B&Bs, hostels and bunkhouses.

We had always planned to stay in B&Bs during March as we travelled through Wales, but were expecting to be able to start to camp in April. It is now June and still cold and very windy. We had hail 2 days ago! This means we are still sleeping in buildings rather than under canvas. 

When we were In Wales in early March the Youth Hostels we passed were still shut, so we took refuge in Bed & Breakfasts. The well made and signposted Coastal Footpath around Wales is quite busy with walkers and so there were no shortage of lovely places to stay. They are very diverse and of a high quality - we have stayed in B&Bs that were in a lighthouse, in a whiskey barrel, as well as the more usual farms and houses. In some places you are included in the daily goings on of the family, but in most you are given a key to your room and the front door and you can come and go as you please. My eyes have been opened to the usefulness of B&Bs, you can stay for just 1 or 2 days, they are located everywhere- even in remote areas, and they are pretty good value, especially when you have a full cooked breakfast.

As we travelled North along the coast through Scotland there were more independent hostels. These are excellent places to stay - they often provide rooms for 2 or 4 people, many are ensuite and the rooms are set up for people who have rucksacks or panniers and just need spaces to hang a few clothes without needing the rooms to be overly decorated. We have stayed in hostels whenever we can and have rarely needed to share our room. The other great advantage of hostels is that they have well resourced kitchens - this means we can buy food and cook for ourselves - useful when you are on a budget.

In the far North of Scotland and remote areas many of the established hotels have opened basic bunkhouses which consist of a room full of beds or bunks with shared showers and toilets. Most actually provided bedding and duvets, but in a few we have needed our sleeping bags. Bunkhouses usually have a kettle and tea/coffee but not kitchens. However, as they are attached to hotels you can always eat in the bar of the hotel.

Some campsites have also had buildings to rent if the weather is bad - these have had kitchens and are like little apartments.

We have also stayed in rooms in pubs.

Our bikes have been well looked after too having slept mainly undercover. They have been in pub cellars, B&B dining rooms, in bike sheds and garages, on the ground floor of a lighthouse, in a sticks of rock shop, in a haunted dungeon in a castle, and once were put in a bedroom in a hotel! They have occasionally had to rough it outside but my saddle has a shower cap to keep its saddle dry when it rains!

Sunny Scotland!

We have now cycled about 1800km - this seems to have happened suddenly, and I didn't notice the distance creeping up. We have had fabulous weather recently, and this has allowed us to take in the spectacular scenery. Admittedly it did snow heavily on the day we crossed into Scotland via Gretna Green, but I am now in short sleeves and knee length leggings. 

Galloway is a fantastic area and I will return here on another occasion to explore it fully. We have stayed in some lovely villages and towns, had plenty of nice fish and seafood from a variety of chip shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants and we are managing to stay on budget. We generally have a large full cooked B&B breakfast, soup or nothing for lunch, and then eat in the evening. If we overspend on an evening meal one night then the following evening is a cheese, apple and oatcake room picnic! The cycling is quite undulating but we are still managing to avoid the big busy trunk roads so it is very pleasant.

As far as the cycling is concerned I am still pushing my bike up long steep hills, but I have got more proficient on shallow hills and I am spending more time in slightly higher gears.  I have a rather ridiculous tanned pattern on the back of my hands from the cycle gloves, and strong tan lines at my knees and ankles - but I am not complaining!

We are seeing plenty of bird and animal life as we cycle along, and now we are on the Rhins of Galloway with it's warmer temperatures, we are starting to see bluebells, leaves opening on trees, and birds building nests.

The first 1000km

We have now cycled around the Welsh coast, around the Wirral and have clocked up the first 1000+ kilometres. The estimate for the whole UK coast is between 6000 to 7000 km, so 1000km is a reasonably recognisable and smallish fraction, and I can start to reassure myself that 1/7th to 1/6th of the route is complete! 

When we first 'went public' with the cycling plan to friends it felt like a risky thing to tell people - Nick has completed long cycle journeys before, but I had not. No-one likes to fail at something, and so having completed 1000km gives me hope that maybe there is a possibility that I can complete.

This week there have been gale force winds and quite a lot of rain - dealing with each day as it comes has been the way to keep up motivation and actually, although I am always delighted and relieved to arrive at the B&B of the day, the cycling has not been as difficult as it was in my imagination.

Amazing Wales!

It is day 24 and so far we have only had 2 full days of heavy all day rain, the other days being cold and overcast, or quite often warm and sunny. The cycling is starting to feel like a slightly normal activity and I suspect I am managing the more gradual of the hills a bit more easily. The coastal scenery has been spectacular and very varied - the adverts on TV promoting Wales as a holiday destination don't prepare you for just how lovely it is along the Welsh coast. The cycling has been predominantly on National Cycle Network paths or quiet 'yellow' roads and this has allowed a calm cycling experience where you can just stop whenever something needs a closer viewing. 

Taken as a whole I have really enjoyed the first 3 weeks of this journey - will be leaving Wales in less than a week, but already have plans to visit here more often in the future.

Hills and the importance of having a bag of your favourite sweets

There seem to be quite a lot of hills in Wales! 

Hills in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion are both long and steep, with many having the dreaded arrow on the map which basically means 'push' - at least it does for me! 

As cycle touring is a bit of a new venture for me, I am having to learn all the skills needed to be a proficient cyclist. I am getting better at prejudging the steepness of a hill and getting into the correct gear before hyperventilation sets in which then induces severe wobble and ends up with an abrupt stop. 

There is also the balance of fitness, cycling speed and determination to get to the top of the hill. I am not a competitive person and even if hundreds of people were lining my route shouting 'go on - you can do it!' it would not make me perform better. I'm not sure if I will begin to challenge myself to keep going, but at the current time only my bag of sweets is a motivator. 

When my son was younger, and we were on an unrealistically demanding walk or journey we were at least nice enough to supply him with daily bags of sweets (over which he had total eating control) and also a couple of 'despondency bars' which were his favourite chocolate bars and could be eaten whenever he felt very despondent! Thus, I now have a large bag containing only red and black jelly babies and fruit-pastilles as these are my favourite flavours - in the event of needing a mouthful of sweets to help morale on steep hills there would be no benefit in getting a green sweet - it would not do the trick at all!

Although I have pushed my bike up a number of steep hills so far, I do think that I am getting better at them and I am sure that by the time we get through Wales I'll have had plenty of practice!

Rain and the wonders of waterproof clothing

I suppose, given that it is early March and we are in Wales, that it was not going to be long before the first totally wet day. Cycling off after breakfast already wearing full waterproofs - trousers, jacket, gloves, and shoe covers (so your socks and feet don't get soaked from road spray) is a bit demoralising, especially given the Welsh hills. I find cycling in wet cold weather much, much harder than when it is dry - the rain drips down your face, your nose constantly runs and I feel like the embodiment of dejection. 

On our first wet cycling day we arrived at our B&B very bedraggled, leg weary, and a bit shaken because worn brakes don't work that well in a torrential downpour! Amazingly only my merino top was damp (although I remained pretty warm), and my legs and feet were dry-ish.  Hot tea and Welsh cakes, a hot bath, and dry clothes soon revived us. The next morning Nick fitted new brake blocks, and after we had eaten an enormous breakfast of fruit, cereal, yogurt, toast and sausages, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, with juice and coffee - the idea of cycling seemed more sensible again. The sun was shining, it was warm, snowdrops and primroses were by the roadside, and it was a joy to be out and about.

When people say 'there's no such thing as bad weather, there's just inappropriate clothing...' I take their point - but I do have to say that cycling for 5 hours in lashing rain is quite bad!!