3 easy days in the ...
 

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3 easy days in the Welsh borders - where is a good base

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Looking to have a few days away with a mate on the bikes - midweek, late April

Easy bridleways / fire roads / quiet lanes - no epic enduro or DH

We have previously based ourselves in Llanwrytd Wells that ticked the boxes but were thinking of maybe trying another area this time

Knighton/Clun/Bishops Castle/Kerry Ridgeway ?....would really like to be able to cycle from the door, and have a few pubs etc nearby to walk to in the evening as well.

Any specific recommendations for a place to rent in a little town would be appreciated before we start trawling the Air BnB / Booking.com

Thanks in advance !


 
Posted : 27/03/2024 2:15 pm
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Wow Llanwrytd Wells is a bit of a 1 horse town !  Llandovery would be a good alternative as it has lots of cafes and pubs etc,

Border-ish towns on my list would be:  Hay on Wye (Butty Bach), Abergavenny or Crickhowell, Welshpool?

Bishops Castle has a fair few pubs and a brewery !!


 
Posted : 27/03/2024 2:22 pm
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Talybont-on-Usk is worth looking at; there’s a YHA place at the foot of the reservoir dam, lots of riding and walking around the surrounding area, a canal runs through Talybont, so an inherently flat route that’s easy to follow. Talybont has two pubs, a B&B and a restaurant with rooms…

I’ve done some riding around there, years ago, and it was great fun. I keep meaning to get my bikes back out and rideable, and take my hooligan hardtail over and do some riding, I wouldn’t take the singlespeed though. A long-time friend of mine helps run the YHA there, so I’d have at least one person there to talk to and go for a drink with.


 
Posted : 27/03/2024 10:01 pm
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Another vote for Talybont. You could do The Gap from there, not exactly flat but only 20 miles-ish but the views are worth the effort and a 5th of it is on aforementioned canals

I'd also recommend elan valley


 
Posted : 27/03/2024 10:10 pm
kayak23 and kayak23 reacted
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How about Church Stretton? Loads of accommodation in hostels, campsites, pubs and Airbnb. Long Mynd pods (there's only one of them) are perfect for me.

The area is a bit like the pumped up lovechild of Gower and Quantocks. Big climbs. Long (not always grassy) descents from a central ridge down to the valley. Invariably there's a good pub close by as well.

I prefer All Stretton or Little Stretton to Great Stretton but Rattlinghope (Bridges YHA and amazing pub) wins overall.

Enjoy.


 
Posted : 28/03/2024 12:28 am
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Thanks for the suggestions, will start looking around Church Stretton.

Agree with Talybont but I know it quite well and mate is travelling down from the North so would ideally like to rendezvous a bit further northwards for him


 
Posted : 28/03/2024 7:37 am
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Was thinking about this overnight, and came to suggest Ch Stretton too. Beaten to it, but its worth noting that if you stay Bridges/Ratlinghope ('Ratchup') way, there's the Mynd on one side, Stiperstones on the other and Hopton quite close.


 
Posted : 28/03/2024 8:52 am
Ambrose and Ambrose reacted
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Don’t want to hijack thread but if anyone has any routes church stretton way they can pm me I’d appreciate it.

Hoping to stay at brow farm campsite when weather eventually improves!


 
Posted : 28/03/2024 2:11 pm
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The National Trust has a great set of routes cards available from their information place by the tea room in the Cardingmill Valley. There's a map of the whole of the Long Mynd available too, I've seen versions on line.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/shropshire-staffordshire/carding-mill-valley-and-the-long-mynd/long-mynd-classic-cycle-trail


 
Posted : 28/03/2024 3:20 pm

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