Cycle from coast to coast

Cycle from Coast to Coast

A little family trip to Hafan Y Mor, just on the outskirts of Pwllheli in Wales, presented an opportunity to cross another challenge of my 40 before 40 list.

Admittedly, when I set up the original challenge of cycling from coast to coast, the plan was to do this over a 2- or 3-day expedition crossing from one side of the UK to the other.  With time slowly running out before I turn the ripe young age of 40 when the opportunity strikes I have to jump at the chance.

Pwllheli is located on the South Coast of the Llyn Peninsula, a small peninsular with over 91 miles of coastal path known as the Land’s End of Wales.  

We were staying at Hafan Y Mor, a Haven caravan site, so whilst my daughter was fully entertained by the larger than life characters, the largest pool she had ever seen and a multitude of activities including archery, crafts, painting and picnics, I was granted permission to venture out on my trusty steed.

In the shadow of Mount Snowden, I assumed that a coast to coast ride would be pretty flat and fast, but I have fallen for that mistake too many times whilst entering marathons.  Wales is known for it's hills and valleys so I knew this adventure would be taking in some pretty decent climbs but I would be unaware of where or when they were.

The first part of my journey was across from the Pwllheli on the South Coast over to the Nefyn Golf Club on the North Coast.  This was one long road with little undulation, little traffic and little excitement.  There was a coastal wind for the full journey and as all winds whilst cycling, it was not a tail wind.  As I approached the golf club it soon became evident that the entrance track was a formidable mountain gravel climb but I knew the shore line would be visible from the other side so there was only one way to go.  On road tires, the gravel was challenging on every rotation of the wheel just to stay vertical, but the treacherous journey was worth it, I had arrived.  I had cycled from one coast to another, admittedly, this arduous journey was just about as long as this blog post so far….at 11 miles and a travel time of about 40 mins, I could hardly call this a triumph.

Glancing at the map in the caravan park before I had embarked on my epic journey, I saw that the bottom end of the peninsula was a little town called Aberdaron.  So, following road signs only, I ventured onto my new coast to coast to coast journey from Nefyn to Aberdaron.  The first part of the journey I had the stunning Welsh Coast line on my right-hand side and fields populated with synonymous sheep and cattle on my left.  There was little to no traffic on this road and the sun was beating down, I was clocking a decent pace for most of the journey but lurking in the distance and getting closer and closer as the minutes passed by was a Welsh hill.  I could see a road winding round the perimeter of the hill and there seemed to be no other way around it.  Just after passing the town of Tudweiliog the road started to incline and the trek up my first Welsh gradient began.

The view from the top was stunning, again the coast was in full view to my right there was no sight of Aberdaron though and no time to just sit and enjoy the view.  Considering that I was heading towards a coastal town the elevation just did not seem to be correct, I was climbing more than descending for most of the 11 mile journey, all of a sudden my legs were given a pass and I was presented with an almost cliff edge descent.  Hurtling into Aberdaron at break neck speed, sooner than I had expected I was at my new coastal destination.

Aberdaron is a real lazy town with, most of the shops were shut and the beach was practically empty.  I parked up my bike for the next coastal picture and took in the sights again.  The breeze seemed a little less blustery, this could be to the hills that surround the town and act as a barrier to the prevailing winds.

Right on the beach front was a little pub/guest house call Gwesty Ty Nweydd and I thought it would be rude not to take a little refresher whilst here.  My cider of choice hardly touched the sides as I consulted the map to work out my return journey.  On the road into Aberdaron I had noticed a road sign for Pwllheli, this would mean returning up the near vertical climb, following the same road out as in and then turning on a main road back to home. To my right was another climb but that was taking in the alternative coastal road towards home.  This was an unknown road, there would be inevitable climbs as I was in Wales, but how much of a climb was yet to be determined.

I opted for unknown roads and a new adventure.

I set off from Aberdaron with an up-hill struggle, this climb was relentless.  I had clocked 25 miles before stopping for my coastal pint, 4 miles later I was still to reach the pinnacle point.  I started a 35ft above sea level and clocked a phenomenal 577ft elevation in the gruelling push to the top with 14% gradients at some points of the ride.  Sweat was dripping, but thankfully there were no cars on the way up to contend with.

Finally, I reached the summit and the descent loomed in front of me.  I could see Pwllheli in the distance beckoning me to hurtle towards it at breakneck speed.  The route down was winding and full of hair pin bends, there was no chance to clock some serious speeds even though the downhill sections were incredible.  At some points the road would almost turn 90 degrees with very little warning, and little protected the road edge from a cliffy drop.  It was exhilarating after such a hefty climb.

Here is the full video of the route - https://www.relive.cc/view/2244741668

Once I had reached Pwllheli, it was an easy retrace of my steps back to the caravan site and time to start teaching my little 3-year-old daughter how to ride a bike….

...maybe one day, she will be joining her daddy on a little cycle adventure….