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Brecon

Sat 2006-05-06 {19017}

Started sunny. Let the cats out for a run @ 6h, & despite their getting an inkling that something's going on, Sooty came in again in time to be taken to the cattery (\theta) while \phi at CMK, for backpack for \theta, trainers, oil for the car (5W-30), shirt & a nicer Ag ring from Silveraki to retain the Au one. Off about 11h (Focus, \phi then \theta) to Brecon, following the AA rec route of A5 - Towcester - A43 - A422 - M40 - M42 - M5 - M50 - A40 (except they left out the M50) at 170mi, arr ~14h30, by then cloudy but not cold. Castle of Brecon Hotel, old, right by the remains of the castle & with a good view from the room. Aft walk to canal & along a bit (~1.6km) & back, to shops for a few guides and books, then hotel. Eve to bar, then eat in à la carte restaurant, expensive but very good, & a drink in the bar after. Hotel is SO043287. Canal is much as it was in 1995 up to br 166, Castle Narrowboats electric charger is still there rusting away at the base, but beyond br 166 is now a basin with moorings (2 hire narrow boats) then the new bridge 167 and a new basin (one cruiser) with theatre alongside. All looks very nice, but still a walk thro' the scruffy part of town to get to the centre. Hotel restaurant offered us 18h45, 19h15 or 19h45, of which we took 19h15. Only one other table busy when we went in, & only a table of 15 after us; 2 other tables stayed unused. No DAB in hotel. Bath is very short & shallow & temperature changes alarmingly.

Sun 2006-05-07 {19018}

Sunny and warm all day. Weekend, so breakfast starts at 8h. Out by 9h, park at the S end of Ashford tunnel & walk S to the bottom of the flight, with an excursion off up into the woods by br 138, an arch bridge with a steel additional superstructure. A Castle boat going our way but at less than our walking pace. Locks mainly being used downwards today. Then back to car & drive up to Talybont for Star Inn, which opened a bit late at 12h10. Fish & chips & Hancock's HB here were OK but pub seemed to be run for friends & regulars, not as good as before or as presented in Nicholson's, but it did have a range of beers. After lunch drive to bottom of flight & walk further E to br 128, an ex-lift bridge now fixed, & sit here in the sun for a while. Leisurely aft as I have a blister on RH little toe already. Then back to car. Walk today, by GPS, was 11.6km. Drive then on rugged upland route S on B4560, up to 516m, & back via loop of A465 - Gilwern - A4077 - B4558 - B4560 - A40 &c to Brecon. Eve eat in hotel bar, good, & later, just before it rained, a walk out for cash. By aft it became a bit hazy & not so warm, but legs exposed nearly all day.

Mon 2006-05-08 {19019}

Rain at first, then dull but warm & a little rain again late aft. To br 76 (BW wharf parking) & walk in the slowing rain to Goytre wharf. Vary much changed from when we were last here*, an off-line marina just N of the old wharf & a Red Line hire cruiser base at the wharf. Linear moorings between br 75 & the marina. Back to car, just as rain petered out completely. Then further S to look at the current end of navigation in the N outskirts of Cwmbran. New winding place, moorings & small off-line basin here, all deserted, & a small car park alongside. Walk S from here on a good path past the flight of five then about another 10 locks in various states of ruin, or buried, or turned into a water feature. Locks in the five have concrete weirs made to look very like wooden gates. We went only to the new retail park at about ST290955, but the line & path continues right down to the Usk N of Newport. Lunch at the Goytre Arms at Penperlleni, which was smart and the food was good, but only us & one other couple eating. Aft looking for an aqueduct that \theta remembered, trying the one between brs 85 & 86 (from br 87 but parking almost by accom br 86) & probably finding it between brs 93 & 94 (from br 95 parking on steep hill opposite the cottage). \theta walking a lot more slowly today, complaining of cramp in the foot; my blister's OK taped up. Had a wander around Govilon to spot pubs then into Gilwern where car parked on wharf by br 104. Walked past Castle Narrowboats base out to where we prob moored on last day. Tried the road to Llanelly then N to Pen-pedair-heol which was very rough & narrow. \theta had to reverse to pass & couldn't turn neck so we changed over for a bit so I could reverse, then finish the narrow bit. Home from here. \phi out for more maps & a LW radio as DAB not available anywhere here. A Roberts R9994 which has "Test Match Special 198LW" on the front. Eve eat in hotel bar, their only customers for food this eve, probably, & about half of their drinks orders. [*tho' guide from last time shows a BW marina and claims Red Line hire base was there then]

Tue 2006-05-09 {19020}

Many fewer in the hotel with the departure of the bowling team, breakfast back to service rather than buffet; I had kippers. Raining again. To br 114 where could park, but very high stone stile so walked to br 115 for access, then to br 108, so passing br 109 & "windy corner" where we moored the first night. Br 109 is I think the one illustrating my web page of the 1995 trip. Rain was abating on the way back. Very pretty, but the further hills shrouded by cloud. To Govilon by 12h, but both pubs were closed, so tried in Abergavenny. Market day, crowded & car parks full, so out to Waitrose on the outskirts for ingredients of a picnic, which eaten looking over the bottom lock at Llangynidr; an American crew coming up on their very first lock & doing very well. By then it was starting to brighten. Via useful public loos in Llangynidr to br 163 by the lonely lock at Brynich. Saw a boat thro' & walked round to the aqueduct, then back past lock & sitting in warm sunshine looking over the Usk, before returning to the hotel. 3rd Buncefield report out today, which from BBC reporting says that a tank was overfilled with petrol for about 40 mins before the bang; a level sensor stuck & an overfill alarm failed. Eve to Roberto's a tiny Italian restaurant in centre, very good food, excellent service from a sylph in black. Brecon has few ethnic restaurants, just this one and the scruffy Balti house that we tried in 1995; there are take-away Chinese and Indian as well.

