Well I was looking for an excuse to get away for the weekend and the Sprokets and other assorted SOGs were getting together to give Kelly a going away party to the States and I got an invite. Cool :cool: all the excuse I need
ROUTE
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=lymm&daddr=Brecon,+UK+to:sa336ae+to:Aberystwyth+to:Dinas+Mawddwy,+Machynlleth+to:Unknown+road+to:Bala,+Gwynedd,+United+Kingdom+to:Lymm,+UK&hl=en&geocode=FS6CLgMdbw_a_ymv8OA2M1V6SDG0nlGEPCVvvg%3BFR2nGAMdpEPM_ym3LzVpUiluSDHZ_ZZv1p5wmg%3BFbDKFwMdGGy9_ymL92ODg-BuSDEnbwQCr9fN3A%3BFXjOHwMdqq_B_yl_KgWbgwpvSDGXLkyz1XC7nw%3BFdxwJAMdL6LH_yk5yKbt_V1lSDFRtjd0Fdm7JA%3BFYKKJQMdZ7nJ_w%3BFRFhJwMdOCTJ_ylnjyDhSkBlSDHW8_pC-Gh0EA%3BFS6CLgMdbw_a_ymv8OA2M1V6SDG0nlGEPCVvvg&mra=pd&sll=52.650658,-3.398905&sspn=2.202879,4.839478&ie=UTF8&ll=52.62306,-3.433228&spn=2.204222,4.839478&z=8[url]route
Well, after been given permission to go gallavanting with some diehard leather-heads I set off at 10am on Saturday morning. It was a glorious day for biking but as I had to meet the boys at a preset time I took a fairly direct route where the scenery and roads only really gets spectacular after Newtown. My first stop after about an hour and a half in the saddle. I could now go slower and enjoy the roads, and boy were these just lovely for biking :D
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6827.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6830.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6831.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6832.jpg)
What was so amazing was how quickly the scenery can change. One minute wide valleys, then forested gorges and then plateau grassland. All within 20 miles. Wales is truly spectacular in this respect.
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6833.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6834.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6836.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6837.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6838.jpg)
I love the deciduous forests :spoton:
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6839.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6841.jpg)
Bedroom eyes. No wonder the the Welsh are in love :ljl:
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6842.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6843.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6844.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6846.jpg)//
Into Brecon
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6848.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6849.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6850.jpg)
lovely looking old school dentists.
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6852.jpg)
Meeting the Boys in Sennybridge
I had a lovely sirloin steak, no pics of it, I had to eat it before they got there and started sucking on it
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6853.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6854.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6855.jpg)
And then it was on to Carmarthen and past a few miles to set up camp in Ceri's folks garden
Tigger. Georgeous girl in every respect and rides a 400 Yammie like a whizz for someone so new to biking. :lg: Dont know what she's doing with Doony, it's her only flaw so far as I can tell
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6856.jpg)
Wasnt sure who this was until he openned his maw to smile. Phil you Old Dog
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6857.jpg)
Fred and Doony in the foreground then Ceri and Mister "dont mind me while I get pissed up and do burnouts on the driveway" at the back. (I forgot his name now Brice or summin)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6858.jpg)
Shadowfax Andy aka The Tittyman aka Blossom
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6859.jpg)
Ralphie (Santa Sprocket) and Blossom
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6860.jpg)
Tigger :)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6861.jpg)
(I seem to have lost a whole load of photos of peeps. Musta been so ugly the SD card rejected them
That night the temps fell big time and I froze my bollocks off. I had to nick a condom from a 15 year old boy living in hope to patch up a leaky valve on the air bed. It didnt work
Anyway I woke up on Sunday to some pretty grim riding weather. Spitting rain that seems to permeate everything and when it wasnt raining the humidity was so high the air would condence into sparay as you rode through it. My helmet was sopping wet inside
On to Aberystwyth along the coast road.
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6862.jpg)
bye bye sweetheart... I promise to write
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6863.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6864.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6865.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6866.jpg)
On to Dinas Mawddwy for some lunch at a coach stop. Lovely little place and the coffe was most welcome. I sat outside because the old geezers were giving me disdainful glances as I dripped pools of water on the nice clean carpets
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6870.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6867.jpg)
It was lovely outside with loads of feeding budgie type things squeaking away with gusto
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6869.jpg)
From Dinas Mawddwy up into the mountains to Lake Vermwy. Beautiful, serene, serendipity
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6871.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6872.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6873.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6874.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6875.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6877.jpg)
On to Vermy
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6878.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6879.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6880.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6881.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6883.jpg)
Vermwy
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6884.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6885.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6886.jpg)
Vermy on to Bala
Wish I had stopped to take some more photots. The pass follows a glacial valley that is just breath taking but it was pouring it down and I though better than to take the camera out.
