📔 Editor's Letter - May 2026
Hello Again!
2026 has started out like a wet rag. We did have a few lovely sunny days with warm temperatures in late March and early April, but the bulk of the first four months of the year have been dominated by relentless rain and surprisingly cold weather.

Accordingly, I haven't been cycling as much as I had planned, but I'm not terribly upset about it to be honest, because I've been able to work on this blog extensively.

The biggest change I've made you can't even see and that's a good thing! I discovered GitHub back in February and it is slowly changing the way I think about this site and the way I work. Case in point: I now have a universal navbar which is hosted on GitHub. I can make one change there and it effects all nine navbars I have for this site. (I bet you didn't even know that this blog is actually contructed from nine seperate Blogger sites!)

My main point is that big changes are coming. As I approach my 50th issue, I am thinking that Volume 10 | Issue 50 will be my last. What or how my next endeavor manifests, I haven't a clear idea, but I've been doing this for 15 years now and I am ready to do something new.
Meanwhile I've got loads of ride reports to compile and plenty of ongoing projects to keep me busy — so to hell with the weather, let's work!
"The Brinker" at Magor Marsh
The cover story for this issue is the second installment of my Gwent Levels Cycling Project. Magor Marsh and Summerleaze finds me exploring the nature reserve at Magor Marsh, followed by a surprising little wander down to the seawall at Summerleaze. The marsh is a 90-acre nature reserve (36-hectare) and was the first nature reserve created along the Gwent Levels and provides a home to diverse wildlife, including rare aquatic flora and fauna. Easily accessable by cycle (and train), it is a fabulous place to spend an afternoon exploring. The seawall is just an amazing feat of enginnering... thousands of years old and offers a stunning view across the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel. What I found along there, sent chills down my back.
I went on a bit of a misadventure for my second feature; Llandegfedd & Llansoy [explore]. My plan was to visit Trellech and document its many historical sites, but as it turned out... the ride was somewhat more difficult than I envisioned — especially in a single day! Still, it was an interesting ride, I discovered some new areas of South East Wales and it set the wheels in motion planning for a longer overnight trip.
A surprising find along the seawall...
A desolate looking reservoir...

For my third feature in this issue, I set out to document the development of NCN Route 881. I had read in the news that the towns along the Rhondda Fach Valley had recently been awarded £20 million for regeneration projects, so I went to see the results of their efforts for myself. It's a lengthy report with over 175 photos, but I also plan to include this work in my ongoing project for "Routes to Ride". You can see my results in: Pontypridd to Maerdy.
In my quest to update all of my "Rides to Remember" from the past 15 years, I've got two features for your reveiw. Twin Peaks: The Bwlch & Rhigos documents my ride back in 2018 when I cycled over two of Wales more popular mountain climbs — and I rode them both in single day!, whilst Hay-on-Wye & Hereford Epic goes back to 2017 and follows me on a 135 mi. (217 km) epic adventure. I'm rather proud of both and I think the new larger format better showcases the photos. I hope you'll check'em out!
Speaking of "Routes to Ride", I've got a new one in the Departments section of this issue; NCN Route 469 - Darran Valley, is a picturesque, mostly traffic-free route as it weaves its way from the outskirts of Bargoed to it's northern terminus in the sleepy village of Fochriw.

I finally made it to Raglan Castle and I've got a new set of images in my Gallery documenting the day I spent exploring this magnificent late-medieval ruin.

Then for my last department, I've taken a side-step away from my "Dream Bike Build" storyline to showcase a dreamy bike frame from the past, you can still buy today. If you're looking for a new bike project for the summer, check out this frame at Triton Cycles: The Light Blue.
Of course, I'm still following that lovely couple from England as they trapse their way to India. In their third video they're plowing their way across the rugged Dinaric Alps of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Montenegro. Always accompined with beautiful imagery and poetic narration, it's a travel documentary ya gotta see.

And I know you'll want to watch the video from Park Tools on wheel building! Come on, if you haven't built a wheel, I know you've thought about it. Make 2026 the year you learn to build bicycle wheels, like I have! Hah!
That pretty much sums up this early Spring issue. If you've any questions or topics you'd like to share, do not hesitate to contact me. I'd love to hear from ya!

Thanks again for your support & encouragement. Your readership means everything and as always...

I'll seeya down the road.

Cheers! - muse kidd 
bikewales99@gmail.com
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