This blog is a record of the activities of the various members of the TCA, a worldwide association formed in Titchfield, Hampshire (UK) in the late 1990s. Our mission is to seek out adventure and good beer using environmentally sustainable transportation, whatever the conditions...
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Guy Fawkes Night
The evening started in usual fashion with tea and cakes... but these were not just any old cakes these were hand-baked Welsh cakes which had been freshly made in the afternoon by Maalie. The evening then took a bizarre twist when Jimmy took exception to the holes in Jon's socks. He insisted on climbing the stairs and digging a pair of his Dad's out to furnish 'Other Jon' with a new set.... and supervised the donning of said socks.
Jimmy supervises Jon's sock change
Tonight the TCA had the honour of entertaining regular visiting rider Maalie who would be on Al's spare bike - Jon donated his old lights while John and Al relished the rare opportunity to give their road bikes an airing - this would be a road ride to TCA favorite 'The Hampshire Bowman' at Dundridge.
Unused to his son's spare bike and insistent on chatting to Jon about his recent birding exploits Maalie lagged behind. Still, the TCA is always keen to accommodatevisitors of any ability and regrouped at intervals throughout the ride. As the ride wended is way across the A31 and up hill towards Soberton the two Jo(h)ns became inpatient and pulled ahead and Maalie and Al enjoyed a chat.
It was with some surprise therefore that Maalie and Al found they had reached the pub first. Both plumped for a pint of Bowman's Nutz and settled down to continue there discussion. Some minutes later the back markers caught up and ordered their beers too. The the route was dissected until the point where the digression was made was uncovered, by which time beers were supped and it was time to move on.
Next stop Soberton, after the descent of Sheep Pond Lane of course. More Bowman's beers and an impromptu appearance by The Sloppy Porridge Maker. He was quickly forgiven for turning up in his 4x4 when he bought another round of Bowman's! All too soon it was time to head straight over the hill and back to base.
Dinner consisted of spag. bol. and home made apple pie (courtesy of Maalie again).
As regular readers of this web site will know, earlier this year in a moment of madness John H and Jon P signed up to compete in the New Forest Duathlon. A weekend's training in July filled our heads full of what we should do and how we should do it, and with us both knowing our weaknesses (Jon running like a squiffy giraffe and John cycling like a bandy legged cowboy) the boys set about trying to prepare for the event. All too quickly the 25th October had arrived, and the intrepid pair arrived at Sandy Balls just outside Fordingbridge at a ridiculous time on a Sunday morning.
With numbers and time measuring chips collected and fitted, bikes racked in the transition area, all was ready for the event. Well almost; Jon was running around like a deer caught in the high beam of an approaching true. In true Jon form, he had left it up the very last minute to borrow a proper road bike from Ade, had little practice on it, and had not checked that the cleats on his shoes would suit the pedals). Meanwhile John had about 5 visits to the loo. In contrast John’s brother in law Mathew, who was also entered, approached the event in a calm and collected manner, although it must also be said that he had run the course and cycled it many times so was well prepared.
All the 'athletes' were assembled for a briefing on the race format and rules after which we were lead down to the start of the race, this in itself was interesting as the gradient (downhill) would have suited climbing gear. Then, with a shout of "GO!" we were all off, straight back up the steep hill for the start of the 6km run stage.
So not wishing to bore the reader further with a step-by-step appraisal of the event both of us were running almost side by side into the 1st transition stage, although for the assembled world’s press (Mrs John) John had to make sure he was just in front. 30 secs or so later John was out on the bike and heading out into the New Forest roads, 3 or 4 minutes later Jon got his act together and also got out on the bike. Jon soon caught up and took the lead. John managed to keep him in sight but as drafting was not allowed had to hang back (well that was his excuse).
The route undulated over 21km, although not technical the very strong head and cross winds affected all the competitors significantly. 40 or so minutes later, separated by about 30 secs the two of us made it back into the 2nd transition stage, where again John stormed through transition and Jon piffled around like a school girl in a make-up shop. John made it out onto the road just ahead, for the 2nd 5km run stage; the same hilly route was used.
During our training weekend the importance of what is known as 'brick training' was extolled, i.e. conditioning you to the move from a cycle stage to a running stage . Needless to say the name brick is highly appropriate as both of us later agreed that our legs felt like bricks as we tried to get them running again. 26 or so minutes later John ran throught the finish followed a minute later by Jon; Mathew had finished about 9 minutes earlier.
