The Bracken Trust have confirmed the total raised is £3263.81. 

Update on the amount of money raised by people giving generously to collection boxes which Linda (Doug's Wife, Jak's Nanny) carried out in the following locations:

Tesco - Llandrindod Wells
Morrisons - Brecon
House to house & High Street Builth Wells
Powys Training

A total of £369.91

Alun Griffiths employees - a total of £94.59

So a massive thank you to you all!!

 

29/10/10 

Day 5 – As the 67 miles from Llangurig to Abergavenny via Gospel Pass was such a big day, we were left with just 30 miles to Chepstow. We therefore enjoyed our enforced stay at the pub by waking later and enjoying a good fry up to set us up for the day.

 

We left Abergavenny at about 10.30am and it took awhile to find the Lon Las Cymru route out of town. Once we did, we climbed steadily via narrow, leaf strewn, rarely used roads into the open countryside to the east of the town. The climb was long and not particularly steep but the big day previously was taking its toll and my thighs felt like stone. Because of this and possibly because there was not such a distant target to achieve, we stopped frequently to catch our breath and to let the burn subside.

 

Once again the route took us along a network of narrow lanes used mostly by the local farmers. In parts the roads were very muddy and by now our bikes were looking pretty scruffy and our kit was splattered with mud.  Our map showed that after the initial climb out of Abergavenny, the route descended for 10 miles to Usk, however, in reality, it was far more undulating and descents were frustratingly broken by short, sharp climbs.

 

Progress was slow and the headwind became stronger and stronger such that we had to hunch down to try and cut through it. Usk never seemed  to get any closer! When we eventually rolled into Usk, I was pretty tired although we’d only done a dozen or so miles. It was an easy decision to stop for a cafe lunch.

 

The headwind was awful leaving Usk and even though it was flat for a couple of miles, it was a real struggle and it felt like someone had re-attached the parachute...so close but yet so far. As expected, on approaching Wentwood, we started to climb towards the ‘double arrow’ climb which was indicated on the map. We were apprehensive because we had not done such a steep climb before. As it was the last big climb of the trip, and Jak had rightfully declared himself ‘King of the Mountains’, I was keen to prove that the old man still had a bit of fight left in him.

 

We started off doing overlapping sections in turn which gave us a chance to rest whilst the other caught and cycled past. This helped by giving us a target each section we rode and stopped us from resting too long. Jak started doing longer and longer sections and then we both abandoned this team strategy in an effort to beat the other to the top and claim the last ‘mountain stage’ of the trip. Because the hill was wooded and the ascent wasn’t straight, we couldn’t tell where it ended and when Jak stopped near the top I powered past him and around what looked like the last corner only for my legs and lungs to fail me 30 metres from the top. Jak got straight back on his pedals and secured his title...I have to admit I was gutted.  

 

Once on the top, the map indicated that it was downhill all the way to Chepstow, however, although there was a long wooded descent we had to climb out of the valley floor again towards Shirenewton and again from Mounton. It was also terribly windy and it started to rain big spots so we had to get our jackets out. It wasn’t the pleasurable coast into Chepstow that I was hoping for.

 

As we came into the town, the traffic and the skies were very heavy and it was a relief to roll to a final halt in a nondescript hotel car park. Whilst Jess and Maisy drove to collect us, we had a pint, a coke and shared a packet of crisps as an understated reward. It was quite an anti-climax to the end of the trip but we were both really chuffed to have finished well within our 5-day target and in one piece.

 

We’ve raised over £2500 for The Bracken Trust with some more donations still to be collected. Please help us reach £3000 by spreading the word and if you haven’t already donated, please do as it is a great cause.

 

Thank you to everyone that donated, that clapped us on and for the messages of support. It was a great experience for us both, but I think I’ll park the bike up for a little while and concentrate instead on getting Jak to the Tour de France!

Thanks again.

 

Baz n Jak

 

 

28/10/10

Day 4 - had a restless night in Llangurig 'picnic area' with the rain lashing down on the tent and having 'tent back' issues from sleeping on a thin matt for consecutive nights. The alarm going off at 7 was a relief. Thankfully the rain had stopped so we were able to pack up in the dry. Had another breakfast of super noodles and coffee (Jak is adamant he doesn't want to ever see another pack of super noodles). We waited until half 9 for Ginge, Doz and Bod (for the non-Builthies out there, no they are not aliens, its just everyone in Builth has a weird nickname) to arrive. All five of us set off at a pretty quick pace on the back road to Llanwrthwl and it was nice to have some extra company, although they did all have to wait for me and my 10 ton bike on even the most modest incline.

