Mawddach Trail

This ride is on one of the most beautiful off road routes on the National Cycle Network. It's length is about ten miles, running along the South side of the Mawddach Estuary between the seaside town of Barmouth inland to Dolgellau.
From Barmouth we have to cross the wide mouth of the estuary on the railway bridge which has a pedestrian (cycling) boardwalk alongside the single rail track.
Firstly a look at Barmouth itself, a slightly old fashioned place with lots of places to stay, to eat and to drink. A nice little harbour for (mainly) pleasure boats and it boasts a railway station, from which trains run North and South along the coast giving the option of visiting a variety of interesting places. with or without your bike. Be aware that Arriva Wales Trains have limited room for bikes and you cannot obtain a cycle ticket in advance.  Also note that, away from the coast you are soon in the mountains of Wales and it can be very hilly, so take plenty of food, drink and low gears. Oh, and don't forget the walking boots, as some of the hills are 1 in 5 (20%).

    Barmouth Harbour. Note the bridge which carries the railway across the harbour and on to the longer bridge over the estuary.

                 The beaches are part sand and part pebbles with an area of sand dunes as well.

                The Bath House, a cafe, stands in a prominent position looking out over Cardigan Bay.

On with the ride now and first we have to follow the Dolgellau road past the harbour to get onto the railway bridge.

     This is the path down to the bridge, which is a grade 2 listed structure and has a length of 700 m.
            It was opened in 1867 and remains one of the longest wooden viaducts still in use in the UK
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 Until 2013 tolls were payable at the toll booth, but the charge was only 15p for cyclists.

There are approximately 3500 wooden planks forming the walkway, which is described by a friend of mine as "the world's longest xylophone", This is true since the planks are not quite the same thickness and bikes play a rudimentary tune as they are ridden across the bridge.
Please see comments about potential closure of this walkway.

 Now on the South side of the estuary, the path runs through woodland initially, and the live railway runs on to Fairbourne. The original station toilets remain however.

 A pleasant enough run through the woodland.

But the views open up as we come alongside the water.

 The stunning views are at their best when both the tide and the sun are out.

Cyclists approaching Penmaenpool.

 At Penmaenpool there is the George the Third Hotel, a toll bridge crossing the river, and a bird life centre in the old signal box. So a good place to stop for a while.

Opposite were once gold mines where a limited amount of the precious metal was found, most of it going into Royal wedding rings.

           On now to Dolgellau, over this metal girder bridge below which the water is crystal clear.

And more wooded surroundings.

 We cross this bridge turning left on the far side towards Dolgellau.

 And the path opens out to pass through this park.

 In Dolgellau, the solid buildings of Welsh granite look as though they were built to last a thousand years, and probably will.

Pity about the plastic bins. Granite ones would look better but hardly practical.

Lots of places for refreshment and this one recommended.

The Water Rail Way (Part 2)

Woodhall Spa to Lincoln

The Water Rail

The Water Rail Way runs alongside the River Witham between Lincoln and Boston, forming part of  National Cycle Network Route 1, and Woodhall Spa stands at the halfway mark, so it is a good place from which to ride in either direction.  In May 2015 we looked at the ride to Boston and here we look at the ride to Lincoln.
The 17 mile route is, apart from the climb up to the Cathedral, flat and almost entirely traffic free.with an impressive collection of sculptures and lots of information boards giving details of the history of the area.
Lincoln has a railway station but Woodhall Spa does not, so if travelling by rail, best to start the ride at Lincoln. No car parking problems in Woodhall Spa and it has good camping facilities, so the best start point if you are not travelling by train.

                              This is the beautiful city of Lincoln, our destination on this ride.

 And here is Woodhall Spa. To access the riverside path we follow the main street heading SW out of town towards the Kirkstead Bridge.

The road goes over the bridge, but the path to Lincoln goes beneath it, so bear left after this filling station.

Off we go then.  Note that the surface is good tarmac and this goes for most of the route.

                                                       A mileage check here.

The river meanders through the flat landscape and the path follows it for most of the way, but the floodbanks obscure views in places.

Lots of recreational boating to be seen as there are plenty of mooring berths at Lincoln and Boston, besides many between.

From a distance you might think that these sheep were real, but they are in fact made of scrap metal.