All in all we were both glad we had done it, but also that it was over. The organisation both before and during the event was excellent, certainly miles ahead of the Helly Hanson challenge that John signed the TCA up to a couple of years earlier. The event was also friendly; although tough it seemed to me that all the competitors (including the 2 or 3 elite world champions that turned up!) were all very approachable even whilst competing. As always circumstances seem to conspire to cock your best laid plans up, but both of us knew what we were in for, and the lessons learned during training and the event will help us in future physical challenges.
The ride from Hambledon would have an unusual twist this evening. While Jon and Al were up for the customary off-road route John felt that he needed more time in the saddle of his road bike ahead of the impending duathlon. The mountain bikers stuck with shorts for the evening while John felt that the weather justified long trousers; it was one of those mild-for-the-time-of-year evenings but the chill of autumn was in the air too.
Having polished off their tea and cakes the mountain-bike pair and John headed in opposite directions bound for the White Lion. Al suffered a puncture on the first major descent which cost some time but, having taken a longer, hillier circuit John had beaten them to the White Lion by some margin. Showing usual form on an unusual evening John realised he also had a puncture as they drank beers outside the pub.
John was secretly quite pleased as it gave him the opportunity to demonstrate his new compressed air inflation device. Initially this proved quite a startling operation as gas escaped with fearsome velocity seemingly at random. Once John had regained his composure everyone marveled at the speed with which he had pumped his tyre back up.
John wrestles with his tyre outside the White Lion
Once again a longer loop was devised for John as the off-road pair made for the disused railway line as usual. John and Al both remarked at the excellent condition of the track - dry, compact and fast - they fairly whistled down the path like an express train. Up through the Forest of Bere as usual and down towards the pub.
Once again John was waiting and the three enjoyed a beer outside before taking the country lane back to Hambledon together.
A Toast to Absent Friends: The Traveler's Rest, Newtown
After a customary cups of tea and cake Jon and John left Chichester at 18:45, heading past the hospital and then up through summersdale through past East Lavant to the flinty Chalkpit Lane. Jon took the lead with John behind this week's excuses had something to do with running the day before and still recovering from Al's stag weekend in the Peak District. Jon found himself at the top at Trundle having overtaken some hardy runners, with John slowly but steadily riding up the Lane. At the top some lovers in the car park were looking annoyed at sight of us. Quickly leaving the lovers carpark therefore we traversed the trundle for our first downhill. Jon led on and was pleasently happy with himself using no brakes until the bend at the bottom; John continued to be surprisingly slow behind.
Road biking around the race course at Goodwood we then rode downhill through Chalton Park Forest; this time John overtook Jon on the downhill but not before he had been forced into a bumpy gully on the way down. At the Fox goes Free a well deserved pint of Guiness was enjoyed by John and and Betty Stoggs by Jon. After a lengthy chat of the highlights of the weekend past the pair sped off up Town Lane observing lots of Red-legged Partridges and unusual number of of cars. Cutting across the field by Trundle we biked it down chalkpit Lane to the road. Jon's elation at beating John to the bottom quickly evaporated when John indicated that he had a brake problem: His piston on his front disc breaks was not retracting, forcing the brakes to remain on during the descent. Oh well at least he did not have a puncture!
John Struggles up the Trundle
Despite this we got back before 21:00 for a Parson's chilli using up real chillies from Jon's plant. We watched a programme called Tough Guy or Chicken involving supposedly tough guys learning Chagras skills in rounding up cattle on the uplands of Ecuador. Pretty lightweight fare compared to an evening with the TCA.
Jon and John arrived at Al's to tackle Hambledon's #1 route. It was comparatively mild compared to previous evenings and JP and JH appeared to have too many layers on for a summer ride. Recent rain had left the trail quite muddy and overgrown too in places!
Bowman's Elderado was the tipple of choice at the White Lion, Soberton. John got a little left behind on the old railway and Al was the olny cyclist who managed the embankment challenge. More Bowman's (and a pint of the black stuff for JH) before the ride home.
Tee's Chilli (extra hot this week) was order of the day over which various share-trading strategies were discussed.
