Wales on a Whim !!
Discussion
Decided Tuesday lunchtime to do it. Booked a hostel. Set off at 15:30. Arrived at 21:30 (hostel doors shut at 22:00!). Full trip of 828.4 miles in just over 24 hours. Awesome.
Overnight Stop :- BaseCamp Wales:- LL54 6RP, Llanllyfni, Caernarfon. Look it up on Booking.com for pictures. It is in a remote place so the car is safe. Lots of parking and not crammed in. I can be a snob when it comes to accommodation but I will definitely be back here. Yes, its a very basic room. You get all the bedding and a towel, and a sink in the room. Shared showers etc a bit like a gym with shower cubicles, but spotlessly clean. £15 per person per night. Take some tea bags for the morning and some brekkie. There is a large communal kitchen.
A great route avoiding all the road works at Cambridge.......and on the A14........and on the M6. Boring until Shrewsbury, and then it starts to get interesting, especially as you cross into Wales :
https://goo.gl/maps/KJux5tD8T1L2
Wednesday......
Full route I took. Starts off with some swift roads and across the Llanberis Pass, then hits the Evo Triangle (who said it was dead ? Still awesome!), then some breakfast, down to Ffestiniog and onto Bala via the amazing B4391, and a long trip down to some great picture spots on the leg from Tregaron to Abergwesyn which is stunning but mostly single track (after the first couple of miles, mostly smooth - I did this in a pampered Cayman R). This section of road is not one for going fast as it's got a lot of sharp and sudden dips, plus yumps - its a 30 - 40 mph max road. Great pics and really worth driving it. From Abergwesyn, its a nice route back to the border as I headed off to Nottingham to see family before heading back to Colchester on the A1/A14/M11/A120/A12.
https://goo.gl/maps/yoeuXxhKamE2
Tregaron to Abergwesyn
Overnight Stop :- BaseCamp Wales:- LL54 6RP, Llanllyfni, Caernarfon. Look it up on Booking.com for pictures. It is in a remote place so the car is safe. Lots of parking and not crammed in. I can be a snob when it comes to accommodation but I will definitely be back here. Yes, its a very basic room. You get all the bedding and a towel, and a sink in the room. Shared showers etc a bit like a gym with shower cubicles, but spotlessly clean. £15 per person per night. Take some tea bags for the morning and some brekkie. There is a large communal kitchen.
A great route avoiding all the road works at Cambridge.......and on the A14........and on the M6. Boring until Shrewsbury, and then it starts to get interesting, especially as you cross into Wales :
https://goo.gl/maps/KJux5tD8T1L2
Wednesday......
Full route I took. Starts off with some swift roads and across the Llanberis Pass, then hits the Evo Triangle (who said it was dead ? Still awesome!), then some breakfast, down to Ffestiniog and onto Bala via the amazing B4391, and a long trip down to some great picture spots on the leg from Tregaron to Abergwesyn which is stunning but mostly single track (after the first couple of miles, mostly smooth - I did this in a pampered Cayman R). This section of road is not one for going fast as it's got a lot of sharp and sudden dips, plus yumps - its a 30 - 40 mph max road. Great pics and really worth driving it. From Abergwesyn, its a nice route back to the border as I headed off to Nottingham to see family before heading back to Colchester on the A1/A14/M11/A120/A12.
https://goo.gl/maps/yoeuXxhKamE2
Tregaron to Abergwesyn
Is it okay to add my own Wales whim to this thread? Had a day off yesterday and covered some brilliant roads on this route:
https://goo.gl/maps/6AaaAe1jDgtXMUMTA
Pretty much everything from Merthyr Tydfil onwards was brilliant, and once north of the Brecon Beacons the roads were mostly empty. Some highlights were:
- A4215 between Libanus and Sennybridge. Only a few miles but a great combination of sweeping bends and crests / dips that can catch you out.
- MOD road from Llywel to Tirabad. I love this road, and the MOD keeps the tarmac in excellent condition for us
The sheep are kamikaze though.
- A483 and B4358 from Llanwrtyd Wells to Newbridge on Wye. Blimey, could you build a more enjoyable stretch of road?
- Unnamed road from Llanwrthwl to Elan Village. Narrow, twisty country lanes, designed for taking it slow and enjoying the stunning greenness of the leaves, moss and ferns everywhere.
- Unnamed road and B4574 from Elan Village to Devil’s Bridge. Quite a famous stretch of road that’s all dips, crests and turns that try to twist your car in all directions.
- B4343 and A485 from Devil’s Bridge to Carmarthen. A few towns and villages but overall a great stretch with hundreds (ish) of bends, all pretty well-sighted.
The car was a BMW 218i coupé, which was brilliant. The weight distribution with the coupé shape and the light engine up front gives it so much balance, there was hardly a hint of understeer all day. The adaptive suspension is very good in the various Sports modes, too. And with the soaking wet roads, 134bhp was just fine (and after 7 years of diesel, 6,000rpm is so so lovely).
Oh and if you are aiming for the Shell garage in Lampeter, be aware it was closed yesterday at 7.20pm.
https://goo.gl/maps/6AaaAe1jDgtXMUMTA
Pretty much everything from Merthyr Tydfil onwards was brilliant, and once north of the Brecon Beacons the roads were mostly empty. Some highlights were:
- A4215 between Libanus and Sennybridge. Only a few miles but a great combination of sweeping bends and crests / dips that can catch you out.
- MOD road from Llywel to Tirabad. I love this road, and the MOD keeps the tarmac in excellent condition for us
The sheep are kamikaze though.- A483 and B4358 from Llanwrtyd Wells to Newbridge on Wye. Blimey, could you build a more enjoyable stretch of road?
- Unnamed road from Llanwrthwl to Elan Village. Narrow, twisty country lanes, designed for taking it slow and enjoying the stunning greenness of the leaves, moss and ferns everywhere.
- Unnamed road and B4574 from Elan Village to Devil’s Bridge. Quite a famous stretch of road that’s all dips, crests and turns that try to twist your car in all directions.
- B4343 and A485 from Devil’s Bridge to Carmarthen. A few towns and villages but overall a great stretch with hundreds (ish) of bends, all pretty well-sighted.
The car was a BMW 218i coupé, which was brilliant. The weight distribution with the coupé shape and the light engine up front gives it so much balance, there was hardly a hint of understeer all day. The adaptive suspension is very good in the various Sports modes, too. And with the soaking wet roads, 134bhp was just fine (and after 7 years of diesel, 6,000rpm is so so lovely).
Oh and if you are aiming for the Shell garage in Lampeter, be aware it was closed yesterday at 7.20pm.
Edited by ColdZinc on Wednesday 31st July 19:37
Excellent trip s3 akr, you took some roads I need to explore next time I head from North Wales to South Wales.
Last time I was at Devil's Bridge I headed up Elan Valley... that is an awesome trip next to the river and some beautiful views. I missed a small crest at some point and fairly sure it made me airborne briefly. Haven't done that for years.
Thanks for sharing.
Last time I was at Devil's Bridge I headed up Elan Valley... that is an awesome trip next to the river and some beautiful views. I missed a small crest at some point and fairly sure it made me airborne briefly. Haven't done that for years.
Thanks for sharing.
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