Hmmmm,what to do,I had the house to myself,my wife, daughter and youngest son were out earning a crust and no1 son was going to see friends-once he had risen from his pit
My dearest wife's parting shot was,should I get bored could I take a look at the vacuum cleaner as it wasn't picking up very well and once I had fixed it could I clean the blinds downstairs-all of them
Or..........
Maybe I could get the bike out,go nowhere in particular but far enough away to make it interesting,the added incentive here was I had new tyres to scrub in and a couple of hundred miles to add to the odo prior to a 6k service booked for Monday
Not sure what to do...........
So I put the camera battery on charge,likewise my i-phone and made some breakfast,dug out my thermals and kicked the vacuum cleaner,still not sure what to do........Hein Gericke Tuareg (original twat suit) or Streetguard 2, system 6 lid or Tour-x 3?
Decisions,decisions.......twat suit and twat helmet were the winners so off I went
The sky was blue with odd patches of grey cloud but boy it was cold,outside air temperature guage fluctuating between +2 and -2 Heated grips set to toasty then
In the words of the song, with no particular place to go I took to the back lanes and headed for the Ely Valley,I emerged near the Bosch plant at JN 32 of the M4 and followed the A4119 and then the A4093 towards Blackmill,it was very cold in the shade and on the areas of road that remained in the shade there was plenty of frost and black ice,mindful of the fact I was on fresh tyres I took it easy and enjoyed the rolling hills and enjoyed the scenery,even at this low altitude there was a couple of inches of snow cover on the hill tops and the wind farm.
I turned right onto the Bwlch road (A4061) the snow on the surrounding hillsides became deeper and it was obvious that the road had been cleared only recently,outside temperature guage now showing -3
In most any weather this is a great road and really suits the GS and it's possible to set a brisk pace through the bends while the suspension soaks up the lumps and bumps-not today though,frost and black ice in the shade mean that even sightseeing is off the menu!
I stop at the highest point to take some pics and note that there is less snow further North,which is great as that's where I seem to be heading
For all those who have wondered what the town of Treorchy looks like-wonder no more
You want more?
The blue paint actually reads "Big Al's bitch" really
Temperature at the top? -4
I followed the Bwlch road down to Treorchy through the busy little town and out the other side,the climb to the next peak is Alp like with many different types of bend and varying cambers,the margin for error on some of the right handers is minimal but the views spectacular,again it can be a great road to attack-but not today,temperatures are still below and the road surface is glistening,is it frost or is it just damp? It's hard to tell in this light as the winter sun hangs low in the sky.
At the next roundabout I take the old Rhigos road down to Glynneath,again much of the road is shaded and the water that has run off from the surrounding countryside lies in frozen streams across the road-mostly on the corners
At the traffic lights I turn right and follow the A4221 or Inter-Valley road,passing one of the entrances to Walters arena where BMW hold their off road training,just after Caehopkin I turn right and join the A4067 passing the turn off for Abercrave,we used to hold regular (or was it irregular) meet ups for GSers in the nearby and imaginatively named Abercrave Inn,I am in the Beacons National Park and wonder what the road surface of the back roads will be like,outside temperature guage now shows in plus but only by 2 or 3 degrees,the wind chill makes it feel much colder
Shortly after passing the entrance for Dan-yr Ogof caves (not many tourists braving the elements today) I turn left and follow the Trecastle road,at first the road is narrow and the bends are tight,the surface has been dressed in the bikers favourite of spray tar and loose stone chippings,the chippings are deep at the sides and there's a ridge in the centre Fortunately the hedges are low and from my lofty perch it's easy to spot traffic approaching from the other direction in plenty of time, I encounter 1 car and a tractor,it's busy today
As I clear the shaded area the road follows a stream and there are numerous sharp rises and falls,visibility is good and I can't help myself,I turn off the traction control and loft the front wheel in 3rd gear over the crests,great fun
I can feel my phone vibrating in my jacket pocket so pull into a layby to check it out,it's nobody important only the King of Oonyackistanonyack the surrounding hillsides have a good covering of snow and there's snow on the road though the passing of farm vehicles and local traffic means there's 2 ribbons of clear tarmac with a snow ridge in the centre of the road,
I take a few pics.......
I decide that I cannot wait until I get to the cafe in Llandovery and decide to water the horse........
Tip; Don't eat yellow snow
I join the A40 and head for Llandovery I stop at the West End cafe for a bite to eat,unusually I'm spoilt for choice for a parking space and have not seen another bike all day, I've always thought this was an expensive little cafe but hang the expense and order sausage and chips and gravy
Fed and watered and ready to leave a couple more bikes have arrived since I arrived,my bike has a layer of crusty salt around the back wheel and the swingarm but the mudsling is doing a fine job of stopping the spray hitting my boots and strides-not to mention the shock/gearbox area of the bike
With no plan or route to speak of I re-join the A40 and decide to follow the Black Mountain road,this is another of my favourite local roads,it twists and climbs before opening out on the top and it's possible to make good progress-even today,the sun has melted what little snow there was and tourist traffic is light
I didn't stop often enough for pics but here's a couple.....
