Techniquest
Veteran Member
Thanks for your comments Tech, always appreciated, but yes such a shame about Maesteg, you can still see a few signed of its more industrious past. Yes Ebbw Vale is definitely worth a visit, if only to look at the excellent dragon sculpture, I can`t see myself ticking off Wetherspoons any time soon, but have breakfasted in quite a few of them now in various parts of the UK. On Greggs I have my bacon roll head on at the moment, so may visit another one at some point this week
Oh my yes, if you follow National Cycle Network Route 885 out of Maesteg you'll find some incredible views. I cycled up that way some months ago, and it did require a good bit of fitness on the largely-traffic-free route, but worth it for the views. I did a trip report at the time for it, and the NCN 885 bits I did were certainly walkable and worthy of some hours exploring on its own.
Ebbw Vale is somewhere I can reasonably easily access for cheap by bus from here, or at least I used to be able to. It's been many a year since I did that route so I could be mistaken these days. I got to journey as a passenger/navigator in my Mum's car a good few months ago along that part of the world, taking in the A465 westwards from Abergavenny. Oh my days the HUGE civil engineering achievements that road has become is worth seeing in its own right. Back in 2004 or 2005 (I honestly don't remember which year now), when I first went that way on a Stagecoach bus (proper coach in the form of a Volvo B10M coach back then too!) the huge project was still in its early days. Fast forward to 2021 and the difference is incredible. Sadly, it is not a road that is open to cyclists but this is probably a good thing as I think I would destroy my body taking on those hills!
Going back to Ebbw Vale then, sorry that tale of the A465 needed telling as I do love a good bit of civil engineering on that sort of scale, I think I can still get there by bus easily enough but I am going to find this out today. My cycle is due to go in for some repairs, so I need to have something to do apart from housework! I hope so anyway, as it is a place I'd like to explore without the lure of beers this time (let's not go there!) and it has been many a year since I ticked off Spoons. Couldn't do it now, there's so many better things to do!
I will look for that dragon you mention, it sounds like a good excuse to go there!
Your day exploring the Valleys looks like it was a good one, there are some nice journeys to do down there and I look forward to doing some of them again when the new trains arrive. The 231s in particular promise to be good fun!