Short break Ireland to Wales.

[Harvey Mushman]

Hopefully someone finds this somewhat useful. Our first trip abroad 2up on my trusty steed Marlene.
We booked self catering accommodation in Tregaron and planned to use that as our base for looping days out.
While this may limit our scope of travel, I like the security of knowing where my bed is every night. As it turned out, this worked out fine for us and we still got to see and do plenty.

 

[Harvey Mushman]

Day 1; stage 1;
Midleton to Rosslare


Fairly anxious start for me. I hadn't taken the bike abroad before and hadn't done a Rosslare ferry in about 10 years. (And they were all in cars). Previous experience led me to book Stena over Irish Ferries, not sure if anything had changed. The fact Fishguard is further up the coast didn't even enter my mind at the time.

An early start is never a good thing for me. As we were booked on the 8:15 sailing it was a 4am alarm in order to be on the road by 5:10. I was expecting to take a 10-15 min break as Google suggested it was a 2hr 20 spin to Rosslare, and allow time for check-in and any unexpected delays.

As it was, we had a quiet road the whole way down and did it in one sitting, which impressed both me and Mrs M.

 

[Harvey Mushman]

Having read loads of posts here and other fora, having watched loads of YouTube videos... my anxiety levels when boarding a ferry, on a 2up 850 loaded with panniers and top box were a bit high. Hadn't done this before, remember...

It worked out fine. The day was dry, as was the deck. Mrs M was highly impressed with the priority boarding afforded to motorbikes and skipping to the front of the queue. There was only 3 other bikes in the crossing though, 2 German lads on AT & 1250GS, and one other Irish lad on a big cruiser.

I had watched a video on YouTube by Sean & Emily, as they had done a trip in the opposite direction and had included a walkabout of the Stena Nordica. I did find it helpful as this was a new ship to me. I did balk however, at the £17 burger and chips they bought. Not the price per se, but the rather petit looking portion for the price.

It was breakfast when we were aboard. We settled for 2 coffees, 2 croissants and some pancakes, which totalled up to a similar amount...

Last view of the auld sod, Tuskar Rock lighthouse.

 

[Traffic893]

Let’s hope the Welsh weather is kind to you when you land.

 

[Harvey Mushman]

Day 1 stage 2:
Rosslare to Fishguard.

Lovely smooth calm crossing. Well, calm sea anyway. Not so sure about the screaming kids in the cafeteria...
We did a little walkabout and discovered how compact the passenger areas are, more so than I seem to remember.
Years spent crossing the Irish Sea as a child and adult to spend summer holidays with family in South Wales have me well seasoned with good sea legs.

Tried to relax but cafeteria was too noisy. Looked at the Hygge lounge but was booked out. Plan was hatched for return trip though. Went at sat on a sofa at the tables/chairs on the side of deck 4. Quieter except for the guy who kept opening the door to the outside deck...
Great entertainment doing some people watching.

Eventually arrived in Fishguard

 

[Harvey Mushman]

Day 1 Stage 3: Fishguard to Tregaron.

This was where it was all new to me. I had plenty of experience driving in Wales but whether it was Cork-Swansea, or Rosslare-Pembroke/Fishguard I always headed directly east on the M4.

My, what a lovely biking road the A487 is. A great intro to what lies ahead.
The Goodwick side of Fishguard has a lovely old world charm. Like Kinsale but without the obnoxious millionaires and their expensive yachts.
Thanks to suggestions in reply to my other thread we planned lunch in Aberaron. On the way we stopped at a layby and had our first encounter with a red kite. I swear she came over to check us out. Descended and circled over us at rooftop height. Glorious.

On to Aberaeron and parked up in the harbour area. Had a brief walk around and settled for the New Celtic as recommended here.

 

[Anthony Byrne]

Nice read, look forward to the rest !

 

[Harvey Mushman]

So lunch turned out to be dinner as well, judging by the portion size.

I had the mushy peas with mine but I'd recommend the home made slaw option that Mrs M had. Much nicer.
The Celtic was a nice place to be, food was good and plenty of options. Service was excellent. Food was piping hot when it arrived. Always a nice impression. Went for another little stroll on the way back to Marlene where we met an English couple on a Goldwing. We exchanged pleasantries and info, before exchaning occupancy of the parking space. After this we bimbled along to the accommodation in Tregaron, taking in more brilliant biking roads and great scenery. Weather was not spectacular but was warm, calm and dry.

Despite having seen the accommodation online, we were stunned by the facility when we got there. A pure little gem of a bolthole. Spotlessly clean with more than we'd ever need. Its an annex on a private house in the town itself. The building was originally an hotel and is now 5 or 6 private dwellings. Our accommodation was to the rear of the host's house in what was the hotel's courtyard/stables. This meant Marlene was parked off the road and out of sight; right outside the bathroom window. The gates were kept closed at all times but never locked. As it turns out, it's an area where people still leave front doors unlocked and keys in cars, so security was not really an issue. Still, was good for peace of mind.

Speaking of peace, it was brilliantly quiet in the evenings. Apart from the birds on the feeder, and an F-15E from Lakenheath doing its low-level thing in the area on the last morning we were there, it was so peaceful.

 

[Harvey Mushman]

Day 1 stage 4:
Gentle reconnaissance bimble, Tregaron to Llyn Brianne.



