Meeting up at Dolgellau

Jan and I have been on a good run and to a great location  – The Tenby weekend, as organised by Chris, our rideout co-ordinator.

We had arranged to meet up with Nigel and Joanna at 8am on the outskirts of Mold at the petrol station (really! – 8 am in the morning!). We were not sure whether Nigel would be able to make it – after all he does not believe the day contains two 8 0′clocks.

It started well with the petrol station being closed due to a fuel tanker unloading fresh supplies, so after a hasty trip to another close-by petrol station to fuel up, we returned to a nearby street where we hoped Nigel would spot us and pull in.

Tenby Harbour

At this moment a white 1500 came into sight and there were Ian and Val, on route to the meeting point at Dolgellau. Ian diverted and pulled in behind me. This was their chosen route to go to Dolgellau as well.

A couple of minutes later, Nigel and Jo joined us and we set off. The weather at the start was quite clear and sunny, but it soon became obvious it was not going to continue that way.

On reaching the outskirts of Bala, I had decided I was getting cold and there was every indication that precipitation was about to be encountered (it was going to rain!), so a quick pull in was called for to don the waterproofs. A few minutes later we carried on in time to encounter the wet stuff.

Evening at the Lamb Inn

We continued down to Dolgellau where we pulled in at the Little Chef to meet up with Chris and Amy, and John, Marilyn and Kidogo.

With everyone present, we were about to set off when Chris decided to put on his waterproofs.

I must admit to wondering what we were letting ourselves in for when he started to put on a dry-suit!

Being a resourceful chap, Chris had utilised one of the best bits of waterproof kit he knew – a old dry suit for watersport, which he had very carefully adapted for use as a motorcycle over-suit.

2 solos and a crowd puller

Soon we were on our way, but I can’t say with good progress – the first leg from Dolgellau was dogged with roadworks and slow speed limits for long stretches with no reason for the length of some of them. It was obvious that it was making some drivers of cars very impatient, as was witnessed at the junction of the A487 and the A 493 north of Machynlleth.

We had come to a set of traffic lights, which had plenty of warning of long delays, and after we had queued we were able to proceed in a convoy led by a car towing a caravan. We all made it through with Nigel, riding as last bike, commenting on the CB that the traffic lights just changed to amber as he passed them.

How to sit on a cannon.....

We followed the slow moving traffic behind the caravan for a fair distance before the road turned left over the river bridge.

At a point some 50-60 yards beyond the bridge, which was narrowed down to one lane due to the road works, we were still approaching the traffic lights at the other end with the road barely widening when a reckless 4X4 driver had lost patience and decided he was coming through, regardless of the GoldWings still in his way.

He pulled sharply across in front of me causing me to swerve and emergency stop, only just holding the bike up.

How to fall off.............

He then swerved around the other bikes behind me before heading off over the bridge. He had no regard for the safety of others and used his vehicle as a weapon to force us out of his way.

It was a pity I didn’t get his registration number as he would have been reported to the Police.

Progress was slow due to heavy traffic and caravans.

We eventually stopped for a break (and loos) at a cafe & petrol station at Llanrhystyd, I will be avoiding the cafe in future as it seemed to take 25 minutes to be served with a coffee after it was ordered.

Nigel showing how to not fall off....

We continued after the unintended extended break toward Cardigan, where we were able to find parking spots in a Pay and Display car-park where everything paid, including 3 GoldWings each having to pay – despite only taking 1 car spot.

We were warned by a local that the Council make a fortune out of the unwary motorists in town who park crossing one of the white bay lines.

Lunch was taken in a cafe in town, though we had split up by this time, as Ian was famished and couldn’t wait for the rest of us, then Chris found a cafe in a Jewellers shop that he fancied trying.

The moment the sun shines...

After lunch we met up and continued to make our way towards Tenby, where we arrived about 3.30pm. This was good timing as it gave the ladies time to dump the bags at the hotel then walk around the market stalls and the shops in the town, which was only a very short walk away.

