Where | Taff Trail Deviations (Brecon Beacons and South Wales) |
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Date | 25 September 2013 |
Duration | 2 hours 40 minutes |
Distance | 22 miles (~35 km) |
Weather | Becoming cloudy |
Trail conditions | Dry single trail and tarmac |
Rider | Age | Bike(s) |
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Chris Poole | 41 | GT LTS 2000 (CP3) |
Mark 'Tarquin' Wilton-Jones | 33 | GT LTS 2000 (TWJ) |
Trip report
Description by Mark 'Tarquin' Wilton-Jones
Although this ride largely followed parts of the Taff Trail, we managed to add enough extra points of interest, and even some challenging single trail, to make it feel like a proper ride.
Starting in Whitchurch, in north Cardiff, we located some challenging single trail routes near the Glamorganshire Canal nature reserve and Forest Farm sites. With the daylight already failing, it would have been sensible for both of us to have some powerful lights, but as we are generally daylight riders, we made do with a single set of borrowed lights. The single trails eventually spat us out onto Longwood Drive, where we picked up the Taff Trail to pass under the M4.
Now on the Taff Trail, we headed into Tongwynlais. The Taff Trail has old and new routes from here, so we took the old route, up to Castell Coch. The driveway up to the castle is steep, but we both stayed on the bikes to the top car park. From there, a footpath climbs up to the forests above, where Chris outshone me on his new LTS 2000, by remaining in the saddle all the way up. At the forest track above, we left the Taff Trail, heading to the right through Fforest Fawr. After finishing the climbs, and nearly at the far car park, we turned around, and began enjoying the lengthy downhill. The daylight had almost disappeared, and the lights were on, for me at least. Chris continued to follow, trying to keep the red glow from my light in sight.
Passing the path down to Castell Coch, we remained on the main track, and sped down the steepest path of the day, avoiding the odd walkers who loomed out of the dark with their dogs. Now with the thrill of the speed, we tried to keep the pace up on the railway line that followed, using my lights to see the way, skirting Craig yr Allt, then dropping down to join the new Taff Trail. We followed this to the right, away from Cardiff, forking left and crossing over the A468 at Nantgarw, then curving right through the housing estate to regain the main trail.
Several miles of old railway line later, passing many others, including a Polish woman cycling in the dark (she did not want to rely on the lights of strangers, perhaps wisely), we reached Glyntaff, where the route joins and follows the A4054. With only one set of lights, we used pavements to avoid the road, until the Taff Trail heads down a side street to the left, to reach the A470 Pontypridd roundabout.
After a quick look at the revised roundabout layout for cyclists, we paid a visit to the nearby supermarket, where Chris decided to go shopping. On his bike. Riding up the long travellator onto the shop floor in direct view of the supermarket security guard, who didn't even bat an eyelid. Business as usual in the South Wales Valleys, eh?
Our route then returned the same way to Nantgarw, but from there it follwed the new (lower) Taff Trail all the way down to Taff's Well, as lengthy downhill. With lights only on my bike, Chris did most of this in the darkness, following my silhouette to try to keep on track. He'd had plenty of practice by now.
At Taff's Well Station, we took the road towards Cardiff, but then turned right almost immediately, back into Taff's Well. A footbridge on the left then took us into Gwaelod-y-garth. At the Pentyrch road, we turned left, using pavements to avoid the roads, and headed into Morganstown. At Pugh's Garden Centre, we took the road through the centre towards the Old Station House, then right into the playing fields. On the diagonally opposite corner of the fields, a small path took us onto the Gelynis Farm road. We followed it left and over the railway, then over the iron bridge to reach the Taff Trail. Here we turned right to pass back under the M4, then ahead-left back onto Longwood Drive. We took this up the long hill to the left, then took the footpath to the left of the supermarket, to reach the top end of Whitchurch, and the end of our route.