A Quick Trip to Wales

The long gated route you came across is quite likely from Llanuwchlyn to Bronaber on the A470 and go's past one of my best and oldest friend's house which is one of Wales highest and most remote houses. ...also the scene if may wild parties!!
Google 'Piss off Biggles' to find out more although the search is inaccurate in detail :D
This road but the house Blaen Lliew is much higher up.
 

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Thanks @Timolgra.

Paul, I'll try and get some 'action' photos tomorrow, I'm firing Merddin Emrys on two trips from Port to Blaenau and back.
 
Some great photos thanks for posting.
It's on the list to spend a few days up there next year.
Slightly off topic,but you may be able to help me identify a road in the Bala area please.
Tried to find it again,only to find a long gated route instead.

I think I know exactly where that is.

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.958...4!1s8hXQ99OwcI8H_rzwHCgQ_A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

There'a car park a little further on the see the Afon Cynfal waterfall that you can see in the second photo.

B4391 between Ffestiniog and Llyn Celyn. The OP would have ridden it if he'd taken the next right after Llyn Celyn on the way out :)

edit: Ah I see the question had been answered. Teach me to reply before reading the whole thread. Too early.......
 
Since buying the G650 I’ve been keen to take it on a few of my favourite roads, and yesterday the opportunity presented itself...

A couple of weeks ago I agreed to do something in Porthmadog on the evening of 30th October 19. Initially the plan was to take the train from Shrewsbury because I didn’t expect the weather to be dry and for me the train is free, but looking at the weather Wednesday morning I decided to go by bike. Which bike? The GS of course. As much as I like my ZZR the roads were going to be grim and not much fun on the metallic green two-wheel ballistic missile. I needed to take quite a bit of kit too which also ruled in favour of the GS.

So, early Wednesday morning. Dry but cold. I load up the bike, and set off at 0930 for a quick trip around my favourite bit of Wales. I didn’t need to be in Porthmadog until 1530 so plenty of time to enjoy the ride. Initially I follow the A5 out of Shrewsbury towards Oswestry, nice rolling fields but really that part of the A5 is just a quick way to get somewhere interesting. I turn left at Wolfs Head Roundabout near Nesscliffe, aiming for the Tanat Valley. Sadly the village shop in Knockin is closed these days, and the big ‘Knockin Shop’ sign has disappeared. Somewhere in my wardrobe I still have an ‘I visited the Knockin Shop’ t-shirt....

Out of Knockin I end up following a Lloyd’s animal feed wagon, heading for their plant at Llynclys. Whilst the road doesn’t look wet I end up covered in fine spray being thrown up despite dropping right back. Overtaking opportunities between Knockin & Llynclys are fairly limited, and as per usual I find whenever there is a chance a car is coming the other way. Still, the wagon turns off soon enough and I’m free to continue.

Straight over the crossroads at Llynclys, it always pays to be careful here because of the poor sighting. Around the Llansantffraid turning the road has a thick layer of mud, thanks of course to the masses herds of migrating tractors roaming from field to field. I’ve definitely chosen the right bike for today. Heading towards the Tanat Valley the hills get bigger, the road twistier. I know this road well, I used to commute along it every day when I worked for a company in Llanrhaeadr. Left turn just before the main village, cutting over to the B4391 just before Penybontfawr. More twisties, before dropping into Llangynog. This really is the gateway to Snowdonia, the hills are becoming mountains. Up out of the village, over the cattle grid and onto the ledge that takes the road up the side of the valley. Over the top and we are in some of the most sparsely populated lands in Wales. The road here passes across the bottom corner of Denbighshire, which must cause some gnashing of teeth in their Highways office - the B4391 doesn’t lead to anywhere in Denbighshire, there are no turnings off it until well into Gwynedd. However the bit they are responsible for is built on a bog and needs almost constant maintenance. Anyway, into Gwynedd and over the next cattlegrid. Down the two hairpins, past the left hander that I once crashed a Mk3 Cavalier into (the Armco still to this day is painted black-white-black-white-GREY-black-white where they replaced the damaged bit and never matched the pattern), then down past Llyn Tegid into Bala. Right then immediately left onto the A4212. My favourite road...

I’ve driven many different machines along this road and not once have I not enjoyed it. Buses, cars, vans and bikes. Out of Bala, always careful to keep an eye out for the speed camera van sometimes on the hill out of the town, through Frongoch and up towards Llyn Celyn. The A4212 skirts the edge of Llyn Celyn in two sides, making for stunning views. I debate a stop for a photo but decide not to - i’ll stop a bit further on - I’ve already got some nice pictures from previous stops. Llyn Celyn is beautiful but has a dark past - the lake was created by Liverpool Corporation to ensure a good supply of water to the city, which involved flooding the village of Tryweryn. The villagers fought against the plans but ultimately failed - even today there is resentment in the area, with occasional ‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ (remember Tryweryn) signs on vehicles and buildings. Onwards to the west, and the first photo stop. It’s here I realise how much mud the bike and my boots collected earlier!

