It’s my aim, during this (much anticipated) visit to the UK, to reconnect and ride with friends. Fortunately, my return date coincided with a trip that Mike Howard (aka Tocayo, my riding companion for 6 months in South America) and Mike Hayes (of Sea Surf Dirt, and a great help in putting this blog together) had already planned a long weekend in mid-Wales. The two of them would be following one of Stuart Wright’s Bear Bones Bikepacking routes – one that I’d posted to Bikepacking.com, in fact.

With the two Mikes converging in Rhyader from Cornwall and Chester, it was easy enough for me to hop on the train from Dorchester West to Bristol (plenty of space for La Poderosa II’s wide girth, thankfully), meet up with Mike H mid drive, and join in the fun. Thanks guys!

The weather was definitely a ‘very mixed bag’, to use meteorological parlance. Two predominantly clear and sunny days ensured high vibes and grassy, loungy picnics for the first half of the loop, followed by one day of mostly heavy rain where we limped forlornly from one bothy to the next. Our final day regaled us with a classic four-seasons-in-one-day affair, ensuring we finished the route in a blaze of mud-encrusted glory. Summery? Not so much. But no matter, because when you’re riding with friends and the banter and coffee flow freely, it’s remarkable how resilient you become to a little moisture! Besides, I’d expected Wales to throw down the weather gauntlet for my return, so I came mentally prepared (though note to self, buy waterproof shorts for the next trip…)

You can inspect the full route gpx file and Points of Interest here. Last time I rode the Bear Bones Bash, Chris Goodman and I were treated to a splendid autumnal colour palette, which made for quite the photo spread. With a beady eye on the forecast, this time we tackled the route in reverse to make the most of the two bothies along the way, and trimmed the ride back a bit – after all, we were here to spend time together, and not just crunch wet and soggy miles.

I’ll get around to updating the original route soon with a few new finds. In the meantime, here are some pics!

Oh, the joy of the summer picnic. And the Welsh ‘digestive’, aka the tufty bike push!

Perhaps it goes without saying… but bikes were photographed in dizzying detail over the course of our four day trip. Here, Mike is capturing his Surly ECR in the wild. Mike takes fantastic street photos, which you can see over on his website.

Sunshine and glory… and wet feet.

A Welsh bikepacking checklist:

• Bog trotting: check.
• Steam crossings: check.
• Wet feet for the rest of the weekend: check.

Into the green room we cycled and pushed and dragged our bikes…

Filtering water before setting out to find a home for the night.

Not pictured: the bazillion midges that descended upon us with great hunger and fury when the wind dropped in this otherwise idyllic camping spot.

What’s on the menu? Beans, rice, and chopped salami. Yum!

Welsh tongue twisters and dishevelled bikes…

Perhaps this also goes without saying: copious cups of coffee were drunk to grand valley views.

Sheep. And sheep shit. Both are abundant in Wales.

Moody panoramas across Glaslyn Nature Reserve.

Day was celebrated with a proper greasy spoon breakfast in Machynlleth! Extra points if you can spot anything green on the plate…

Also, ‘Mach’ resident Jonathan Pickles – aka 531c – came by on his collapsible Brompton to say hello. In bygone years, I visited Mach frequently, as there’s so much fantastic riding on its doorstep. It was a real delight to see Jon and bask in the aura of his smile again.

Winching our way back out of the valley floor again, on a quiet road that would funnel into Mach’s notorious ‘chute’.

Death to our legs and a push-weary Howarth smile!

As a descent, this stretch of slaty trail is like percussion to the ears. On the way up, it’s drowned by laboured breath.

Drying out gear is always a good excuse to stop, chat and eat flapjacks. Also, did you know that a pot of peanut butter makes a great tent anchor?

The Bear Bones Bash has the full spectrum of riding conditions: pavement stints on Sustrans routes, ancient drovers’ roads sunk into the earth, nadgery trails through mossy woodland, slaty moto tracks, and some classic Welsh bridleway bashing.