Later that evening we all met up at the Lamb Inn where tables had been booked earlier in the afternoon, as it was one of the few places which allowed Kidogo into the bar area. We then had a very enjoyable evening chatting and drinking after a good meal.

The following morning we met up again after a leisurely breakfast and wandered around the town.

Get together at Tenby for the homebound journey

We visited the Statue of Albert the Good and had great fun at Jan’s expense when she fell off one of the cannons while trying to pose for Nigel’s camera. I am not, and I emphasise not, going to send the video I took of it to that TV programme.

Soon it was 1.15 pm – time to get ready to meet up for the return journey.

Luckily we had nice weather all the way back, along a very well chosen route that more than made up for the frustrating busy road the previous day. Chris led us to Llandovery, where we turned left and went cross country to Rhayader, then onto Newtown.

I can say that this route was an absolute dream to ride along.

Normal tasting sessions in progress

The scenery was great and we managed to spot numerous Red Kites – very distinctive birds of prey with a forked tail, which are managing to repopulate the area after having been nearly wiped out.

Just before Newtown we parted company with John, Marilyn and Kidogo, as they turned towards home in Dolgellau. We continued North, and at Chirk, parted company with Chris and Amy.

Jan and I arrived home under a dull grey sky, and it was no surprise to me to take off my coat and put it away, then walk outside to help unload the bags, only to find it had started to rain heavily.

The whole weekend was a pleasure and worth the effort.

Thanks to Chris for organising it.

Pictures of the ride can be found on the GoldWings North Wales website at The Tenby Ride Photos (courtesy of Nigel, Ian, John and myself).

Dave T

The scenic Sychnant Pass

Having been caught in some heavy rain the previous day in Caernarfon (See Caernarfon ride), we decided to return to the area on Sunday 11th July for the Anglesey Ride-out.

The route for this trip was organised by our rides-coordinator, Chris Phillips, as a circuit of Anglesey. This area is well known to me and I do enjoy a ride around the island, providing the weather is fine.

Jan and I, accompanied by Steve D. on his recently purchased 1500, turned up at 8.50 am at the home of Nigel and Jo, to find Nigel again awake and dressed at this hour, and helping Jo to get ready.

Another scenic shot from the Pass

We were soon heading westbound on the A55 to Llandudno Junction, to meet up at the Black Cat Garage, where we waited for Chris to turn up to guide us around the island according to his route.

Soon enough, Chris and Amy arrived and so did Steve M. on the trike, and we were off.

After a slight detour via Llanrhos and Deganwy, we headed towards Conwy and the Sychnant Pass. This was the very old road that connected Conwy to Penmaenmawr, especially when the tide was in. It is a scenic diversion to the A55 dual carriageway if you have the time to take it.

Break-time to stretch the old aching joints

We pulled off the A55 road just after we crossed the Britannia Bridge onto the island, and followed the road towards Llanfair P.G. before turning left again to head for Newborough.

The roads on Anglesey are interesting for bikers as they are constantly twisting and turning with some decent straights along the way, though speeds cannot be particularly high due to volume of traffic and the not bad but not perfect surface over most of the roads. At least, we did not see many of the body jarring potholes that we find further inland on the mainland, and which are more prevalent since the snow earlier this year.

Meeting up with John and Marilyn

As we continued around the island, I was somewhat disappointed to find so many nice stretches of the road reduced to slow crawls due to speed limits, which were too long and too low. These have crept in over the past couple of years.

We eventually arrived at Beaumaris and were able to pull into a parking spot directly opposite the entrance to the pier.

At this moment we were greeted by John and Marilyn W. who had gone to Beaumaris for a ride and some lunch, having just finished working at the Wing-Ding held at Bangor over the weekend.

We also met Pete Hodge and Diane who were waiting for Steve M. as he was carrying some parts needed to get Pete’s trike back on the road.

