Bannau Brycheiniog by Cycle | Day Four
Trapp to Glynneath
Waking early, I broke camp, packed my gear and prepared myself for getting on the road. The skies were blue and the weather looked promising, but despite the forecast, I was completely unmotivated to begin my trip home.
DAY FOUR
ON ROAD |
+ | NCN | 437 | 43 | 46 |  |
Trapp to Glynneath |
Date: June 22, 2023
Distance: 30.3 mi. / 48.76 km
Elevation: +2,013 ft / -2,318 ft
Duration: 5 hrs, 40 mins.
Distance: 30.3 mi. / 48.76 km
Elevation: +2,013 ft / -2,318 ft
Duration: 5 hrs, 40 mins.
Along with the anticlimax of heading home, I had the additional knowledge of starting the ride with a rather lengthy climb. Overall, I only had around 30 mi. to reach my next campsite in Glynneath. I just wasn't feeling it.
Before leaving, I paused to take one more photo of the castle. Both Carreg Cennen and the campsite had been so much more than I could have imagined. Looking around, I still had the place to myself and a part of me wanted to stay another night, but it was time to pedal.
Trapp is very small and charming community. The local pub recently closed, but the small gardens along the road are well-cared-for and there seems to be pride in place.
I like the old Brecon Beacons National Park signs, but they are getting hard to find now that the park has been renamed (image below).
I like the old Brecon Beacons National Park signs, but they are getting hard to find now that the park has been renamed (image below).
Wern-Ddu Road out of Trapp heading south toward Blaegweche starts out rolling, but soon after Landyfan the road begins a gradual climb. I was in no rush. I had all day to cycle just over 30 miles.
I could have stayed on Wern-Ddu Road all the way to Ammanford, which would have been much easier, but I wanted to see Carreg Cennan one last time from the high hill south of the castle. I turned off the minor road onto an even smaller lane and began a stiff climb making my way slowly up Mynydd Isaf.
Soon the trees gave way to wide open grassy fields as I crept along the high ridge.
After a couple of miles, zig-zgging my way toward the top, there she was... standing proudly in the sun. I was roughly 2 miles away (as a crow flies) and the castle was thrilling to see again. I am so glad I took the extra time to get this view.
Following a few minutes of reflection (and a couple of snaps), I was off, down the other side of the hill heading toward the small village of Garnant and the Amman River Valley.
The morning had warmed up nicely. The sky had but a few puffy clouds and it felt glorious to be gliding downhill in the sunshine. However, I was soon surprised as the grasslands gave way and I found myself rolling under a thick canopy of trees.
The road too became very steep with some sections offering an eye-watering 14% descent. Nothing too bad for a cyclist on his/her own, but with over 50lbs. of gear strapped to the frame... it was rather intense.
I popped out at the bottom of the lane into a non-descript housing estate on Folland Road. Turning east, I cycled a short .5 mi. to the junction with Amman Valley Cycleway, also known as NCN Route 437.
I stopped for a short coffee break (and a self-indugent bike photo). From here it was to be a fairly flat ride following the re-purposed railline which snakes along the valley floor and the River Amman.
The route itself is very rural and on this Thursday morning, it was extremely quiet. I didn't see a single walker or cyclist for the entire length.
I joined the the Amman Valley Cycleway somewhat in its middle. Heading east, I was roughly 2 mi. from my next junction at Brynamman.
I joined the the Amman Valley Cycleway somewhat in its middle. Heading east, I was roughly 2 mi. from my next junction at Brynamman.
The path is paved, shady, and in excellent condition, which was a nice relief after my dramatic descent from Mynydd Isaf. The River Amman is not always visable, but there are several places where the path pulls up alongside its banks. which can provide a cool break, especially beneath the trees. As the day approached noon, the temperature was starting to rise noticably.
At Brynamon, the cycleway becomes unpaved and much more narrow as it weaves behind a small industrial estate for a short distance. The paved surface resumes once again after crossing Station Road.
After about a mile further, the cycleway crosses the Amman River one more time before exiting the woods completely. The route then merges alongside the very busy Cwmgawr Road (A4068) and frustratingly too, this section is not well sign-posted.
In the photo above you can see that there is a shared-use walking and cycling path running along the right side of the road (and past the entrance to the industrial estate). I followed the shared-use path to the outskirts of town where it ended without any further notice. I decided to turn back.
I was puzzled by what I had missed and haphazardly wandered up toward the industrial estate I had passed earlier (image above). Without any signs, it looked rather pointless...
But, lo and behold... tucked up at the very end of the street was the entrance to the next leg of the cycleway. Urgh! How frustrating! But at least I found it and I only went out of my way a couple of miles.
Thankfully, I was on my way again along a secluded traffic-free cycle path heading southeast toward the village of Cwmllynfell and all was good in the universe.
Looking at the map in hindsight, I could've stayed on Cwmgarw Road, but traffic was horrible, the road is very narrow with little to no verge. It was an annoying delay, but once I found the proper route, it was gorgeous!
I then had two lovely miles of flat, scenic cycling to the village of Cwmllynfell.
As I approached town, these scare crows were dancing in unison with the wind (image above). And it always makes me smile to see where a community steps up to enhance a walking and cycling route. It doesn't take a lot, but small things can add so much character to a path (image below).
