Cardiganshire (Ceredigion) - Gusts and gradients galore

As feared the drumming of the rain and the buffeting from the wind meant a fitful nights sleep despite being tired, warm and comfortable in Sally the motor home’s shelter.

Waking at 7am to the realisation that Metcheck’s forecast of 50mph gusts of wind and a steady headwind of 30mph was on the menu for the majority of the day’s ride wasn’t entirely motivating, but for the fact I was riding for https://www.justgiving.com/stepway I would have rolled over and gone back to sleep.

Troy proved to be the perfect antidote to the voice in my head telling me I didn’t want to ride 164 hilly, wet and windy kilometres, in that typical no nonsense manner that so many ex-servicemen have he just set about preparing a big mug of tea, breakfast and detailing where we could meet up given that Sally the motorhome wasn’t really cut out for most of the day’s route I had chosen strewn with narrow, steep country lanes zig zagging along Cardigan bay to Aberystwyth then inland to Lampeter.

We settled on an early first stop at Aberaeron harbour just 47km into the ride.

At the first hint of the rain abating I was out of the door and saddled up on my Giant TCX, today would be a mixed terrain ride, predominately on the road but with enough gravel and trail to justify sparing my Scott Foil unnecessary abuse.

Within a few short minutes I had dropped down into Cardigan, the port was an important commercial centre in the 18th and 19th centuries, indeed it possessed 7 times as many ships as Cardiff however, its’ harbour was obstructed by a sand bar making access for ships over 300 tons impossible except at high tide resulting in the gradual decline of the town which at one time was home to more than 60 taverns. I snapped a couple of photos and headed up away from the river towards Aberporth.

With the road steadily rising uphill and the wind in my face the first 10km were ponderous but I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of complaints from my legs in response to yesterdays efforts.

The narrow, winding and steep drop down to Aberporth was made even more technically challenging with autumn debris and a lush central reservation of grass and moss demanding concentration. The white topped waves crashed into the rocks at either end of the bay as I tried unsuccessfully to recall my one previous visit to Aberporth as a young lad on a family camping holiday.

As I headed away from the beach at Aberporth the Garmin Climbpro feature made it’s first appearance of the day notifying me that I was about to begin the first of no fewer than eighteen climbs. Eighteen climbs to contend with would in itself, normally be a touch daunting but considering I thought I’d already climbed two ramps worthy of mention it suggested a tough day was beckoning.

Helped by the breeze being at my back as I turned away from the coast, the steep climb away from Aberporth was quickly behind me, in no time I was swooping down to Tresaith beach then swinging ninety degrees and straight back up skywards. Plugging away into the headwind the view of the coastal village of Llangrannog, a place I’d never heard of let alone visited demanded a photo stop although it did also make me acutely aware of the hair raisingly steep and twisty descent coming my way and the equally steep strip of tarmac to overcome on leaving the village.

The emerging rainbow out to sea warned of the rain that would greet me just a short distance further along the coast as I approached New Quay. I pondered taking cover and sheltering from the shower but instead pressed on putting faith in my Stolen Goat Orkaan jersey and shorts to repel most of the wet stuff and to keep me warm.

The shower quickly passed and the strong wind did a great job of drying me out ensuring I didn’t have to worry about leaving a puddle on the floor beneath me at Ambassadors cafe bar in Aberaeron. I commented to Troy over an excellent cream tea that the 50km I had just completed was possibly the hardest I could recall but at the same time had been an absolute blast. A quick look at the map and profile suggested the next 25km to Aberystwyth would be equally testing into an ever-strengthening wind.

For the first time in two days of riding I was regretting my choice of route, the A487 heading north was grim, buses, trucks, vans and speeding cars all getting far too close especially given the windy conditions. I had hinted earlier to Troy that I may skirt a couple of the bigger climbs en-route to Aberystwyth to pull back some time but after ten minutes on the A487, tackling a bunch of climbs on quiet country lanes was a no-brainier compared to playing chicken with the HGV’s.

The Ystwyth trail into Aberystwyth provided the perfect contrast to the A487, the traffic free trail took me into Aberystwyth and on to the seafront. As I rounded the headland on New Promenade the gales that hit me just as the pier came into view brought me to near standstill and forced me to the centre of the road, I was happy to have kept the bike rubber side down and not to be staring face to face with a startled driver coming the other way. Cautiously I made my way into town meeting up with Troy and his wife and daughter for lunch at the White Horse Pub.

I returned to the Ystwyth trail leaving the traffic and bustle of the university town behind me. A few minutes along the trail I came across a sign detailing the full route of the trail following the old Great Western Railway line from Aberystwyth to Tregaron. It was here I made a rare decision to deviate from my planned route which was also heading towards Tregaron, instead deciding to stay on this excellent traffic free route for its’ entire 32km. It would mean fitting in an extra 8 kilometres somewhere to ensure I hit the century on completing the ride but a loop around the finish town of Lampeter could sort that.

A great mix of deserted trails including the Cora Caron National nature reserve were a pleasure to ride but the off-road terrain combined with earlier testing conditions and an extended lunch break had me worried that I was going to run out of daylight. With no lights fitted to my cross bike I took a decision to remove another short loop from the route to be able to meet Troy at the evening’s stopover point before dark descended and switch to my other bike for a couple of loops of Lampeter with suitable lighting if necessary.

Having arrived in Lampeter, Britain’s smallest university town. a check on the Garmin revealed I needed to knock off a further 20km to complete the century (161km). With the light fading and lack of a mobile signal preventing me from getting hold of Troy to find out where the nights’ stopping point would be I decided on two 10km quiet rural lane circuits from Lampeter to Llanfair Clydogau and back.

My calculations suggested I could just about finish before it was too dark. On the second pass through Lampeter I finally managed to get hold of Troy who informed me that the nights campsite was a secluded spot at the back of a small industrial estate! We arranged to meet up on the road from Lampeter to Cellan. As Troy and Sally approached, headlights flashing, a glance at the Garmin revealed another 500m to go. An about turn followed and I completed the final leg of an outstanding ride with an illuminated safety escort and appropriately another sharp shower complete with gale force headwind.

A trip to the local chippy for chicken kebab meat and chips washed down with a can of Kronenburg provided the recovery meal of champions to complete a memorable day.

Komoot Cardiganshire route

The ride in numbers

161.08 km Distance

Elevation Gain 2323m

8hrs 18 min moving time (19.4km/h)

2 SIS Tropical Fruit gels

2 Torq Rhubarb and Custard gels

1 Hunters chicken and wedges

1 Flapjack

3 coffee stops

5 bottles of water

1 cans of Beer – TBC

No punctures

18 categorised climbs (most 20% +!)

Finally if you’ve got a spare quid in your pocket my justgiving page to raise vital funds for the Midlands Air Ambulance is now live Keith Jones is fundraising for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (justgiving.com)