Cycling UK Forum

Used ukcampsites website and called up sites near Oswestry and this one came up first. Looks like the type of campsite you are after, just depends on if location is right. 15 mins cycle to pub.
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/revie ... evid=10686

I can also second this site for its amazing views. What a sunset I had that evening. However, I struggled to even push a loaded tourer up parts of the hill from the northern side, especially at the end of a long day. Definitely make sure you have everything you need for the evening.

Dol-Llys Farms at Llanidloes https://dolllyscaravancampsite.co.uk/tariff/

Stayed here last year when doing Lon Las Cymru. Excellent site. You can pitch right by river, out in open or some secluded little spots. I was right on the river bank and suprisingly no midges. Price £7.50 and includes a campers kitchen with kettle, microwave and toaster. Plenty of room to sit at table and charge phone etc. Showers are large wet room style and free use of the washing machine. Short, flat ride into Llanidloes for food and pubs.

mercalia wrote:
I bet you dont use a wood burner stove ( unless you also like sooted toast?)

The grill that sits on top of the Honey Stove makes lovely toast as long as you let the flames die down a bit.

robing wrote:
Re the one to avoid, do you mean Corris? I hope it's not too midgy, I am a bit of a midge magnet!

Yes, I did mean Corris and unfortunately it's the only campsite in the area, otherwise I would have had to stop very early in the day in Dolgellau or continue on to next site and it meant doing 2 very large climbs in one day. I would not have made it easily. Reviews of the site on ukcampsite stated the problem of midges, but I just had to take that risk and the reviews were correct. Of course if you end up with a slightly windy evening and morning you would be fine, but the site is very sheltered in the valley. Just make sure you have a midge net with you and you can have a fire if I remember rightly.

Enjoy your trip.

I also did this route last summer as a solo cycle camping trip. Gospel pass is fine as it is all small lanes. The route certainly has some spectacular scenery with some spectacular hills to go with it. I stayed at a campsite near Harlech that involved a huge climb to get to it, whereas you can stay down in the valley. Fantastic campsite at Llanidloes right by the river, with a lovely campers kitchen and great toilets/showers and free use of a washing machine. There is also a lovely small campsite just south of Builth Wells by the river (Boatside I think it was called) Basic, but lovely owners and cheap. A campsite near Corrin (think that's how you spell it) was not the best. Very strange feel to it and midge heaven. Was eaten alive there.

I have always used ROK straps on my motorcycle and for attaching my tent onto my rear cycle rack. I love the fact they have no horrible metal hooks and they are fully adjustable. Easy to shove a waterproof or any extras on to the top of the tent under the ROK strap and then cinch up nice and tight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUQD0S6DkrA

How about returning to a Dawes Galaxy. I am selling this one in lovely condition and all ready to go for a tour. Copes with gravel tracks or canal tow paths as well as winding your way down the country lanes, but is comfortably quick enough should you want a faster section on the main road.

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=113802

I also really like the Schwalbe Duremes.

I have done just over 4,500 miles on my Thorn including a JOGLE on lots of canal paths/forestry trails etc and they were brilliant. Apparently not so good in mud, but I have not really tried this out extensively. They roll really well on tarmac and in the 2 and half years and 4,500 miles I have had the Thorn, I have not had a single puncture. The tyres still showing hardly any wear.

Yes I had the same problem with hips and shoulders when sleeping on my side. I also changed to an Exped down mat and find them so much better. Again don't blow them up too hard. I find my hips and shoulders nestle quite comfortably into the ridges between the baffles. I would imagine the Thermarest Neoair is pretty much the same. Not to worry too much about only just purchasing the thermarest as you will recoup quite a bit of your money when selling second hand.

I don't know if this is of any help, but I rode the Los Lan Cymru cycle route a couple of weeks ago and I stayed at the Dol Llys Farm (think that's how you spell it ) camp site in Llanidloes. Excellent site for cyclists. Some pitches right on the river bank or if you prefer a little quieter there are pitches in amongst bushes and trees. Brilliant campers kitchen with kettle, microwave and toaster along with fridge and freezer and two large tables with chairs. Power sockets for powering up your phones. Showers are in large wet rooms with toilets and sink along with separate toilets in the block. FREE use of the washing machine though of course this was pretty busy. Can't really think of a better place for cyclists. Less than a mile out of town to stock up on supplies or eat out.

Not sure if its on your route though, because it't a bit of a climb from Llanidloes to Langurig and you wouldn't really want to go that far off route.

I used my Thorn Sherpa for my JOGLE. Absolutely perfect for my 3 week scenic route trip. It meant I could take the forestry tracks to stay off the A82 and the canal paths as and when I wanted without worrying about tyre sizes or the weight of the luggage on the frame. With all my camping gear loaded I just stopped when I wanted to (as long as I could find a campsite at that time of course)

Of course if you want to B & B and complete the trip in 9 days, then I would not recommend you use your Thorn Raven, but for camping and off road cycle paths or small roads there is nothing better.

I took cooking gear on my JOGLE (a Trangia set up) and to me it is definitely worth carrying the extra weight for the flexibility it gave you. I cooked most of my meals, usually shopping whenever I saw a shop in the late afternoon and then I could just set up camp and cook without having to go out again. Of course, if the weather was really poor, I could still eat in a pub or cafe although I found many campsites in Scotland had campers kitchen which meant even poor weather didn't prevent cooking. I found having a hot drink in the evening when the temperature dropped was a necessity and of course waking up and having the first coffee of the day immediately and porridge for breakfast kept the budget under control too.

I have a pair of the Sealskin waterproof socks and they are great in winter, but I would not like to wear them in June. Your feet will be wetter from sweat than from the rain. They also take a long time to dry.

I wore a pair of Merrell trainers with mesh tops on my JOGLE. I had a pair of neoprene overshoes which I used on 2 very bad days, otherwise I just let my trainers get wet because the mesh tops meant they dried out very quickly once the rain stopped. I agree with the comments about lightweight waterproof jacket and trousers such as Berghaus paclite. (I ended up using cheap Regatta trousers and they did the job) As long as you have a warm jersey, you won't need a thicker lining in the jacket which will only make the jacket much more bulky and take longer to dry.

When I did my JOGLE 2 years ago, I didn't book any accommodation, but I was camping. One night I couldn't find a campsite and luckily came across a small B & B which was cheap at £28 for a single room. However, I had to cycle through hurricane Bertha whilst in the Lake District and after riding for 10 hours in the pouring rain into a headwind, I wanted a B & B rather than camping that night. I searched for over 2 hours through the Northern Lakes and everywhere was full. Ironically if I had continued directly to my campsite instead of searching for a B & B, I would have been able to take the last camping pod. By the time I reached the campsite there were no pods available and after being flooded out of my tent, I spent the night in an old armchair in a barn.

I had no problems at all during August finding a camping pitch, but if I were planning to use B & B accommodation, then I would definitely book and not leave it to chance. I loved having the freedom of choosing when to start looking for a camping pitch, but I would find it very stressful knowing that many of the B & B's would be fully booked or alternatively you can only find the expensive ones. Travelling on your own becomes very expensive when you have to pay £70 or more for a room .