'After lunch' photo shoot at the beach

We split up for lunch at a couple of different premises, and when Jan and I returned to the Wings, there was another Wing parked up with them. I was then informed by Nigel that Mike M. and Helen had been following us around the island but just missing us.

Following lunch, we made our way to the view point overlooking the Menai Straits between the Britannia Bridge and the Menai Bridge. This was to enable Nigel to take some decent photos that he wanted for the website.

At this point Chris announced that we were at the end of the official ride-out. He and Amy needed to visit Betws Y Coed to deliver some items. Several of us decided that we would also go along for the ride, at which point Chris announced that we were welcome to come along, if we could keep up with him!

The view between the Bridges

Steve M. decided wisely that the roads would be a bit of a workout for him as his trike does not yet have raked front forks, and was quite heavy to steer, so he set off back to the A55 and home.

Chris was obviously a bit concerned about the time for the items which needed to be delivered so he set off at a gentle pace until the roads allowed progress to be made and off he went with a red 1800 in hot pursuit.

This left Steve at the front not knowing the route.

Fortunately, I was able to get to the front of the other two wings from my position at the back, just in time to lead Steve and Mike with the correct way to go.

I then led the ride to Llanberis, where we picked up Nigel, who had slowed down and waited for us. Chris and Amy were nowhere to be seen as Chris had rode off in a spirited way. He suspected that Chris had turned off somewhere to deliver something.

The view on Sunday - totally invisible on Saturday

We continued the ride up the valley to Pen-y-gwryd and through the same route as Saturday, all the way to Betws Y Coed.

The weather for Sunday was the opposite to the previous day’s trip, consequently we were able to compare the route.

On arrival at Betws Y Coed, I pulled into a motorcycle parking spot to see Chris and Amy parked just the other side of the wall, on the pavement.

After a break for coffee, tea and ice cream (guess who?), we parted company with Chris and Amy, and the remainder of us headed home via the Clocaenog Forest.

Another fine ride-out arranged by Chris for our members.

As usual, there is a record of photos taken by Nigel, Jan and I to be found at Goldwing North Wales Anglesey 2010 on our website.

Dave T

The venue is the Rugby Club at Kirkby Lonsdale. This venue has a long term relationship with biker clubs who use the facilities of the site during the Rugby closed season.

Last year we held a very successful weekend culminating in a BBQ and several ride outs throughout the area.

This is a beautiful site with stunning views across the valley with the local town of Kirkby Lonsdale less than 5 minutes walk by the river.

There are facilities for camping, caravans and motor-homes, plus b&b / hotel accommodation in the town. In fact accommodation of every type. Price for camping at the Rugby site will be £6.00 per unit per night, regardless of it being a tent or motor-home or how many people you have in them. Excellent value for money.

Keep an eye on this post for changes as the event develops.

Time for the waterproofs!

Saturday 10th July was scheduled for the ride-out with the Goldwing Riders Group.

Accordingly David and Janet, and Nigel and Joanna set off from the Chase at 8.40 am precisely to head West on the A55.

Our destination was the school in the village of Rhosgadfan where we were due to meet up with David Williams and riders, who were at the Mini Meet and Greet that he was hosting at his home address.

This is one of the several events that the Goldwing Riders Forum arrange throughout the year. As they were visiting North Wales and David had organised a route for a ride-out we decided to join them. (I am a member of that Forum anyway).

Having travelled to Conwy I was somewhat dismayed when we rode through the tunnel at Penmaenhead to find heavy rain clouds in front of us and looking rather damp.

A couple of chefs trying out the new wear for fast whipping up of chocolate sauce!

It soon started to lightly drizzle and by the time we got to Caernarfon it was time to don the waterproofs. We made a  quick trip into Morrisons supermarket for petrol for Nigel.  Jan and I  donned our boil-in-the-bag oversuits, while Nigel and Jo put on their Froggs Toggs.

