After a few weeks of wondering whether the Wales trip would go ahead this year, I left Eastbourne at 3.30am heading for Newlands Corner. Here’s a photo at the start:
As you can see it was pretty dark, the nearest car is Neil’s GBS Zero, also present were Graham Roger and Steve (the Elise triplets), and Tony and Robert (the Quantum twins). I had a problem when my Tomtom kept saying no route possible for day1, someone, said try switching it off and loading the route immediately and much to my relief that worked. Graham had planned the route avoiding the motorway heading to breakfast in Newport where we were to meet Linda.
The route was excellent but took 30 minutes longer than planned, but after dealing with a stroppy Welsh waitress we were soon on our two tables while Linda was on her own due to Covid restrictions. In fact the Beefeater had tried to cancel our booking until Graham persuaded them we were travelling as two groups. Here we are in the car park:
Last year, we tried using nice A roads to travel from Newport up to Llangoolen but the traffic was terrible, so this year Graham had chosen much more minor roads and the route was brilliant. We were concerned that we might not be able to use some roads due to local lockdowns in South Wales, but there was no sign of anything different as we drove along. Here we are at a quick break in mid Wales:
Nb, Steve and Graham used Tony's pliers to rescue a sheep that had caught its head in a fence at this stop
Later on places to stop were few and far between, Neil was hungry and various peolple needed toilet breaks, but Roger was leading and his radio wasn’t working……. Eventually having lost Tony we were allowed a break
There had been a great mix of single track and B roads throughout the day, but as we neared Llangollen from the south, one of the few proper B roads was closed. At this point chaos reigned and we ended up in three groups trying different routes. I lead Linda and Robert up a road which started well with a white line in the middle, but within 400 yards the surface was more like a river bed than a road, and the next turn looked only suitable for off road vehicles, so we turned back.
Eventually we all made it to The Hand in Llangollen which we picked because it has a huge car park, of course this was completely full. Roger and Steve took on the role of supervising our parking and soon we were all crammed into some spare spaces in the corner, I wish I had taken a photo!
We decided to eat at the Hand and the food was very good, once again we were on two tables, but the conversation was good and the excellent Glogwin Gold beer helped
Wales 2020 report :)
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- DJ.
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Wales 2020 report :)
Last edited by DJ. on Tue Sep 22, 2020 8:05 am, edited 2 times in total.
- DJ.
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Re: Wales 2020
Day 2
There were two route options for day 2. Graham had a tried and tested route that had been enjoyed previously, and I had one I had planned to take my wife on in May before lockdown changed everyone’s plans. The Rogue Runners decided to gamble on the new route.
We started by doing the Horseshoe pass which was traffic free, and then continued on to one of my favourite Welsh roads that runs down a gorge by a river with a lot of tight bends. Tony was leading at good pace, especially considering he only has a 1.4 CVH in his Quantum. I was really enjoying myself following him, and was surprised when he pulled over to let us past as he was worried he’d hold us up. In fact the Quantum kept up very well, apparently Tony’s technique was almost never braking and keeping his foot flat on the floor! After a couple of days Tony said the car seemed to be getting faster, maybe a case of an Italian tune up
There was some traffic on the roads heading west, and some surfaces were a bit bumpy, but then I got a lucky break and overtook five cars to get a clear run along some excellent roads heading to the Evo triangle and Lake Brenig visitor centre. It was a shame the others didn’t get past, but there was a waypoint in the car park, so I was sure we’d regroup soon……
I pulled into the car park and parked in a really obvious place only to have a chap in a big black pick up pull up and obscure my car completely. He was very friendly though and was concerned I hadn’t seen the average speed cameras leading to the lake. Fortunately I was aware of them and had been playing a new game, the Tomtom records your average speed in the zone, so I tried to get an average as close to 60 as I could without exceeding 60 mph, I managed 56, it turned out Roger was doing the same and had the same score
Strangely, only Linda, Roger, Steve and Graham joined me while the others sped past. We had a very pleasant coffee (thanks Roger ) with a view of the lake, but £2.50 seems rather steep for parking:
After coffee, the five of us continued on the route, passing a Lamborghini who flashed and then fortunately away from the speed cameras and onto some single track by a reservoir with great scenery:
The next stage was a scenic route up to Llandudno, and while there were some good roads, there were rather too many narrow single track ones and we were held up by: a) a huge tractor with a muck spreader trailor that went on for miles and couldn’t let us past, b) two escaped sheep that Steve had to shepherd along the road to a gate so we could get past c) a flock of sheep coming the other way driven along by a miserable farmer on a quad bike. Just past all these hazards, the satnavs said turn around where possible………., we decided not to follow this advice and eventually the Tomtom insanity cured itself and we saw 15 miles come off the remaining distance!
