The Celtic Trail is a ride across the southern coast of Wales. According to some sources, it starts on Fishguard on the west coast of Pembrokeshire and ends at Bristol. Others would say it starts at St Davids and ends in Chepstow. You can take your pick. We set aside a week for the trip. Our plan (there were six of us) was to start at Fishguard. However, I struggled to find a train that would get me there at a reasonable time. One missed connection and I might have found myself stuck in mid-Wales, searching for accommodation. In fact, this happened to one of our group, and he chose to get as near as he could to Fishguard, stay over, and go to the start the next morning. I played it safe and went to Haverfordwest the night before, missing out Fishguard.
Haverfordwest is okay, if a little dowdy and tired. My hotel room had very thin walls and the couple in the next room got noisily ‘amarous’ about 11.00 pm. I decided to help them along and sected a few George Formby tracks off YouTube. Played loud. Much better than Barry White, I reckon.
The journey from Haverfordwest to St Davids was a tricky 18 miles because of route problems. It pays to plan carefully, I know, because I don’t. I decided at one junction that my Karoo map was wrong, and I stuck with the A487 heading west. This route took me through Solva, which was exactly what I wanted to avoid. I’ve been before and it’s a charming little port on a river estuary. But the steep plunge into it meant there would be a steep climb out. This topographical feature dominates the landscape of the Celtic Trail; five rapid minutes clutching your brakes are followed by fifteen minutes struggling up a sharp slope.
Anyway. I got to St Davids early in the afternoon and took a stroll about. The cathedral of this humble ‘city’ would not be out of place in medieval continental Europe. It is gorgeous. Anciently, nook and cranny, sumptuously, gorgeous. As St Davids is a tourist centre, there are plenty of pubs and restaurants to choose from. If you have time, there are some worthy trips around the area. A stroll along the coastal path gives splendid views of the beautiful coastline and clear sea. A few years back, my wife and I took the Skomer Island boat trip. It was an enjoyable couple of hours spotting many seabirds, seals and dolphins. I wrote a blog about the holiday.
Three of us stayed at the City Inn, which was reasonably priced with good-sized rooms, a decent breakfast and a large public bar. The next morning, the group coalesced from various directions for our first ride together.
St Davids to Tenby. This was 47 miles, including a total climb of 3187 ft. I found it tough. I’m in my mid 60s and a bit on the heavy side at 200 lbs. Komoot had graded this route as ‘expert’. I have a pedal assist bike yet there were times when I, and others, had to get off and push. Of course, my panniers were fully loaded, which doesn’t help. Sights on the journey included Newgate Beach, Cleddau Bridge, and Pembroke Castle.
Tenby itself is a charming seaside resort and, it being a Saturday; it was busy in the evening. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to explore the town. We got there around 7.00 pm and wanted to go and see an old friend playing piano in a nearby boozer. It seemed as though most pubs had bouncers on the doors, which I wasn’t expecting. It was as if sleepy Tenby had twinned with insomniac Benidorm. The town has changed since I was last there in, ahem, 1968. Anyway, we had a fine night and rehydrated amply. I got a look at the main beach the next morning and it is excellent, one of the best in the country.
Tenby to Camarthen. This ride was much the same as yesterday’s in terms of difficulty. It was a little shorter at 35 miles, with similar total climbs of 3,300 ft. Within 40 metres of getting started, we were all off our bikes and pushing them up a very steep incline.
Most of us stayed at the Ivy Bush Royal Hotel in Camarthen. Our rooms were fine, our bikes were locked away safely, and the bar lounge area was a delight. The food was of the pub food variety, but fine. The hotel has mixed reviews, I’m not sure why. I thought it was really good, the staff especially were friendly and professional. I frightened one of them when I let out a yelp of pain going up the stairs. My knees were giving me grief. It was clear that I couldn’t do the next day and I made my way to Swansea by train. An early check in at the Premier Inn would give me chance to rest up.
Camarthen to Swansea. A simple journey for me! For the others, the leg was 41 miles long, with half the climbs of the previous days at a mere 1500 ft. The guys said this was quite a mellow ride with several flat sections on disused railway lines now repurposed for cyclists and walkers. The sun shone, well-wishers strewed their route with rose petals, locals offered them free chilled beers and golden trinkets. Apparently.
Swansea has a pretty decent town centre, plenty going on and a colossal beach if making sand castles is your bag. Premier Inn charged £15 to let me in at 12.30. A bit rum, but they are a great option for cycling holidays as they let you put your bike in your room.
Swansea to Caerphilly. Although Komoot graded this day as intermediate, it is hard to see why. It was very similar to the first two full days at 49 miles and total climbs of 2,900 ft. I realise I’m making an issue of the difficulty of the journeys. No doubt a fitter cyclist than me would have no trouble. My purpose is to warn the uninitiated.
We enjoyed a very cushy start, not in the most photogenic of surroundings, but with flat, smooth tarmac surfaces for a dozen miles. After the outskirts of Port Talbot, we headed into lush countryside. The valleys were verdant and green, worthy of Brigadoon. The climbs were worthy of Nepal. On one slope I could have used a sherpa.
In fairness, there were plenty of easy miles on old railway tracks, all nice and level for Stephenson’s Rocket back in the day. I suppose they originally laid down those tracks to ferry coal from the mines. It’s nice to think people have put this infrastructure to new uses, and cyclists and pedestrians are enjoying it.
There was one striking reminder of tougher times when folk had to deal with more than my first world problems. We passed the site of, and memorial to, the Park Slip Colliery explosion of 1892. It’s a good quality and reverent monument that tells the story of the disaster which claimed 112 lives. We all found it moving and a reminder that we should be grateful for the good things we enjoy.
We arrived in Caerphilly at about 6.45, after another tough day. Of course, we cycled through beautiful scenery, but there is a danger inherent in the mode of transport! For the majority of the time, you can’t be looking at the surroundings because you’re focused on the patch of grey tarmac directly before your front wheel. It is worth stopping to take in the scenery, especially as it is often beautiful on the Celtic Trail.
Caerphilly to Bristol. The last stretch was 54 miles with a total climb of 3000 ft. I knew it would be too much of an ask for my creaking knees. It would be bad news to be invalided out in the middle of nowhere. Consequently, I took the train again with another of the guys.
I liked Bristol town centre. It has a similar bohemian vibe to Manchester’s Northern Quarter. It was a hot, sunny day and a fine place to rehydrate. We ate at Pasta Ripiena which specialises in pasta dishes. Pricey, but top drawer.
Concluding thoughts and tips. 1. Beware making mistakes at the end of a day’s cycling when you are knackered. A larger town will often have more than one Premier Inn. Make sure you put the correct one in your route planner! 2. TrainPal is a great app for cheap train travel. I found it to be cheaper that Trainline, but make sure you add your bike to your journey. It might not show on your ticket, but don’t panic. When you enter the code into the station machine, it will add your bike reservation. 3. Plan your routes carefully. On Google maps, I recommend the street view option, check out any section of the route that looks odd or counter intuitive. Komoot and Sustrans give decent advice on the nature of the surfaces. 4. Be brutal with your packing to keep the weight down. Okay, take the dinner suit but, do you really need the spats and top hat? You can have a cigarette without your velour smoking jacket.
Finally, a massive thanks you to Matt Ashmead for all his planning, booking, and daily encouragements. Cheers Matt!
I’ve written four books now. ‘Head Hunted’ is my comic novel, just the ticket for the beach. My latest is ‘Following Gilgamesh’ – a bargain at £1!
Should I Go 2 