August 2001 and a holiday is long overdue, after slaving away long evenings for many weeks trying to complete that wonderful travel insurance telesales intranet in the office. Much as I enjoy going
over to Ireland and trying to become a super-Celt, it was time for a change. I wanted something different, which would be interesting and possibly involve a bit of exercise (as part of the Nigel redevelopment project). After a bit of digging around in brochures and on the web, I came across Bicycle Beanos, who organise cycling holidays in Wales and the Marches. One of their trips in particular caught my eye, a week based in Tyddewi/St Davids.
A quick check that there was still room, and my booking was in - then it was time to get ready and get fit(?). Dug out my bike that has been languishing in the barn for far too long, had it serviced, had a few bits replaced, pondered on buying the necessary kit - decided that I could live without the kinky black lycra shorts (although I think I might be persuaded to invest...) - and went for a few practice rides. The Beano website suggested that as long as I could manage 20-odd miles a day I'd be fine, and they were right. I did one test run to Aber and back and then on to Borth, about 35 miles, and having survived that I decided I was ready to go. So, I fitted the new bike rack on the back of the car, loaded up the bike, and off I went...
A lot of organized cycling holidays seem to involve pottering along a pre-planned route, going from place to place, but with luggage being taken on ahead to make life easy. The Beanos are slightly different - based in the same place for the whole time, and going on round trips out from the base each day. Seemed like a good idea to me - and easy to take a day off if the weather is grotty! 
Anyway, the St.Davids jaunt was based at Pen Rhiw, a residential centre a short stroll from the centre of St Davids (up a hill, as the name suggests). Basically a large Victorian(?) house, with modernish extensions to add extra accomodation, a former priory and convent, the rooms were basic, but all one needed really. After a day out cycling all that matters is hot water, lots of good food and a comfortable bed, and those were all provided.
The pictures and comments cover the details of the week but what was the overall impression? One of best holidays I've ever had! I would strongly recommend a week on a Beano to anyone who fancies a super time, in a super place, with really super people. Many thanks to Rob and Janey, and I'm sure I'll be back on another Beano at some stage.
Anyway, on to the piccies. They were all taken with a Fuji digital camera and in general haven't been edited: I've twidled the colour balance on a few of them, but most are as they were taken. Some of them look a little dark on my monitor, but they may be OK on yours. Most of them were taken at a resolution of 1792 x 1200, with some at 896 x 600. The images below are reduced from the original: click on the little picture to see a version at 896 x 600, or on the 'full size' link to get the mega-version (careful - they are 200-400K each). All of them have been compressed a bit, hopefully without any obvious loss of quality. If you want to save a copy and print it off, feel free - and you'll probably be best to go for the mega-version if there is one. If you want an un-compressed version (they're about 600K each) just ask and I'll e-mail it to you. Similarly if you want a printed copy but don't have access to a suitable printer, just ask and I'll send you one.
The photos aren't in any particular order.