As we drove into Llandudno, I heard Neil and Tony on the radio, they had stopped for some lunch and were just heading to the toll road around the Great Orme with Robert. After a quick radio discussion and seeing the car park full, we decided to join them and not bother stopping again. As a group we drove around the road, slowly as there were plenty of pedestirans and an ancient tour bus. We got a lot of attention, good I think . I took some photos while driving, but hopefully someone got some better ones:
After Llandudno, we drove along the coast to Conway Castle and headed south. The roads were generaly good, but we were held up a lot by a Land Rover and the Llanberis pass was very busy. I have never seen Wales so busy, I think everyone was desperate to get out in case there is another lockdown . Fuel was running low, but my sheduled stop came just in time for Neil and Robert. Cafes/pubs where open were full, and we headed onto some more minor roads with plenty of bends and less traffic . Suddenly we were at the Ffestiniog train station which I had forgotten I had put in as a stop. Unfortunately Neil and Robert missed it, but the rest of us used the toilets and those who wanted had a nice cup of tea and cake. The name of the train was familiar:
We then headed home on some faster flowing roads, first towards Bala, (beautiful views but held up ) then towards Corwen and Steve got a clear run. Those supercharged Elises certainly go well, I had to use a lot more revs than usual to keep in touch in my Seven!
Soon we were back to The Hand, where the car park was just as busy
Steve fancied a curry, so half of us went to the local curry house and the others remained at the hotel. I can report the curry was great and we had a really good chat, the end to another good day, and still dry
There were two route options for day 2. Graham had a tried and tested route that had been enjoyed previously, and I had one I had planned to take my wife on in May before lockdown changed everyone’s plans. The Rogue Runners decided to gamble on the new route.
We started by doing the Horseshoe pass which was traffic free, and then continued on to one of my favourite Welsh roads that runs down a gorge by a river with a lot of tight bends. Tony was leading at good pace, especially considering he only has a 1.4 CVH in his Quantum. I was really enjoying myself following him, and was surprised when he pulled over to let us past as he was worried he’d hold us up. In fact the Quantum kept up very well, apparently Tony’s technique was almost never braking and keeping his foot flat on the floor! After a couple of days Tony said the car seemed to be getting faster, maybe a case of an Italian tune up
There was some traffic on the roads heading west, and some surfaces were a bit bumpy, but then I got a lucky break and overtook five cars to get a clear run along some excellent roads heading to the Evo triangle and Lake Brenig visitor centre. It was a shame the others didn’t get past, but there was a waypoint in the car park, so I was sure we’d regroup soon……
I pulled into the car park and parked in a really obvious place only to have a chap in a big black pick up pull up and obscure my car completely. He was very friendly though and was concerned I hadn’t seen the average speed cameras leading to the lake. Fortunately I was aware of them and had been playing a new game, the Tomtom records your average speed in the zone, so I tried to get an average as close to 60 as I could without exceeding 60 mph, I managed 56, it turned out Roger was doing the same and had the same score
Strangely, only Linda, Roger, Steve and Graham joined me while the others sped past. We had a very pleasant coffee (thanks Roger ) with a view of the lake, but £2.50 seems rather steep for parking:
After coffee, the five of us continued on the route, passing a Lamborghini who flashed and then fortunately away from the speed cameras and onto some single track by a reservoir with great scenery:
The next stage was a scenic route up to Llandudno, and while there were some good roads, there were rather too many narrow single track ones and we were held up by: a) a huge tractor with a muck spreader trailor that went on for miles and couldn’t let us past, b) two escaped sheep that Steve had to shepherd along the road to a gate so we could get past c) a flock of sheep coming the other way driven along by a miserable farmer on a quad bike. Just past all these hazards, the satnavs said turn around where possible………., we decided not to follow this advice and eventually the Tomtom insanity cured itself and we saw 15 miles come off the remaining distance!