Some google map street views of the pass from Vermwy to Bala
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=lymm&daddr=Brecon,+UK+to:sa336ae+to:Aberystwyth+to:Dinas+Mawddwy,+Machynlleth+to:Unknown+road+to:Bala,+Gwynedd,+United+Kingdom+to:Lymm,+UK&hl=en&geocode=FS6CLgMdbw_a_ymv8OA2M1V6SDG0nlGEPCVvvg%3BFR2nGAMdpEPM_ym3LzVpUiluSDHZ_ZZv1p5wmg%3BFbDKFwMdGGy9_ymL92ODg-BuSDEnbwQCr9fN3A%3BFXjOHwMdqq_B_yl_KgWbgwpvSDGXLkyz1XC7nw%3BFdxwJAMdL6LH_yk5yKbt_V1lSDFRtjd0Fdm7JA%3BFYKKJQMdZ7nJ_w%3BFRFhJwMdOCTJ_ylnjyDhSkBlSDHW8_pC-Gh0EA%3BFS6CLgMdbw_a_ymv8OA2M1V6SDG0nlGEPCVvvg&mra=pd&sll=52.650658,-3.398905&sspn=2.202879,4.839478&ie=UTF8&ll=52.821106,-3.554448&spn=0,0.302467&z=12&layer=c&cbll=52.821106,-3.554448&panoid=xgjWjSFZ3ny0eUoyspd0Ow&cbp=12,247.9,,0,8.45
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=lymm&daddr=Brecon,+UK+to:sa336ae+to:Aberystwyth+to:Dinas+Mawddwy,+Machynlleth+to:Unknown+road+to:Bala,+Gwynedd,+United+Kingdom+to:Lymm,+UK&hl=en&geocode=FS6CLgMdbw_a_ymv8OA2M1V6SDG0nlGEPCVvvg%3BFR2nGAMdpEPM_ym3LzVpUiluSDHZ_ZZv1p5wmg%3BFbDKFwMdGGy9_ymL92ODg-BuSDEnbwQCr9fN3A%3BFXjOHwMdqq_B_yl_KgWbgwpvSDGXLkyz1XC7nw%3BFdxwJAMdL6LH_yk5yKbt_V1lSDFRtjd0Fdm7JA%3BFYKKJQMdZ7nJ_w%3BFRFhJwMdOCTJ_ylnjyDhSkBlSDHW8_pC-Gh0EA%3BFS6CLgMdbw_a_ymv8OA2M1V6SDG0nlGEPCVvvg&mra=pd&sll=52.650658,-3.398905&sspn=2.202879,4.839478&ie=UTF8&ll=52.840354,-3.563375&spn=0,0.037808&z=15&layer=c&cbll=52.840354,-3.563375&panoid=HLwovEqcifYejIIRxvQqKQ&cbp=12,7.31,,0,-10.41
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=lymm&daddr=Brecon,+UK+to:sa336ae+to:Aberystwyth+to:Dinas+Mawddwy,+Machynlleth+to:Unknown+road+to:Bala,+Gwynedd,+United+Kingdom+to:Lymm,+UK&hl=en&geocode=FS6CLgMdbw_a_ymv8OA2M1V6SDG0nlGEPCVvvg%3BFR2nGAMdpEPM_ym3LzVpUiluSDHZ_ZZv1p5wmg%3BFbDKFwMdGGy9_ymL92ODg-BuSDEnbwQCr9fN3A%3BFXjOHwMdqq_B_yl_KgWbgwpvSDGXLkyz1XC7nw%3BFdxwJAMdL6LH_yk5yKbt_V1lSDFRtjd0Fdm7JA%3BFYKKJQMdZ7nJ_w%3BFRFhJwMdOCTJ_ylnjyDhSkBlSDHW8_pC-Gh0EA%3BFS6CLgMdbw_a_ymv8OA2M1V6SDG0nlGEPCVvvg&mra=pd&sll=52.650658,-3.398905&sspn=2.202879,4.839478&ie=UTF8&ll=52.858877,-3.559959&spn=0,0.075617&z=14&layer=c&cbll=52.858877,-3.559959&panoid=a9bcgk00nJpD_J6lZWFzlQ&cbp=12,304.96,,1,6.22
beautiful old farm houses
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6887.jpg)
Bala to Lymm I only made one stop to avoid the dark
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6888.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6889.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6890.jpg)
Why the Bish always looks so good. Cheap child labour. Cost me only two ice lollies
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6892.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/brucekennedy/March%202011%20Wales/CIMG6893.jpg)
Nice ride, Vyrnwy is a lovely spot, some fabby roads too. Behind it is Hellfire pass a test route for Austin cars in the 20s and 30s.
Yep :D Did than to get to Vyrnwy but cut across at the top
8) looks like a good run round... I'm looking forward to getting over that way again sometime this year..
One of my favourite places!!!
Leaving Dinas Mawddwy toward Lake Vermwy about half a mile, is a turn on the left leading down across a bridge over the river made from railway sleepers and RSJs. I (and three others) built that bridge in 1980 to allow vehicle access to the lower field which was used as a campsite for RAF advenure training by the training staff at RAF Cosford where I was based. Dinas Mawddwy had a nice pub that was very friendly toward us (well, we did spend a lot of beer money there). This was not liked by the locals who hated the RAF because of the low flying in the area ( And an RAF PT instructor running over a local with a Landrover might not have helped). The place was eventually burned to the ground, although I cannot confirm there was any connection, which was a pity because it was the only place to go on a Saturday for miles around.
Happy days!! :lol:
Lucky blighter Ken :wink: