We headed out through Llangollen onto the A5, and down through Newtown and some lovely twisties into Llandrindod Wells.  Unfortunately I had to take it easy due to the new tyre, so I couldn’t make the most of the bends.  Having avoided the most erratic and dangerous car driver I have ever had the misfortune to happen upon, we lived up our first stop in style with pasta lunch boxes and chocolate bars in Tesco carpark.  We know how to do it in style.

Once more on the road, we munched the smiles and before we knew it we were in Magor Services on the M4.  From there it was a short hop to the Travel Lodge at Swindon where we met up with my brother Tim (who some of you will have met) and his mate Daz.  After a quick shower and change we headed off to find somewhere to eat.  A short walk into town got us to a Harvester, which served particularly pleasant food for not a lot of money.  It wasn’t quite Tesco, but we managed.

Sunday dawned slightly overcast with us heading to the bikes at 0745.  Far too early, but we wanted a hearty breakfast before the ride.  I had sussed out a truckers cafe just off J17 of the M4 near to Hullavington Airfield where the ride started.  The cafe had opened specially for the event that day.  Very good of them.  They served a decent breakfast in pleasant surroundings, and had very clean facilities.

By 845 we were heading for the airfield where we were met by a very efficient marshalling system being monitored by an extremely large police presence.  All was well though, and we were ushered onto the runway to await our ride.  The organisers had scheduled departures of 1,000 bikes at a time with a 15 minute lag between waves.  We were told our slot was a 10 o’ clock departure, and sure enough we started to move on time.  Very impressive.  Something had to go wrong though.  We quickly ground to a halt with marshals informing us to cut our engines.  It transpired that there had been a minor accident on the route that needed sorting out, and we were given a new departure time of 1030.  It was 1040 when we got going, this time without a hitch.  The ride was led by Afghan Veterans on trikes, the route taking us through a number of small villages north of the M4.  In every village there were lots of people out to greet us, waving, applaudung, cheering and flying flags.

After 12 miles we entered the village of wooton Bassett and rode the route taken by the fallen as they are repatriated.  I can honestly say I have never seen such a crowd at a ride.  The people of Wooton Bassett had filled either side of the road to the point where the bikes had to virtually go in single file as that was the only road space available to ride on.  I have to say it brought quite a lump to my throat.  The ride continued as far south as the M4, where it officially ended.  It seemed to be over all too soon really, but was fantastic while it lasted.

This ride will never happen again as far as I can tell, as RAF Lyneham is scheduled for closure later this year.  Operations are due to move to RAF Brize Norton from then, so fallen service personnel will no longer make their final journey home through what is now Royal Wooton Bassett.  We all felt very glad to have been a part of this event.  In all quite an emotional day.

Police had limited the ride to 10,000 bikes, and it appers that very nearly every place was taken.  Entry was £10 per person with all the money going to the charity.  Assuming perhaps 40% of bikes had pillions, well, you can do the math yourself.

After the ride we headed back to the truck stop before riding together as far as the Abergavenny turn off the M4.  Nice to know that bikes still go free across the Severn Bridge crossing.  We headed back up virtually in reverse of our route down, and what had cleared into a nice morning soon became an exercise in shower dodging.  It took all my knowledge of mid-Wales roads and a keen eye on the sky to keep us reasonably dry all the way home.

We arrived back in Llandudno very tired, very happy at having been on a great adventure, but a little bit sad too for the ones who will not be going home.  We Will Remember Them.

Tuna Mayo with Salad and New Potatoes

OK, so it was a Thursday, and late afternoon. The sun was shining (occasionally), and the rain was falling on our son in Manchester rather than here in Wales so……we decided to go out for a ride! After all, it had been at least……oh, a day, since we’d been on the Wing!

The new revamped Whistlestop Cafe (in Rhuddlan) has opened across the car park from where it used to be (the old premises now contains an Aladdin’s cave of ‘bike’ stuff, new and used) and, as every Thursday is bike night there (for the Whistlestop Motor Cycle Club), we decided it was time to try the food in the new place.