My mission was nearly complete,I considered the tyres to be well and truly scrubbed in and with only 60 miles or so to add to the odo I set a meandering course for home,the blinds are still dirty but you'll be relieved to know that the vacuum was cured by the removal of a stray sports sock from the flexi hose
My dearest wife's parting shot was,should I get bored could I take a look at the vacuum cleaner as it wasn't picking up very well and once I had fixed it could I clean the blinds downstairs-all of them
Or..........
Maybe I could get the bike out,go nowhere in particular but far enough away to make it interesting,the added incentive here was I had new tyres to scrub in and a couple of hundred miles to add to the odo prior to a 6k service booked for Monday
Not sure what to do...........
So I put the camera battery on charge,likewise my i-phone and made some breakfast,dug out my thermals and kicked the vacuum cleaner,still not sure what to do........Hein Gericke Tuareg (original twat suit) or Streetguard 2, system 6 lid or Tour-x 3?
Decisions,decisions.......twat suit and twat helmet were the winners so off I went
The sky was blue with odd patches of grey cloud but boy it was cold,outside air temperature guage fluctuating between +2 and -2
Heated grips set to toasty thenIn the words of the song, with no particular place to go I took to the back lanes and headed for the Ely Valley,I emerged near the Bosch plant at JN 32 of the M4 and followed the A4119 and then the A4093 towards Blackmill,it was very cold in the shade and on the areas of road that remained in the shade there was plenty of frost and black ice,mindful of the fact I was on fresh tyres I took it easy and enjoyed the rolling hills and enjoyed the scenery,even at this low altitude there was a couple of inches of snow cover on the hill tops and the wind farm.
I turned right onto the Bwlch road (A4061) the snow on the surrounding hillsides became deeper and it was obvious that the road had been cleared only recently,outside temperature guage now showing -3
In most any weather this is a great road and really suits the GS and it's possible to set a brisk pace through the bends while the suspension soaks up the lumps and bumps-not today though,frost and black ice in the shade mean that even sightseeing is off the menu!
I stop at the highest point to take some pics and note that there is less snow further North,which is great as that's where I seem to be heading
For all those who have wondered what the town of Treorchy looks like-wonder no more
You want more?
The blue paint actually reads "Big Al's bitch" really
Temperature at the top? -4
I followed the Bwlch road down to Treorchy through the busy little town and out the other side,the climb to the next peak is Alp like with many different types of bend and varying cambers,the margin for error on some of the right handers is minimal but the views spectacular,again it can be a great road to attack-but not today,temperatures are still below and the road surface is glistening,is it frost or is it just damp? It's hard to tell in this light as the winter sun hangs low in the sky.
At the next roundabout I take the old Rhigos road down to Glynneath,again much of the road is shaded and the water that has run off from the surrounding countryside lies in frozen streams across the road-mostly on the corners
At the traffic lights I turn right and follow the A4221 or Inter-Valley road,passing one of the entrances to Walters arena where BMW hold their off road training,just after Caehopkin I turn right and join the A4067 passing the turn off for Abercrave,we used to hold regular (or was it irregular) meet ups for GSers in the nearby and imaginatively named Abercrave Inn,I am in the Beacons National Park and wonder what the road surface of the back roads will be like,outside temperature guage now shows in plus but only by 2 or 3 degrees,the wind chill makes it feel much colder
Shortly after passing the entrance for Dan-yr Ogof caves (not many tourists braving the elements today) I turn left and follow the Trecastle road,at first the road is narrow and the bends are tight,the surface has been dressed in the bikers favourite of spray tar and loose stone chippings,the chippings are deep at the sides and there's a ridge in the centre
Fortunately the hedges are low and from my lofty perch it's easy to spot traffic approaching from the other direction in plenty of time, I encounter 1 car and a tractor,it's busy today As I clear the shaded area the road follows a stream and there are numerous sharp rises and falls,visibility is good and I can't help myself,I turn off the traction control and loft the front wheel in 3rd gear over the crests,great fun
I can feel my phone vibrating in my jacket pocket so pull into a layby to check it out,it's nobody important only the King of Oonyackistan
onyack the surrounding hillsides have a good covering of snow and there's snow on the road though the passing of farm vehicles and local traffic means there's 2 ribbons of clear tarmac with a snow ridge in the centre of the road,I take a few pics.......
I decide that I cannot wait until I get to the cafe in Llandovery and decide to water the horse........
Tip; Don't eat yellow snow
I join the A40 and head for Llandovery I stop at the West End cafe for a bite to eat,unusually I'm spoilt for choice for a parking space and have not seen another bike all day, I've always thought this was an expensive little cafe but hang the expense and order sausage and chips and gravy
Fed and watered and ready to leave a couple more bikes have arrived since I arrived,my bike has a layer of crusty salt around the back wheel and the swingarm but the mudsling is doing a fine job of stopping the spray hitting my boots and strides-not to mention the shock/gearbox area of the bike
With no plan or route to speak of I re-join the A40 and decide to follow the Black Mountain road,this is another of my favourite local roads,it twists and climbs before opening out on the top and it's possible to make good progress-even today,the sun has melted what little snow there was and tourist traffic is light
I didn't stop often enough for pics
but here's a couple.....
My mission was nearly complete,I considered the tyres to be well and truly scrubbed in and with only 60 miles or so to add to the odo I set a meandering course for home,the blinds are still dirty but you'll be relieved to know that the vacuum was cured by the removal of a stray sports sock from the flexi hose
