Daft Day Out

I can recommend a downhill MTB run from Dolwyddelan to Betws Y Coed. Let the train take the strain uphill and then mountain bike downhill.

Scenic little trip - and quite okay for families. There is a very short section crossing the A470 where you have to take care, although you don't need to ride along that road, as there is a dedicated shared use path alongside it.

If you get the train times right, you could catch the next one up and do it again. Less than 5 quid for dad and son.

Icy mud - urrggghhh!

Horrible conditions in Clocaenog Forest today. Huw and I started out in Cyffylliog near Rhuthun and climbed a total of 350m altitude and 17km distance. Semi frozen mud in the forest, along with thawing puddles of mud and ice in the deeply rutted tracks made very slow going. Normally a 2 hour ride, we did it in 4 hours and ended up very cold, wet and filthy. Huge ice patches on the minor forest roads and -3C at the top.

We both forgot the food so we had to blast down to Tesco in Rhuthun for something to eat. Don't even bother with sandwiches when you can buy hot southern fried chicken for a couple of quid! Hot food, that's what we needed.
We're wrecked!

The ice has gone

Since the ice has gone, we got out on Sunday. Destination Marín Trail.




What surprised me was the sign in the carpark in Gwydyr Forest - the one with the map of the bike trails. Actually the sign wasn't surprising, it was the scorch marks where person(s) unknown have burned off the English names of various parts of the Marín Trail; the Welsh place names are untouched. Actually, I'm not surprised at that either - I'm surprised that the course designers (or whomever) decided to call various places by English names. I mean - with the landscape the way it is and the relics of industry scattered around - why did they have to resort to names for sections such as "Sleepy Bear" and "Pigs might Fly"? I don't understand

Swimming not walking !

Snow forecast so swimming is the exercise of the day.

• 500 pull on about 60s / 50m
  
• 500 leg-kick - slow
  
• 300 free on about 60s / 50m
  

About 40 mins.

Found a great Blog - The Massive MTBer - seems there's a few larger riders out there.