100+mile south Wales route

seanoc

Anyone got a nice one I can stick on my Garmin? Prefer to stay away from Bwlch/Rhigos/Maerdy still getting back into it after injury.

Be even nicer if it swings by Pontyprid.

Cheers

Joll

Have you had a look on Garmin Connect, Ride with GPS or Bike route toaster? there are usually routes on there that you can download

dru

Make one up

From Ponty head over to cwncarn, then down past newport up to chepstow, you can then go all the way to Cardiff on the flats then out the otherside into the Vale of Glamorgan, take the coast road around the airport to Llanwit major etc - drop down to Ogmore/Bridgend then head back towards miskin and Llantrisant.

Should be about right for distance and avoids all big uns

acidstrato

newport - caerwent - llanvair- Wentwood Forest Hill climb, take a right turn before the desent to usk and head for raglan - abergervenny - usk - caerleon - newport levels - caerphilly -pontypridd...gotta be verging on 100miles

dru

Wentwood forest drive has an 18% section right? maybe he'd prefer to do the bwlch or Rhigos instead afterall

arnie1000

How steep / long is the Bwlch?

I am doing the Wiggle Dragon Ride in June and it features twice I think - just getting a bit concerned about some of the hills I will encounter - as living in Suffolk - it is pretty flat by comparison!!!!

Cheers

Zoomer37

Sorry to jump on this thread, but as we are in Wales - anybody doing this in June?

http://www.malecancer.org/boc/challenges/try/27

wriggle

The road up through Wentwood is easier from the Caerwent side than from the Usk side, I think - it still has a couple of black chevron sections, but they're very short and not so steep. Maybe it's the Usk side that has the 18%, Dru? BTW the right turn before the descent into Usk was complete cack the last time I rode it - I believe it may have played host to the combined World Hedge Trimming and Muck-Spreading Championships.

(I've never done the Bwlch or Rhigos climbs but they must be WAY harder than anything round Chepstow, the way folk talk about them. I'm saving having a go at those until I've got a few more miles in my legs )

If the OP doesn't fancy Wentwood, he could just carry on through Caerwent to Crick and go up the easy way to Shirenewton, then on out to Raglan from there.

acidstrato

yeah alot easier riding up this side of wentwood, steepest bit is around 15% and lasts for about 15 meters in llanvair lol the rest of the climb doesnt pass 10% and has flats inbetween sections

bwlch and rhigos are much longer climbs than anything this area has to offer, the forest of dean is full of tougher climbs that are steeper but dont last long

taking into consideration what wriggle mentioned about the said right turn.. you could avoid wentwood, head to chepstow (3 routes either cycle route 4 which has 2x short but nasty climbs, pwl meric hill along the a48 or mathern- bulwark which is not much of a climb) and then head toward the racecourse turning left for shirenewton at the race course garage and staying on this road for a few miles and you end up on the road to raglan and usk as you would if you took the wentwood route only with an extra 15 miles lol.

I did part of the above on sunday but included a trip over the bridge to aust and a loop of Nash/Goldcliff in newport.

RHT

Senaoc, you could try the following, around 100 miles, the biggest climb is from Blackmill to Gilfach Goch., 2 stages relativity short. Not sure what you've been told about the Bwlch/Rhigos, they're not steep but long and constant.

Pontypridd > Nantgarw > Caerphilly > Bedwas > Tredegar Park > Wentloog Flats > Cardiff > Cardiff Bay > Penarth > Barry > Llantwit Major > Wick > Ogmore > Coffee at Franklins > Bridgend > Sarn > Blackmill > GilfachGoch > Talbot Green > Llantrisant > Beddau >the Graig > Pontypridd.

Good luck Amigo

seanoc

Thanks for the pointers

RHT - up until the beginning of this year I was riding over that way regularly and whilst the Bwlch/Rhigos aren't particularly demanding at a reasonable pace any length ride in them parts is hitting well into 2500+m of climbing.

I ride Ponty-Newport (via Machen) every day to work - no way I'm riding that on a day off, although if you ever fancy showing me the Penarth-Sarn leg I'd be more than interested as i always seem to head into the hills rather than the coast.

I think I've sorted a route over to Chepstow.

Pross

The Bwlch is fairly steep but the Rhigos is more of a gradual drag. I like both climbs but they are seriously over-rated difficulty wise by some who do the Dragon Ride. I haven't ridden up Wentwood from Caerwent side but know it well. There may be sections on the Bwlch that are nearly as steep and the Bwlch is much longer. However, from the Usk side I would say the Wentwood climb is far harder.

