best driving road in UK ??????
Discussion
Last weekend I was lucky enough to have to go to my mother-in-laws, and I was looking forward to the journey. Was this because she showers me with praise and alcohol upon my arrival??, Does she rejoice the day I married her daughter??,
No certainly not, It is down to the A483, a road in the middle of welsh wales.. No theres a luvverly driving road..
I live in Cheshire and I was to meet up with my wife and daughter at 'Grandmas house' on Saturday last weekend.
A fellow pistonheader, "powelly" and myself hatched a plan to have a drive out early on the satrurday morning to stretch the legs of the TVR's (he drives a griff 500 and i have a chim 400..)
Taking a southerly route from warrington we hit the A49 and were clogged up with traffic and coaches and all things articulated until we arrived at Whitchurch where we took a red road to Wem in shropshire then on to Ellesmere towards Oswestry. With roofs off we were rewarded with fast open sweeping bends, long wide smooth straights and challenging corners all on excellent surfaced roads that wound their way through sleepy countryside, that last week roared to the thunder of 16 cylinders at full chat breaking the crisp cold late february sunshine.
At oswestry Powelly had to head back up north as i ventured further south into deep mid wales.. I have only had the chim a couple of months and this was its first solo blast to the 'muvverinlaws' solo, Without the handbrake fitted (wife) it is amazing how much speed you can carry through corners and how brave you can be whilst overtaking lines of euroboxes sat behind overloaded livestock lorries, within a short space of time and with massive grim on my face , in anticipation I arrived at Newtown in Powys, to tackle my favorite road..the A483 to llanbister,.. 1 up in a TVR in the dry, in daylight on a sunny day!...
(this road is well known to me but is usually done on a friday night in a tintop with wife and baby daughter on board at 8.30 at night)
It was still mid morning on saturday and the locals had not stirred from their Bass welsh bitter hangovers by the time i steered the Trev up the first part of the 24 mile "special stage". It has recently been resurfaced I was pleased to find, which rewarded me with a smooth grippy surface that allowed me to put all the power down with confidence, the road itself soon leaves the busy market town of Newtown, and winds itself around the Radnor Hills, there must be 6 uphill hairpin bends within the first 10 miles and a series of long sweeping straights, tight 'S' bends, the best fast left and right hand corners in the country, all whilst climbing to a respectible 1200ft and then downhill towards llanbister, where it is time to say goodbye and head across moorland to the in-laws.
and guess what no gatsos!!!...... that stretch usually takes me about 45 minutes I was able to shave 15 minutes off my average time last week.
SO, If you need to travel through Wales - stay off the A49 - the A483 is the bogs dollocks!!
No certainly not, It is down to the A483, a road in the middle of welsh wales.. No theres a luvverly driving road..
I live in Cheshire and I was to meet up with my wife and daughter at 'Grandmas house' on Saturday last weekend.
A fellow pistonheader, "powelly" and myself hatched a plan to have a drive out early on the satrurday morning to stretch the legs of the TVR's (he drives a griff 500 and i have a chim 400..)
Taking a southerly route from warrington we hit the A49 and were clogged up with traffic and coaches and all things articulated until we arrived at Whitchurch where we took a red road to Wem in shropshire then on to Ellesmere towards Oswestry. With roofs off we were rewarded with fast open sweeping bends, long wide smooth straights and challenging corners all on excellent surfaced roads that wound their way through sleepy countryside, that last week roared to the thunder of 16 cylinders at full chat breaking the crisp cold late february sunshine.
At oswestry Powelly had to head back up north as i ventured further south into deep mid wales.. I have only had the chim a couple of months and this was its first solo blast to the 'muvverinlaws' solo, Without the handbrake fitted (wife) it is amazing how much speed you can carry through corners and how brave you can be whilst overtaking lines of euroboxes sat behind overloaded livestock lorries, within a short space of time and with massive grim on my face , in anticipation I arrived at Newtown in Powys, to tackle my favorite road..the A483 to llanbister,.. 1 up in a TVR in the dry, in daylight on a sunny day!...
(this road is well known to me but is usually done on a friday night in a tintop with wife and baby daughter on board at 8.30 at night)
It was still mid morning on saturday and the locals had not stirred from their Bass welsh bitter hangovers by the time i steered the Trev up the first part of the 24 mile "special stage". It has recently been resurfaced I was pleased to find, which rewarded me with a smooth grippy surface that allowed me to put all the power down with confidence, the road itself soon leaves the busy market town of Newtown, and winds itself around the Radnor Hills, there must be 6 uphill hairpin bends within the first 10 miles and a series of long sweeping straights, tight 'S' bends, the best fast left and right hand corners in the country, all whilst climbing to a respectible 1200ft and then downhill towards llanbister, where it is time to say goodbye and head across moorland to the in-laws.
and guess what no gatsos!!!...... that stretch usually takes me about 45 minutes I was able to shave 15 minutes off my average time last week.
SO, If you need to travel through Wales - stay off the A49 - the A483 is the bogs dollocks!!
My wife and I use to take the Chim 450 out on weekends to many destinations unknown. It didn't matter as long as we stayed off the motorway. TVRs were made for country roads. (over taking on a country road makes it worth staying off of the M4 or M3.)
I liked driving through small country towns and enjoyed the looks I got in my Giallo Fly Chim. Those were really good times......
Now I drive a luxo barge in sunny California... it just isn't the same.
I liked driving through small country towns and enjoyed the looks I got in my Giallo Fly Chim. Those were really good times......
Now I drive a luxo barge in sunny California... it just isn't the same.
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