That normally sounds straight forward but, in this case, Nigel is having to help Jo put on clothes, especially oversuits, at the moment with her arm being in plaster (which she must keep dry!).

We then made our way towards Rhosgadfan. This is a Welsh village on the side of a hill and you cannot get there without climbing a hill or dropping down one. On top of it all David Williams lives at the very top of the hill overlooking Rhosgadfan. (Does anyone recall old maps with ‘Here be Dragons’ on the unknown areas- thats about right for David’s place, apparently).

By this time it was noticeable that the weather was becoming even more inclement.

For this reason the meeting place arranged was outside the school in the centre of the village.

Coffee and cake in the dry at Betws Y Coed

Sure enough, as we pulled up there was a Red 1800 waiting – David Williams himself but there were no other bikes. David informed us that there was not going to be any ride-out due to the weather conditions and due to the attendees being soaked after arriving the previous evening in similar weather.

We were invited up to his place but the reputation given to David’s drive preceded it and we graciously declined the offer.

As we had rode this far, and had managed to get Nigel up before 11am, he decided that he would like to do part of the suggested route anyway, on our way back home.

We then set off to follow the start of the route that David had posted. It was a wet ride! We rode to Llanberis and at this point the visibility was substantially reduced due to the rain, but we soldiered on and as we climbed up the A4086 road toward Pen-y-gwryd, I was amazed at the amount of water coming down the Afon Nant Peris. This river is normally  a small trickle during the summer months but at this time it was a substantial white water river!

The rain was such that there were torrents of water pouring off the banks straight into the road and running down the sides until a break was found for it to drain away. This made riding conditions ‘very interesting’.

After passing Pen-y-gwryd we turned left and travelled towards Capel Curig, renowned as one of the wettest places in Britain, and as we approached it stopped raining and the roads were dry!

We then made our way to our second home – Betws Y Coed – for coffee and cake before heading back across the Clocaenog Forest for home.

Our club has been asked to marshal this years ride, in the form of having someone at each of 14 junctions to direct riders.  The junction marshals will remain in-situ until collected by tail-end ‘charlie’ (either Dave or Nigel).  They will then continue the ride picking up remaining marshals as they go.  This will result in a grand entrance into the Ponderosa by the GWNW club riders once everyone else has arrived.

The ride begins at the Clwyd Car Auctions in Ewloe.  (link) http://bit.ly/9RtFCv and ends at the Ponderosa Cafe in the Horseshoe Pass.  Once the official Ride for Rotary ride ends, we will continue with our intended club route from there, finishing back at our meetings hotel.

Please try and come along for this one folks, it will be very good PR for the club and for Goldwings in general, for all the other riders to see the ride marhalled by us.  You will also be supporting  very worthy causes in the process.  The link to the Ride for Rotary site is here, http://www.rideforrotary.org/index.html it contains all you need to know about the ride itself, which begins at 1200.

NB  When you arrive at the start of the ride, please come and find Dave, Nigel or me before riding into the shed.  You will not want your bike to get stuck in the start line up if you are going to marshal.

Please could you make your availability known to Dave if you are prepared to act as a marshal for this event, and try to arrive at the start by 1030 latest.

Still skiing above Aviemore

As most of you are aware Jan and I were unable to make the trip to Germany this year due to a family bereavement. As a bit of a break Jan and I took a trip to Inverness instead a couple of weeks later.

I have always wanted to visit the Inverness area as my grandmother was from the Grantown on Spey – Boat of Garten area and often used to talk about the area and what it was like.

Similarly I have heard from other bikers the more Northern parts of Scotland are well worth visiting.

It turned out that our daughter and family were booked to go away on holiday the same week as our son and family were also away. This gave Jan a week when there were no grandchildren to mind.

Osprey Dinner Time, Loch Garten

I discussed with Jan the option of a Scottish trip and after a little persuasion she agreed to us going. (I think she still had visions of our last Scottish trip to Fort William which was a tad ‘damp’).