I took a wrong turning and we ended up on the A470 which quickly took us into Rhayader were we met Gail, Alan and Simon from our sponsors Alun Griffiths Contractors. Five turned into Eight and we sped off towards Newbridge in convoy stopping briefly at The Halt Cafe to collect a kindly donation from Rita. The Doc came to meet us in his E-Type Jag and we pressed on. At Newbridge there was another welcoming party gather to cheer us on comprising my family and other supporters.

From Newbridge we passed the construction works associated with the new stretch of the A470 being carried out by Alun Griffiths Contractors and so we stopped for a breath and official photographs at the main site office. Gail, Alan and Simon left us at that point and very quickly we cycled into Builth. Lots of people were out to greet us and Jak later told his Mum that he felt like a celebrity - no more OK magazine for him!

We had done 24 quick miles from Llangurig and so we stopped for a leisurely lunch at The Strand Cafe with Doug (Jak's Grandad and my Father-in-Law) whose scrap with cancer has inspired this whole trip - it was a great way to reach Builth and say goodbye to the top of Wales.

We said goodbye to the boys who clearly couldn't hack this long distance touring lark (ahem) and once again Jak and I cycled on alone. Having cycled the Lon Las Cymru route from Builth before, we decided to take the A470 instead and we made good progress although the changeable weather meant a few frustrating, enforced stops to put on/take off our waterproofs. In the end, the rain held off.

It was great to be away from the hills of Snowdonia and the Cambrians and we set a very fast pace, reaching Hay-on-Wye sooner than expected at around 3.45pm. Again, it was too early to stop for the day, no matter how much I enjoy reading a good book of which Hay has many, so we took a decision to carry on towards Hay Bluff and Gospel Pass and to wild camp as soon as it started to get dark. In Hay, we lost the route temporarily and approached two different groups of cyclists to ask if they knew the way towards Gospel Pass - both groups looked at us like we were mad to attempt it full stop, let alone in the changeable weather and late in the day. Not wanting to alarm them so they would call out Mountain Rescue/Childline/RSPCC as soon as we left, I sought to reassure them by explaining that we and particularly Jak, were perfectly capable of attempting Gospel Pass given that we had cycled from Holyhead to Hay in 3 and a half days...however, given the look on their faces, I'm not sure that this convinced them.

Anyway, we set off out of Hay only to be immediately confronted by very narrow, very steep, muddy roads. The gradient was consistently nasty for the next 5 miles with the only changes being a transition from hill farmland, to forestry, to common, to windswept, exposed mountainside with a narrow ribbon of tarmac snaking its way up to Gospel Pass which lies in a depression between the peaks of Hay Bluff and the hilariously named 'Lord Hereford's Knob'. 

Along the way we were dangerously close (a few hundred metres) to the English border but thankfully we were not challenged by the woolly Welsh border guards who dutifully watched us huff and puff past. Jak was full of energy and was at all times at least 150m ahead of me. He just danced on his pedals all the way up pausing only occasionally for bemused sightseers/farmers to pass on the single track road. They too were probably close to calling the emergency services having sighted a lone lycra clad, skinny 10 year old cycling up to Gospel Pass in cold and windy conditions. However, the sight of me following rather less elegantly behind perhaps gave them enough reassurance to turn a blind eye.

Eventually, Jak made the Pass and I crawled up a few minutes behind to see him giving me the Cavendish Two Fingered Victory salute - yes, he was King of The Mountains again.

At Gospel Pass, despite the heavy skies and buffeting winds, the view was awesome. To the north was a vast, patchwork expanse of the Wye Valley whilst to the south was a tight view down a narrow, steep-sided Black Mountain valley which just cried out for a fast descent.

However, because of the fading light, narrow road and diminishing brake pads we had to take it slowly. Having made the Pass, we now set our sights on a couple of campsites which were marked on our map further down the valley. The valley went on and on and on and in the poor light we couldn't or didn't see either of the campsites, but there were no decent places to pitch the tent either. We therefore had only one option which was to push on to Abergavenny which was 25 miles from the Pass. 