In a moment of madness John H signed up to competing in the New Forest Duathlon which takes place at the end of October. Now, being a rather portly chap (some would say fat bastard!), he thought he had better loose weight - secondly learn about competing in such an event and training correctly. So, after a successful Google search, he came across a company called British Duathlon, and after a number of email exchanges with Jon (the owner), coach, bottle washer, etc, a date was set for a weekend's Duathlon training camp. Jon P had also signed up for the event and also thought he had better learn how to approach the task.
A weekend’s course was set up around JH and JP’s total lack of knowledge and experience in training properly for such an event. The first thing to surprise us was the requirement to fill in a weekly diet sheet. Clearly easy for JP: Pizzas; burgers; KFC; and slow cooker meals. For JH on his attempted health kick it has to be said quite a good diet sheet was submitted. Next a typical weekly exercise schedule was asked for: JP was unsure as to whether his daily work activity of scratching his balls for 3 hours counted or not. A couple of weeks later the weekend’s agenda was sent through by the intrepid couple. This created a great deal of debate, not least of which there were words we did not understand and the planned physical activates meant we probably would need a pre-, pre-Duathlon training camp!
A required kit list was also sent, which meant Wiggle made yet more money from the TCA. Eventually, with nervous anticipation, the pair set off (as is TCA tradition) an hour late - JP was customarily late as usual. The debate on the way up centred around who else would be on the course, how fit they were, and how embarrassed JP and JH would get. It was speculated that perhaps a team like the national Swiss Duathlon team could be present on their carbon fibre bikes, with matching lycra clothing, statures of a brick shit house and wish to yodel at 5am each day.
We finally arrived, even later no thanks to the wonderful M25, to be met by Jon (JC) and Sarah in their wonderful house and base in a small village called Emberton (near Milton Keynes). Bikes and kit were soon unloaded, and our fears subsided when we were told that it was just the two of us on the course. However nervousness crept in again as we were asked to stand on a set of Tanita body composition scales. These scales would tell us,how fat we were, where the fat was, how good our metabolic rate was and even how our muscle was around our limbs, how many calories we needed to keep alive and several other facts. JP went first, and was pleasantly surprised to hear that his 'metabolic age' was 35, a fact which we all were to hear about many times over the weekend, and no doubt will continue to hear about! JH approached the scales carefully as he did not want them to blow up and state that only one person at a time should step on them! Stats more or less confirmed what he knew, i.e. an old fat bastard! Joking aside the stats seemed to be more or less the same for the both of us (apart from Metabolic age), in fact spookily close. The four of us then went out for a meal.
JP and JH clearly weren’t fooled by this tactic to catch us off guard, so both ordered healthy options. Talk over dinner was about the planned activities and aims of the weekend. JP was most upset that each day he had to get up at 7am. JH discovered that JC worked alongside Harley Davidson and was ex army, so JP had to put up with more biker and squadie stories.
Day one consisted of,a 50k cycle ride, 7 k run, and weight lifting sessions , interspersed with theory on diet, nutrition, setting training plans, and excellent nutritious food and suitable fluids.
That night after an excellent meal cooked by Sarah, in true TCA tradition we had to avail ourselves of the beer in the local pub. We had to drag JC over kicking and screaming (well not quite true!) JP had a couple of Spitfires and JH and JC Guinness. A fairly early night was had by all, and the TCA chaps slept like logs.
Sunday started with a 8-9k run, incorporating a 5 hill training session, and a measured mile speed run, this session was quickly followed by a 20k speed cycle. The rest of the day was spent on core body training with Swiss balls (so the Swiss were present after all!) and more theory on setting training schedules, nutrition, and target setting. Lastly we both had to stand on the scales again to see what effect the weekend had had on our make up. Suffice to say JP’s metabolic age got better by 5 years, and JH’s got worse by 2 years! JH was also told off for not drinking enough (water). A pattern was emerging here having been told I am lightweight when drinking is concerned!
All too soon it was time to pack up and head off. JC and Sarah are consummate professionals, are dedicated and very knowledgeable, importantly they also are very nice people. Their knowledge is based on scientific fact and principals but also very importantly on their own experiences. Both have competed in many triathlons, duathalons, marathons, etc. The walls and shelves of their house are adorned with medals and trophies. So we both were very happy with the course content, its execution and the whole weekend. Now we each have to set our training schedules and continue to motivate ourselves to get off our arses and train. Without any doubt we would recommend this course, or any other hosted by them, or for that matter you approaching them for any bespoke course requirements.
