Just the place name is enough to justify visiting it. Eisteddfa Gurig is 17 miles from Aberystwyth on the A44, and is about 420 metres above sea level. Just about high enough to still have the random snow of Sunday morning unmelted by 3pm. I made a quick snowball (not quite as fun when there’s no-one to throw them at), and headed back.
But turn left towards Devil’s Bridge from the A44 and you quickly end up in the wild, hilly and bogglingly beautiful countryside. I’ve unicycled thousands of miles around in Mid-Wales and never been this way… why?! Once I got to Devil’s Bridge there was a hairpin bend left and a small road going steadily uphill. As the previous experiment worked out so well, I tried this new road too. It was a pretty enjoyable hill, and not quite too steep to be painful even with my short 102mm cranks (they’re best for going fast on flats or gentle hills, but I’m determined to make my legs accept them as a ‘go anywhere’ gear size).
At the top of this climb the rather modest reward is The Arch. A very Welsh monument - it seems to be a slate, erm, arch. Like the end of a barn which someone gave up on building when they realised that it is up a hill miles from anywhere. But now it has picnic benches and public toilets, appropriate to its fame.
This is the domain of the sheep. There are lots of little ones frolicking around, which is always nice. A farmer on a quadbike passed me with one of these lambs held under his arm. Quite touching, assuming that it really was a farmer… and not a (fairly unambitious) sheep-rustler.
Mostly downhill from here though. The weather also went downhill though. The snow which I had gone to find on a sunny, fine afternoon started driving into my ears and eyes. It is limited how much fun one can have when one can barely see the road and one’s face is numb. But it’s all good wholesome fresh air.
The sun did come out intermittently though, and I got back, legs a bit like jelly, and in time to not miss the whole evening service at church. 46 miles, 4 hours, 800M climbing. Nice afternoon.
I leave you with this little riddle near Pontrhydygroes. Eggs. Or No Eggs?
Thought for the day:
Even in a dark tunnel of fear, doubt and self-loathing; where the walls are damp and the shifting ground is uneven and hard; when the light at the end seems to be only a reflection in the darkened windows of your soul and the scratching noises all around make your skin crawl… it may still be that shouting “ping” can make quite a funny echo.
And here was Labour, his own bond-slave; Hope,
That never set the pains against the prize;
Idleness halting with his weary clog,
And poor misguided Shame, and witless Fear,
And simple Pleasure foraging for Death;
Honour misplaced, and Dignity astray;
Feuds, factions, flatteries, enmity, and guile,
Murmuring submission, and bald government,
(The idol weak as the idolater),
And Decency and Custom starving Truth,
And blind Authority beating with his staff
The child that might have led him; Emptiness
Followed as of good omen, and meek Worth
Left to herself unheard of and unknown.
The Prelude, Book Third: 630 - 643
I’m back in Aberystwyth, the sun is shining and I’m feeling pretentiously literate. I’ve had an old copy of some William W. in my bathroom for years to dip into while using the facilities (in a manner of speaking) - but this is the first bit that made me want to quote him. Nice. I can’t claim very much more literacy though.
The conspiring factors of having stupid amounts to do on final-year university work and my inability to make myself do it when I should are making me think more than usual about The Big One (my emphasis). How about this for a 20 000 mile jaunt: through Europe, Asia, Australasia, South America, Africa and Europe again to finish.
Popping in on Timbuktu along the way.
On a unicycle. Carrying all I need to survive.
All I need now is a good, wholesome, moral/ethical reason why taking over a year on an extended holiday jolly is somehow a self-sacrifice and does more good to the lives of others than not doing it. That and money, time and supportive people. Oh well. I’ll write a book about it, with pretty pictures - how’s that?
P.S. True connoisseurs of April Fool’s Day will know that pranks should not be made after noon. So this isn’t one. As on the previous 23 times in my life I didn’t manage to think of anything cunning to do today.
Quite possibly the most worthwhile 37 minutes of YouTube I’ve seen.
Watch: Barak Obama’s speech ‘A More Perfect Union’.
If someone this intelligent and balanced, and - it seems to me - downright good, can become the President of America then something amazing will have happened.
I don’t have a vote there, but I can still hope…
Disclaimer: Yes, it’s a home-made YouTube ‘embedded link’ screenshot; I still haven’t fixed the bug with this blog template which brakes YouTube videos. Terrible inconsistency, bad usability yesyes… all those things.
I’ve been away from Aberystwyth for a week. With about 50 other student type people I went to spend time with a church in Hyson Green, Nottingham. There is a small (about 20 people I think) pentecostal (amen, yeah! testify…) church there who are passionate, passionate people. They are commited to their community and to building the Kingdom of God there. Us white (yes, every single one of us), privilaged (university students) people got to let some of that rub off on us. We did some stuff they wanted doing too.
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Unless there is something I don’t know about, I am not called Mr Jones, and nor do I live in Anytown.
This was included in an envelope which also had my account statement in, so that showed the correct name and address through the envelope window.
Thanks for the reminder, Nationwide - I do mean to put my savings into an ISA this year, but it’ll be with the Co-op bank, as they are already in a Co-op account, and they sent me a similar reminder last month. And they didn’t call me Mr Jones.
Let the leeks be plentiful, the daffodils be bright and may impractical double-bowled lovespoons be given to any who wants them. That’s right, it’s Saint David’s Day (Wales’ national day, in case you hadn’t guessed.).
There will be a Welsh Old Lady fun run on the prom here in Aberystwyth at noon.
And also Happy Birthday, or Penblwydd Hapus, to Tim, Dave and Steffan, all of whom have the delight of being born on the 1st of March.
Google have also go in on the celebration on their UK homepage…
Mark Beaumont has completed an 18000 mile route around the world to return to Paris, where he started 195 days ago. See the BBC’s Pedaling Around website about his trip.
Congratulations Mark!
Now there’s an idea…
For those not familiar with bike-geek stuff, this is not how a pedal is meant to look.The spiky bit on the top is meant to be bolted to the sole of your shoe. Then you can twist your shoe and it becomes unclipped from the pedal.
But when one of the bolts fails then it becomes impossible to twist the cleat and your shoe is fixed pretty securely to the pedal, however you wiggle it.
Error.
Luckily it was only a few miles away from home.
P.S. Using clip-in (also misleadingly called “clipless”) pedals on a unicycle is ‘a power for the hills’ and generally a pretty cool thing. Why I didn’t try this longer ago I don’t know. But it has risks.