Soon it was completely dark but even with our lights, it felt like we were just endlessly cycling into a black void and making no discernible progress. Eventually, we spied an orange glow in the sky which could only have been Abergavenny and this spurred us onwards only for us to take a wrong turn which sent us a mile out of our way. We doubled back and found the correct route took us cruelly up a short and sharp hill. Half way up my rear pannier rack succumbed to metal fatigue and another bolt was lost. In the darkness, we made a repair using a bolt borrowed from a less essential part of the bike.

On we trudged until Jak fell off when his chain jammed on another hill. Unhurt and un jammed, we carried on through hamlet after hamlet until finally we reached the final descent into Abergavenny.

Incredibly, we couldn't find a campsite in the town centre which was a terrible shame because we were both so looking forward to more super noodles and 'tent back' so with a heavy heart we booked ourselves into a cosy Inn for the night.

It was a fantastic day's riding and the longest by far having clocked 67 miles from Llangurig. This leaves us with just a paltry 30 miles to ride tomorrow from Abergavenny to the finish line in Chepstow.

Thanks to those who rode with us (for the easy bit ;o), for those who stood and waited and for the further messages of support from everyone else.

Tomorrow may be less eventful, although I have spotted an unprecedented 'double arrow' climb on the map between Usk and Chepstow which is annotated with the words "Steep Hill Take Care". We could take another route but a 'double arrow' warrants further investigation.

Baz & Jak

 

 

 

27/10/2010
Day 3 - Didn't start very well because we were slow getting out of our cosy bags so by the time we cooked breakfast packed the tent and re-loaded the bikes it was gone 10. The sky was leaden but shafts of sun tried to break through and fortunately the rain held off.

My thighs felt like stone at first and the bikes seemed heavier than usual. Out of Dolgellau, we were greeted by a long, steep climb through dark woods which was really tough. After a short downhill we then turned for Machynlleth only to be greeted by a killer climb beneath Cadair Idris. The scenery was great but there was lots of tourist traffic to contend with - whereas yesterday we drew stares because of the weather conditions, today they seemed puzzled to see us trying to struggle up the steep hills.

Through the pass we were rewarded with a huge, fast downhill towards the reservoir sitting at Cadair Idris' feet. However, the head winds through these narrow valleys were such that in order to generate any speed we had to pedal hard against the wind - no rest on the downhills and the few flat sections had to be cycled in a low gear.

At the reservoir we turned south-east towards Corris and another killer climb - the third monster within just 8 miles of leaving Dolgellau! At the top, the wind had died a little and we flew down the valley towards Machynlleth and reached there earlier than expected. It was market day and the town was very busy. A market stall owner agreed to watch our bikes whilst we grabbed lunch in a busy cafe. As a thank you we bought some of his bananas for later. On the mountain road Between Machynlleth and Llanidloes there is nowhere formal to camp but it was too early to end the day, so after a team meeting over a pack of jelly babies we decided to just cycle as far as we could and wild camp wherever we got to on the mountain.

We left Mach in the direction of Staylittle and cycled a steady incline for about 5 miles before the road reared up against us as if to say "engines only". After about a mile of climbing, I was totally demoralised to see a Landrover which had passed us 10 minutes beforehand still winding its way around the summit in the distance. Jak, however, decided to turn it into a young Bradley Wiggins (him) v old Lance Armstrong (me) contest and whilst I was slumped over my bars at the prospect of such a long steep climb he shot off. I didn't see much of him until I reached the cold, windy exposed summit 53 minutes later. I was done in whilst Jak was happily declaring himself 'King of the Mountains'.

We had reached the highest point on the Lon Las Cymru route but as it was so cold we didn't hang about and started the descent to Staylittle. It was fast and winding and I had to brake because I caught up a car in front. It would've have been rude to overtake!

When we reached Staylittle we had a choice, take the longer but possibly flatter route around the south of Llyn Clweddog or take the slightly shorter B road towards Llanidloes. We opted for the latter and I regretted it soon afterwards as it soon turned into a series of steep climbs followed by very, very fast descent. At one point I clocked 44mph which makes your eyes water on a fully loaded bike. At the end of each climb Jak was happily waiting for me to catch up and lead the next descent and he looked fresh as a daisy whilst I lay across my bars totally zonked.

Soon, we spied Llanidloes in the distance and so we went all out to get there before dark to avoid having to wild camp higher up. We rolled into town as the town clock struck 5pm and whilst we were pleased with our progress considering the terrain, we decided to press on whilst there was decent light.