As a closer look will verify.
This is the first of many items of sculpture, some in metal and some are wood carvings, that you will find along side the path.

This wood carving is of a daisy, and was presumable carved on site with a chain saw.  Amazing!

There are several old railway buildings and stations along this route which have been converted into very desirable domestic properties.  This one, at Stixwold, has a most appropriate extension in the style of the old signal box.

Another sculpture here and this one makes you think.

What is it?  What is it made of?  How was it made?

I think that it represents the human form and it is certainly made of wood, in fact two pieces of wood,as there is a vertical joint right down the middle so that the holes are actually cut as depressions in the sides of each half  before they were joined together.

Southrey Station, bearing a striking resemblance to Stixwold Station.

The Water Rail Way is most unusual as it has both a Summer Route and a Winter Route, which diverge from here. The reason for this will become apparent when we go off-road on the way to Bardney, which is three miles hence.

 We leave the riverside going onto the Summer Route which crosses these arable fields and could prove difficult in adverse weather conditions. The Winter Route goes on road.

                                                             Mileage check on the field path.

Another reason for this route is the presence of this sugar factory which stands beside the river.

           The field path leads to the highway which passes through Bardney village. Turn left here.

 In Bardney there is this Railway Heritage Centre which is well worth a visit. Apart from lots of railway and military memorabilia  there is also a cafe.

 And you can even obtain overnight accommodation in these fitted out ex railway vans.

 From the Heritage Centre we go back onto the riverside path through this entrance. The road goes over the river and the entrance to the sugar factory is just out of shot to the left.

                             The path is tarmac now all the way to Lincoln.

 And soon we arrive at Bardney Bridge, the refurbishment of which was pivotal in the opening of the Water Rail Way a few years ago. The opening ceremony was a day to remember with a party on the bridge.  There was a hog roast, a jazz band and people came from all the surrounding villages to join in the fun.

          Close by the bridge sits another sculpture, but this basking shark (?) seems to have lost part of it's lower jaw.

 On the other side of the bridge is this lock which controls the waters of the rather complicated river/canal system.

       And yet another wood carving with the young lady holding my bike for the photograph.

This is Five Mile Bridge, which, would you believe, is five miles from Lincoln. We do not cross it, but keep to the left bank of the river.

More artwork across the path, and below
two cows made from re-cycled scrap metal.

                       Washingborough station is being re-furbished to make a very desirable house.

       As we approach Lincoln we see the Cathedral standing proudly on the ridge above the city.
On into Lincoln now and the rest of the route is not so good, passing though a car park and subject (in July 2015) to diversions due to construction work.

But find your way through the pedestrianized shopping areas and brace yourself for the climb ( ie walk) up this steep hill which is called, (guess what), Steep Hill.

             The reward for your effort is views of the magnificent Cathedral and it's surroundings.

Rugeley to Fradley (Canal Ride)

Here we are again on the Trent and Mersey Canal, this time riding a short stretch from Rugeley in Staffordshire to Fradley Junction where the T & M Canal meets the Coventry Canal.

                                                    We start at Rugeley Market Place.

The Trent and Mersey canal runs below this bridge, which is numbered Bridge 66.

It is easy to find as it is midway between the two supermarkets, Morrisons and Tesco.

From the bridge this is the view looking upstream, that is towards Stafford.

You can't live much closer to the canal than this.

But this is the way that we are going, that is towards Alrewas via Fradley junction.

The Crown Inn at Handsacre with a balcony overlooking the canal. What better than sitting there on a sunny afternoon with a pint in hand idly watching the boats pass by.

This is the Armitage Shanks factory which looks much bigger on the canal side than it does from the road side. Chances are that some, or all, of your bathroom fittings came from this factory.

                             Another ex lock keeper's cottage and this one happens to be for sale.

                              The approach to Fradley Junction with the Swan Inn ahead.

The Swan Inn at Fradley Junction, where the Coventry canal is on the left of this shot and we are looking back towards Rugeley. As you would expect, food and drink are available at the Swan, but there are two other good cafes here, one behind the Swan and one on the opposite side of the canal.

                    Dining al fresco at the cafe on the right (East) side of the T &M Canal at Fradley.