Overnighter in the Clwydian hills
So last weekend I made the most of the warming nights with a trip in to the Clwydian hills. Joining me was a guy I’d not ridden before, but had spoken to a few times on the Bearbones forum… See, the whole “be more sociable” thing is working! We met up in the small village of Cilcain, exchanged pleasantries, packed our stuff and set off. We rode through a couple of small villages and hamlets then made our way up towards our bivvy spot.
The evening was quite windy, so not really conducive to sitting around in the evening, so Mark and I quickly gabbed some food, hiding our stoves behind the trees available. My meal of Super Noodles with various “bits” thrown in, seemed a bit lack luster in comparison to Mark’s curry, with rice and naan! That said, I inhaled it in record time, followed by a cheese string for desert… yum. At that point it was darkening, cooling down and the wind was picking up. As such I headed to my sleeping bag, which was now perched on my new-to-me Exped Winter Synmat. This thing is super warm, which was handy, because it was rather parky that night. Saying that, my Lamina sleeping bag, combined with my Montane Antifreeze jacket chucked over the top kept me warm enough.
In the morning we scoffed breakfast, mine was a typical porridge pot but combined with an Espresso from my new Wacaco mini-espresso pump, sooooooo much better than the rubbish little pouches or the even worse coffee bags. The breeze was still blowing, but the sun was up (somewhere behind the clouds) and it wasn’t long before we were warmed up and riding again.
This second half of the ride was basically the return journey, but taking a very scenic and much longer, way round. We headed through the forests on the Eastern side of Moel Famau, which wasn’t busy, but there were people and riders about, we stopped for a good few chats, especially on the climbs. Taking the Fatty on the wet and gloopy single track is fun, but when the bike is fully loaded it becomes fun and challenging. My legs were burning but my grin didn’t shift. We eventually cruised in to Cilcain and made use of the community run cafe and shop, before stripping the bikes down and setting off home.
Best laid plans of mice…
Plans for this year. Everyone does this kind of thing, thinking about what I’ll actually get round to doing this year, despite procrastinating over these various things since I can remember. I figured that my lack of will power and ability to execute these plans thus far, could be mitigated by publishing them here. That way you get to read the list, you get to hold me to account when I haven’t achieved them… Well, that’s the theory anyway.
Firstly an easy one, lose weight AND get fitter. I’m currently heavier than I should be and not what one would call an “athlete”. So I’ve joined a gym, an expensive one too, so when I think I can’t be arsed venturing down the road for a workout I just think about how much I’m paying for my membership. That helps spur me on. I’ve also tried to drastically reduce my carb intake. Not necessarily full Keto, but I’m trying to keep my daily carbs under 30g-ish, with varying levels of success. That said I have seen a gradual reduction in my weight, so it’s working, it’s just feels glacial.
There’s a bunch of other things to add to this list… that’s a good idea… a list. And as if by magic…
- Lose 16kg in weight.
- Finally get to a WRT.
- Do the Trans Cambrian Way.
- Do King Alfred’s Way.
- Do the Hebridean Way.
- I’d like to do that Swedish event/route too, but not sure if I’d be biting off more than I can chew…
- Finish mapping out my “Ring of Iron” route.
- Be sociable and go on bikepacking trips with other people.
- Take my son on more trips.
- Be a better human.
So back to the weight loss, I’m hoping to lose 16kg and so far I’ve lost… drum roll please… 4kg, which isn’t great, but isn’t terrible. At the end of the day I’m looking for progress, not perfection. Let’s not forget my body is a temple! Old, falling apart and probably haunted. I’ve been doing a fair bit of riding recently too, Llyn Brenig at night is amazing. Check out the dodgy phone camera shot below.
So on to the trips! First up is the legendary WRT, or Welsh Ride Thing. I’m not going to go in to detail, but it’s not a race, it’s a social event organized by the BearBones crew. The idea is you don’t follow a specific route, but build your own in the local area, taking in to account the type of terrain you want to ride on, how far you want to go, how social you want to be etc, with start and return at the BearBones HQ. Entries are now open, but I’ve not yet registered as I’m still trying to ensure availability at work. For an idea of what a WRT is like, check out a few YouTube videos here; WRT 2019; WRT 2019 Video 2; WRT 2021.
