Yesterday was quite a day. I set out thinking I'd have a straight-forward ride to Abergavenny and meet with the folks of Sustrans, but that turned out to be rather naive, to put it mildly.
Following a backbreaking climb from Tredegar to Brynmawr, I rode east along the cliffs of NCN 46 for about 2 miles to suddenly find Clydach gorge closed due to construction and renovations. Urgh. (see photo below...)
Not to be deterred, I cycled back to the entrance and tried a different approach up toward LLanally Hill. 30 minutes later I knew that there was no turning back. The narrow road turned to an unpaved trail then to a dirt path and finally to what can be best described as a "goat track".
I found myself at the top of a mountain without GPS service and no where to go but down... down a very steep road. And so I continued on with only a vague notion of where I was heading when suddenly from around a blind curve another cyclist popped up and asked; "where ya headed, mate?" And with that surprising encounter I was lead down the mountain into Gilwern and then Abergavenny.
Once into town I came across a group of gentlemen relaxing on a bench by the park along the Usk river. As it turned out, they had ridden their vintage touring bikes up from Cwmcarn. Weird?!? So after a brief introduction, explanation, and the general "how-do-ya-do's", they offered to lead me back down the valley... and away we went. What a wonderful surprise.
Meanwhile here are a few more shots from around Clydach Gorge.
and here's the gratuitous "bike shot"...
Despite having a great little adventure, I never meet up with the group from Sustrans... until next time. Cheers!
