Lon Las Cymru day 3: hills and hedgerows

I didn’t sleep too badly, but kept waking with a banging headache. In the morning, I felt as though I’d got a hangover from hell, yet I hardly drank anything last night. I lay in bed feeling sorry for myself, dreading having to get up and cycle 50 miles.

Finally I dragged myself out of bed, took some paracetamol and showered. We went down to breakfast early, desperate for a cup of tea, and Martin and Tracey soon joined us.

After a light breakfast, I felt better so we packed, paid our bill and waved goodbye to our friends. We had another long day ahead of us, but it didn’t look as difficult as yesterday. For a start, less of it was off road, although John did warn me there was one tough section, which we might have to walk in parts.

As I wasn’t feeling too good, I used my motor for the uphills on the first leg to Glasbury. Just one hill beat me and was so steep I had to jump off and walk. Once again, John looked after me and helped me push my heavy bike.

I’d promised myself a cake in Glasbury and we sat by the River Wye and ate a cheese sandwich and apple turnover. I was feeling much better now so I decided to try and manage without my motor for the next leg to Builth Wells. The route was now undulating rather than hilly and we made good progress.

The flowers along the route have been beautiful today. The lanes were lined with cow parsley, bluebells and poppies, and the fields were full of buttercups. Once the early mist cleared, the sun shone and, thankfully, the breeze kept us cool while we cycled.

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We stopped for lunch in Builth Wells, finding a cafe with tables outside in the shade. I had another treat… an ice cream sundae. Well, I’m making up for the lack of food yesterday!

From the route book, we knew we had 5 more hills to tackle between Builth and Rhayader. Time to put the engine on again! I was pleasantly surprised to find my headache had disappeared and I was coping well with the ride. In fact, I was enjoying it!

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Finally we reached the off road section along part of the Wye Valley trail. The first part was steep and rocky and I was panicking as my wheels bounced from side to side over the stony ground. John calmly encouraged me and before too long, the path became a bit more level and a bit less rocky. I began to get more confident, relaxed a bit, and started to trust my bike. It hasn’t let me down yet!

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I was quite proud of myself for completing the rough section, but glad to reach the tarmac road again. The final part of the ride was uneventful, up and downhill to the Elan Valley trail and into Rhayader.

We received a warm welcome at The Horseshoe, where the owner came out to show us where to store and recharge our bikes. There were no dramas over dinner tonight, and our meal at the Triangle was delicious. Tomorrow we have a slightly shorter day, ending in Machynlleth. Hopefully I’ll have a good night’s sleep and will wake up raring to go.