The other routes I’ve listed include the Trans Cambrian Way, usually abbreviated to TCW. Starting at the English border and cutting right through mid-Wales to finish at the coast in Cardigan bay, this route just cracks 100 miles and is probably do-able, at my pace, in around three days I think. Given that it’s mid-Wales and runs through the Cambrian mountain (hence the name) I’d imagine this is best left for the height of summer, preferably in a dry spell, if such a thing exists in mid-Wales.
Next up is King Alfred’s Way which is centered around the ancient area known as Wessex. These days it passes through the counties of Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Berkshire and clocks in at 220 miles. The route does pass through some military training areas by the way, so you need to pay attention to what is happening and when. I’m hoping to get this route done at some point over the summer, I’ve not given the detail much thought yet, things like direction, clockwise / anti-clockwise. I’ll just play it by ear I think…
I also fancy the Hebridean Way. This is a pretty famous route and as you’d imagine, it goes straight through the Outer Hebrides, usually from South to North. Apparently it’s a very relaxing route, being all paved, hardly any traffic and you get some amazing views and scenery. From what I’ve ready the only real issues to consider are; the weather is volatile to say the least up there, it can be glorious or it can be horrific; it can be very busy, so booking in advance is a good idea, this goes for any accommodation and ferries which are needed to get between the islands; and finally the logistics for travel as you start and end hundreds of miles apart and need to rely on trains, taxis etc to get back to the car. Again, I’ll see how it goes.
The Ring of Iron is the name given to the castles and fortresses built around North Wales by English King Edwards I. Strictly speaking the “ring” does extend in to mid Wales, but the bigger castles are in the North as far as I’m aware. I’ve been trying to put together a simple road route that takes in visits to as many of these castles as I can. I’m trying to stick to low traffic roads where I can and fortunately, along the coast, at least a few of the castles are accessible from the NCN route 5 cycle path, which means no traffic at all for big sections of the route. I think the route, in it’s entirety, will come in at around 160 miles, give or take, so for me that will be a multi day trip. To build it out properly I intend to break it in to stages, which I can ride individually, taking my time and looking for the best routes between the castles. Once it’s done, I’ll post some more information here.
Be Sociable… this is a pretty big one I think. Over the past couple of years, mainly due to lockdown, I’ve only ridden solo or with the family. It turns you in to a bit of a hermit and I think I’d like to start being a bit more sociable. The WRT will help with this for certain, as that’s the main aim of the thing. I’d imagine the Hebridean Way will too, as it’s very popular and I’d imagine I’ll bump in to lots of people with the same idea. The TCW possibly less so, as it’ much more remote, and to be honest I’ve no idea about the KAW. To further this, and the weight loss goal, I’ve also joined a gym and have met a couple of people there, but that’s different to riding and bikepacking, but every little helps.
One thing I am determined, more than anything else to do this year, is get George out bikepacking more. He’s one of those kids that likes sitting inside, in the warm and dry, playing his Xbox or drum kit, but the minute I actually get him out on his bike, in the woods, covered in mud, he absolutely loves it. So that’s that, more mud, bikes, camping, chippies, cake stops, picnics etc. The one thing I can never get enough of is spending time with the family doing the things we love.
Bikepacking with the bin lids
What’s more fun than bikepacking? Taking your son and nephew bikepacking, that’s what!
Given that George is only seven years old, I figured we’d start small and ease him in to the world of bikepacking. Strictly speaking this isn’t his first adventure. The astute amongst you may remember we took him on the Mawddach trail family bikepacking trip a while back, but he was in a Weehoo trailer then, and that’s cheating. So, where to go? Well I figured our best bet was the Lon Las Cefni, a mainly flat route from the village of Llangefni on Anglesey to the beautiful Newborough pine forest and beach. Link : https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/lon-las-cefni-anglesey/
So technically camping in Newborough Forest is not permitted, however I was relatively relaxed about it given we were going to have a very low impact on the area, leave no trace and we planned to arrive late and leave early. No bother!
Id decided to use the “new to me” fat bike, not because the terrain warranted it, but just because it was new. I pumped the tyres up higher than normal as the majority of the route would be paved, gravel at best, and to be fair the fatty really can fly along! All this talk of sluggish, self-steering beasts is nonsense if you just pay attention to the tyre pressure.