Starting to get very busy

We arrived to find loads of bikes there, several people sitting outside eating and the whole place buzzing with bikers. The menu is quite comprehensive – a decent selection with some specials also available. I chose the Tuna Mayo with Salad and New Potatoes and Nigel had a Chicken & Mushroom Pie with Chips.

Nice toilets, but short of a closer in the Gents

We were directed to a large table which had six chairs around it but we found it a struggle to sit the two of us comfortably on one side – the other chair in between us really was a nuisance. Once in, we couldn’t get out again easily without disturbing other diners – but that wasn’t too big a problem. The whole place is a lot more spacious than the previous habitat and yet we still felt just as squashed!

No, it won't get cold while I just send a text!

While waiting for the food to arrive, I admit to being a little disturbed by the toilets – they open right into the dining area and the gents didn’t have a door closer on it so guys coming out of there tended to leave the door ajar and we were presented with a view of the loo! Not really edifying that. The boss did pop by a lot and close it though, so he is aware of it.

Chicken & Mushroom Pie with Chips and Peas

Our meals arrived very quickly – about 3 minutes for mine and just a couple of minutes more for Nigel’s. The waitress was very attentive [not to mention blonde and cute….Nigel] and I noticed that all of the staff were the same. The boss wandered around too checking on everyone and everything – very commendable.

Do you see the amount of tuna on my plate?!!

A good turnout of bikes

Now lately, Jan Turvey, our poor Treasurer, has been very short of fillings in all the pies she’s ordered while eating out. I had the opposite problem – far too much! I feel that they could have given half the amount of tuna and charged less than the £5.25 and it would have been better. That could just be me of course; maybe big hairy bikers can eat that much happily?

Not many Wings though

Nigel’s pie wasn’t home-made but it was tasty, and the chips were great…. and piping hot too. The milk could have been colder though. Both meals were nicely presented (love the square plates) and I was mightily impressed with a ham and cheese salad served to a large gentleman on the next table – looked like it would have served a whole party of people, not just one!

Bloater has a few words

Nigel finished with another of the specials – home-made apple pie with cream for £1.75 – very reasonable indeed. He actually blagged custard instead of cream and the large square dish was filled to the brim – though rather too hot to taste properly! Are we never satisfied? Too hot, not cold enough, too much……

We had a wander around the ‘shop’ opposite after eating, chatted with Alun, his son (Danny) and Paul Johnson, and then listened to the ‘leader’ (Bloater) telling everyone all about upcoming events.

There were around 150 bikers there, we guessed, which I’m sure makes it worthwhile opening for the evening. The cafe was doing constant business, there were lots of staff working and all-in-all I’d say that I would happily go there again for a meal……… though not necessarily the bike bit – that’s not really my scene (I’m a Winger, not a biker!)

…………Joanna

The Raven Cafe entrance

Following on from my recent article about the Raven Cafe at Prees Heath, I have had cause to revisit the premises so I can now add Part II to the Blog.

Following the R.A.F.A. Egg Run, which finished at RAF Cosford, a group of 6 bikes left the aircraft museum at about 2.10 pm after leaving our donated Easter Eggs with the RAF staff at the event.

Some of our group had managed to queue for food supplied by the vendors at the event. Others, however, had already agreed to return to the Wings and make for Prees Heath for another visit to The Raven Cafe.

Be wary of the pot-holed car-park

It was a close run thing but we pulled onto the car park just as a member of staff was starting to close the front door. He kindly waited until we were inside before shutting the door to new customers, saying it was not quite 3 o’clock when we walked in.

We were very quickly served with our meals, which consisted of standard breakfast items and sat down, when the staff came from behind the counter and sat down to the same meal as we were having.

