09:30 Thursday August 15 2024
Current Participants: 10 space(s) available
Would you like to join us on a moderately challenging ride covering 230 miles from Cardiff to Hooton over four days in August? This is a different kind of touring from our four-day trip in Shrewsbury last year, because we will move on to a new town each day. As far as possible we will use small, quiet, rural roads and we will have a support vehicle driven by Maureen, Ewan’s wife. She will drive your small case or rucksack between the main hotels each day. It will also be a “sag wagon” for up to two people, if anyone really needs a break. We will charge £10 to £20 per person per night (depending upon the number of riders) to cover the cost of Maureen’s car and petrol. If you want to have your luggage transported to Cardiff from the Wirral, we can sort out the details and agree a meeting place where you can hand over your luggage on the Wednesday. This may be Bromborough Station or somewhere else fairly central.
We will start the cycling trip in Cardiff Bay on Thursday 15th August to reach Hooton and the Wirral by the afternoon of Sunday 18th August. You will need to make your own way to Cardiff on the Wednesday. There are regular trains from both Chester and Liverpool to Cardiff, but you will need to make a reservation for your bike on any train. Transport for Wales only allows reservations to be made 12 weeks in advance – so from 22nd May. The bikes reservations have to be made by phone. Only two bikes are allowed on a train, but there are quite a few trains to Cardiff from Chester.
Ewan Wilkinson rode from Cardiff to Chester two years ago and has been able to use that experience to plan the routes for each day (check out details of his routes below on Komoot):
Day 1: Thursday 15th August, Cardiff to Hereford, 59 miles, 3,300 feet climbed Going west from Cardiff using smaller roads as far as possible to skirt round the north of Newport. Up the Usk valley, mainly on unclassified roads. Coffee in Usk, lunch near Raglan (30 miles) or the Red Café Tea Rooms (40 miles). Some hills to climb to get to Kentmere, then a cycle way into Hereford.
Day 2: Friday 16th August, Hereford to Shrewsbury, 63 miles, 3,100 feet of climb North out of Hereford, passing east of Leominster on small roads, then coffee on the bridge going into Ludlow (28 miles), before going round the west of the town, past Bromyard, then climbing over Wenlock Edge to drop down to lunch in Church Stretton (45 miles). A relatively flat ride up to Shrewsbury via Pitchford.
Day 3: Saturday 17th August, Shrewsbury to Bala, 53 miles, 2,925 feet of climb Heading west from Shrewsbury using small roads where possible through Maesbrook. Lunch at the dam on Lake Vyrnwy (38 miles). A gentle cycle up beside the lake and then a steep climb up the Hirnant pass, before a long swoop down the valley, crossing the head of Bala Lake and into Bala.
Day 4: Sunday 18th August, Bala to Hooton, 55 miles, 2,850 feet. From Bala, north-west up the valley to Cynwyd and Corwen. Coffee in Llandegla (24 miles), and lunch in Buckley (40 miles). Across the Dee at Shotton and along Burton marshes back to Hooton.
Of course, cycling from Cardiff to Hooton means staying in a different hotel each night. You can stay wherever you want, but we suggest booking the Premier Inns in Cardiff, Hereford and Shrewsbury. They will take bikes, are big enough for all of us to stay at the same hotel, and have a good cancellation policy. If you stay anywhere else, you will need to get your luggage from and to those hotels each evening and morning. Here are links to the three Premier Inn hotels:
- Premier Inn, Cardiff Bay Bute Place, Cardiff, CF10 4AA
- Premier Inn, Blackfriars St, Hereford HR4 9JU
- Premier Inn, Smithfield Rd, Shrewsbury SY1 1PG
In Bala we recommend staying at the Plas Yn Dre Hotel or the White Lion Royal Hotel, both on the High Street. Both hotels have told us that they have safe accommodation for our bikes. If you choose to stay elsewhere, we may not be able to deliver your luggage to your hotel, so please use a rucksack or similar so you can carry your luggage from and to the Plas Yn Dre or White Lion Royal hotels.
We have planned stops for coffee and lunch during each day and hope to get together for a meal in the evenings (or you can make your own arrangements for dinner).
There is an option to join us in Shrewsbury on the Friday night for the two-day ride from Shrewsbury to Hooton over the weekend, stopping over in Bala on the Saturday night. If you would like to take that option, then please make your booking on the other ride, not this one: Click Here: WCG Trip: Shrewsbury to Hooton over two days
Once you have signed up, we will set up a WhatsApp group for those who are coming. We may be able to organise some training rides.
Best wishes
Ewan Wilkinson & John Hampson