleasant bookstore/cafe where I repaired for apple cake and coffee.
Hm. 'Ship Street' I thought - that is
not the translation of 'Heol y Defaid.' Nor is Ship street near the canal - nor is the Usk navigable this far up . Ddafad is a sheep, defaid = sheep (and 'oen' a lamb). So it's what you call a homophone - 'sounds like Ship!' There was no one around to register my complaint , so I have to burden you with it.
Last minute B&B booking turned out to be a large Holiday Fellowship guest house with and end of season walking party just arriving for a wet weekend ! There was a great drying room though so everything was dry for Saturday's return trip.
I walked 1/2 mile back into town to see if there were any entertainments; Theatr Brycheiniog is just at the start of Brecon-Usk canal and NCN route 8 so a useful landmark for the future. They were just about to record Friday night's 'Any Questions' - but I didn't really consider that entertainment and walked back , observing local signs directing me to Gouesnou (must be in Brittany - many Welsh towns favour Breton twinning), a mere 397km - maybe I should just push on there tomorrow?
Competing entertainment was a Baroque evening in the Cathedral, but not my bag either.
An early night then, so back at the Hotel where I was surprised to hear the sounds of a bagpiper from across the river and recognised the tune 'Highland Cathedral.' (Good call for the Regimental Piper - bet they'd borrowed him from the Army Camp in Sennybridge). A pleasant lullaby, once he'd stopped. I did succumb to 'Any Questions' though on the radio before an early night