The Amman Valley Cycleway ends at Cwmllynfell. I could see where the path is proposed to continue, but it looked very rough and I didn't want to risk it with my heavy load. My only choice was to get on the A4068, again! Urgh. This part of the road is very narrow with houses and cars parked along both sides. For three miserable miles, I annoyed traffic as I slowly pedaled my wide-load southeast to Ystradgynlais.
Oddly, I didn't see a National Network numbered sign for the entire length of NCN Route 437. Where there are signs, the route is simply referred to as the Amman Valley Cycleway. But then once I was on the A4068, there was nothing. For roughly three miles I had to rely upon my mobile phone and Ride with GPS to confirm directions (which I find rather stressful, especially along a busy road).
Fortunately too, there's not much around, so it was pretty straight-forward to find my way. However, I didn't take any photos of this part of the route. For one thing, it was simply not very interesting, but more importantly, it was not very safe to stop and fiddle with my camera along the roadside.
Oddly, I didn't see a National Network numbered sign for the entire length of NCN Route 437. Where there are signs, the route is simply referred to as the Amman Valley Cycleway. But then once I was on the A4068, there was nothing. For roughly three miles I had to rely upon my mobile phone and Ride with GPS to confirm directions (which I find rather stressful, especially along a busy road).
Fortunately too, there's not much around, so it was pretty straight-forward to find my way. However, I didn't take any photos of this part of the route. For one thing, it was simply not very interesting, but more importantly, it was not very safe to stop and fiddle with my camera along the roadside.
After those few stressful miles, I entered Ystradgynlais. It was here that I needed to find the connection with NCN Route 43. Thankfully, as I came to the first roundabout on Bethel Road, a shared-use path opened up alongside the road. Soon after that, I spotted the little blue & red sticker on a lightpole. Thank you Sustrans!
In less than a mile along a shared-use path down Wind Road (NCN Route 43), I turned right to cross a very narrow bridge over the River Tawe.
Here, the fun began. After crossing the bridge, the road takes a sharp 90° turn and immediatley begins to climb. Combined with being very narrow and slow moving cars, my cycling came to an abrupt halt... and the walking or "hike-a-bike" began.
Thankfully the distance wasn't but a little over .25 mi., the gradient however, was over +14% in places and by the time I reached the gates for the cycle path, I was exhausted.
From here, the climbing continued for another five miles, but the gradient was generally less than +3%. More importantly, the route was completely traffic-free and snaked along a wonderfully wooded path.
A few scattered clouds began to roll in by the middle of the afternoon and I was worried that I might see some rain...
But I couldn't be rushed. I was pretty tired and the views were lovely. I guess-timated that I had less than 15 miles to my next campsite in Glynneath. But with plenty of daylight left in the day, I just sat back and took my time.
I finally reached the top near Colbrien where NCN Route 43 ended. And despite having to get back on the main road (A4221), the next four miles were relatively flat, traffic was very quiet, and the afternoon was glorious.
Just outside of Glynneath I had a wonderful two-mile descent, which surprisingly, gave me a much needed burst of energy and I came roaring into town ready to hit the grocery and find my campsite for the night.
I popped into a shop, loaded up my bike with more food than I could possibly eat, and soon discovered that the Glynneath High Street was also NCN Route 43. I couldn't have asked for anything more straight-forward.
The last four miles to the campsite was easy-peazy. The route is a combination of shared-use path (through town), then a mix of paved and unpaved traffic-free paths through a lovely wooded section following the River Neath. Spring Valley Lakes campsite was less than a mile from the cycle path.
It was nearly 6:00 pm when I finally rolled into the campsite. I met the owners, checked in, and pretty much had the place to myself. Not needing electricty, I also had plenty of choices where I could set up camp.
I should have put the umbrella up for a better shot here, but after setting up camp, all I could think of was cooking some dinner and taking it easy.
DAY FOUR - SUMMARY:
Trapp to Glynneath
Day four of my epic adventure had been eventful day of mixed riding; some parts easy, others were incredibly difficult. I had seen some amazing mountain vistas across wide open valleys and wandered though non-descript housing estates looking for my way. I had pedaled slowly along busy main roads irritating motorists and cycled leasurely on rural cycle paths, meandering lazily through the countryside. I had struggled to push my bike up incredibly steep hills and then raced down wonderfully long stretches of open roadway.
Overall, it had been a short day; cycling just over 30 miles, but it had been a day unlike any so far. I climbed roughly 1,900 ft. crossing the Amman, Tawe, and Neath Valleys. Perhaps it was an accumulation from the previous three days, but this day seemed the hardest.
Overall, it had been a short day; cycling just over 30 miles, but it had been a day unlike any so far. I climbed roughly 1,900 ft. crossing the Amman, Tawe, and Neath Valleys. Perhaps it was an accumulation from the previous three days, but this day seemed the hardest.
The temperature was mild, only reaching a high of 22°c (71.6°f) and the skies were partly cloudy with intermittent sun. I slept hard and deep that night and didn't even hear the rain arrive.
I hope you enjoyed my report and thanks for reading!
Seeya down the road... Cheers! - cm
I hope you enjoyed my report and thanks for reading!
Seeya down the road... Cheers! - cm
Note: You may click below to continue reading about my adventure. ▼
 |