John & Jon take a step back and admire their modern art sculpture
With John complaining as usual about low energy levels and whining that he had to get home on time, Al rapidly planned a shortened route. in was a glorious summer evening - a cloudless sky and temperatures well into the mid-twenties centigrade. Climbing out of Hambledon along the eastern side of the valley it was not long before they were at the Bat and Ball. We enjoyed pints of Seafarers Ale then picked a mainly off-road route back down the valley for a cheeky pint in the Vine before dinner back at Al's.
John and Al left from their separate houses on road bikes and met in the King's Arms, Wickham for a pint before cycling back to Al's via Dundridge and the Hurdles in Soberton. A total distance of 20 miles was covered. After dinner and a dram John stayed over and cycled home in the morning.
Just John and Al this week but, after a custard tart and a cup of tea with Tee and Jimmy, they managed to make an early start - hitting the road at 6pm sharp. Al had suggested an extension to the usual Hambledon route. The pair headed off as if to tackle Old Winchester Hill, to the North of the village. Having climbed Chidden Down the route turned east for Salt Hill and the ferocious descent off Wether Down into the Meon valley, following the South Downs Way.
Chidden Down
We approached Old Winchester hill from the North with a sharp ascent back out of the valley. It was a glorious evening and the boys stopped to enjoy the views from the summit before the descent towards Exton. John had pack the wrong shoes and could not 'clip in' to his cleats - the effects really started to tell as Al pulled away on the bumpy terrain.
The TCA Surveys it's Domain from the summmit of Old Winchester Hill
We toyed with the idea of taking in the Shoe Inn at Exton but recent trips there had been disappointing therefore we turned south on the disused railway line bound for Soberton. We pulled into the pub at 7.30pm and both opted for the latest offering from the Bowman brewery - Elderado: With a hint of elderflower it was perfect for a summer's evening.
John on 'Gate Duty'
It was back on bikes to pick up the remains of the regular route from Hambledon - down the railway line towards the Forest of Bere and on for a stop at The Traveler's Rest in Newtown. Once again the outdoor bar was open for business and the boys sat outside with pints of Bowman's Wallop's Wood.
A Toast to Absent Friends - The Traveler's Rest
As we left the Travelers' John suggested a bike swap for the short journey home by country lane. While their bikes might look very similar both were surprised by contrast in rides they offered. Pulling into Hambledon once more the pair had covered 22 miles all in and back before it got dark around 9.30pm for a Lloyd Grossman turkey curry. Al wondered why this route had never occurred to him before - a classic in the making.
John and Em arrived in Hambledon for the evening - John and Al fettled road bikes but, rather bizarrely, donned running gear for the evening: This was the first official training session in preparation for Octobers duathlon.
The evening kicked off with five-mile run around the standard circuit which Al has run countless times in preparation for his recent marathon. The pair managed a time of 42:31 Al finishing strongly despite ongoing marathon-lag.
A quite change of shorts for Al, shoes for both and it was a hop onto the road bikes for the punt to Dundridge. John had a Guinness while Al plumped for real Perry. John was in his element as he and three 'Harley' riders turned up and discussed modifications to their motorcycles. Al politely stifled a yawn.
The final leg back to base was uneventful but John steadily pulled away from Al who's legs were struggling with this new discipline. SpagBol and trifle were waiting for us, and the boys toasted the start of this new multi-sport foray with an Ardbeg.
There was nothing remarkable about this evening's ride - Hambledon Route 1 on a balmy May evening, bluebells everywhere. A race across the meadow, a puncture for Billy-Bob, a stop at the White Lion, a zip down the disused railway line. Railway embankment challenge, Forest of Bere descent, a stop in the Traveler's beer garden (Bank's Mild for some) and home for a curry.
However, this was the first time since September 2008 (not including ceremonial rides - Boy's Weekend and Christmas) that all four had been on a ride together. Sadly no cameras were taken to record the event for posterity!
