Not what you might think. Read on.

When planning the first day’s ride north from Newport,  Llanthony immediately commended itself as the camping destination. Romantic ruins in a valley renowned for its beauty and handily placed for the next day’s challenge of the highest road in Wales.
The route looked straightforward – a couple if detours to see the sights of Newport (they do exist), and a Sustrans route along the old canal.
That was before they announced this year’s Tour of Britain. A mountain-top finish on The Tumble, Wales’ answer to Ventoux and too good to miss. So at Pontypool I swapped the old canal for the old railway to Blaenafon. Definitely not flat,  but a better tarmac surface than most roads.
From Blaenafon it was up the easy side of The Tumble – only 2 miles at 11%. After a quick photo of the Keeper’s Pond it was a swift (30+ mph) descent to Abergavenny,  but no tumbles.