by Madi & Andy Key
This year,
we decided to let someone else organize our cycling holiday. Madi
takes up the story...
Madi:While
we were in a wholefood restaurant in Hay-on-Wye, we noticed a
leaflet advertising Bicycle Beano holidays. They sounded wonderful.
A week cycling in Wales coming back each night to a base camp or
house to be fed good wholesome vegetarian meals. So here we are at
St. Davids, one of the most western places in Wales.
Our holiday started on Saturday. Saturday night
was spent eating, getting to know a few people and putting our bikes
together.
One of the great features of a Bicycle Beano
holiday is the route talk each morning after breakfast. Rob and Jane,
who ARE Bicycle Beano, are also a brilliant double act. Route maps
are given out and explained, points of interest and numerous tea
stops are highlighted, and the departure time is announced.
Sunday's
ride was a nice fairly easy day's cycle to break us in. The sun
shone all day. We set off in convoy, but soon all found our
individual pace and broke off into small groups.
We rode first to St. Justinian's Bay where the
local lifeboat station is, then on to the Blue Lagoon (which wasn't
very blue). Our lunch stop was at Porthgain, once a flourishing port
from which granite was shipped to London to pave the streets. On
Sunday night a number of us visited the Cathedral to hear a concert
as part of the St. David's Bach Festival.
Andy: Time
for a word about St. David's. The place claims to be the smallest
city in Britain, and in that respect it leaves even the nearest
competitor (Wells) standing. We are talking about a city with only
one proper pub here. The Cathedral sits in a small valley on the
northern side of town, with the ruins of the Bishop's Palace next to
it. Five minutes' walk up a country lane on the other side of the
Cathedral brings you to Pen Rhiw, a former priory and our home for
the week.
Madi: Monday,
another gloriously hot and sunny day, saw some serious cycling.
There was also a short cut if required...we decided to take the long
route. So far on this holiday, we had two days of really splendid
weather. In that time my skin had tanned more than it did all last
summer. I awoke early on Tuesday morning and said, “It's pouring
with rain”.
All
day Tuesday, it poured. In a strange perverse sort of way I almost
think I enjoyed Tuesday's cycling best. I don't mind rain, and once
you're wet you cannot get any wetter. The tea and lunch stops were
particularly welcome I have to admit, as was a bus shelter and a
church along the route where we stopped to take a break from the
rain. Andy and I did the afternoon cycle back to Pen Rhiw on our own.
The mist came down over the fields and everywhere looked very
mysterious, and strangely beautiful.
Wednesday was our cycle-free day. Most of us opted
to do a two hour boat trip around Ramsey Island.
Andy: The
boat in question was hardly your average ferry. It turned out to be
the type that are usually used for inshore rescue - a large, open
inflatable with a solid bottom and a HUGE diesel engine. To get
aboard we had to wade out from the beach. We had been advised to
wear wet-weather gear, and the reason for that soon became obvious.
The strong currents and many rocks around Ramsey Island results in a
collection of vicious tidal eddies and standing waves, over which
our helmsman steered the boat at breakneck speed. The boat crashed
through waves, spray came over in bucketfuls, and we were all thrown
feet into the air. Great fun.
Madi: The
boat trip was wonderful and we saw loads of birds that I have never
seen before; Kittywakes, Razorbills, Guillemots and best of all two
Puffins. The day was incredibly warm and sunny, and it is hard to
believe that the day before was something resembling Noah's time.
Wednesday
night all the bicycles were loaded onto the cars or into vans and on
Thursday morning a Beano convoy set off for the Gwaun Valley and
Preseli Hills.
The ride started off pleasantly with a long gently
undulating ride along the valley. I started early with the group of
people who considered themselves to be the slower cyclists. We were
soon overtaken by the faster types. The lunch stop was at Rosebush.
To the uninitiated Rosebush seems like a village in the middle of
nowhere with nothing in particular to recommend it. There is a post
office which is attached to a restaurant-cum-tea room where we
stopped for lunch.
During the last century at the height of the
railway era, there were plans to turn Rosebush into a holiday resort.
It never happened. Other places became fashionable, and Rosebush was
left. Fortunes were lost, including that of Barbara Cartland's
grandfather [which is why she was forced to write novels].
The lunch we had was splendid. By the time most
people started arriving I had finished my lunch and was rather
toying with the idea of attacking the salads a second time.
Categories
We
continued on our way and reached the highest point on the route with
almost no effort at all. After that it was a very gentle, long ride
downhill to the afternoon tea stop. It is amazing just how much food
you can manage to put away while on a cycling holiday. I would not
normally dream of having a large breakfast, lunch and dinner, and
then to top it off afternoon tea as well. The tea place, gained full
marks on my star rating system. My pot of coffee actually outlasted
Andy's tea. It was served with a jug of real milk, and the Bara Brith
(traditional welsh tea bread) was delicious. After that it was
amazing that I was able to waddle to my bike let alone get on it and
cycle another nine miles. 
From
St. Ishmael's we cycled inland again and headed towards Marloes where
we regrouped for lunch. Andy joined a group who cycled to Marloes via
the Gann Crossing. This way I understand involved sand, a plank
bridge and the sea lapping around your ankles.