I have to say that the meal – a standard full English – was very good indeed, coming with fried bread and bread and butter, and the obligatory mug of tea or coffee. One of our group, a visiting Californian who we were showing around, was suitably impressed with the meal he received, and will take a good memory back to the States with him.

The Cafe nextdoor - watch this space

I was quite surprised with the steady stream of bikers who pulled in the car-park looking for meals and finding the door closed. It may well have been unusual due to reasonable weather, and also the extra daylight hour with the clocks going forward bringing more bikers out.

Having finished our meal leisurely, as the staff were in no rush with their own meal, we were able to dress up in our gear and leave via the side door. Even as we were leaving there were still more bikers arriving onto the car-park in search of a meal. They had just come from around the corner where the other cafe – The Midway Truck Stop – was situated, having found that shut as well.

I do think that one or the other, if not both of these cafes, would not lose money by remaining open for an extra hour.

As for the Midway Truck Stop, that cafe will be visited as part of our tour of biker eating places and a report will be produced at the first opportunity.

Dave T

Bikers love Betws!

Betws is – and has long been – one of the most popular places to visit in North Wales, and has for many years been a favourite stopping point for bikers.

It may well be that when the sun is shining there are few places one would rather be. It could just as well be that the roads into, out of and surrounding the village are some of the best biking roads in the United Kingdom. Or is it because you can get some of the tastiest food and great ice cream there is to be had for many miles around?

Well the answer is probably a combination of all of the above, and in my opinion one of the finest eateries in the village is the Alpine Cafe*. Situated centrally in the village, right next to the single platform railway station, it is actually a cafe and gallery combined.

First impressions are good

The first thing you notice when entering is that it is light and airy, and very clean. Next to be noticed is the very long food counter, filled with an impressive array of sandwich ingredients and home-made cakes, pastries and flapjack. A truly delightful visage. Couple this with displays by featured local artists, free newspapers for customer use and big, comfy sofas to fall into in the conservatory, and you have an almost idyllic retreat from the hustle and bustle of this busy tourist honeypot.

The menu is extensive – actually a book rather than a list – and for those unfamiliar with the venue it is worth sitting down and perusing it to digest all the availability before ordering at the self-service counter. A rather nice quirk of this particular establishment is the ability to purchase just about every kind of tea that there is to be had from all over the world.

The Alpine has some seriously big tables!

If coffee is your favourite, then you will not be disappointed either. If it is a cappuccino, filter, mocha, latte, skinny or otherwise, de-caffeinated or fully drugged up, the choice is almost limitless. Cold drinks also abound, with choices ranging from canned to bottled, modern or traditional, fizzy or milk-based. If you are a hot chocolate fan, ask for cream and marshmallows with yours and prepare to be impressed.

One feature I particularly like about the Alpine Cafe is their willingness and ability to cater for all dietary requirements. If you are a Vegan or have food allergies, there is something on the menu for you that does not compromise quality or choice.

The food is as good as it looks

It is beyond the scope of this review to list all of the available food and beverages, but suffice to say that there is plenty of choice to cater for all pockets and all appetites. I have been a regular visitor for the best part of seven years and I have never had cause to complain, either about the service or produce.

Next time you are in Betws and are feeling a little peckish or thirsty, you could do a lot worse than pay a visit to the Alpine Cafe. I can guarantee you two things: I do not have shares in the business, and you will go there again.

Eat out the back and watch the trains

For those of you not familiar with the village, free motorbike parking is available in the car park opposite the cafe. The Alpine Cafe is definitely biker friendly, as well as being dog friendly – great for those of you who like to take your furry friends with you.

They also run two loyalty-card schemes. A free tea or coffee every tenth purchase, and a free sausage for your four-legged friend every fifth visit. Just ask for a loyalty card behind the counter and get the staff to stamp it each time you visit.

