Ride to the Sun

A Summer Solstice Ride through the Heart of the Brecon Beacons
We shared a wonderful ride up to Garn Lakes for the Summer Solstice, followed by some explorations in Clydach Gorge and a lazy pedal back home along the Monmouthshire & Canal.
OVERVIEW
Ride to the Sun
Date: June 21, 2017
Distance: 70.1 mi. / 112.82 km
Elevation: +3,494 ft / -3,495 ft
Duration: 7 hrs, 20 mins.
This ride wasn't the first time any of us had cycled this route, however; what made this ride special was the Summer Solstice. We left before dawn and were home before noon, making this quite an unusual and special event.

Dean Piper organised and lead our small group. We were joined by Gwen Smith (of Sustrans notoriety) and Vimal Madhavan making our little foursome the perfect size for an intimate and detailed cycling adventure.
2026 UPDATE: This is an updated version of a previously posted Ride Report. As part of my ongoing redesign of this website, each feature from "Rides to Remember" will be re-formatted to accomodate the new larger page layout. All of the photographs have been re-edited and where needed, the text has been re-edited for context and clarity.
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 the sunrise.

Photography was pretty near impossible with the simple camera on my mobile phone, but I tried to get a few snaps.
We were greeted by a foggy morning as the early light began to slowly creep into the night sky high above Blaenavon.
The morning was especially quiet as we entered Garn Lakes further up the ridge. We had cycled less than 10 miles and the low-hanging fog captured our sleepy mood.
Sunrise on Garn Lakes
Our timing couldn't have been better. As the fog began to lift, the skies above 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 on this special day. It was a gorgeous summer morning high along the Welsh moors.
Garn Lakes to Clydach Gorge
The sun didn't take long to rise, so after a quick snack of Welsh cakes (thanks Melanie!), a bit of coffee, and a few more smiles; it was time to move on.
Look who came up the hill 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
We left NCN Route 492 just outside the town of Brynmawr where we then joined NCN Route 46. This section immediately drops down a few hundred feet onto the old rail line leading into Clydach Gorge itself.
Once down on the cycle path, Gwen asked us; "Do you guys wanna go through the old rail tunnel?" Uh?, you didn't have to ask us twice!
And that was super-cool! What's next?... Unfortunately, Gwen had to leave us for work responsibilities, so Dean, Vimal, and I continued on down through the gorge.
Our next landmark was ... the Nant-y-Dyar Viaduct. Built in 1862, this massive curved viaduct served the Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway for nearly 100 years. The massive eight-arched viaduct has a length of 312 feet (95 metres) and stands 75 feet (23 metres) above the Nant-y-Dyar ravine.
Just behind the viaduct stands the remnants and historic landscape of Clydach Limeworks and Gilwern Quarry; a massive area given over to the extraction and processing of limestone on the north-western face of The Blorenge.
Now wild and wonderful, the area begs exploration making it well worth getting off your bike for a bit of a wander.
Llanfoist
Dropping further down from Clydach Gorge, we stop for a bit of exploration at Llanfoist. This tiny village and wharf are famous for the direct link to the coal mines on the located on other side of the mountain.
Drams once ran down from the mountain to load coal at Llanfoist Wharf 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.
This entire area is part of the Blaenavon World Heritage Site, a 33-square-kilometer landscape that preserves and showcases the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.
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 in the south where it joins the union of the Severn River, the River Usk, and the Bristol Channel.
Today, the canal is used 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, and cycling is fantastic as NCN Route 49 follows the canal all the way to Newport.
Thank Deano. It was a wonderful day... one that I'll always remember. Cheers!
SUMMARY
Overall, it was a wonderful day. Starting so early was certainly a challenge, but soon became quite worth the effort. The weather couldn't have been nicer, and our small crew was the perfect size for this detailed adventure.
Our ride 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.

As I mentioned at the start, this is a updated version I made in 2026 from the original I posted in 2017.

I hope you enjoyed my report and thanks for reading!

Seeya down the road... Cheers! - cm
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