Return to North Wales

[skidmark997]

I left North Wales about 12 years ago to move to London. I'm coming back next month and was really looking forward to some clear roads and good views. I'll probably come up on the A55 and then do some driving around Capel Curig -> Bethesda.. I love that road near Ogwen..

Anyway, all I read about in the press is this Police Chief who wants to boost the local economy by fining drivers.. Is it as bad as I hear? Are there cameras everywhere and traffic cops with lazer guns?

If you could give me some advice that would be great.
Cheers!

[Kevin Hackett]

No, it's not as bad as all that. Yes, Brustrom does view motorists as revenue generators but if you're savvy enough to choose your roads with a bit of thought, you should have the drive of your life without being bothered by the boys in blue.

I use the roads around Snowdonia to road test many different high performance cars for various magazines and I've never been caught doing anything naughty. Choose your times wisely. Early mornings and evenings are normally very quiet, even on the A5 but the Evo triangle is pretty deserted almost all of the time.

For extra peace of mind, you can check the locations where the mobile camera units will be on any given day. The place to look is: www.arrivealive.org.uk/schedule

Have fun...

[highflyer]

You have got to be joking Kevin its worse, thought the police were supposed to wear high vis jackets, yet on a bank holiday Fri at 6.30 pm caught them hiding in a road in Bala, trying to catch out the weekenders, the fatherless pair.

[Kevin Hackett]

Sorry to hear that, Highflyer, but as I said, you need to be savvy as to when you put your foot down. The police around these parts are always looking for easy hits, which means they lurk on the outskirts of towns and villages where there'll be a lot of traffic (like Bala on a bank holiday weekend!).

Head off into the wilderness of Snowdonia, though, and it's a lot quieter. As far as hi-viz clothing is concerned, I'm not sure whether or not it's compulsory. Probably not.

I've enjoyed some of the best drives of my life in north Wales and it's enormously satisfying to find roads you never knew existed, with no other traffic. Just watch it in and around urban areas and you should be fine.

I hope this isn't famous last words!

[skidmark997]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll look forward to it. I think I'll head up to Capel Curig and then see how the land lies. Cheers!