GROUP EVENT Ride to the Sun

We shared a wonderful ride up to Garn Lakes for the Summer Solstice, followed by some exploration through Clydach Gorge and a lazy pedal back along the Monmouth & Canal.

 

Dean Piper organised and lead our group. We were joined by Gwen Smith and Vimal Madhavan making our little foursome the perfect size.

Pontypool to Garn Lakes

The morning started early. We met at Pontypool Park around 3:00 am with the plan to cycle up NCN Route 492 so that by 4:30 am we could be at Garn Lakes for sunrise.

Photography was pretty near impossible with the simple camera on my mobil phone, but I tried to get a few snaps.

We were greeted by a foggy morning as the light began to creep into the night sky high above Blaenavon.

Entering Garn Lakes further up the ridge, the morning is quiet. We've cycled less than 10 miles, but the low hanging fogs reflects our sleepy mood.

Sunrise on Garn Lakes

Our timing couldn't have been better. The skies were bright and clear - excellent conditions for the start of the longest day of the year.

Dean did a great job keeping us on schedule for the timing was perfect for these lucky boys. It was a gorgeous summer morning high along the Welsh moors.

Garn Lakes to Clydach Gorge

The sun doesn't take long, so after a snack of Welsh cakes, a bit of coffee, and a few more smiles; it was time to move on.

Look who's coming to see us! Good morning lovely ladies... top o'the mornin' to ya.

The sun silouettes the valley ahead of us in high contrast as we turn east to drop down into Clydach Gorge.

Clydach Gorge to Llanfoist

The Clydach Gorge section begins on NCN Route 46 outside Brynmawr. We immediatley drop down a few hundred feet onto the old rail line. Here Gwen asks; "Do you guys wanna go through the old rail tunnel?" Uh, you don't have to ask twice.

That was super-cool! What's next?

For lack of a better name, I call it Station Road Viaduct... This eight-arched viaduct sits below a massive quarry on the north-western face of The Blorenge.

Let's poke around some...

Llanfoist

Dropping further down from Clydach Gorge, we stop for a bit of exploration at Llanfoist. This village and wharf are famous for the direct link to the coal mines on the other side of the mountain.

Drams once ran down from the mountain to load coal into long boats on the Monmouth & Brecon Canal. This was a very busy industrial area in the mid-19th century and later made famous by Alexander Cordell in his novel Rape of the Fair Country.

Llanfoist to Pontypool

The Monmouth & Brecon Canal was central for the transportation of coal. The canal runs south for 35 miles from Brecon in the north to Newport Docks at the union of the Severn River, the River Usk, and the Bristol Channel.

Today, the canal is purely for pleasure. Leasure boats, walkers, and cyclists alike enjoy it's scenic beauty. The water is clear, the canal banks are lush and green.

NCN Route 49 now makes it's way along side the canal. How many have passed under this bridge... what stories does it hold?

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Summary

Our Ride to the Sun loop began and ended at Pontypool (upper loop of the overall route shown below). The distance was approximately 32 miles. The remaining 38 miles (the lower loop), I cycled by myself after the goup broke up.

Thank Deano. It was a wonderful day... one that I'll always remember. Cheers!

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Relevant Links:

• Pontypool Park
• NCN Route 492
• Garn Lakes
• Clydach Gorge
• NCN Route 46
• The Blorenge
• Llanfoist
• Alexander Cordell
• Rape of the Fair Country
• Monmouth & Brecon Canal
• NCN Route 49

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