With Jons bike still being repaired, following equipment failure at Boys Weekend, the day glow orange Apollo of former days was been brought back into service. What ever it lacks in style and grace, Jon qickly found a new use for it in dealing with dogs.
The Joh(ns) had decided that we would go for an easy ride this night because it followed a late day for Jon at work following one of his interesting planning committees and the fact John was going up north to see some friends the following day. This always puts Jon in a funny mood and we had had a conversation about northerners and the fact allegedly they had funny skin due to lack of sun which had caused a lack of vitamin D. John was not convinced. However we got off before 7 and managed to speed through the railway crossing just in time to avoid delay and get onto the Chichester Canal path.
Jon soon felt like he was at spinning classes - the rapid motion of pedalling due to the lack of gears in the Apollo. He soon found his brakes were not up to much either frightening a few fisherman and jay walkers and this is where he found a good use for the his bike in bashing a dog. One fisherman's dog came running aggressively up to him expecting bike and him to stop but no the bike hit the dog front on. There was a thud and yelp and half hearted attempt by dog to bit one of Jon's feet off but no it was 1-0 to bike. Needless to say the dog owner was not very flattering about Jon's bike skills. This of course though allowed John to come through unmolested by dog.
With remarkably good progress we got through to Chichester Marina at Dell Quay and then to the [Black Horse? Ed.] pub at Apuldrum. The evening was particularly fine with great views of Chichester Cathedral and Fisbourne Channel.
The Boys debated which was the larger, Chichester Cathedral's fine buttress...
...or John's rear end.
At the pub, we sat outside admiring the sunset with John complaining about how much drink costs abroad, in particular Guinness, while Jon just admired the view. Johns fitness and training was thoroughly evaluated during conversations.
The Happy Couple, beers in hand as the sun sets.
We set tracks home and found ourselves back at Jon's for a chilli but no pudding watching Waterloo Road at 8.30 pm which must set a record for a TCA shortest ride.
Al arrived at John's early on Thursday morning. Both were nervous - this year the organisational duties for the annual Boy's Weekend had been left in the hands of the TCA. Over the last year there had been a string of 'Extraordinary General Meetings' to discuss The Route, The Beer, The Food, The Rugby etc.. and now it was all coming to a head. The bar had been raised by last year's Scottish outing and the biker boys were keen to do their best to emulate the experience. For the first time the bikers were dragging the institution west, across the border to Wales. The Llandeusant YHA, once The Red Lion pub, had been booked a year before.
Bikes were loaded onto the roof, holdalls and rucksacks into the boot and the pair made for their first stop, Devizes to pick up Ad. Another bike, another rucksack and a cup of tea before setting off once more for Sainsbury's Cwmbran. £300 worth of morning goods later and the trio were on on their way to rendezvous with Jim at the Breconshire Brewery to pick up 36 pints each of Brecon County Ale (3.7%), Golden Valley (4.2%), Cribyn (4.5%), Red Dragon (4.7%) and Rambler's Ruin, (5.0%). We were even treated to an impromptu tour of the brewery by the friendly staff before carefully stowing the 'polypins' in the back of Jim's X-Trail and heading off again. A bizarre misunderstanding also saw the group rendezvous with Phil and Graeme at the brewery.
Except a brief stop for a bacon butty the convoy proceeded without event, even as the roads gradually got more and more narrow, until the final turn of the journey. Al, leading the party, overshot the turn and insisted on a demonstration of his new reversing sensors. Sure enough - the beeps got closer and closer together as his car reversed towards Graeme's enormous Land Rover Discovery, which filled the rear view mirror. Similarly the beeps merged into a continuous high-pitch alarm as Al reversed straight into the 'Disco' with a thump! Fortunately no damage was done to Graeme's vehicle (although Al's boot remained stuck shut for the remainder of the weekend).
The Hostel is described thus on the YHA website: "A break in this rural retreat will restore your spirits. Set in the least developed area of the Brecon Beacons, the hostel overlooks the magical Sawdde Valley... Trails lead up to the legendary Llyn y Fan glacial lake and the heights of the Carmarthen Fans. Circular walks will take you to an Iron Age fort, Roman camps and standing stones. The hostel, a former inn built in 1789, retains many of its original features and offers a warm welcome with an open fire in the lounge". It certainly looked inviting and Jo, the Warden, was as friendly as she was efficient in her safety briefing on arrival.