OP, if you go Chepstow way you can do a flat route there and then come back via the draggy climb from the Racecourse Garage that drops down into Llangwm and then on to Usk. Adds a bit of climbing to the ride but nothing too bad.

seanoc

Thanks again, thought I'd keep it simple and head west.

Llantwit Fardre, Cardiff, Barry, Southerdown, Pyle, Port Talbot, Britton Ferry, Rhigos, Treharis, Penryhs, Llantwit Fardre.

Well above 100 miles, and a cracking ride too.

Think I'll head east next time though.

wriggle

Just while we're on this general topic ...

Please could someone recommend a good route from Chepstow to N. Cardiff? (just SE of M4 j32). I've looked at the OS maps but can't seem to see a logical way around Newport. Better to go south through the town, or north past Caerleon? Or maybe further north still?

RHT

SEANOC, not sure when I'll be out, but attached is a my route from Cardiff Bay to Sarn/Blackmill. Generally nice roads, a couple of short climbs and a cool breeze from the sea at Southerndown and Ogmore

Cardiff > Cardiff Bay > Past Techniquest > Footpath Over the Fly over > Round Back of Morristons > Past the Swimming Pool and Canoe Centre > Over the New River Bridge > Up Past Tesco > Left Towards Penarth Town Centre > Drop Onto the Sea Front > Up the Hill > Left turn at the main road and pass Cosmeston Lake, head for Barry, passing Mc D's on the roundabout. > Barry Bottom Road > Past Council Offices and Moriston's > Right over bridge, then left > Take any available Right, (they are all steep but short) > Onto top road, Right at the roundabout and head for Airport > Keep on bypass road, passed St Athens/Llantwit Major/Wick > loop around Ogmore for the sea view > Up past Eweny pottery (good café attached to the pottery) > Straight across the roundabout > left at the traffic lights> Follow signs and then pass the hospital > Up a short climb to Sarn Services (busy interchange) > follow signs down to Bryncoch and through Bryncethin . Head for Blackmill > Right at the lights. Climb to Gylfachgoch, Down to Llantrisant and back to Pontyppridd.

Pross

wriggle wrote:

Just while we're on this general topic ...

Please could someone recommend a good route from Chepstow to N. Cardiff? (just SE of M4 j32). I've looked at the OS maps but can't seem to see a logical way around Newport. Better to go south through the town, or north past Caerleon? Or maybe further north still?

Depends what you are after. The best way to avoid Newport altogether (always advisable ) would probably be to go over to Usk, into Caerleon then across to Henllys and on to Rogerstone. From there find a route to Bassaleg and up the valley to Caerphilly then over towards your destination. This avoids any major urban areas. You could also take the road through Caldicot and Magor then go through Cats Ash and down into Caerleon to join the above route or by going through the northern part of the 'port and past the Civic Centre to get to Bassaleg. Newport isn't actually too bad to ride through, I do it on my commute.

ymh

ponty, abercynon, aberdare, glyneath (old road) neath, port talbot, margam, stormy down, ewenny, Ogmore, Llantwit Major, cowbridge, pontyclun, church village, ponty
100 miles or there abouts

acidstrato

wriggle;

hardly the most enjoyable but the easist route to cardiff is chepstow - caldicot - magor - levels - goldcliff - Nash - along the 50mph dual carriage way through the outskirts of newport city and then along the A48 and newport road for a few miles until a pub on your right hand side and turn right straight after the pub. this road takes you to pontprennau just off J30 near pentwyn where i work. and is roughly 26-27 miles to here.

from there you can stay on the pontprennau road and head through Llanishen to where ever you'd want to get to, J32 is 10mins away from there

thats my commute route, nice and flat for most of it. not really a scenic route beyond Nash but the Gwent levels are good to ride along if you never have

Mark Alexander

Avoid Ponty
have a look at
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Re ... de-2-28-02
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Va ... alley-loop

wriggle

Thanks for the replies, Pross & acidstrato. That's the gist of the two main options I've been looking at, so I'll give them a go next week. I'd prefer hilly, quiet roads so might end up going for the Usk-Caerleon-Caerphilly option.

It's the "find a route to Bassaleg" bit that's the gap in the itinerary!