Ken and Cheryl Explore the World: 2023 United Kingdom, Day 28: Dolgellau

Bike Route: Machynlleth to Dolgellau 15mi 1500ft of climb

Accommodation: Dual Aspect Ensuite Room (Airbnb); hosts Chris and Louise. Private room in new B&B; Chris and Louise just moved to Dolgellau. Breakfast included.

Lunch/Dinner: Y Sospan. Coronation chicken and a hot meat sandwich.

This was the day of meeting people. Maybe it was the sunshine, maybe it was the location. Whatever, we just kept running into people who wanted to talk. And we had a short day of riding, so we had time to indulge in conversation.

On our way out of Machynlleth, a couple of guys on road bikes passed us and waved. About eight miles later, we pulled into a little village and spotted a busy coffee shop. As we parked our bikes across the street, the two guys from Mach (as they call Machynlleth in this area) called us over. They were at their turnaround point on a day ride. One of them works for the railroad; the other joked that you couldn't really say he worked much. Anyway, they were eager to share ideas about great routes we should ride while in Wales. Some of them we had already included in our itinerary, others we won't be able to fit in but were grateful to hear about.

After the guys left, we finished our cake and beverages, and were preparing to leave when a man and his wife stopped to ask us about our bikes, our trip, and so on. They were so interesting. The wife was born in Texas but grew up in Germany and worked for the government and later the United Nations in Bonn. They moved from Germany to Wales when they retired a few years ago.

Eventually, we pulled ourselves away from the little bakery that reminded us of Martha's in Dundas on a busy Saturday morning in May, and continued up over the big hill for the day.

Even with our long coffee stop and taking the ride slow and easy, we arrived in Dolgellau by early afternoon. We could not check in until 16:00, so we decided to have a late lunch and buy supplies for a light supper. Only one restaurant was open, they had tables outside where we could park the bikes, and we ordered sandwiches.

While we ate, the couple at the table next to us struck up a conversation. They had just finished an eight-hour hike and were having tea before returning to the lodge where they were staying. They belong to a hiking association that owns lodges all over the UK. The association organizes hikes lasting multiple days, some with guides and some without, most with cooks, and members sign up for events they want to participate in. Kind of like a time share / holiday camp for adults. This couple, Frank and Anne, were from Lancaster, and left us with their phone number and instructions to call them if we have time to meet up for tea next week when we will be in Halston, near Lancaster, for the night.

On the way to the grocery store after lunch, we passed a nice bike shop. The owner was out front washing his rental bikes. We stopped and asked if he would let us borrow a floor pump to top up our tires. He brought out the pump and did the job for us, and we enjoyed a little conversation about running a bike shop in a small town.

By the time we reached our guest house, it was well past 16:00. The house was up the steepest hill yet; we barely pushed our bikes to the top, where we ended up in a traffic jam with host Louise in her car on the way down the hill, and other guests on their motorcycle on their way up behind us. After sorting that all out, we arrived, locked our bikes in the garden shed, and fell into our large, airy, clean, lovely room with private bath.

We did walk back down to town in the evening, to get ice cream for Ken and to photograph some of the interesting buildings. The town has the second-most grade II listed buildings in Wales (Cardiff has the most), thanks to a local architect who recognized the importance of the structures and fought to preserve them. Most date from the early 1800s. The main center of town is down in a valley. The higher up the valley you go, the larger and more elaborate the homes and estates.

Our hosts were incredibly nice and interesting and energetic. They have four grown, married daughters and five grandchildren ages six and under. One daughter lives in Uganda, one in Vancouver, the other two nearby. Chris and Louise worked for a mission in Nigeria for many years, and lived and worked in other places too. They bought the home in Dolgellau two years ago and opened it as a B&B less than a year ago. Louise's mother lives in a garden apartment on the top floor (the site is so steep that the third floor has a door directly out to the garden), and they rent rooms on the first floor. The entire place is in immaculate condition.