George was riding his Hoy Bonally 20, it’s a great little bike but the frame size does mean strapping bags on isn’t easy. I could have put everything in a rucksack and thrown it all on my bike, but I know George would have felt a bit left out. So, I bodged together a seat pack using a small dry bag and a voile strap and stuffed this with pyjamas and wooly stuff, I strapped my 3l Lomo bar bag to his bars to carry waterproofs and used my top tube bag, fitted against his seat post for inner tubes and snacks. His little legs did a great job propelling his bike the nine miles or so to the forest. My nephew Will joined and proved himself an absolute star on his Specialized Crosstrail loaded up with panniers.
The boys were kipping in my, not so bikepacking friendly Vango Ark 200, while I pitched alongside in my SMD Skyscape Scout. Still love this tent! I had picked up some freeze dried meals from GoOutdoors, I forget the brand but they were absolutely minging. Next time we’ll take the half mile detour to the Newborough chippy. After dinner we all went for a wander in the forest for the obligatory game of soldiers with sticks for guns and George showing us how far he can throw things… Then we retired to the tents for a few games of top trumps, before going to sleep.
The next day we headed through the forest to the, already busy car park to brush our teeth, refill water and grab some food. After which we headed back the way we came to meet up with family. The boys loved the trip and so did I. Here’s to the next one.
Getting Fatter!
Not really a bikepacking post, but I had to let you all know that I’ve bought another bike. This time it’s fat! And will therefore, definitely be used for bikepacking in the future.
I was looking around at the stock, or lack thereof, of fat bikes in the UK, and was close to pulling the trigger on a Trek Farley 5. Thing is, the Trek was on the other side of the country and coming in at £1,700. Which is a lot of money to drop on a bike just to see if I like it. Fate would have it that a 5 year old OnOne Fatty was about to pop up for sale just down the road, in excellent condition and only a couple of hundred quid. Sold!
I’ve not been out on it too much yet, but it is huge fun!!! Watch this space for more fat adventures.
New tyres!
So, I’ve bought myself two new sets of tyres to replace the puncture prone WTB Riddlers.
For next summer, when things are drier and for primarily paved routes I bought some cheap, cheerful but reliable Schwalbe Hurricanes in 40-622 etrto.
For the winter months and more typical gravel and off-road routes I bought some Schwalbe Marathon Mondials in Evo DD 47-622 etrto. Apparently these are the touring cyclist’s tyre of choice.
Interestingly the WTB Riddlers in 45-622 etrto come up at upwards of 46mm on the stock Arkose rims, as you can see above. The Marathon Mondials come up slightly smaller than advertised at 44mm. The Hurricanes were pretty much bob on.
Since fitting the Mondials I haven’t had a single puncture. I am very, very impressed with them!
Wet and Windy.
Yes, it was a wet and windy start to the new year. I headed up to Llyn Brenig for a shake down ride on the Arkose, having fitted a Brookes C17 saddle that Father Christmas kindly dropped off for me.
After some fettling and fiddling with saddle position and seat post height, I think I’m pretty close to the sweet spot. It really is a big upgrade in comfort from the WTB saddle the Arkose shipped with.
Also, as much as I despise tan walls, I really don’t understand the appeal, the WTB Riddlers are really nice tyres. Plenty of grip on the gravel and shale, but nice and quick when you hoof it.
Either way, stay tuned, there’ll be more to come soon.
New bike! #Gradventourer
What is it ? Is it a touring bike ? Is it an all road bike? Is it a gravel bike? Adventure bike? Adventuregravelallroad bike??? Who cares. It’s fun. According to the Bearbones brigade the correct term is now, Gradventourer!
So I have bought a new bike, not to replace my trusty KTM mountain bike, but to provide a lighter, leaner alternative for some of the better paved, or gravel covered routes I use. After much deliberation I eventually went for Evans’ Pinnacle Arkose D2. Which is pretty much, £ for £ the best spec bike I could find in the UK.
My requirements were pretty simple; around £1k, have decent tyre clearance, at least Tiagra or equivalent drivetrain and it must have hydraulic brakes, cable based systems just seemed too backward to consider. Yes, I know they’re more easily repairable on big multiday rides, but I’d rather have decent brakes than reduced stopping power on the assumption I’ll one day have to fix them.
Pinnacle offer two other variants of the Arkose D series, the D1 (cable brakes and Sora drivetrain) and the D3 (mix of 105 and Ultegra, but £300 over budget).
