Earlier this year I was asked to write a few words for the newsletter of my old cycling club in London.  Even though Dulwich Paragon has many, many members, not everyone will have read these fine words and it would be remiss of me not to share those here….

Are you sitting comfortably?  Then I’ll begin.

Once upon a time there was a young woman who loved cycling, so much so that she joined her local cycle club, the Dulwich Paragon.  At that time, the club was small but perfectly formed but it soon began to grow, and new members joined. Along came a handsome young Prince, they fell in love and road off into the sunset together.

Some of this is true, most of it not.

I have been a member of Dulwich Paragon for many, many years.  I did meet my future husband Richard through the club, and after living in London for nearly 20 years we did decide to start a new life in North Wales.  We both had enough of working ridiculous hours, me especially, just to have enough money to spend most weekends out of London doing the thing we loved most, cycling.  I had a moment of epiphany after visiting Bala where Richard’s parents had a holiday cottage, and after looking in Estate Agents’ windows, as one is prone to do, asked the question. “Why don’t we sell up and move?”  We didn’t have children, Richard was a furniture maker so in theory could be based anywhere, and I would find something to do.

We decided to look for a property that would provide a workshop for Richard and that could also give me an income through offering holiday accommodation.  After a long search we finally found Ty Hen, 4 miles north of Bala in the tiny hamlet of Sarnau.  We had already put our house in London on the market, which sold very quickly, so after making the decision in March, we moved to Ty Hen at the end of June 2013.

The next few years were spent applying for planning permission, building a workshop for Richard, converting two barns into holiday cottages and nearly running out of money.  We also spent a lot of time exploring the local lanes and bridleways.  I now know the area better than most locals and can easily cycle 30 plus miles on the road without seeing a car, encountering traffic lights, or roundabouts.  I also venture off road, usually on a gravel bike, and stare at mountains, red kites, curlews, brown hares and dead sheep.  I have been known to go to bike parks where I can stare at my own mortality.

In the summer of 2015 we opened our first cottage, The Barn.  The other cottage, The Stable, was finally finished in December 2015 after we re-grouped and earned some money.

But life is not a fairy tale and after 5 years of living in Wales, Richard felt that his happiness lay elsewhere.  He left and we got divorced. My lovely dog Jac, lots of good friends and cycling kept me sane. Just. The pandemic came along, my cottages closed and I began working in digital marketing and social media to make ends meet.  3 and a bit years later and I am still tweeting (or should that be Xing?) and writing about crumhorns and sackbuts for a living and the holiday cottages have re-opened.  I have never been busier and love meeting new people, cleaning toilets (that’s not true) and waxing lyrical about the wonderful cycling in North Wales.

It really is very good.

Will I still be here in 10 years’ time?  Who knows.  But at the moment it is the best place on earth and I love living, working and cycling here.  If you would like to see for yourself, book a holiday and if you ask me nicely, I may even join you for a bike ride.