At this time of the year and with the change in weather this last fortnight ( 2 weeks ago we were in shirtsleeves at Wastwater at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, bloody roasting) I wasn’t expecting the ride to be heavily subscribed and “as it ‘appens” for other reasons as well as the weather, it wasn’t.So, it was an early start Saturday. This time I had prepared the day before, so no hysterical blunders in the dark like in the past, (well, just one or two) and it was up at 05.00 and ready for 05.45. Opened the back door and see it’s absolutely pissing down. Well, with a room booked for Saturday night, ringing around and cancelling wasn’t an option so fookit, back in and climbed into my only tried once, one-piece waterproofs. Hard work getting the bugger on though but once it was finally on it was out to the garage only to remember that with my waterproofs fully zipped up it prevents me plugging my heated jacket and gloves into the “mains” ! Bollox ! Back into the house and 10 minutes of fun taking the fekkin waterproofs off and a further 10 minutes trying to get my legs into my bloody waterproof leggings, including falling over twice and waking everyone up.
Off at 06.15 and I’m behind time already. Riding over the Snake Pass in heavy rain and fog was very tortuous. “They” must move the roads around in the dark as I’m fekked if I knew where the bends were- nowt like the daytime Snake. By the time I got onto the Manchester ring road the rain had stopped and further west the roads dry. Woo Hooo!
First meet was at Junction 10 M56 on the A49 where I met up with an American rider, Brooke, that Fatbert, Cyclops and mesself first met up in the Borders a couple of months ago. He’s having an extended stay in the UK and has bought a Honda Crossrunner to see the sights.
From there, it was an early morning, traffic free blatt down the A49 to Bayston Hill Services, arriving at 08.28 To meet Oldbull on his fekkin TDM ( Blackbird’s in bits kid), Ramo and Simmo. Once breakfast and insults over with it was away from the heavy traffic of the ringroad, down the very nice and quiet A488 to Clun, where we were greeted by our Surprise Guest, Extremist. The landlady of the Sun Inn also came out to say hello and allowed us to leave our overnight bags in the pub for later.
So that was the group, a Crossrunner, a TDM and four Blackbirds.
Setting off from Clun up over the tops west was a bit grim, the drizzle getting worse as we climbed and the steep decsent to Newtown was bit arse nipping too. From there it was a fast ride, but not too fast as the roads were a bit damp in places, down the Newtown to Crossgates road, to me, the best 20 odd miles of road there is if traffic free. Today there was one or two vehicles which temporarily hindered us. Following the route it was down to Llandrindod and then across onto the Beulah road, another stonker to be ridden as fast as fook.
A quick coffe at Beulah filling station and then up over the Abergwesyn Pass and down to Tregaron, one of the most beautiful valleys I have seen. Here's the valley as it snakes up from Beulah. Never been up this road before although I had seen pics of it.
looking back
Looking up the valley
Looking back again !
Extremist admiring the Titanium model
Stunning ! Lovely one track roads and bloody steep tight climbs for great views at the top.
This is red kite country and fekk they’re as common as muck down this way. From Tregaron the pace picks up on the A485 all the way to Aberystwyth where a customary stop on the sea front was called for followed by fish and chips and drinks.
This was a well needed rest and I’m afraid that once I’d eaten I just had to have a bit of a power nap on the beach before the return leg.
Well, about 3.30ish I think and it was fill up time and set off east out of Aberystwyth towards Devil’s Bridge along the A4120 a beautiful climbing road that runs along a ridge giving great views down below.
A stop at Devil’s Bridge to show the Yank the sights ( “you wanna come down the steps with me to look at the bridges Brooke? “ Nah dude, you go, I can see them right here on these here postcards uhuu?” )
Ramo asks a local for directions !
Hairless duo bless. !
and then onwards over the mountain road to Elan Valley, a road that is always enjoyed. Pic looks a bit dreary but actually it was bloody lovely over here.
Turning down towards Elan dams we had to watch out for the skateboarders that were “doing” the steep hills. Fekkin nutjacks these young uns !
A meander around and down through the dams took us to the Visitor Centre which had just bloody closed so it was on to Rhayder where we had a final coffee and chat before the last leg back to Clun and refreshments.
By now I was bollixed but still enjoying it. Setting off at 6.00 the dark rain clouds were waiting for us and the last 30 miles were summink else. With the light fading fast and made worse by the rainclouds it was a race to beat the dark. However, the rain made this a challenge. There were some arse nipping moments on blind bends with farm shite here and there and as the rain got worse it all became very focussed and intense.