"The Old Red Lion"
Llandeusant YHA
Beer and luggage were unpacked, bunks claimed and beer laid out in the 'drying room'. Beer was sampled and the first handful of arrivals enjoyed the real ale and glorious evening from the spectacular vantage point of the Old Red Lion beer garden. Ad and Al surveyed the spectacular ridges of Bannau Sir Gaer way above the Youth Hostel and remarked how much they fancied an assault the following day. And so it was that months of careful route planning by John went up in smoke over a couple of beers. John got stuck into preparing the lamb cobbler for the following evening as Jim and Al made a batch of Welsh cakes.
John's carefully planned routegoes
up in smoke over a beer with Al and Ad
Others trickled in and the bar system, consisting of tiddlywinks and a sheep-shaped piggy-bank, were explained increasingly incoherently to new arrivals by Al.
Al conducts the first of many briefings... ...as the sun sets on the first evening.
Friday 20th March Al was up first - if you discount the fact that Andrew Sloane had decided to crash in the living quarters after being kept awale by Jim & Peter's farm-anima-esque snoring - he knew that others would be expecting his Boy's Weekend Special porridge laced with raisins and his secret blend of spices. Ian was delegated the cooking of this vat while Billy-Bob and Jon cooked a splendid fry-up. Although chilly it was gloriously sunny and a few took advantage of breakfast in the beer garden listening to Graeme's running commentary on the latest Lambing Action from the adjacent field.
Ready to go!
The party then split in to its two component groups and the bikers were the first to set off: The five cyclists enjoyed the short downhill section on country lanes towards the track which heads up to Llyn y Fan Fach dam. The track was relentless - the 'granny ring' gear was the only option for mile upon mile. A brief respite was provided by a fish farm half way up - there was much hilarity at Billy-Bob's expense as, bringing up the rear, he stopped for a breath and toppled off his bike.
Eventually the dam was reached and energy gels were consumed (all except Jon who had brought a pot of jelly). The five then started the long walk with the ridge looming large overhead. The ascent was hard, slow work, hauling the bikes over the uneven terrain. However, the views across the Fan were very rewarding. Eventually the bikers reached the plateau and remounted for the first time in an age.
Ad takes in the view of
Llyn y fan fach
The gradual ascent to the cairn was terrific - with no marked trails and a sheer drop to the left. The group were smiling so much their faces started to ache. Once at the top Jon and Ad dangled their legs over the precipice. The group were treated to a spectacular fly-past by a police helicopter as they drank their isotonic drinks and made an ad hoc lunch of Welsh cakes and chocolate bars.
Time for holiday snaps
After the obligatory group photo the bikers simply pointed their mounts downhill and let go of the brakes. What followed was 20 minutes of sheer adrenalin - punctuated only by brief stops to say 'hi' to Mags and Peter, and to admire the Llyn again on the way down. Ad had a close encounter with a dog which was taking it's owner for a walk and Jon complained about the fork malfunction that he had experienced.
Team Photo at the Summit:
Jon, Al, Ad, Billy-Bob, John
In a fraction of the time that it took to reach the summit the bikers were once again back at the Old Red Lion, beer in hand enjoying the afternoon sunshine. It was not long however until their minds turned to the evening's entertainment: Jim and Al made another batch of Welsh cakes, Ad and Paul put the finishing touches to the dessert and John put the lamb cobbler in the oven.
Bikers' Route Map (click to enlarge):
Bikers' Elevation Profile (click to enlarge):
The more intrepid walkers kitted themselves out in shorts for what was a sunny but breezy day and a testing 20km (12.5 mile) walk.
The walking party set off at 10 am albeit with the usual dawdlers of Alan, Brian and Phil at the back. The first part of the walk was a stroll down the road to the filtration station before a steady 1.5km walk up the shale track to the lake, Llyn y Fan Fach gaining some 250m in elevation along the way. The steady slog saw the walkers strung out with those at the front hell bent on getting to the lake as soon as possible and others taking in the scenery, the Red Kites, Buzzards and Ravens to name but three species.
Start of the ascent up to
Llyn y Fan Fach
It was on the approach to Llyn y Fan Fach that the peleton of bikers were observed walking and pushing their bikes up the first 170m ascent to the Bannau Sir Gaer ridge. At the lake the walking party split into three with Mags, Pete and Andrew following the bikers up onto the first part of the Bannau Sir Gaer ridge. The speedy walkers with Ian and at times Barry, Chris and Jack at the front blazed a trail along the foothills of the ridge with the bikeless peleton of Jeremy, Graeme, Matt, Michael and twitcher Jim faithfully following close behind. The perennial backmarkers of Alan, Brian and Phil were left in our wake. The undulating trek along the foothills of the ridge took the group to the south end of Llyn y Fan Fawr and at 10 kms and after just over two hours a refreshment stop was called for.
Welcome refreshment
Refreshment break over the group, now joined by Jim, faced the 200m ascent to the summit of Fan Brycheiniog, 802m above sea level. The climb wasn’t to everyone’s liking with the group becoming strung out but Ian tested his new aortic valve and was one of the first to the trig point. Reunited at the trig, others of the group remarked that Ian’s performance had set them thinking about surgery too! It was at the summit that the panoramic views across the Black Mountain and beyond could be best appreciated even though the long distance views were spoilt by a smog-like haze. The back marker group were spotted at the foot of the ridge making their measured way to Llyn y Fan Fawr. From the summit there is a fine ridge walk of some 4km taking in three distinct cairns at 781, 749 and 677 m with the escarpment ever present on our right hand side.
Graeme practicing for
his next catalog shoot
The group was fast approaching the final cairn above Llyn y Fan Fach with various members trying to cast stones into its blue waters to no avail! It was also the opportunity to snap off those Max Boyce photos to record the “I was there" moment.
The Walkers' Advance Party
sporting mainly navy blue and khaki
There then followed the long 4km descent and return to base. Once everyone was home and hosed a menu of lamb cobbler, followed by Welsh Whisky Trifle with raspberries was served and the instructions for the bar were once again related by Al. The evening saw Peter tear up his 'dry weekend' plan as he could also no longer resist the lure of the 180 pints in the drying room.
John's Lamb Cobbler
In keeping with the history of our accommodation Al and John had constructed a traditional Pub Quiz - consisting of 3 general knowledge rounds, a picture round and a music quiz set to pictures from previous Boy's events. At times things got a little fractious but on the whole there was less disruption than previous Scrabble encounters so the exercise was deemed a success.
The Picture Quiz (click to enlarge):
One point for each individual pictured
The Music Quiz (click to play):
1 point for the right artist/composer and 1 point for title of the track
Saturday 21st March Saturday morning saw more superb weather over the Brecon Beacons and (after Graeme had conducted his customary update on the overnight lambing movements) various parties had different itineries for the morning before the afternoon’s final Six Nations matches. Ian had planned an 11km (7 mile) walk through farmland and then onto the moorland with Carreg Ogo at 565m above sea level the target, the bikers (minus Jon) planned to circumnavigate the Usk reservoir, where a birding party of Jim and Jon were also heading.
The group of Ian, Barry, Brian, Chris, Jack, Graeme, Matt and Michael set off in anti-clockwise mode – Alan and Phil, it subsequently transpired, tackled the route in a clockwise fashion. To reach the moorland the group tackled various obstacles consisting of loony sheep, frisky Highland cattle and crossing a river not helped by on the one hand an absence of footpath signs and on the other no footbridge. At the river it was Graeme who showed us how not to cross by losing his footing and having an impromptu sit down. After that example it was boots and socks off and paddle across.
To the strains of bleating new born lambs in the air and the stripped carcasses of sheep on the ground we made it to the open moor at which point we faced a 350m steady climb over the next 2kms. Thinking on his feet (literally!) and mindful of the stern talking to from Big Al the previous afternoon and then before and after breakfast about not getting back later than 1:30 pm Ian led his group upwards to about the 480m contour and then around the northern slope of Carreg Ogo for a refreshment break at a point where we could see both where we had walked and our destination. The summit will have to be tackled another time.
Saturday Bikers: Al, John, Billy-Bob and Ad
The bikers had a more leisurely day in mind - a bimble around the Usk reservoir. Bikes were strapped onto cars and driven the short distance to the car park adjacent to the lake. The route comprised well maintained track and tarmacked lane with passing places. However, a ford provided some excitement and the dam at the head of the reservoir served as a sprint race track - an event which Ad and Al both launched themselves at with relish (...for the record Al winning both legs, Ed.).
