Fuller write up to follow, although it may be Arrivee material.
Left Carmarthen, ATM at Lloyds Bank in Kings Road at 23:22 and had a wonderful moonlit stroll along the south side of the Twyi to Llandeilo. Continued in good nick through Bethlehem and then veering away from the valley to pick up the mountain road through Twynallan and Talsarn to pick up the A40 at Trecastle. Again, wonderful night riding but began to struggle with the dozies. Put my head down for 5 minutes in a bus shelter and felt much more alert, which was good news as struck a cracked drain cover with such force that I had an instant snakebite on the rear. That fixed, I discovered that the force had cracked the left rest of my tri-bars. Lucky I didn't come off. Arrived in Brecon and ATM receipt said 02:56.
Set off, remembering to turn at the Bulls Head (the sign to Upper Chapel is well hidden) and struggled along with the dozies in force. Stopped again for 5 minutes and felt a bit better, but still wrestling with sleep. There were some exercises on the moors and my appearance surprised the group of officers sheltering from the wind at the Drovers' Arms. Had a couple of nervous moments on the long descent towards Garth and began to wonder if it was safe to continue. Was definitely not a happy bunny at Llanwrtyd Wells at 5am. At one point I had seen a group of squaddies march along the road only to resolve themselves into fenceposts.
A couple of trucks hooning their way through Llanwrtyd did not encourage me. Oddly, their presence gave me a bit of encouragement as with an external focus I was able to concentrate better. My route through to Lampeter tookin Cynghordy, Cilycwm and Porthyrhyd before joining the A482. It was archetypal Cambrian country, little lanes, hills that go on forever and now with the grey light of a day that knew it was going to rain.
There is a cafe in Lampeter that opens at 7am and with a pot of tea (I could have got a fourth cup out of it) and a full breakfast I felt great. However, now the rain had started. The road to New Quay was much hillier than it looked non the map, especially the fierce 16% out of Mydrollyn. New Quay had the air of a seaside town shut until it stopped raining. I had a pastry and a tea from a takeaway cafe, but honourably started from the quay and not the main road. My receipt showed 9:46
The less said about the endless drag on the A486 into the wind the better. Suffice to say I needed the cheese and ham toastie in Newcastle Emlyn. There was a strong temptation to head straight back to Carmarthen but I resisted and started the long drag up to Boncath which is three big ascents not just one and through Eglwyswrw which was making up for the failure to achieve Britain's record as having the most consecutive rainy days by having a properly rainy day. The wind was getting going too, so after 12 hours of cycling my pace was pedestrian. Fortunately all the pedestrians had stayed inside so I wasn't embarrassed by someone walking past me as I winched myself up the climbs.
Fishguard had caught New Quay's shut syndrome. There was a nice cafe but nowhere to leave the bike and the Barclays ATM had run out of paper, so I got proof of passage in a sweet shop with a couple of packets of salted peanuts, which helped. I was so slow up the Gwaun Valley; the dozies had come back and I kept forgetting to pedal. So I stopped at Rosebush to eat and get my wits together. It is never pleasant on a wet permanent, especially heavy misty rain like this. So it was into the Pembrokeshire lanes. I saw a sign I thought said "Meidrim", where I was expecting to see one, and turned off my route about 4 miles early so found myself lost in Blaenwaun.
Oddly enough the shot of adrenalin caused by being lost was just what I needed, and I suddenly started riding beautiful, making magic descents into Cwmbach and Gellywen (all on guesswork about where I wanted to be) as well as good climbs out and mercifully saw a sign pointing to Meidrim on the B4299, so I had only strayed a couple of miles off route. Arrived back in Carmarthen Station at 17:46, so logging 18 hours 24 minutes for the ride, my slowest 300 ever, but one that will live in the memory for the epic challenge, wild weather, beautiful night riding, and friendly people that I met in the cafes along the way.
I'd carried around a set of dry clothing in my Nelson Longflap saddlebag, which was still perfectly dry, and changed in the toilet at the station, putting half a ton of wet stuff back in a bag in the Longflap that could carry a full set of wet kit with the flap extended. Met a guy on the train who was heading for a Friday night ride to the coast to Southend so we had a chat before sleep got the better of me on the train back to Reading. Eventually got home about twenty past 11, ironically 24 hours after setting out from the ATM in Carmarthen.
Its possibly not my role to say it, but I think the Cambrian Series, especially the longer rides, have a place in the Audax pantheon. I've not come across anything quite like them for testing mental self-sufficiency, together with the beautiful scenery and epic roads.