After a couple of test rides I’d decided the D2 was the bike for me, but I wasn’t stoked about the bars that were fitted, and for some reason Evans don’t allow any presale mods to their bikes. So as soon as I pulled the trigger on the bike, I bought a set of 48cm Genetic Digest flared drops and some tape. One YouTube video on how the hell to wrap bars later, and voila! Here she is
Pinnacle Arkose D2
Here’s another picture with some of the bags fitted on a frosty ride around Delamere Forest.
Leave no trace!
This is a short post, inspired mainly by some chatter going on around Facebook, Twitter and some internet forum.
Beyond the obvious environmental impact that we, as bikepackers may have, given that wild camping is technically illegal in most of England and Wales, we need to do our best to not bring unnecessary attention to ourselves. We need to set an excellent example to others we may encounter on our trips, whether this is other cyclists, backpackers, landowners, dog walkers, or anyone else.
The key principle here is to ‘Leave no trace’.
Once we have left a camp / bivvy spot, there should be no indication we were ever there! This means no pissing near a fresh water source. If you need a dump, bury it properly, or better still just clench until you make it to a proper toilet. Litter, do I really need to explain that we shouldn’t leave litter all over the place?
There’s no need for a campfire, unless you’re going to sustain a cold related injury. Fires are a massive risk to wildlife in various ways, they can cause uncontrolled woodland fires, scar the land, sterilize the earth below and they attract unwanted attention and will likely get you chucked off any private land. It’s just cheeky to camp on someone’s land and then start a fire, no matter how careful or considerate you think you’re being. If you’re cold, you just brought the wrong jacket.
You should only have a campfire on a privately owned campsite that officially allows them.
On an island
I decided to try somewhere new for an adventure over one weekend in May and figured Anglesey would be fun. I used NCN5 along the coast then headed over the Menai Bridge and turned South West.
My plan was to travel as light as I practically could and head to Newborough forest for the evening, grabbing some food along the way. I was hoping to use the Wales coastal path, however, following my route on the Etrex it turned out that large portions of the coastal path, are in fact, large portions of beach instead. Which meant I wasted some time pushing the bike over the rocks at Bryn Siencyn. After that I had to stick to the roads, some of which were pretty busy and unpleasant to share with cars!
Bryn Siencyn
I stopped in Newborough village around 6pm, topped up my water and grabbed some food from the chippy. I realised at this point I should have paid more attention to the weather and brought some sun screen with me. I was a bit red and crispy by now.
Nom nom nom nom nom
I jumped back on the bike and headed in to the forest, the shade and sea breeze was very welcome. After an hour or so meandering around the network of paths and gravel roads and made my way to the beach in order to get over to Llanddwyn island for the evening. I was in no rush to get setup so, again, spent an hour wandering around the island, giving the remaining visitors (photographers and tourists mainly) a friendly hello. The views are simply awesome, the Llyn peninsula to the South, Anglesey coastal reefs to the North and the entire Snowdonia range skyline to the East. Its sometimes easy to forget just how amazing wales is when you live here.
Skyscape Scout tent
As the weather was fine and clear skies were expected all night, I decided to take advantage of the new tents function where you can peel the fly sheet panels back, in essence turning it in to a bug net. It was brilliant, I spent time gazing up at the bright half-moon that lit the island up like a search light. Once the moon dipped below the horizon I had the stars as a backdrop. I’m seriously impressed with the Skyscape Scout tent!
In the morning I scoffed the obligatory “just add water” porridge and another mug of coff… black, hot water. Repacking everything was a doddle as I’d remembered to allow a little extra space, not packing things too tight. While I’m on the subject the new Lomo 12l bag swallows the tent, sleeping mat, poles, stakes and other random junk beautifully. It’s long and slim, and fits in the Bikepack.pl harness like a dream, it’s also very robust, but obviously there’s a slight weight penalty for that. Its dirt cheap too, £12.95 on Amazon.
Obligatory kit lined up picture
I left the island and would have loved to cycle down the hard pack sand of the beach, only thing was, for this trip I’d decided to make life easy on the tarmac and had fitted the 2″ Schwalbe Hurricanes, which didn’t have the volume to not bury themselves. The Nobby Nic and Rock Razor combo handles the sand here perfectly, impressive given that they’re not plus+ tyres. I got back to the gravel roads, lapped the forest and headed to the main car park to use the facilities.
Newborough forest car park
And that was that. Newborough and Llanddwyn are great, but next time I’d plan a different route, maybe up to Llangefni, then follow the Lon Las Cefni to the beach, not sure. Stay tuned…
Bikepacking on a budget 