On a good day you can’t beat North Wales for its scenery. Unfortunately the weather can be unpredictable, so it was with some trepidation I studied the forecast for Sunday. It looked okay, but you never can tell so I packed arm warmers and a rain jacket just in case. This of course guaranteed that temperatures rapidly rose, the sun turned scorchio and we sweltered as we hit the first hill out of Harlech.
Ten Melyd riders in best 2 by 2 fashion wound there way up and over to Barmouth, heading for one of the most picturesque views – the bridge across the Estuary. A bumpy ride across the planks before heading through some beautiful villages including one which featured crocheted bunting , and a life sized crocheted couple plus a crocheted sheepdog and sheep. (Clearly there’s not much to do there out of season.)
A lunch stop in a small community centre – where we competed for chairs with 50 pensioners and their Sunday roasts ( where did they all come from??) Then off again and up round Cadair Idris – a long climb followed by the most frightening descent I’ve ever done ( a side wind and a speed wobble – not pleasant.) When we regrouped safely at the other side, everyone seemed keen on Mark’s suggestion for a pub stop besides the Mawddach estuary. Views were stunning, beer and chips excellent, and the ducks over friendly.
Then a final few miles along the Mawddach trail over the bridge and back to Harlech for a well deserved ice cream.
Overall
60 miles, 3600 feet of climbing, 2 cafe stops, too many calories, and 2 sunburnt legs = another excellent day out
Thanks for a great route again to our very own travel show hosts: Mark and Julie
