The hot second half of my day, in which we meet Maggie the Magpie, encounter piles of quarried slate the size of hills, and climb up for yet more Utterly Beautiful Views.

The ride from the Hafren Forest to Machynlleth is a wonderful section of NCN-8, and one of my favourites of the entire trip; halfway up, the impressively steep Dylife Gorge opens to the right with a wonderful picturesque view to the North. Partway down the other side of the hill, I was rewarded not only with another stunning view, but also my first sighting of Yr Wyddfa – Snowdon – the highest peak in Wales.

After a quick wander and refuel at the medieval Llanthony Priory I crested Gospel Pass, the highest point on my trip. It did not disappoint, and as I followed the road, the view in front quickly widened out to a vast 180º panorama of hills and lowlands. That crest felt like the boundary at which home and work became distant enough to slip out of mind. I sped down the hill, eager to explore, and to join route 8 itself!

I came across National Cycle Network’s route 8, aka Lôn Las Cymru, while route-planning for a trip earlier in the year. This 250-mile coast-to-coast route through Wales, from Cardiff Bay to Holyhead, is described as ‘one of the toughest long-distance routes on the National Cycle Network’.

According to cycle.travel “This 250-mile route traverses the country’s most mountainous countryside, from the Brecon Beacons to Snowdonia. And if that sounds spectacular, it is. The scenery is among the finest of any cycle route.”

The decision to go was easy.