As we drove into Llandudno, I heard Neil and Tony on the radio, they had stopped for some lunch and were just heading to the toll road around the Great Orme with Robert. After a quick radio discussion and seeing the car park full, we decided to join them and not bother stopping again. As a group we drove around the road, slowly as there were plenty of pedestirans and an ancient tour bus. We got a lot of attention, good I think . I took some photos while driving, but hopefully someone got some better ones:
After Llandudno, we drove along the coast to Conway Castle and headed south. The roads were generaly good, but we were held up a lot by a Land Rover and the Llanberis pass was very busy. I have never seen Wales so busy, I think everyone was desperate to get out in case there is another lockdown . Fuel was running low, but my sheduled stop came just in time for Neil and Robert. Cafes/pubs where open were full, and we headed onto some more minor roads with plenty of bends and less traffic . Suddenly we were at the Ffestiniog train station which I had forgotten I had put in as a stop. Unfortunately Neil and Robert missed it, but the rest of us used the toilets and those who wanted had a nice cup of tea and cake. The name of the train was familiar:
We then headed home on some faster flowing roads, first towards Bala, (beautiful views but held up ) then towards Corwen and Steve got a clear run. Those supercharged Elises certainly go well, I had to use a lot more revs than usual to keep in touch in my Seven!
Soon we were back to The Hand, where the car park was just as busy
Steve fancied a curry, so half of us went to the local curry house and the others remained at the hotel. I can report the curry was great and we had a really good chat, the end to another good day, and still dry
- b33fy
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Re: Wales 2020
Great write up Duncan. Hopefully the covid situation won’t spoil your fun.
Power.. small nail, fast hammer, Torque.. small nail, big hammer.. I got a big hammer
- DJ.
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Re: Wales 2020
Day 3
Some of us were a bit late starting this morning which was to cause problems later. Graham and Steve left first, then Roger and Tony and finally Neil, Linda, Robert and myself got going.
We headed down the A5 and soon the satnavs were saying turn right. I thought I knew the route and ignored the instruction, but then realised I wasn’t so clever, managed to muck it up and had to reload the route. Sorry guys! Robert took the lead and set of at a good pace over the very bumpy roads. I did notice his Quuantum is excellent over bumps, poor Neil was suffering as his lowered floors kept hitting bumps, it must have been very uncomfortable. Later Robert told me he has his suspension high otherwise it would be impossible to get his car into his home.
We eventually joined the road to Bala and were making good progress after passing some traffic, turned a hairpin and the Neil couldn’t select a gear. He rolled to the next layby so was at least in a safe position where we could look at the problem. He took the tunnel cover off and the issue was the gearlever extension had sheared. We discussed getting it into 3rd and going to the nearest town but Neil pointed out that on a Sunday the garages would be shut. At the time we couldn’t think of an alternative to calling for help from a recovery company, and once he’d made contact we reluctantly left him at the side of the road. Later on we came up with some ideas of what we might/could have done differently and I think the situation may have been different if we had all been together as a group. I will leave Neil to tell his story, but today we heard he was on his way home.
I led Linda and Robert up Hellfire and then Llanberis passes as quickly as I dared/the traffic allowed and we arrived at the coffee stop an hour after the others. They had already heard the bad news
We headed onto Machynlleth where the Lotuses and Robert didn’t stop for petrol, there was due to be another stop and they didn’t need it at the time……..
The usual brilliant roads led us to Clywedog reservoir and then onto Ryader and the Elan valley, traffic wasn’t as bad as I had feared. We stopped for more cake and coffee, thanks Tony at Devil’s Bridge Falls. By this time we were well behind schedule and still had 115 miles to go, so I decided to cut the route short. I suspected the Black Mountain Road would be busy and I’ve driven it many times, so I deleted a few stops and knocked about 30 miles off. We reached Lampeter (?) and the fuel stop was closed, this wasn’t good for Robert, so he and Linda decided to head for the nearest petrol station where they decided to cut the route as I had. Tony carried on with the whole route and by this time Steve, Graham and Roger were ahead and in the Black Mountains.
I had chanced upon a nice road that took me most of the way to the military road where for the first time, I actually stopped to take some photos:
A view of the replica East European village to practice combat:
The road goes on for miles without much traffic:
Heading onto the military road, I came up behind an elderly gentleman in an early MX5, he waved me past as he was driving very gently. After stopping I came up behind him on a very narrow road and followed for a few miles. He turned off, and I went zooming onwards in the lanes and after a few miles came to a T junction. Just as the same chap was turning into my road, he looked surprised (as I probably did!) and we gave each other a wave
I was the first to arrive at the hotel, but the others soon appeared with Tony the only one to do the whole route understandably last.
Some of us were a bit late starting this morning which was to cause problems later. Graham and Steve left first, then Roger and Tony and finally Neil, Linda, Robert and myself got going.
We headed down the A5 and soon the satnavs were saying turn right. I thought I knew the route and ignored the instruction, but then realised I wasn’t so clever, managed to muck it up and had to reload the route. Sorry guys! Robert took the lead and set of at a good pace over the very bumpy roads. I did notice his Quuantum is excellent over bumps, poor Neil was suffering as his lowered floors kept hitting bumps, it must have been very uncomfortable. Later Robert told me he has his suspension high otherwise it would be impossible to get his car into his home.