*Alpine Cafe, Station Approach, Betws-y-Coed LL24 0AE – tel: 01690 710747 – http://www.alpinecoffeeshop.net/

Not your usual boring hot drink

Relax with the papers in the conservatory

Create your own sandwich or salad

Steam trains always invoke memories of yesteryear

On a sunny day, Blaenau Ffestiniog (not to be confused with it’s older and smaller neighbour, Ffestiniog – nowadays known also as Llan Ffestiniog, just to keep you guessing) is quite lovely, and the roads to it are superb for bikes (especially the newly repaired and resurfaced Crimea Pass from Betws-y-Coed).

Wonderful lake & mountain views

On a dull day however, I always feel that Steve Goulding’s nickname for the village – ‘Blind Festering Dog’ – seems quite apt! Luckily (mainly ‘cos we’re fair-weather bikers), we were there on a nice day and the scenery at the Lakeside Cafe* was superb. The cafe sits beside a lovely lake and is surrounded by mountains (the “Moelwyns”) – one of which has its own pumped-storage electricity-generating lake nestled within (right near the top).

We're not the only bikers aware of this place!

It was mid-afternoon when we got to the cafe – just in time to witness the regular steam train pootling past its back door -  and two of the items on the specials board had sold out.

We were temporarily disappointed, but we persevered and ordered alternatives. Jan and Dave had curries – one chicken, one beef – and I can’t comment on how they were. Perhaps Dave will report himself on whether they were worth having again?

Plenty of room - and plenty of choice

Nigel was going to have the all-day breakfast (for continuity) but followed my lead and ordered the omlette and chips. We were asked what we wanted in it and so had ham, cheese, mushrooms and tomatoes.

These came with curly fries but we had one with regular chips so we could compare. Both were excellent and the omlettes were delicious.

My omelette was delicious

As a very scenic food stop at the end (or mid point) of a great ride around the North Wales’ roads, and with pretty average prices, this place is highly recommended.

*Lakeside Cafe, Tanygrisiau, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd LL41 3TP – tel: 01766830950

Plenty of parking space

At the A55′s Caerwys exit (J31), near Holywell, you’ll find not only McDonalds but also the Dragons Rest Cafe* (alongside the owners’ caravan shop).

When we went last week, they were in the process of enlarging the seating area in the cafe – so it’s not an ideal stop at the moment, but the fairly small ground floor will be twice the size it is now when they’re finished. There is lots of good quality parking space, and the location is very handy (being right beside the Westbound A55 on-ramp).

The downstairs dining area

We are trying to look for biker-friendly cafes here and so, even though I went in the car with my mother-in-law, Nigel did go on the bike (mainly so he could go straight home and not come shopping with us!).

Upstairs

The menu choice was pretty good and there were several specials written on the board. MIL chose the soup of the day from it and assured us that the homemade mushroom soup was delicious. Nigel had a breakfast, and I tried the egg and chips. There were some lovely-looking home-made cakes and pies available to take away – though oddly no pies on the menu.

Plenty good enough for Nigel!

It took a while to actually place the order because I asked for the toast to be “well done but not burnt”, and the waitres had to ‘put it in manually’ (whatever that meant) – and that took a couple of minutes! She could have walked to the kitchen and relayed the request in about 10 seconds, but I guess that’s not the correct way.

Home made cakes and pies

The meals took 12 minutes to arrive, which seemed a bit excessive as there was only us three waiting to be served at that time – but it was all very hot and tasty. Nigel found the breakfast excellent (bear in mind though that he’s no gourmet!).

In all, a reasonably-priced, basic meal which didn’t encourage me to run back there for a repeat performance but will certainly do if we’re out that way and hungry.

*The Dragons Rest Cafe, St Asaph Rd, Nr Lloc, Flintshire CH8 8RF – tel: 07860-643214

The friendly staff at the Spot On Cafe

by Joanna Mackintosh

Oddly, given all the fantastic biker roads in North Wales, there seems to be a dearth of good biker-friendly cafes here (as opposed to pubs, which is another story).