A search on the internet found a very handy little B&B in Inverness which was highly rated on Trip-advisor and at a suitable price (I have Scottish roots and others are sure there is some Yorkshireman in me). A phone call later direct to the guest house showed that there was room available for us so I booked a room for 4 nights.

I was aware that the trip to Inverness is a fair distance and as neither of us were set for a single journey of that length without a bit of preparation first, we decided to break the journey with a stop-over at a Holiday Inn at Glasgow.

Old bridge at Carrbridge

Again the internet had us booked in to the Express By Holiday Inn at Hamilton within minutes. This was chosen as the hotel is just off the motorway on the approach to Glasgow from the south with very easy access.

Having already practised packing for the aborted German trip, we had no issues finding room for our clothes in the panniers and top-box and the overnight bag on the top-rack.

After the rush hour traffic had disappeared on Monday morning, we left Buckley and filled up at ASDA, where I set the trip meter to zero.

Loch Broom, Ullapool

We made steady progress up the M6 and M74 to Glasgow. We kept the speed down a bit to about 65mph most of the way with regular stops for coffee and loo visits. I did not want to suffer on the first day from saddle soreness, neither did Jan, as it may have spoiled the rest of the week’s riding.

Coming off the Motorway at Hamilton, we came down the slip to the roundabout and on riding three quarters of the way round it and there was the hotel entrance right in front of us. After booking in, we went to our room to find that we couldn’t open the window due to traffic noise from the motorway.

Fishing boat, Ullapool Harbour

After a meal at the next door Toby Carvery we went for a walk along side the adjacent Strathclyde Loch which was a marvellous place for exercising and walking, well used by the locals.

The following morning we has a rather unexceptional breakfast then made our way to the A80/M80 and onto the A9 for Pitlochry.

A refuelling and comfort-stop was called for at Little Dunkeld where we had a nice coffee at the Birnam Hotel, a real old fashioned hotel which I might find an excuse for us to stay at when we come back this way again. We resumed after coffee and continued up the A9.

West Coast of Scotland

By this time I was really appreciating the scenery which meant that I had to take my time to see it properly. I had been warned that the scenery got better the further north we travelled. My informant was right.

The A9 road is a wonderful road to travel up (unless you are local, in which case regular roadworks/improvements make it a much cursed road).

As a first time visitor to this area I can understand why many people rave about the area. By this stage I am sure that Jan was becoming blasé about the scenery and my gushing on about it.

The River Affric, Glen Affric

We stopped in Aviemore to buy some lunch and I have to admit I was taken back about how small and plain the town is in summer. It is apparently completely changed in the winter months when it becomes a centre of activities in the area.

We eventually made it to Inverness and quickly located the B&B.

After unloading and parking the bike for the night (in the neighbour’s back yard as arranged with the landlord of the B&B), we went for a walk around Inverness and found out that our B&B was only a couple of minutes walk from the City Centre and all the normal city life.

Glen Affric

The following day we decided to visit Boat of Garten, Nethy Bridge and Grantown on Spey, the area where my grandmother grew up. The area is very scenic and I found myself wondering about the changes since my grandmother lived there.

We were lucky enough to time our visit to the RSPB Osprey Observatory at Loch Garten to coincide with daddy Osprey returning home with the fish for mummy Osprey to dissect and distribute between the 3 kids, which we watched live on video link to the observatory. Great stuff.

Jan's heart stopped beating for a moment

The afternoon saw us visiting the Tomatin Distillery and Culloden Battlefield, before returning back to base.

Thursday turned out to be one of those memorable days. We set off under grey clouds along the A835 to visit Ullapool. I had originally intended to then follow the A835 further north and make a big circuit back via the A837 to Inverness.

Our landlord on hearing this and knowing our mode of transport suggested I amend the route and after visiting Ullapool to retrace our route back a bit then follow the A832 to Poolewe and Gairloch then follow the A832 back to the junction with the A835 at Garve. Lucklily we took his advice!