Having mostly been a car driver and only a recent convert to cycling, I have realised how little we pay attention to the roads we are driving by car. What I recalled as being a relatively flat section between Llanidloes and Llangurig actually turned out to be a bit of an uphill slog which was not what the doctor ordered so late in the day. Once we crested the watershed it was a nice but windy descent to Llangurig where we called an end to a good day happy to have made it so far from Dolgellau over the most challenging terrain we have yet cycled.

As I write, we lie in our little 2 man tent on a patch of grass next to the car park. A meal and a pint at the pub went down well and Bradley Wiggins has finally crashed and burned.

Onwards towards Builth tomorrow which we hope to reach early afternoon.

Ginge, Bod and Doz are joining us from Llangurig and Gail will be meeting us at Rhayader so we'll have a nice little convoy cycling into Builth.

Barrie & Jak

 

26/10/2010
Day 2 - What a day! Terrible terrible weather. After glorious day yesterday, we woke up early to whistling wind and sideways rain. We got going by half 8 after a breakfast of noodles and coffee. Within 20 mins we were soaked through. The rain was torrential and at times the head winds meant we were doing just 6mph - it was like dragging a parachute through the Niagra Falls!

For a long time we followed old railway lines but then we turned off onto narrow country lanes hemmed in by stonewall and ancient boggy woodland and cycled through farmyards and remote hamlets in undulating terrain with lots of short sharp climbs. Beautiful scenary, despite the conditions. After so much rain, these roads started to flood and we often had to cycle through flooded depressions, the worst of which were so deep that our feet were totally submerged and the water was half way up the pannier bags. At one point we crossed the main road and had to wait for a line of traffic to pass before we could cross - we had a good laugh at the looks on the faces the of the occupants as they saw us cycling in that weather.

I developed a slow puncture in my back wheel had to stop every half an hour to re-inflate. I also lost a bolt out of my rear pannier rack so it was rubbing my back wheel and slowing me down even more. It was a welcome relief to arrive at Porthmadog where we found a bike shop which replaced my tube and fixed my pannier. Because we were so wet, we didn't want to have sit down food as we would quickly get cold (not that they would have let us in as we nearly flooded the bike shop just through dripping!) so we stuffed down some carbs bought from Tesco's and got back on the road. The guy in the bike shop warned us not to take the mountain trail so we took his advice and decided to get on the A470. The climb out of Dolgellau was however a relentless killer which took over an hour and we weren't even rewarded with a big descent afterwards. Instead we had a terrible flat, straight, long and exposed section past Trawsfynnydd where our average speed drooped back down to single figures - soul destroying when you added in the vehicle spray. Finally, at Coed-y-Brenin, we started to descend and reached speeds in the low thirties - it was still lashing with rain at this point but it was good to finally get some quick miles in. By 4pm we rolled into Dolgellau. We could have done with more miles under the belt but under heavy clouds it was getting dark early and we needed to try and dry our sodden kit. Despite dripping all over their desk and carpet, the Tourist Information Centre pointed us towards a campsite within half a mile of (the town centre. We spent 2 hours pitching tent and drying kit before walking into town for a curry and a pint (Jak had a soft drink). Just 42.26 miles today which is disappointing but given the conditions it wasn't bad.

Hope to reach Machynlleth and beyond tomorrow. Weather is looking better so fingers crossed.

Jak is being a real trooper. Dad is aching, and my feet are pickled in my single item of footwear (Jak wisely has spare dry footwear) but a pint of lager has taken away some of the pain.

Barrie & Jak

25/10/2010

Day 1 - I didn't leave work until 1am on Monday morning as I was emailing more contacts in an effort to generate some last minute donations. Paid off as we have had about £200 extra as a result. Got home for bed at 1.30am only for Jak to wake at 3am because he was 'so excited'. Got up at 4am and after a quick breakfast cycled down to the station - lost a connecting hook off my front pannier on the way and then a bungee cord on Jak's bike wrapped around his back axle - only just caught the train. Got to Holyhead at just gone 10.