Most people are aware of the Ponderosa Cafe at the Horseshoe Pass (excellent, but I wish they wouldn’t stop serving hot food so early), and some know of the the Whistlestop Cafe in Rhuddlan (though the lumpy, gravelly, potholed road surface there is far from Wing-friendly!), but it’s hard to name many more.

The recent MCN-led “Reclaim Wales” invasion of the area by 10,000 bikers brought a few more names to the fore: The Dragon’s Rest Cafe at Junction 31 of the A55,  Sam’s biker cafe in Denbigh (though their website says “Sorry we are closed and will not be reopening”!) and Eric Jones’ Café near Tremadog (very busy, with long queues last time I was there…but maybe that shows it’s good?).

I’ll report on all these in due course (it’s a tough life, getting chauffeured around North Wales’ lovely biking roads on the back of a GoldWing, stopping to eat occasionally….oh, and then there’s the compulsory ice-cream stops too) but, meanwhile, here’s another one for you to try next time you’re near the north coast of Wales: the “Spot On Cafe” – just a few miles from the A55, near Rhyl (Spot On Cafe, Mercury Unit No 12, Tir Llwyd Enterprise Park, St Asaph Avenue, Kimnel Bay, LL18 5HZ – Food order line: 01745 344666).

Another hungry customer won't be for long!

Nigel and I ate there again this lunchtime – we’ve been several times ever since DaveT once recommended it and we’ve never had a thing to complain about – far from it. Yes, the opening hours are a little strange (especially for us, as we’re not famous for rising early!) but they’re geared towards the truckers who apparently arrive there for their breakfasts at some unearthly hour before anywhere else is open: Mon-Fri 6am-2pm and Sat 6am-1pm.

All food can be packaged for take out – so, if you’re heading to the coast for a picnic, then why not stop in there and order your grub to take with you. Or, phone ahead so it’s ready when you get there. And they’re flexible too – it states on the menu that you can make up your own combination if it’s not down on the list!

Closing time, but look at all those lovely B-I-G tables!

Today, we had the ‘Mini Sizzler’ breakfast for £2.90, and the toast arrived at the table within a couple of minutes (browned to order – Nigel likes his darker than I do) swiftly followed within seconds by the meals themselves. I hadn’t even read the front page of the free newspaper provided for customers before the food was placed in front of me! Nigel commented on the fact that you don’t normally have to blow on a breakfast before you can eat it – this food was piping hot and delicious. They don’t use cheap bacon or sausages and they obviously *do* have someone who can cook an egg swiftly and perfectly rounded.

In Scotland recently we found it hard to get a decent breakfast for under £7. Here, at the Spot On, you can get a ‘Super Sizzler’ for £5.80……3 bacon, 3 sausage, 2 eggs, beans, tomato, black pudding, hash brown, mushrooms with 3 toast or bread & butter – wow, don’t think I could tackle that but I know a few who could (eh Dave, Kevin, Steve….?).

Plenty of good parking space

The staff there are lovely, chatty and friendly (I wonder if they’re from Lancashire, like me?) and working hard at running a successful business. You know what it’s like at most restaurants where you sit down at a tiny table which, by the time you’ve got the condiments, cutlery and side plates on, you find you’ve no room to move – well not here! Their tables are huge! Great big round tables, plenty more seating around the edges of the room (which is great if you’re on your own – you can sit and read the paper and not feel uncomfortable eating alone…..or is that only me?), tables outside for those who wish and it’s all very, very clean.

It’s biker-friendly (well, they always have been to us!) and there’s plenty of parking outside too (all nice smooth tarmac). Admittedly not the most picturesque location (it’s in an Enterprise Park after all), but who cares about that when the food is so good.

Go on – give it a try sometime and let us know if you like it…..we do!  Also, if you know of any other cafes you could recommend to bikers, let me know by adding a comment below.

