Riding up my hill

For many years, riding up my hill meant cycling up Constitution Hill in Aberystwyth. At a bit over 300 feet, this was a quick half hour workout at lunchtime several days in the week. Apart from that, biking was mainly the occasional trip to the MTB trails at Nant yr Arian and a few adventures on holidays.

Then in 2023, the Traws Eryri / Trans Snowdonia trail was announced. I had always liked the idea of bikepacking but thought it too hard carrying everything. Reading about this trail, with the possibility of staying in hostels, inspired me to give it a go. So, in March 2024 I started training and set off on 30 April for 4 days. I loved it! 

 

 

Looking for another trail to do, I fancied the An Turas Mor trail in Scotland from Glasgow to Cape Wrath. But the gaps between hostels, B&Bs and hotels were too great for me especially on a much longer ride. Time to step up and take a tent! More training in the summer with a two night trip to a basic bunkhouse in North Wales to climb Tryfan and then the Trans Cambrian trail from Knighton to Machynlleth staying at campsites. I survived despite torrential rail and falling through a rotten step on a footbridge! 

 

I now just had to keep fit through the winter and build up the stamina for a longer trip in May 2025. You can read about the trip on my An Turas Mor blog or watch the video of my ride. 

 

In time, I plan to post some pictures from my shorter rides on this blog. My next big ride in May 2026 is the Pictish trail from Edinburgh to John o' Groats and across to the Orkney islands. You can follow me on my Pictish Trail blog or on Strava.