By the time we safely arrived at Clun we were a bit wet but buzzing. 193 miles completed safe and sound and now the challenge of drinking in a nice warm pub for the rest of the night....except for Extremist, who decided against a night in the pub, and after a quick natter set off home....in the dark and in the wet. Ya a better man than I am Gunga Din.
Fabulous days riding on beautiful empty roads that most of us have ridden at one time or another.
Our American visitor was very impressed and thoroughly enjoyed himself.
Once showered and shaved it was into the bar where we had a great evening supping all bloody sorts, myself and Ramo being the last to turn in sometime after 1.00a.m. Fortunately the Landlady adjusted the breakfast time to later than normal. Bloody good night had by all and to say there’s only two pubs in the village I don’t know where everyone came from but there there was so many people pissed up I couldn’t believe it !
Sunday morning arrived and the weather wasn’t looking too good so Simmo took a rain check and decided to head home after breakfast, which, by the time we’d finished was 11.00 ish. The rest of us decided it’d be rude not to make a bit of a ride for part of the day so an impromptu route was made up as we went along, back up the Clun Valley and down to Newtown then along the A470 to Llanidloes, a very fast as fook beautiful A road. Once past the fekkin oil tanker and that old lady (
) it was a full on blatt, only interrupting it to give Brooke a ride of my Blackbird. I was shitting myself a bit as this is no ordinary Blackbird remember. No, it’s a ’98 Carb Titanium Bird. However he did take heed of my warnings and rode her well. Stopping at Llanidloes to swap back before the Mountain road, he mumbled through his silly grin something about “farrkin hell, how many fekkin gears, wooooo, whoa jeezus HChrist what the fekkwhere’d that road go, how does it know how to turn in, is it telepathic, fekk dude how much is a Bird, God Almighty I want one and I want one now....blah blah”.The weather had held up fine since Newtown and was looking good so up the mountain road to Macchynlleth , a lovely roller coaster of a road that Extremist introduced me to last year, up past Llyn Clywedog
and over and down to Macchynlleth, down a beautiful long valley along the B4518. By now the weather had turned to shite and it was constant visor wiping time, hopefully not for long as we were now on fast roads north and should outrun it.
...which we did but not before we’d soaked a good bit up. Along the A470 which, with no traffic was as fast as fook do what ya want, we rode up to Dolgellau turning left onto the A494 to Bala, again a bloody fast sweeping road, getting better as you climb up out of the woods.
We stopped at Bala Leisure Centre lakeside, a place I hadn’t thought to use before, having used the fekkin expensive Cafe next door in the past. Thanks to Ramo’s introduction we had cheap tea and cake,, “there’s lovely like”
Taking stock of time and distance we all had to make it was decided we’d head straight to The Ponderosa above Llangollen on the Snakeshoe pass for one final coffee and then head North and East the quickest/fastest routes.
We had one more blatt along the A494 from Bala up, over and down to the A5, seeing not one car. A fabulous fast twisty road when empty. From the A5 up to the Ponderosa got a bit grim stuck behind traffic and with the rain starting again and once at the Cafe we decided to say fook coffee and let’s call it a day. Ramo and Oldbull heading down the Pass and eastwards, myself and Brooke heading North east towards the M56.
And so it came to pass, the miles were soon munched out for Brooke and I, with the weather improving all the time until finally I got to Glossop to face the last leg over the Snake Pass on my Tod having waved goodbye to the Yank on the Manchester ring road a while back. The fuel gauge had just gone onto reserve so what do I do here? Put a fivers worth in just to be sure? Or take a risk at this time of day and out in the middle of nowhere just so I can take the tank off easy peasy when I strip her down for some Winter TLC ?
Fook it, he who dares and all that as Delboy once said, so off I went being very careful to not try nailing it past everyone. Another famous saying rang in my ear “we’ve had our fun, let’s just call it a day now and calm down eh?” which is when a Merc did a silly overtake in front of me so I went after him as it was “game on” had a hoot all the way to Ladybower where I had my last stop to wind down and let that fekkin Merc disappear.
Finally home about 6.30/6,45, about 580 miles altogether.
Brilliant rideout, Garmin is a God and I am knackered still.
Great company and good riding. Cheers everyone.
Oh yea; what a fekkin bike is the Blackbird.