Our Monarch of the Glen

The weather turned quite cool and damp but thanks to over-suits it did not spoil the day at all. The route suggested by our landlord was a very scenic and memorable road with plenty of viewing points, topped off with a 45 mile run along an absolutely magnificent motorcycle road, ( I stayed at 60 mph most of the way and overtook about 9 cars and was overtaken by 1 car in 45 miles!).

I want to go back and do it again (and again).

The A832 road from Gairloch to Garve is one that I recommend to any motorcycle rider visiting Scotland.

Urqhart Castle, Loch Ness

Friday saw Jan and I heading down the side of Loch Ness and up to Cannick then onto Glen Affric, centre of the Caledonian Forest. The latter 10 miles of this road is along a single track road with passing places.

We have previously visited Glen Affric, which contains one of the largest surviving native pinewoods in the United Kingdom and is to me, one of the highlights of visiting the area.

Having made it to the end of the road we parked up in the car park and followed a circuit trail through part of the forest. Having nearly returned to the car-park we had another of those worthy moments and Jan nearly had a heart attack.

Western Isles from the mainland

A large Red Deer Stag decided to jump out of the bushes right in front of us and move a bit further down the forest. He was a fine example having 6 points on each side of his antlers, but he did initially make Jan think her time had come!

A stop at Urqhart Castle was then made and followed by a run to Cawdor Castle before returning to base.

Having spent some considerable time looking for a hotel to stop at on the Saturday night we were unable to find one readily available close to the motorway around the Glasgow area for our return trip. This meant looking further south so we made some tentative arrangements and on Saturday morning we set off back down the A82 to Fort William and across Glencoe to Loch Lomond.

In Glencoe coming home

The weather was very kind to us and although we had clouds we did not encounter any rain. A coffee/comfort stop at Fort William was made and then we carried on to Glencoe . Traffic was not light and progress was a little slow but steady.

We stopped for lunch at a little cafe we knew on the side of Loch Lomond, before continuing and dispatching Glasgow. Once south of Glasgow, we were making reasonable progress . Jan and I decided that we both felt fine at this time, so we decided to head for home and miss out another overnight stop.

The M6 was relatively quiet for a Saturday and after many stops for toilet/petrol/coffee we made it home 9 hours after leaving Inverness – 420 miles in one go – the most we have done in 1 day (and my bum knew it!!!).

Total Mileage for the trip – 1259 miles.

Would I go again? – Tomorrow if I could afford the time and money.

Dave T

This ride route has been revised mainly due to the wonderful N Wales road contractors pretending to re-surface our roads by throwing endless tonnes of chippings down, followed by a quick tar pouring.

As you will all know, this combination results in a recipe for disaster as far a bikes are concerned for the following few weeks.

The good news is that we get to go to an extra ice cream shop on the new route, and still get to go to the ones which were on the original route.

I have updated the link in the rides list and calendar, so you should see the new route there,  but here it is anyway.    http://bit.ly/bJyErx

Hope to see you all there, don’t forget the sunshine and your wallets!!

All the best,

Chris

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Dave T

We should have been riding to Germany on this day for our Mosel Trip, but due to a family bereavement, it was cancelled as we had to attend a funeral halfway through the week we were due to be away, and despite Nigel’s well intentioned comments, it was not feasible to ‘pop back for the day’.

Having done some household work during the morning we had an early lunch which left a long afternoon to use the Wing.

We decided to go for a ride to Dolgellau to see John and in particular Marilyn as it was her birthday. Jan had made a birthday card for her and I have forgotten to post it in time, so I thought ‘why not use it as an excuse to go for a ride’. Marilyn had invited any Wingers who felt like making the trip, to call on her during the course of the day as she was having an open house to friends and relatives.

Jan and I then set off on the Wing through to Ruthin, where for a change we rode straight through the town centre and on towards Corwen. I did not have any other bikes to follow or to lead so I set a pace I was comfortable with and which was safe for the traffic conditions. Luckily, traffic was reasonably light on this route and I was able to overtake quite freely when and where I needed to, yet stay comfortably within the speed limit.