We were still full from lunch so there was no issue in trying to find somewhere to eat in the evening. This meant we had a good few hours free before it got dark.
After a rest & a well earned cup of tea, and some lovely Welsh cakes left as part of a welcome pack by our host, (I'd forgotten how good these were) we decided to take advantage of the fine evening.

A quick plot on Sally-sat-nav showed the Llyn Brianne reservoir was less than an hour away. Panniers were removed from bike and the usual essentials packed in top box (wet gear mostly). We stopped off on the way at the phone box in the middle of nowhere. At least that's what I think Nant Y Cwr means!

 

[Harvey Mushman]

And on to Llyn Brianne.

I'll leave the pictures do the talking.




It looked like the weather might close in but it was time to head back to base anyway. We had another epic bimble on the same road back, with great roads, great scenery and the best nights sleep either of us had in years.

I'd go so far as to say it was epic, but the epic day was planned for the next morning. And boy, was it ever.

To be continued....

 

[GreatScot]

I can feel your enjoyment of your trip, after a nervous start, just from reading your posts .

 

[Harvey Mushman]

Day 2, Snowdonia, Bala, and more.....

Tuesday dawned and an epic day ay ahead. At least that's what I imagined when plotting a route on Sally-sat-nav.

I had given myself plenty of options for short/medium/long spins, with u

Knew this was going to be a long day but we had the time. And now the weather as well. Forecast was good but already the day was looking better. So went for the longest option I had saved.

This is the actual route we ended taking. I had options to head up the coast to Ynyslas and also the loop around Aberdovey/Tallyllyn but passed this time. I figured I'd get to Blaenau and take stock there. So off we went....

 

[Harvey Mushman]

After a hearty but healthy breakfast, thanks to the host's welcome pack, we headed north. A485 and A487 to Aberystwyth for a break and stretch legs. Here is where I modified our route and headed for Machynlleth (still haven't figured out the correct pronunciation here yet). Was still to early for lunch as still full from breakfast. I figured by the time we got there we'd be ready for a coffee at least.

Roads were still fabulous, twisty, sweeping, up and down like a roller coaster, and soooooooo smooth. No potholes, no bad patchwork, not even mild washboard effects as can be expected on the bigger Irish roads.




We headed for coffee and croissants in the cafe to the right of this picture where the tables are on the footpath. It's called Tŷ Medi, and I was in there for a good 15 minutes before I realised it was a vegetarian place.
That being said, the coffee and pastries were superb and the menu looked appealing. We enjoyed our stuff and spent an entertaining time playing people watching.

If I could use one word to describe this place, it would be "eccentric". But in a good way.

Machynlleth- Marlene Moto Approved....


Only after I took this photo did I spot the plaque to Laura Ashley.

 

[Harvey Mushman]

What I found surprising was that we seemed to be arriving at our way points a lot sooner than I was expecting. Not sure was time moving faster cos I was enjoying myself, or if it seemed faster cos the road surfaces were so much better than I'm used to. Anyway we continued north up to Blaenau Ffestiniog on the A487 and A470. Blaenau is another lovely spot and we found the cafe easily, but again were not hungry. So bimbled about a bit and took in the sights. Just a couple of the many photos I took..
On the way up...


Up there....

 

[wessie]

how to say Machynlleth

it's the LL that people struggle with - you often hear people say Llan as CLAN not THLAN

 

[Harvey Mushman]

What a day... what a place.

 

[wessie]

What I found surprising was that we seemed to be arriving at our way points a lot sooner than I was expecting

it's a very small country. I live about 5 miles inside the border with England, west of Shrewsbury but I can be at the coast in a little over an hour

 

[Harvey Mushman]

Thanks to member @wessie suggestions we then headed for Bala via B4391 and A4212 taking in Capel Celyn and Bala Town itself before the lake, passing through Fron-goch on the way.

Not many photos of Bala. We were starting to get a bit peckish so fancied a pizza for a late lunch. Saw a Pizza Plas on Google so parked up on High Street next to a lovely R1250GS. Unfortunately the pizza crowd was closed so went to Ty Coffi next door. Toasted paninis actually worked out well.

Bala is another lovely town. Wish we could have stayed a bit longer but it was time to go. On the way back to the bike, Mrs M saw this shop across the road. I had to take a photo, the name says it all...

She also spotted the stand of postcards outside the book shop next door. We had been looking for some Wales Flag stickers for the panniers, and she reckoned this place was a good bet. Well, it was......

The very helpful man behind the counter pointed us to the right area and got us our stickers. He also got talking to us about Ireland. What followed was a fascinating conversation about Irish political history and the role played by the prison camp in Fron-goch. Half an hour later we left with a brilliant history lesson and 2 stickers, one for each pannier. The name of the bookshop is Awen Meirion, and is Marlene Moto Recommended.

Unfortunately we were heading the wrong way, as we had passed Fron-goch already.
We will be back.

 

[Harvey Mushman]

After Bala we followed the next brilliant road on the A494 and after Dolgellau the A470, staying left at Cross Foxes towards Mallwyd. We stopped at a layby to take more scenic shots. I noted a gentleman with a frequency scanner and realised I was in the Mach Loop. Being a Mil Air enthusiast I had another great chat. With the RIAT on in Fairford I guess they were hoping for some exotic visitors using the area for practice. I zoomed in on the second photo to show the lads up on the mountain. Dedicated hobbyists for sure.

 

[Harvey Mushman]

Thanks for reading so far. That's enough for today. I'll finish day 2 tomorrow and maybe even the full report.
To be continued......