Billy-Bob splash-down
Immediately after the sprinting Grand Prix, on a perfectly level and straight section of tarmac Billy-Bob managed to wrap his handlebars around Al's and eject himself from his bike. In an incident which saw a role reversal from the previous year Al patched his pal up with the first aid kit he had brought along.
Ad enjoys some rare off-road action
Approximately 3/4 of the way round the lake John contrived to get the group lost with a 'shortcut' through a dense section of forestry. Soon the bikers were carrying bikes in what felt like a reenactment of jungle warfare. Eventually Wrong John found a way out of the woods and we joined the track again to meet up with the car park and the waiting twitchers.
Biker's Bimble Map (click to enlarge):
Meanwhile Jim and Jon's birding splinter group had walked part of the way round the reservoir where they were rewarded by sightings of Goldeneye, Great Crested Grebe, and a national rarity, a Great Grey Shrike. Bikes were once again strapped to cars for the short journey back to base and the remaining beer for a cheeky pre-pub snifter.
The Saturday Bikers enjoy a post-ride drink
withthe Birdman of Llanddeusant (Jon)
Walkers drifted back to the hostel in dribs and drabs, prepared for the fixtures ahead and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine before the mass exodus to the Red Pig pub about a mile down the road.
Barry makes the most of the light
Richard, the landlord, had promised Al over succesive weeks that he WOULD be open in time to cater for the party. An unannounced inspection on Friday afternoon seemed to suggest the contrary with tables and chairs piled up and several individuals brandishing paint brushes. However, when the group arrived after the short (but very hilly) mile walk beer was on tap, the telly was installed and the pub looked as if it had been open for years, although a note in the window announced that they were to open for one day only - we were guineapigs! Richard served up pint after pint of Tomos Watkin OSB as the group arrived at the pub in dribs and drabs - some had taken advantage of feeding time at the local Red Kite feeding station opposite.
A Red Kite homing in to the feeding station
Others were more desperate for a beer, and/or the pre-match build-up. As the beers kept on coming the buffet lunch was arranged in the dining room - what fantastic fare. Those connoisseurs of pastry based products amongst us agreed that a finer pork pie had never passed their lips, while the local cheese came in for numerous complimentary Mmm's and Ahhh's. Meanwhile France demolished Italy in a game that played largely to an empty bar in the other room.
Italy 8 - 50 France
The buffet out of the way and attention turned to the rugby. All except two of the Boys were supporting England and there were only a few locals in the newly opened pub. The atmosphere was partisan and fortunately the result went the 'right' way for the majority.
England 26 - 12 Scotland
The ecstasy of Scotland taking an early lead....
...and the agony of the final result.
Towards the end of the Calcutta Cup match the ranks of locals began to swell for the main event. England fans switched their allegiances to Ireland, but the locals evened things up and the atmosphere was tense for the Six Nations decider. Sadly Ireland came through to win a closely contested game but the final whistle also signalled dinner time for the Boys.
Wales 15 - 17 Ireland
Dinner was a three-course affair and, although the service and some of the dishes were a little rough around the edges (it was their first night after all!) the fair was mostly good, honest local nosh. We could not fault the warm welcome, the brilliant atmosphere and extraordinary lengths that Richard had gone to to open up in time for our visit. A couple more beers after dinner, and (complimentary!) bottles for the walk home for some, and we wandered back to spend our last night in the Old Red Lion.
Sunday 22nd March After a breakfast of hot cross buns and toast with Al's home-made Seville Orange Marmalade activities turned to the traditional clean-up operation. Various individuals were reunited with clothes and equipment that had been mislaid since the first night, polypins were crushed and binned and the left-overs distributed with the efficiency of a UN aid initiative. Eventually everyone had packed themselves into their cars, said their goodbyes and it was up to John and Al to close the door on a fantastic weekend in Wales.
On behalf of the TCA we should like to thank the Old Guard for inviting us again to participate in this institution. We trust the arrangements met with your satisfaction and we hope to see you all again next year.
(Posted by: Al & Ian; Photos by John, Barry, Ian & Al)
Jimmy supervises Jon's sock change
Freshly Baked, by Maalie