Was a beautiful day and we made good time but although Anglesey is generally flat one the macro scale, its bloody lumpy on a bike. The trail followed tiny country lanes, often with grass growing down the middle but in parts it was quite exposed with a lot of cross wind. Did 30 miles before stopping for a pub lunch at Menai Bridge. After lunch we got to Caernarfon and we both hit the wall, probably not helped due to only a couple of hours sleep. Couldn't find a campsite or a decent wild camping spot so we soldiered on until we came across a campsite a mile off the beaten track south of Penygroes. When we arrived just before 6pm, the owner greeted us and as we looked like zombies he offered for us to stay in his holiday 'sheds' for a cut price rate. We couldn't refuse so we accepted and stayed in a big garden shed. Supper was supernoodles, with oat bars for desert washed down with coffee and hot chocolate. Jak was snoring like a train seconds after crawling into his bag. We managed 49.2 miles, so just short of our daily target (although the mile between the house and the station would technically have taken us over!)

Updated on Oct 25th 2010 at 11:54 PM from the JustGiving API

DAY 1 - Jak was up at 3am this morning saying he felt like it was Christmas & was too excited to sleep!! Wonder how long the excitement lasts! I waved the boys off this frosty morning & they were on the train & on their way by 5:10. After arriving around 10:00 they set off! I had a txt at 14:30 to say 'Done 30miles. Stopped in a pub at Menai Bridge. Both tired but gonna press on and camp early.' They were pretty tired as they cycled on to find a bed for the night. Finally they called it a day at 17:45 having done 50miles today. They've ended up in a Wigwam - slightly warmer & already set up (so I'm pleased as Jak's full of cough n cold & rain forecast)! Supernoodles for supper & Jak was out like a light before 19:00. See the photos from today - for those of you who know, Barrie in Bethel is quite comical! And my baby boy flat out after his 3am start! So proud of them!

25/10/10 - It all starts today. Catching the 5.10am train from Cardiff to Holyhead and we hope to begin cycling around 10.30am.

20/10/10 - Our bikes got through a successful service today thanks to Don Skene Cycles. We also received our complimentary train tickets to Holyhead from Arriva Trains Wales.  

17/10/10 - Last training ride today - a short 22 miles around Rudry and Caerphilly Mountain. Getting the bikes serviced this week before we set off on Monday 25th October.

09/10/10 - We received our sponsored cycling kit today from Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd and John Lloyd Racing Events Ltd. A massive thank you to Gail for being such a star - THANK YOU

09/10/10 - We got another 50 miles under the belt today on a ride from Cardiff to Brecon.  

07/10/10 - Arriva Trains Wales have kindly given us complimentary tickets for our travel from Cardiff-Holyhead. Thank you.

25/09/10 - The Echo & Wales Online ran a story on our trip today: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/09/25/father-and-son-to-get-on-their-bikes-for-cancer-charity-91466-27337807/

25/09/10 - Big training ride today - 72m from Cardiff to England and back via the Old Severn Bridge - very tough, sore butt!

13/09/10 - Big Thank You to Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd for Sponsoring Our Cycling Kit.

11/09/10 - Collected our bikes today from Don Skene Cycles. Thanks to Jon who gave us a great service and discounts.

08/09/10 - Thanks to the Brecon & Radnor Express for publishing a story about our trip.

 

My 10 year old son Jak and I have done a series of little adventures over the last year or so, and now we've decided to up the ante. In October half term (23/10/10) we're going to attempt a big Welsh bike ride. We've chosen the most challenging; the Lôn Las Cymru route from Holyhead to Chepstow. It's about 275 miles and will take us on a lung-busting, butt-numbing, leg-cramping slog through Snowdonia, the Cambrian Mountains and the Black Mountains.  We estimate that it'll take 4 or 5 days and to add some interest, we plan to take all our kit with us and camp each night en route. Yes...it'll be October, but it's the only slot we have.

 

 

 

When we first discussed this, Jak suggested straight away that we should try and raise some money for a cancer charity as his Grandad/my Father-in-Law Doug, is currently having a good scrap with cancer. As The Bracken Trust have already helped Doug out, they are our chosen charity.

 

 

 

So let's get down to the nitty gritty...we're after your donations, however big or small, to help us through the climbs and drizzle. To kick start things, I've put my money where my mouth is and given a £50 donation.

 

 

 

[Now please don't say "Ahhh...that's nice, perhaps I'll donate in few weeks time", knowing full well that you won't. Please just donate now, get it out of the way...it really is worth it...and it'll make you feel better for the rest of the day!]

 

 

Thanks in anticipation for your help and support.

 

Barrie and Jak