…….Joanna

Nigel full of attention after a full English - with toast

I’ve just returned from a great day out with Janet, having been out on the trike to the GoldWings North West Meeting then onto Rivington Barn.

It started off with Nigel, the ladies and me meeting up at a rather early hour. I had been told that Pete would meet us there so just the solo and the trike travelling up.

Now anyone who knows Nigel will be aware that he is hydrophobic – he doesn’t do wet at all.  So you can all guess what happened inside 5 miles!

The forecasters had got it wrong -  Instead of the nice dry day we were in light rain for the next few miles. Fortunately not enough to make Nigel turn around and return to base. Luckily it soon cleared and we had a reasonable ride to Samlesbury without getting wet. It was quite noticeable that the M6 motorway was deserted at 8.30am on a Sunday morning.

The meeting following breakfast

Arriving in good time we were met by the nicest words – “Do you want a breakfast?” from Chairman Bob – Of course we wanted breakfast – Why do you think Nigel got out of bed before 10.30 am?!!

Pete and Karen arrived and we then had three North Wales  GoldWings parked outside. (More than GNWest!)

They managed to get the combination right this time following my previous advice to improve matters – we were served toast with the full English, with plenty of tea or coffee. – See, Bob does listen to peoples’ whinges – I mean, justified complaints.

The meeting went well with plenty of information been given out by Chairman Bob and decisions being made by the members on regalia and logo for the region. Information was given about several events in the pipeline for which a trip to the GoldWings North West web-site will be needed in the near future when they have firmed up everything.

Two couple signed up for the Mosel Valley Tour which means it is nearly full – only space for a couple more bikes.

Following the meeting and the usual chatting afterwards, GNWales members and Jim Cretney  decided to head for Rivington Barn, where it was absolutely crowded with Bikers, Cars, Walkers and everyone else who fancied a day out, or so it seems.

Rivington Barn

There were planty of bikes to look at and people to ogle the bikes, with Jim in his element getting all the kids and parents to want their photos on his bike.

Departing from Rivington Barn, Nigel , the ladies and I decided to head homewards, calling at Haydock for a bit of shopping on the way then to Widnes and through Frodsham and Helsby to Chester and home.

A nice relaxed all day ride out with good company, a ‘proper’ breakfast and reasonable weather. Now to try and find a way to make the trike a bit more economical on fuel as it used a full tank on the days ride.

First thing to try is to fit some new exhaust silencers as the noise from these is  just a bit wearing after a while, and I’m sure that they are partly responsible for the fuel consumption increase.

Now to plan a decent ride after our next meeting on the third Sunday as some GNWest riders hope to attend for a ride-out with us.

Dave T

Bob Summers almost smiling

It would appear that these Northern Englanders don’t have toast with their breakfast! – how do I know?  Because in the famous words of Max Boyce – ‘ I was there’.

Jan and I headed up the motorway at 8am this morning to see if the hospitality of The Swallow Hotel was all it was made out to be, and apart from the lack of toast with my breakfast it was just so. This breakfast was eaten along with Pete and Diane of our club and some forty odd others who had decided to listen to what was being offered by the new ‘GoldWings North West’.

The new chairman,  Bob Summers, was quickly voted in without anyone else standing for the post (what a surprise!)

Bob was quick to ensure that he had a working team with him and after a vote, two stalwarts,   Pete Rodgers took the job as Treasurer and Ian Duxbury took on the post of Membership Secretary.

Stuart Ormorod then explained the concept of the Federation to the meeting and after answering all the questions it seemed to me that everyone was happy with the concept.

The meeting continued to a successful conclusion, with some points being decided and some being deferred to allow the members of the new club time to make decisions on various items such as Logos and the like.

I look forward to working with Bob to ensure that our two regions make progress in the right direction and from the support by some visiting members to the meeting today, I suspect it may not be too long before we are joined by another fledgling club soon to be formed.

Keep watching this space.

Dave T