Day 28  - Bridgend to Cardiff

 

Date: Sunday 2^nd August 2009    Distance: 40.16

 

We had a good night- very quiet! The breakfast was nice and very efficient. Excellent hotel all round though proper beer would have been nice.

Set off in brilliant sunshine on main road to St. Ogmores with lovely views along river to sea. We had futile attempts at buying sun-cream all the way! The ups and downs of the terrain were manageable and made a change.

 We stopped at a village square in Llantwit Major where there were 3 pubs. Only one had its doors open and they took pity on us, serving tea and coffee, when they were actually closed. A couple from Arnhem in Holland joined us. They were on a short break centred round a mini (the car) convention in Birmingham. All around us were old- fashioned shops that obviously had been closed for some time but the bike shop looked like it was thriving. We weren’t surprised as we had seen more cyclists on this route than anywhere else in Wales, even our second tandem!

Another collection of shops further down the road with several open, even on Sunday, had a bit of bustle to it and although modern were built in a quaintly higgledy piggledy style.

We cycled past a huge RAF base at St. Aphaths, where they obviously tested engines. Imagine the noise! We followed the ordinance survey map for the cycle path but the roads had changed 50 years ago with the power station and the map didn’t show this. If a car driver hadn’t stopped us we would have reached the power station and a dead end only to go back up hill again. We took the main road then a bridle-way to Porthkerry Country Park. This was nearly as boggy and wet as our last bridle-way but it was shorter though brambly. There was a good view through the viaduct to the sea. It was up hill once out of the park to Barry. There was something about Barry that reminded me of Brighton and the floral displays by the road and many people show that it was a popular place. We ate here at a pub then left over the bridge to Barry Island that had even more people on a strip of golden sand while a brass band played “Teddy Bears Picnic” on the promenade. A small pleasure park with rides and normal seaside stuff drew in the cars parked over all the double yellow lines and parking officials were having a field day. We were interrogated by a market -research lady who was impressed with our story. We can see England!

Our map had a picture of Penarth pier in the moon light and we were both looking forward to seeing it. However it was a great disappointment with flaking blue paint and rust. We tried a tea and coffee from the booth there and I had to get my money back- the tea was orange with white floaters (lumps of dried milk) Not that I’m fussy really!

Energy levels low we had a couple of hills and uncertainty as to whether we could get across the docks but then we found the lane towards the Barrage and Cardiff seemed hardly any distance. The bridge opened up to let several boats through which took a little while. There were no cars only bikes and pedestrians- plenty of each, a real free for all. It gave us a good aspect of the city.

Bob used the sat. nav. to locate the station and the cycle-paths gave way to major roads with roundabouts and several lanes heading scarily towards motorways. It looked like you can ride by the water but we couldn’t see a way through barriers at the side of the road. This didn’t last long luckily and we soon saw Brains Brewery that stands beside Central Station. At 5.30 we were loading bike in car and minutes later on our way home.

 

   

 

  

Day 28  - Bridgend to Cardiff

 

Date: Sunday 2^nd August 2009    Distance: 40.16

 

We had a good night- very quiet! The breakfast was nice and very efficient. Excellent hotel all round though proper beer would have been nice.

 

Set off in brilliant sunshine on main road to St. Ogmores with lovely views along river to sea. We had futile attempts at buying sun-cream all the way! The ups and downs of the terrain were manageable and made a change.

 

 We stopped at a village square in Llantwit Major where there were 3 pubs. Only one had its doors open and they took pity on us, serving tea and coffee, when they were actually closed. A couple from Arnhem in Holland joined us. They were on a short break centred round a mini (the car) convention in Birmingham. All around us were old- fashioned shops that obviously had been closed for some time but the bike shop looked like it was thriving. We weren’t surprised as we had seen more cyclists on this route than anywhere else in Wales, even our second tandem!

 

Another collection of shops further down the road with several open, even on Sunday, had a bit of bustle to it and although modern were built in a quaintly higgledy piggledy style.

 

We cycled past a huge RAF base at St. Aphaths, where they obviously tested engines. Imagine the noise! We followed the ordinance survey map for the cycle path but the roads had changed 50 years ago with the power station and the map didn’t show this. If a car driver hadn’t stopped us we would have reached the power station and a dead end only to go back up hill again. We took the main road then a bridle-way to Porthkerry Country Park. This was nearly as boggy and wet as our last bridle-way but it was shorter though brambly. There was a good view through the viaduct to the sea. It was up hill once out of the park to Barry. There was something about Barry that reminded me of Brighton and the floral displays by the road and many people show that it was a popular place. We ate here at a pub then left over the bridge to Barry Island that had even more people on a strip of golden sand while a brass band played “Teddy Bears Picnic” on the promenade. A small pleasure park with rides and normal seaside stuff drew in the cars parked over all the double yellow lines and parking officials were having a field day. We were interrogated by a market -research lady who was impressed with our story. We can see England!

 

Our map had a picture of Penarth pier in the moon light and we were both looking forward to seeing it. However it was a great disappointment with flaking blue paint and rust. We tried a tea and coffee from the booth there and I had to get my money back- the tea was orange with white floaters (lumps of dried milk) Not that I’m fussy really!

 

Energy levels low we had a couple of hills and uncertainty as to whether we could get across the docks but then we found the lane towards the Barrage and Cardiff seemed hardly any distance. The bridge opened up to let several boats through which took a little while. There were no cars only bikes and pedestrians- plenty of each, a real free for all. It gave us a good aspect of the city.

Bob used the sat. nav. to locate the station and the cycle-paths gave way to major roads with roundabouts and several lanes heading scarily towards motorways. It looked like you can ride by the water but we couldn’t see a way through barriers at the side of the road. This didn’t last long luckily and we soon saw Brains Brewery that stands beside Central Station. At 5.30 we were loading bike in car and minutes later on our way home.