Mission accomplished … and what an adventure!

I’m catching my breath and reflecting on an amazing experience after cycling from Bangor to Penarth to raise money for Crossroads in the Vale – the local charity I work for in the Vale of Glamorgan. As you can read here, the charity supports carers and those they look after, particularly people suffering with dementia. To help keep the wheels turning at Crossroads, you can still sponsor me. Feel free to leave a message on the messageboard or get in touch by email: jhendry@crossroads-vale.org.uk. Thank you.

Sponsorship reaches £3,500 as Crossroads’ website plans go ahead

Sponsorship raised by the Wheels across Wales charity bike ride has now exceeded £3,500, so the target of £4,000 is in sight. This shows the remarkable generosity of all those who have supported the venture and I – and a great many Carers – are extremely grateful.

Life has been a bit lazy since finishing the bike ride. In fact this weekend Neil and I are taking a break (oops, not a good word in Neil’s case – although his ankle seems to be on the mend now) in Crickhowell to celebrate his birthday.

I’ve really enjoyed reading all your comments and messages of encouragement on the website, and I’ve also enjoyed having the opportunity of updating the blog so that supporters of the bike ride could follow its progress. Dan Mason, the creator of the Wheels across Wales website, is now going to set up a website for Crossroads in the Vale which will positively enhance communication between Carers and Crossroads’ staff, as well as providing information and guidance. Watch this space for further details…

Warm welcome awaits Jo and team at West House

After 230 miles and six days in the saddle I finally made it to West House, Penarth, at 4.40 this afternoon. And what a welcome, but more of that later…

Anna and I set off from Talybont at 8.30 this morning following an excellent breakfast courtesy of the Star Inn. We had a fairly easy ride for the first few miles but we knew we had a huge climb ahead before reaching Pontsticill Reservoir. We eventually resorted to pushing the bikes up the hill but even that took us 20 minutes.

The route became easier as we skirted the reservoirs and followed the Taff Trail into Merthyr Tydfil to meet up with Liz, Derek and Fiona. We arrived at Rhyd-y-Car leisure centre to find that Fiona had caused chaos by accidentally setting off the fire alarm which resulted in a complete evacuation of the building (see Fiona’s account of the incident on the messageboard page). Fortunately the cafe was up and running again by the time Anna and I arrived so it was coffee and toast all round before heading off for the next part of the charity bike ride.

End of road in sight for Crossroads’ bike ride

Although I’ve sometimes enjoyed the solitude of the bike ride through Wales it was good to have company last night when Anna and Mark joined us for the final evening of the trip.

Anna will be joining us for breakfast before we head off for the final part of the Wheels across Wales challenge. Mark declined the offer of breakfast when he discovered how early he would have to get up! It will be good to see Liz, Derek and Fiona at Rhyd-y-Car leisure centre in Merthyr and to have Liz and Derk’s company for the final section of the route.

Hopefully we will reach West House at approximately 4.30 to be met by Penarth Town Mayor, Councillor John Fraser.

Funds roll in as bike ride reaches final stage

I am completely overwhelmed by all your comments on the website and would like to thank everyone who has given me so much support and encouragement before and during the Wheels across Wales charity bike ride. Also, a big thank you to all of you who have generously donated to the cause. So far £2,751 has been raised for those caring for a dependent relative with dementia in the Vale of Glamorgan. These funds will go a long way towards providing support and respite, thus helping to relieve the stress of Crossroads’ Carers.

I would also like to echo Fiona’s (Scheme Manager, Crossroads in the Vale) words in thanking Dan Mason who set up this website, taught me how to update it, and has provided much guidance and support throughout the planning of this fundraising venture. Aside from the tremendous encouragement shown by family, colleagues and friends (sorry, this is going on a bit), Neil has been a fantastic support this week. Without him I couldn’t have taken on this challenge and it has been reassuring that he is there (somewhere!) along the route.

So, day 5 of the bike ride is over. Each day has been different from the last and one of the best things about travelling further south is that it becomes less mountainous. I hit a great downhill stretch leaving Builth Wells and managed 31mph (I was determined to break that 30 barrier!). When I eventually left the main road I joined a disused railway line and reached Talgarth just in time for a torrential downpour.

In an attempt to dry off Neil and I hunted for somewhere to have a refreshment stop, but everywhere was either closed or had no free tables. We eventually settled for a pub down a side street that claimed to be in the 1979 Good Food Guide. I’m not sure whether they’ve achieved that accolade since then, but we just settled for a coffee and bought sandwiches in the local Spar.

The weather was great for the remainder of the ride to Talybont-on-Usk and I saw lots of butterflies, birds and even dragonflies in the lanes above Brecon. I arrived at the Star Inn to a good luck card from the girls in the office (thank you girls) and the news that the owners have just had wifi installed, hence the lengthy blog.

Early tomorrow I will set off with Anna and Mark (see previous blog) for the final part of the Wheels across Wales challenge. We will travel to Merthyr Tydfil where we will meet up with colleagues Fiona and Liz, and Liz’s husband Derek. Liz and Derek will join Anna and I for the remainder of the trip through Abercynon, Troedyrhiw, Pontypridd, Cardiff, and finally Penarth, a distance of approximately 50 miles.

Wales’ friendliest town show support for charity bike ride

The guy in the organic food shop in Llanidloes wasn’t the only person to show great kindness during our stay in the town. Geoff and Eileen Hawkins of the Red Lion Hotel (pictured left), where we stayed last night, only charged us half price for our bed and breakfast when they heard about the charity bike ride. They also very generously added £10 to the sponsorship for Crossroads. We had a good meal there too, and very cheap, so we would definitely recommend it as a place to stay.