Wed 2006-05-10 {19021}

Announced today that MSF is to move from Rugby to Cumbria, with a new more reliable transmitter, & also, unspoken, to allow development of the old site. Fine all day, mostly sunny & hot. To br 145 near Talybont & walk to br 156, mostly in sunshine, legs & arms exposed. Return, then to the Coach & Horses at Cwn Crawnon for lunch. Very good food (\theta mussels & \phi Gloucester Old Spot sausages made locally) & efficiently served, and reasonably patronised for a Wed lunch cf many of the pubs we've tried, tho' all wrinklies apart from us. Several of the menu items gave the source of the ingredients by farm or small company. Then, still sunny, via Govilon & B4246 to junct at SO255115 near the Blorenge & walk along minor road as far as the car park by the radio masts. Then lounge in the sun back near the car before home via Blaenavon - B4248 - A465 - B4560, stopping again at SO157171 for a look around the quarry & a bit lower down for pix of snaking road. Very quiet and peaceful up on the top away from the B-road & a perfect day for it, except that the other peaks around were very hazy and indistinct, so views were localised. Hotel car park crowded, we got the last space on return. Some sort of medical course & test going on, lots of Asian medics. Eve eat in hotel bar, excellent again except the Hancock's HB on the handpump is off.

Thu 2006-05-11 {19022}

Clear and sunny start. To br 97, where there is a BW car park. Walk W first, until towpath is closed for roadworks from br 100; took the towpath diversion for a bit across the roundabout & dualling works towards Gilwern, but it looked as if we were being taken by road all the way to Gilwern, so came back & a little to the other side of Govilon, beyond br 96. On the way from hotel bought lunch at Waitrose outside Abergavenny (N of Llanfoist at about SO293138) & off to eat this on a mountain, via loos at Llangynidr (SO155195 v approx). Again to car park at SO157171, & after lunch wander around the quarry then out a little from the road to sit in sun reading & listening to 1st Sri Lanka test, & later in the car. Back to Brecon for about 17h by when the sky was darkening & the 198kHz was picking up lightning flashes. From Llangynidr for the 4 or 5km to the car park, going up, was a good 20mi/UKgall; ave for up & down was 35. A Mitsubishi small MPV towing a vintage German car on a trailer followed us up the hill, then asked us if we could tell them where they were. Showed them, & they set off back down again. Eve to eat at the Brecon Balti, a similar experience to 1995, service a bit odd, esp at the start before the real waiter arrived, no relishes with the popadums, drinks only when asked for. Food was OK tho', except \theta's coffee had old milk in it & the waiter spilled some in the saucer then tried to mop it up with a tissue, spilling some more. Only 32L. After, another lager in the hotel bar, which had 2 other couples eating. The hotel is still full of Asian medics who seem to go out on the town or bring back take-aways to their rooms. Car park is full of Mercs & BMWs with a few Porshes & Audi TTs. A little rain while we were eating. E-mail from R sugesting that things might be improving financially with the insurance dispute at Aculab maybe going his way.

Fri 2006-05-12 {19023}

Feature of the area, today & during the week, is low-flying military planes, both unmarked, dark, 4-engined props & very fast & very noisy jets that come, make their racket & disappear within just a few seconds. Forecast was for weather to cool today but actually sunny & hot all day, 23degC max seen on car. First walk from br 163 in a ring partly on the riverside path, regaining towpath at around br 165. Shorts and T-shirt from almost the start. Dressing so with the Adidas sports suit over the top when required works well. Then back into Brecon & buy material for lunch at Morrison's, then out to eat it by Talybont reservoir, car park with bogs at SO106209. Walk from here on access road to base of dam & waterworks building then up track to E side of road over dam. Pretty, lots of pix as walk back over dam then along road back to car park. Move on then to car park at SO099197 but cannot access much of the lake shore. Sit for a while on a rock in the sun listening to Eng building a huge lead in the 1st test (551-6 dec). Starting to get a little hazy by then & to the Llangynidr flight for a final goodbye to the canal; park by bottom lock, walk up flight & sit for a while at top, sun back by then, before following a boat down. Medics were checking out this morning & by this eve back to plenty of parking & no Porches. Eve eat in the restaurant, 3 courses + a bottle of demi-sec fizz, all good, excellent lamb. Tho' the usual problem of restaurants, couple next to us using mobile phone & four behind us complaining whenever possible. E-mail from sgc suggests that Andy James is the next victim of the creeping purge.

Sat 2006-05-13 {19024}

Last breakfast and set off ~08h30. The odd, loud couple were there at breakfast, complaining about everything, and the hotel were a little disorganised this morning, they had a big party from an autism charity breakfasting in the ballroom and there was some long whinge about the management. Bill was getting on for 700L, 79L/night plus meals. Came back on A40 all the way to Oxford, not as fast as the motorway route out, but not much longer (3h40m) and more interesting. Weather now duller. Cats collected, 100L; Sooty was still upset and took a while to settle down at home. Very long lawn cut, after which the rain arrived.

2009-10-05..2009-10-05

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