Riding the Celtic Trail

[Randall Flagg]

Howdy,

fairly novice cyclist here who is looking to ride the
Celtic trail from Fishguard to Chepstow. I have ordered the
sustrans maps and relevant brochures etc, but I'm after
advice/stories of interest from any of you wise folks who
have already done this journey to assist me in what I
should expect.

I'm thinking of going in September, and I have plenty of
time (2 weeks) so I'm also up for any side trips anyone has
done you found worthwhile.

Many thanks in advance....

[Randall Flagg]

Perhaps someone could kindly suggest a more appropriate
forum or newsgroup re my question below?

Thanks in anticipation...

dacdacdac@my-deja.com (Randall Flagg) wrote in message
news:<bec3f312.0404290724.2b41bfe3@posting.google.com>...
> Howdy,
>
> fairly novice cyclist here who is looking to ride the
> Celtic trail from Fishguard to Chepstow. I have ordered
> the sustrans maps and relevant brochures etc, but I'm
> after advice/stories of interest from any of you wise
> folks who have already done this journey to assist me in
> what I should expect.
>
> I'm thinking of going in September, and I have plenty of
> time (2 weeks) so I'm also up for any side trips anyone
> has done you found worthwhile.
>
> Many thanks in advance....

[Michael Macclan]

On 1 May 2004 07:23:16 -0700, Randall Flagg wrote:

> Perhaps someone could kindly suggest a more appropriate
> forum or newsgroup re my question below?
>
> Thanks in anticipation...
>
>
> dacdacdac@my-deja.com (Randall Flagg) wrote in message
> news:<bec3f312.0404290724.2b41bfe3@posting.google.com>...
>> Howdy,
>>
>> fairly novice cyclist here who is looking to ride the
>> Celtic trail from Fishguard to Chepstow. I have ordered
>> the sustrans maps and relevant brochures etc, but I'm
>> after advice/stories of interest from any of you wise
>> folks who have already done this journey to assist me in
>> what I should expect.
>>
>> I'm thinking of going in September, and I have plenty of
>> time (2 weeks) so I'm also up for any side trips anyone
>> has done you found worthwhile.
>>
>> Many thanks in advance....

I'm surprised you haven't had a response. Perhaps nobody's
done it. You could try rec.bicycles.rides but that's mostly
populated by Americans.

It sounds really great to me. The countryside's wonderful
and there's enough history to keep it interesting. I think
I'd want to do it the other direction, though, and make sure
I went to St. David's. St. David's would be a really good
highlight.
--
Michael MacClancy Random putdown - "He loves nature in spite
of what it did to him." - Forrest Tucker
www.macclancy.demon.co.uk www.macclancy.co.uk

[Tony Raven]

Michael MacClancy wrote:
> On 1 May 2004 07:23:16 -0700, Randall Flagg wrote:
>
>> Perhaps someone could kindly suggest a more appropriate
>> forum or newsgroup re my question below?
>>
>> Thanks in anticipation...
>>
>>

I'd not heard of it before and not heard it discussed here
(Googling urc throws up next to nothing) so I suspect no-
one here has done it. Nick Cotton has done a guide book on
it I see (Sustrans website) which might be worth getting.
Otherwise not much to suggest as where else to ask. You
can have the pleasure of being the first here to report on
what its like.

Tony

[Keith Willoughb]

Randall Flagg wrote:

> I'm thinking of going in September, and I have plenty of
> time (2 weeks) so I'm also up for any side trips anyone
> has done you found worthwhile.

I've not cycled it, but I do live 30 yards from part of it.
I don't have much to add, but I will say that the bit
through Pontypridd is pretty crap. It's along busy roads,
there's a one-way system to navigate, and either[1] of the
ways out are up very steep hills. There's not a lot to see
in Ponty, but the park can be nice if it's sunny, and the
Old Bridge is worth a look and a photo.

[1] the "high level" route to Neath via the top of the
Rhondda valley, and the low level via Bridgend. The
former is rated as "MTBs only" and is supposedly pretty
tough - it climbs up to 2000 feet along a forest path.

As far as side trails go, after Caerphilly, the Celtic Trail
and the Taff Trail meet and share about 5 miles going north.
You could go up to Brecon along the TT, but at 45 miles or
so, that's a pretty tough side-trail, although it might make
an interesting alternative route to Neath. Alternatively,
it's about 9 miles south to Cardiff.

Let us know how you get on. I wouldn't mind trying it one
day.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/ "If any question
why we died, Tell them, because our fathers lied."

[Randall Flagg]

"Tony Raven" <junk@raven-family.com> wrote in message news:<c70jal$gl9rn$1@ID-178940.news.uni-berlin.de>...
> Michael MacClancy wrote:
> > On 1 May 2004 07:23:16 -0700, Randall Flagg wrote:
> >
> >> Perhaps someone could kindly suggest a more appropriate
> >> forum or newsgroup re my question below?
> >>
> >> Thanks in anticipation...
> >>
> >>
>
> I'd not heard of it before and not heard it discussed here
> (Googling urc throws up next to nothing) so I suspect no-
> one here has done it. Nick Cotton has done a guide book on
> it I see (Sustrans website) which might be worth getting.
> Otherwise not much to suggest as where else to ask. You
> can have the pleasure of being the first here to report on
> what its like.
>
> Tony

Saw that today searching. I'm surprised at the general lack
of information around on this. On the surface it looks like
a good ride. According to the tourism Wales website over 70%
of the trail is traffic free. I have ordered the Sustrans
maps and a guide book, but still waiting for that to
arrive.... The brochure they put out on cycling in Wales
generally has more info, but only on selected bits
throughout the country, some of which make up v.small bits
of the Celtic Trail.

Thanks to those folks who have replied. I will definitely be
aiming to get to St David's, how can I not visit a place
with the same name as me? (Without the St bit tho').

I won't be going till September but barring unforseen events
I will come back with a detailed account.

Cheers