We eventually joined the road to Bala and were making good progress after passing some traffic, turned a hairpin and the Neil couldn’t select a gear. He rolled to the next layby so was at least in a safe position where we could look at the problem. He took the tunnel cover off and the issue was the gearlever extension had sheared. We discussed getting it into 3rd and going to the nearest town but Neil pointed out that on a Sunday the garages would be shut. At the time we couldn’t think of an alternative to calling for help from a recovery company, and once he’d made contact we reluctantly left him at the side of the road. Later on we came up with some ideas of what we might/could have done differently and I think the situation may have been different if we had all been together as a group. I will leave Neil to tell his story, but today we heard he was on his way home.
I led Linda and Robert up Hellfire and then Llanberis passes as quickly as I dared/the traffic allowed and we arrived at the coffee stop an hour after the others. They had already heard the bad news
We headed onto Machynlleth where the Lotuses and Robert didn’t stop for petrol, there was due to be another stop and they didn’t need it at the time……..
The usual brilliant roads led us to Clywedog reservoir and then onto Ryader and the Elan valley, traffic wasn’t as bad as I had feared. We stopped for more cake and coffee, thanks Tony at Devil’s Bridge Falls. By this time we were well behind schedule and still had 115 miles to go, so I decided to cut the route short. I suspected the Black Mountain Road would be busy and I’ve driven it many times, so I deleted a few stops and knocked about 30 miles off. We reached Lampeter (?) and the fuel stop was closed, this wasn’t good for Robert, so he and Linda decided to head for the nearest petrol station where they decided to cut the route as I had. Tony carried on with the whole route and by this time Steve, Graham and Roger were ahead and in the Black Mountains.
I had chanced upon a nice road that took me most of the way to the military road where for the first time, I actually stopped to take some photos:
A view of the replica East European village to practice combat:
The road goes on for miles without much traffic:
Heading onto the military road, I came up behind an elderly gentleman in an early MX5, he waved me past as he was driving very gently. After stopping I came up behind him on a very narrow road and followed for a few miles. He turned off, and I went zooming onwards in the lanes and after a few miles came to a T junction. Just as the same chap was turning into my road, he looked surprised (as I probably did!) and we gave each other a wave
I was the first to arrive at the hotel, but the others soon appeared with Tony the only one to do the whole route understandably last.
- DJ.
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Re: Wales 2020
Today, I drove home and the others were heading west and south. I will leave one of them to tell what happens
Here are a couple of photos at the Highland Moors where we had a very nice meal and more beer on Sunday night:
Here are a couple of photos at the Highland Moors where we had a very nice meal and more beer on Sunday night:
- Fury1630
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Re: Wales 2020
More Day one photos
Rickman Ranger
Fisher Fury
Quantum 2+
SSC Stylus
http://blatterbeast.blogspot.com/
http://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-carpool/fisher-fury-ph-carpool/31848
Fisher Fury
Quantum 2+
SSC Stylus
http://blatterbeast.blogspot.com/
http://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-carpool/fisher-fury-ph-carpool/31848
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- Site Admin
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Re: Wales 2020
sounds like a hoot was had...barring the traffic. Seems like you were out of luck on that score, atleast it was dry while you had to dawdle behind sluggish machinery!
Nice write up Duncan, only slightly envious
Nice write up Duncan, only slightly envious
- Fury1630
- Posts: 5342
- Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 7:11 am
- Location: Camberley
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Re: Wales 2020
More Day 2 photos
Rickman Ranger
Fisher Fury
Quantum 2+
SSC Stylus
http://blatterbeast.blogspot.com/
http://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-carpool/fisher-fury-ph-carpool/31848
Fisher Fury
Quantum 2+
SSC Stylus
http://blatterbeast.blogspot.com/
http://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-carpool/fisher-fury-ph-carpool/31848
- Wingco
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Re: Wales 2020
Great write up Duncan, sounds like a fun trip and the weather seemed to be kind this year ??.
Mirror, Signal go faster pedal !!
- Fury1630
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Re: Wales 2020
Day 3 Photos
Rickman Ranger
Fisher Fury
Quantum 2+
SSC Stylus
http://blatterbeast.blogspot.com/
http://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-carpool/fisher-fury-ph-carpool/31848
Fisher Fury
Quantum 2+
SSC Stylus
http://blatterbeast.blogspot.com/
http://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-carpool/fisher-fury-ph-carpool/31848
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