Mike Hayes and his Surly ECR in the House! All of Mike’s gear is self-made, classically styled, and if you’re lucky, available under his small brand Chuff Stuff.

Mike Howarth and his Big Bro in the House! All the way from New Mexico, Mike was sporting the all-engulfing Tribulus Endover front bag, sewn by my buddy Nathan in my old home Santa Fe.

Expect sheep. Lots of sheep. Some had transcended into the Bovidae afterlife, and others had left telltale clumps of wool in scratchy bracken.

What a spot! Nant Syddion Bothy, photographed before the rain set in and we hunkered down for the night. This dwelling was a lead miner’s cottage in the 1930s, and is built on 17th Century foundations.

We shared this timelorn refuge with two other bike tourers, watching enviously as they made themselves a colossal stew, heated on a pot belly stove. 2 x Mikes and I drank coffee until early afternoon, before reluctantly taking to the muddy, sloppy road once more. Suffice to say, we didn’t ride much that day…

The community-run Tea Shed – which operates on a donation system – came as a nice surprise in Y Cwtch. Brews were made, the sun popped out for a moment and spirits briefly soared!

Choosing appropriate footwear for Wales is also a gamble. I went for both 5.10s (sodden after day 1) and my trusty Bedrock sandals.

Note to self: when that little voice in your head says “It’s summer, you don’t need your poncho, neoprene socks, and waterproofs” ignore it!

Bothy no 2! A couple from Manchester and their furball of a dog Rubik were already cosily settled into Claerddu bothy by the time we arrived, and there was even a fire going. Two soaked bikepackers – Jim and his nephew – arrived shortly after us, riding the Trans Cambrian Way on their gravel bikes.

Our last day: after all the rainfall, stream crossings become somewhat precarious.

Squally weather for a route highlight – the Claerwen reservoir. We then shortcutted on the Elan Valley Trail to the visitor centre for pots of celebratory tea.

And last but not least… the gang! (pic by Mike H)

Bear Bones Bash Mini Version:

Here’s our ride, as it turned out. We rode the loop counterclockwise and shortcutted it a little in the vain hopes of keeping vaguely dry. And we skipped the out-and-back to the Centre of Alternative Technology. If you haven’t been there before though, it’s well worth a visit. The full loop can be found here.

Finally, a quick breakdown of my bike and bag situation:

La Poderosa II, in Post Apocalypto Randonneur mode. The mud-encrusted Shimano Linkglide XT cassette is purported to handle atrocious weather especially well, thanks to thicker cogs and all-steel construction.

When I need to carry more gear (like my laptop), I really like this front-loaded setup. Tailfin was kind enough to 3D print me a pair of ‘truss struts’ so I can use the fork’s scaffolding to carry panniers. Neat! I’ve teamed this with a minimal, prototype Tailfin rack at the back, which can carry two additional 5-10L panniers if needed. I love these Tailfin panniers, as they’re fully waterproof and have a clasping system that’s completely rattle-free over the roughest terrain.

Hanging out on the handlebars, my Rons Fab’s Abs is weathering beautifully – it’s great for quick grab stuff like snacks, lunch for the day, and waterproofs.

I call this look Post Apocalypto Randonneur…

As pictured above, the bike includes my 13in Macbook and associated electronics, along with other non-essentials like (mostly sodden) 5.10 shoes and Bedrocks sandals! A Wizard Works Framebagracadabra takes care of spares, a half dozen packs of oat cakes, and a big pot of peanut butter!

In hindsight, I could have easily left the 5.10s behind, but I’m still a little nervous about sandals and rocky trails after I broke my little toe a few months ago. Next time, I think I’ll be bolder, as I love riding in Bedrocks in inclement weather.

Also:

Watch out for ticks on this route, as you’ll likely be battling through neck-high ferns and bracken. A certain times of the year, a face net for cutthroat midges could be useful too, should you find yourself camping in the woods when the wind drops.

And do check out Mike’s wonderful trip report on his blog – he has a real eye for capturing shapes, spaces, and colours in photos.

Thanks for reading! Questions? Fire away!