Tempted though we were to stay another night, we set off early this morning to head for our next destination – Builth Wells – home of the Royal Welsh Show. The first part of the journey to Llangurig was hard-going with plenty of hills, but eventually the route became more undulating as I followed the River Wye towards Rhayader. A brief coffee stop preceded the second mishap of the trip when the chain came off my bike (the first was when Neil shut his little finger in the car door last night). Luckily I managed to sort it myself without having to put an SOS call through to Neil.

The first part of the cycle route from Rhayader to Newbridge-on-Wye followed a disused rail line, a quiet road then a very stony and muddy ancient coach road until I eventually hit tarmac again for the descent into Newbridge. The final push into Builth Wells was more level and I was rewarded with a circuit of the park alongside the river.

Tonight we stay at Bronwye Guest House which overlooks the river (but our room has views of the graveyard!). We aim to have a relaxing evening before we set off early tomorrow for Brecon, then Talybont-on-Usk.

I have the climb of my life while Neil reads the papers

I faced the worst hill yet on leaving Machynlleth yesterday morning. I knew I was going slowly as the sheep were passing me, but the view from the top was spectacular. The ride down the other side was brilliant and I reached a speed of 29.5 mph.

The second stage of yesterday’s bike ride took me through beautiful forestry tracks before reaching Llanidloes mid afternoon.

I was initially unable to upload photos to this part of the blog as we could not get wifi access where we were staying last night. In our hunt around the town in search for an internet cafe a kind shopkeeper let us use his office PC to update the blog. We would like to say thanks to the owner of Great Oak Foods organic shop, and we did buy some fruit from his shop to show our appreciation!

Weather stays dry but the hills get steep

Our meal at the Bistro last night set us up nicely for the start of today’s bike ride. We left Porthmadog just after 9am for what was to be the longest day, a distance of more than 46 miles.

Although there was the threat of rain, the weather stayed dry, but the first part of the ride was quite tough as I was cycling into the wind, especially in the coastal areas. Highlights of today’s ride were cycling across Barmouth Bridge (I was charged £1 for the privilege) and the stunning scenery of the Mawddach estuary. However, just as I was beginning to enjoy myself, I was faced with two long, steep climbs after Dolgellau. The downhill stretches were some compensation but I couldn’t beat yesterday’s top speed as sheep kept running in front of the bike.

Neil and I had a lovely surprise last night when Helen, owner of Yr Hen Fecws, where we were staying, presented us with a large bowl of fruit from my colleagues at Crossroads. I would like to thank them very much and, as you can see in the photo on the right, Neil is enjoying tucking into the strawberries. By the way, the message on Neil’s t-shirt reads ‘0% Welsh but I live here’. He thought it was fitting for the trip.

I’m feeling quite tired so it will be an early night tonight before heading for Llanidloes in the morning. I won’t be covering as many miles but I will be reaching the highest point of the route.

Day one goes smoothly for Crossroads charity bike ride

It’s good to think I have the first 41.75 miles out of the way, and if you are into stats, I can also tell you that I spent 5.13 hours in the saddle and my top speed was 27.3 miles an hour. That, of course, was downhill as I sailed into Porthmadog on the final section of the bike ride.

Despite the terrible weather forecast, it was dry for most of the day, with some drizzle as I travelled along Lon Eifion cycle path (not good when you wear glasses as it severely limits visibility).

Before reaching Criccieth, I passed through the village of Llanystymdwy which was the childhood home of David Lloyd George (he knew my father, you know), in fact the road took me right past his grave alongside the Dwyfor River.

A welcome pitstop was Inigo Jones slateworks (where I was forbidden by Neil to buy anything). This was roughly the halfway point so I felt I deserved a coffee by then.

Tonight we stay at the excellent ‘Yr Hen Fecws’ in Porthmadog which has a very good bistro. Within half an hour of arriving Neil had managed to lock us out of the bedroom, making us popular with the manager. At least he let us back in again…

Tomorrow we will be heading for Machynlleth via Harlech and Dolgellau. It will be a lot hillier than today’s ride and I haven’t dared to look at the weather forecast yet.

Safely landed in Bangor and raring to go

We arrived in Bangor safe and sound and found great hospitality at Germor B&B. As you can see I’ve also found the starting point of my cycle ride tomorrow morning.

The drive up here was pretty uneventful apart from the near head-on collision with a driver who decided to overtake on a blind bend!

Just had a lovely pasta meal at the Boathouse so I’ve done plenty of carbohydrate loading in preparation for the Wheels across Wales bike ride. Neil has enjoyed a pint or two while putting his boot up, so we’re both feeling quite chilled.

Following our full English (Welsh?) breakfast in the morning, courtesy of Geraint, we are aiming to set off by 9am.

Spirits not dampened by gloomy weather forecast

Packing is always a chore, but at least we’re able to take lots of stuff now that we’re travelling to Bangor by car. Also, we have more space in the case with Neil only needing one shoe!

Heavy showers are predicted for North Wales on Saturday so it looks like it will be a wet start to the charity bike ride. Neil’s consolation for not taking part in the ride is that he can sit in the car and read the paper – and stay dry.

I intend updating the blog each day so I can let everyone know how the bike ride is progressing. Sponsorship is doing well, and all of us at Crossroads are very grateful for people’s generosity. If you would like to leave Neil and I a message on the website during the week it would be great to hear from you.