The reason for staying within the limit and not straying over were obvious as the fine weather and weekend would undoubtedly bring out the Police speed cameras into places where they could catch the maximum number of riders. I do not want points on my licence and I thought it safer to stick to the limits accordingly.

On reaching the outskirts of Corwen, we came up behind a brand new Wing, identical colour to ours, which I followed for a mile or so, before the rider pulled off into a cafe at Rhug.

We continue on towards Bala and again the road was just right for making safe progress without exceeding the speed limit. Overtakes were dispatched with ease and without any drama or worries about other wingers keeping up with us, or conversely, being slowed down by us.

We arrived at Bala and pulled in at the lakeside parking area, for a quick break and drink. I was going to get an ice-cream but at £2.00 for a small cone I decided that I would rather be mugged by a highwayman instead. As we stood by the Wing we started a conversation with some other bikers close by, who were able to regale us with their tales from a very recent Scottish trip they had just completed. It was the same areas that I wanted to visit so out with the mobile phone to note down all the recommended pubs and hotels they stayed at. A very informative chat it turned out to be for us.

Soon we were back on the road to Dolgellau. Again the traffic speed was quite slow but the overtakes appeared regularly and without any drama.

I then had my close encounter with an idiot rider, who was approaching from the opposite direction at Warp factor 8, on a twisty and not very well surfaced section of road. He was having some difficulty keeping to his side of the road on the apex of a bend, but luckily for him and me, my speed was low enough for me to modify my line around the bend without drama, to give him the extra space he needed on my side of the centre white line. Seconds later, a car approached around a bend followed closely with what appeared to be another rider on a similar sports machine, trying to line up for an overtake to catch up to the first rider. I cannot say for certain they were racing but that was the impression that Jan and I both had.

The rest of that leg of the journey went smoothly giving Jan and I had ample time to take in the scenery and the warmth of the day.

On arrival at John and Marilyn’s house we were greeted warmly and were able to hand the card over to Marilyn. She had gone to great lengths to provide good home cooking for the numerous friends and family who were present. I congratulated her on being able to feed them all, but it turned out she was quite concerned as a lot more relatives were due to arrive. Several of guests were quite impressed with the Wing and I think we may have one or two converts there.

After a quick drink, Jan and I excused ourselves and left Dolgellau towards Dinas Mawddwy, with the intention of taking the A470 road to Mallwyd and then the A458 Road to Welshpool; a route I have not previously followed for its whole length.

What a wise decision this turned out to be. The A458 road was a biker’s dream road. I was able to make progress along this road, with the exception of the very numerous 40 mph sections. Again, the overtakes seemed to flow just nicely without having to exceed the speed limit.

The A458 road was the second point where we saw some idiotic riding by a sports bike rider, who took the greatest of pleasure in carving up a line of cars doing 40 mph in a 40 limit, forcing them to brake to avoid hitting him. He was moving at a speed which, while in my view, was close to 80 mph at times.

It is no wonder that Police speed cameras have become a nuisance in this area when totally unreasonable rider behaviour in encountered like that.

On arriving at Welshpool we joined the A483 and A5 Roads which we followed back to Wrexham then back to Buckley, arriving home just after 6 pm.

135 Miles of scenic North and Mid Wales on a lovely warm and sunny day.

One of those lovely rides that that you remember for all the right reasons.

Here is  the link to Google map of the route

Dave T

The RBL do a fantastic job and really do support our servicemen during and after their time in the forces. They fill a very important niche in the support they give to the servicemen and women.

Please give the riders from GNWest your support and help with sponsoring them in their ride.

For more information on the event go to the website for the RBLR 1000 .

For more info on the sterling work done by the RBL please visit their website the Royal British Legion.

For more info on the team visit the Goldwings North West Website.

Dave T