It's a quiet, but blisteringly hot morning as we fly through the last water splashes and clunk down the final stepped corners of
Coed y Brenin's Beast. We're absolutely buzzing after the best riding of the trip so far, and dying for a coffee and some proper breakfast.
Our pop eyed desperation obviously isn't that obvious to the cafe staff though, as we're sent outside to wait until they finish some stock taking or something and then come and take our order. In fact we've slipped into a coma by the time they're ready and confusion reigns as we try and get our order right. It's damn good when it comes though, and even Alex is looking revived by the time he's ripped through his butty. We nip downstairs to thank Jo (who's come up to Beics Brenin from Aberystwyth to see how we're doing 60km since he last saw us) for his
Nant yr Arian guiding again, and then it's into the vans and over the wild moorland towards
Penmachno.
The scenery out here in this often forgotten hinterland of Snowdonia 'proper' is stunning, with that proper sense of solitude and isolation only true wildness can bring. Even dropping down over the edge of the valley into
Penmachno it still seems a forgotten, timeless landscape. There are several cars and vans already waiting in the fireroad side pull off that works as the current trailhead though.
We fill Camelbak reservoirs, to try and wash down sausage and bacon butty residue while Russ goes on ahead to set up a photo ambush. The brutally rocky trails and long climbs have definitely taken their toll on all of us though.We spin/grind up the gradual but still gruelling fire road climb in our own little worlds until we finally wind our way up to the treeline and the first bit of technical riding to re engage our minds.
After the almost entirely rock trail surface of
Coed y Brenin, the earthier
Penmachno trails are a really welcome relief and with the trees cooling cooked heads life begins to flow back into our legs. There's no more follow the leader chasing, but we're at least standing enough to sprint the short climbs and keeping the flow fast and enjoyable. The grins are getting bigger and bigger every time we pop back out onto fireroad from sweeping singletrack too. In our own time in our own little worlds we can even cope OK with the longer climbs as we know the fantastic contouring descents we're earning are a fantastic reward.
As we swing back through the clearfelled top line section we're berming and swooping in fine style on a cocktail of sunshine sweet trails and jelly babies and even a sudden spill from Alex as his tubeless tyre burps air on a corner doesn't dampen our spirits.
Even the fireroad climb we've been staring at all the way round the open section turns out to be shorter than expected when it dives off into the trees halfway up and then it's just glorious roller coaster riding all the way down. These trails are a proper hidden gem compared to better well known ones, and the only other rider we see all day suddenly appears out of knowhere behind us as we drag up the last fire road pitch. Damned if he's going to beat us back to the vans though, so push hard and fast (almost too hard and fast) through the choppy banks and drops of the last singletrack.Only two trails to go now though, so we dive into vans and leave dustclouds hanging as we head for
Gwydyr forestLittle did we know it'd turn out to the grimmest section of the whole trip....