I’ll add photos later today.

Looking out from Cwm Prysor the road snakes down the valley, perfect riding territory. I zip down the road with no traffic to hinder me, admiring the scenery as I go. On the ZZR I’d probably be concentrating a lot more on the road ahead, but on the GS more time can be taken to register the sheer natural beauty of the landscape. All too soon the road ends at Trawsfynydd, so it’s a right turn and down to Minffordd, my overnight stop to unload. This isn’t the end of today’s riding though, I need to visit Tesco for some supplies and I’ve a route in mind that really isn’t direct...

Lovely :)

Some favourite roads there.
 
A few days late but as promised some more shots of the FR:


1879-built Double Fairlie Merddin Emrys on the Long Shed pit at Boston Lodge, nearly ready to go off shed on 06/11/19.


Even with the grey weather, the view from the works isn't too bad.


The box of fire. Well, one of them. Being effectively two locos back to back, Merddin Emrys has two fireboxes. The pressure vessel is one unit, but the fireboxes and tube bundles are separate within it. The fireman spends most of the day with their legs around 6in from the firehole doors.


Trundling back across the Cob towards the end of the day. When then weather is bad you really get to know it along here - no shelter whatsoever from the elements.


And back in the toy box at the end of the day.

The next day there was a charter train for a group of photographers, which allowed some shots not usually seen:


Looking up the Aberglaslyn Pass on the Welsh Highland Railway.


And looking the other way.


Different machine: 1999-built Single Fairlie Taliesin. Seen posed here whilst the other engine (1863-built Palmerston) did run-pasts for the photographers up Nantmor bank.
 
I'd hoped to be posting more regular updates than every 9 months, but such is life.

Today I had the opportunity for a quick blat into Wales, so it was A458 to Mallwyd via Welshpool, then A470 Dolgellau and turn left for Barmouth. Left Shrewsbury in pretty good weather, some clouds but nothing major. Lots of traffic around but not so much that it ruined the ride. Nearly got taken out by a Seat Aye-Beef-Ah at Raven roundabout in Welshpool though, apparently six an' half foot of fat motorcyclist on a white and red GS is somehow inconspicuous. I do like following the course of the Banwy, between Welshpool & Llanfair Caereinion is a small narrow gauge railway (anyone would think I like trains...) which is highly recommended not for spectacular mountain scenery, but for the more gentle rolling hills of Powys sliding by as you enjoy a beer and a pace of life that is sorely missed from the modern world.

On past Llanfair, and somewhere around Foel I caught up with a static caravan being moved - cue lots of stop-start traffic until they pulled in a few miles later. Around the same time a light rain shower reminded me of the fact that it is supposedly the beginning of summer in the UK. Heading westwards on the A458 the countryside gets progressively more rugged and big. Swinging right at the roundabout in Mallwyd, the A458 became the A470 and pointed me in the direction of Dinas Mawddwy. The pass over this enormous lump at the western end of the Cambrian mountain range is quite a slog - 20% gradients up and down both sides. The GS of course doesn't struggle. Down the other side I caught up with a Toyota Previa that lurched alarmingly around corners, the driver seemingly using the kerb or rumble strips as physical warnings of the need to alter course rather than actually looking where he was going. The weather also changed, from blue grey skies to a very definite light black. Around Dolgellau the first meaningful drops of rain were felt, and proceeded to get worse all the way to Barmouth. I had considered riding across the railway bridge just because its possible, but that'll have to wait. I stopped under the railway bridge on the road along the sea front and grabbed a quick picture before turning tail and heading back towards the A470.



I'm not a fair weather rider but generally I'd rather ride in dry conditions. That said, it wasn't too unpleasant riding along. I opted to swing left onto the A494 towards Bala, for a bit of variety on the return. Its a road I seldom use but has some lovely scenery and some nice fast sweeping bends. It was also mercifully traffic-free so I made progress towards Bala. Llyn Tegid appeared on the right, and before long I was turning right on to the B4391, one of my favourite roads. Again, traffic was very limited, and for once I stopped at the top by the Powys border sign to take in the views and grab a quick photo:



Then it was down into the Tanat Valley, though Llangynog and along some well known B-roads though Llanfyllin, Llansantffraid, Four Crosses and Llandrinio, before cutting across a couple of back lanes to my house, and a nice hot shower - the jeans I was wearing were still wet and the boots making squelching noises. Not a long trip today by any means, 126 miles covered. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll take some longer trips, I was going to do the Wayfarer's Way at some point.

Hopefully I'll not have to leave it 9 months before posting in this thread again...
 


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