Fryup's Tour De Wales 13
#1
Fryup's Tour De Wales 13
Hi All,
I am on leave for two weeks with not much planned so decided to pack my bags and do a tour of Wales, UK for a few days by myself.
I have been riding for 9 months now (CBR being my first bike) and have never toured before so i decided to do something reasonably close to home.
Before I left I picked up a pair of Oxford Lifetime Luggage Pannier Bags from eBay and an assortment of camping gear including sleeping bag and roll mat and already had a tent from years ago.
I planned a 3 day tour covering mid and north Wales as I am reasonably familiar with the south. I am based near Bristol so actually getting to Wales is only a 30 minute drive.
I planned my route using a giant wall map, highlighting roads that had been recommended to me by friends and websites I found.
My route was as follows:
Day 1 - 180 Miles (5 Hours)
Bristol>Chepstow>Monmouth>Vowchurch>Kington>Llandr idod Wells>Newtown>Llanwyddyn>Y Bala
Day 2 - 242 Miles (7 Hours)
Y Bala>Llyn Cely>Betws-Y-Coed>Conwy>Bangor>Penmon>Benllech>Amlwch>Tregele>H olyhead>Beddgelert>Dolgellau>Machynlleth>Llanidloe s>Devils Bridge
Day 3> 173 Miles (5 Hours)
Devils Bridge>Tregaron>Lampeter>Llandovery>Brecon>Merthyr Tydfil>Abergavenny>Monmouth>Chepstow>Bristol
Planned total mileage - 595
Total actual mileage - 640 (getting lost and repeating nice roads )
To make things a little more interesting for myself I relied on my direction list (taped to my fuel tank) and didnt use any maps or GPS.
Before I set off I had a new front tyre fitted and the bike MoT'd (an annual mandatory road worthy check of the bike here in the UK) along with giving her a real good clean.
Now I am back I wish I had gone for longer. The roads in Wales are absolutely awesome... no wonder there are so many bike specific safety signs in all the towns and villages! I was reasonably lucky with the weather as you will see with minor rain up in anglesey but not enough to dampen my spirits!
Heres some pictures I took during the trip:
Tintern Abbey near Chepstow:
Lunchtime on the A483 between Llandridod Wells and Newtown:
My directions:
At one stage I was pretty lost so had to pull over and check my phone, where i pulled in just so happened to be next to a very picturesque bridge and river! (Turns out I was only two right hand turns away from where i wanted to be!):
Towards the end of day 1 I stopped off at Lake Vyrnwy to do the lakeside drive and look at the Dam:
Once finished at that lake I rode to Lake Bala where I was camping for the night, These pictures were taken on the B4391:
Camping at Pant Yr Onnen Lakesidecampsite (£9 for 1 night):
My walk to the pub in the nearby village:
The next morning. To the right of the picture you can see the mist that passed through and left my tent saoking wet!:
First stop of Day 2 was at Betws-Y-Coed to do a bit of souvenir shopping:
I wasnt planning on stopping at Conwy but didnt realise how impressive the Castle was, so I decided to stop for lunch:
Then I crossed onto the Isle of Anglesey via the Menai Bridge:
And headed out to Puffin Point to see the views:
I also decided to stop off at the Train Station with the longest name (just for the picture opportunity!):
Then rode out to Holyhead, past RAF Valley which meant I saw a fair few SeaKing Helos and Hawk trainer Jets flying very low and loud!:
After that I headed south down past Mt Snowdon and to Devils Bridge, This photo was taken on the A4120 (a very nice road!):
Then stopped off for the night at Devils Bridge... with a wet tent (Woodlands Caravan Park - £9.50 for one night):
I rode into Aberystwyth that night for dinner:
Woke up the next day to another lovely day!:
Rode over Devils Bridge (A bridge built on a bridge built on a bridge!):
Got stuck in some countryside traffic:
Then a final stop in Abergavenney before heading home along the M4!:
So the plan now is to do a few day trips to South Wales with the GF on the back then off to Scotland next year hopefully. And then maybe one day even Europe
I am on leave for two weeks with not much planned so decided to pack my bags and do a tour of Wales, UK for a few days by myself.
I have been riding for 9 months now (CBR being my first bike) and have never toured before so i decided to do something reasonably close to home.
Before I left I picked up a pair of Oxford Lifetime Luggage Pannier Bags from eBay and an assortment of camping gear including sleeping bag and roll mat and already had a tent from years ago.
I planned a 3 day tour covering mid and north Wales as I am reasonably familiar with the south. I am based near Bristol so actually getting to Wales is only a 30 minute drive.
I planned my route using a giant wall map, highlighting roads that had been recommended to me by friends and websites I found.
My route was as follows:
Day 1 - 180 Miles (5 Hours)
Bristol>Chepstow>Monmouth>Vowchurch>Kington>Llandr idod Wells>Newtown>Llanwyddyn>Y Bala
Day 2 - 242 Miles (7 Hours)
Y Bala>Llyn Cely>Betws-Y-Coed>Conwy>Bangor>Penmon>Benllech>Amlwch>Tregele>H olyhead>Beddgelert>Dolgellau>Machynlleth>Llanidloe s>Devils Bridge
Day 3> 173 Miles (5 Hours)
Devils Bridge>Tregaron>Lampeter>Llandovery>Brecon>Merthyr Tydfil>Abergavenny>Monmouth>Chepstow>Bristol
Planned total mileage - 595
Total actual mileage - 640 (getting lost and repeating nice roads )
To make things a little more interesting for myself I relied on my direction list (taped to my fuel tank) and didnt use any maps or GPS.
Before I set off I had a new front tyre fitted and the bike MoT'd (an annual mandatory road worthy check of the bike here in the UK) along with giving her a real good clean.
Now I am back I wish I had gone for longer. The roads in Wales are absolutely awesome... no wonder there are so many bike specific safety signs in all the towns and villages! I was reasonably lucky with the weather as you will see with minor rain up in anglesey but not enough to dampen my spirits!
Heres some pictures I took during the trip:
Tintern Abbey near Chepstow:
Lunchtime on the A483 between Llandridod Wells and Newtown:
My directions:
At one stage I was pretty lost so had to pull over and check my phone, where i pulled in just so happened to be next to a very picturesque bridge and river! (Turns out I was only two right hand turns away from where i wanted to be!):
Towards the end of day 1 I stopped off at Lake Vyrnwy to do the lakeside drive and look at the Dam:
Once finished at that lake I rode to Lake Bala where I was camping for the night, These pictures were taken on the B4391:
Camping at Pant Yr Onnen Lakesidecampsite (£9 for 1 night):
My walk to the pub in the nearby village:
The next morning. To the right of the picture you can see the mist that passed through and left my tent saoking wet!:
First stop of Day 2 was at Betws-Y-Coed to do a bit of souvenir shopping:
I wasnt planning on stopping at Conwy but didnt realise how impressive the Castle was, so I decided to stop for lunch:
Then I crossed onto the Isle of Anglesey via the Menai Bridge:
And headed out to Puffin Point to see the views:
I also decided to stop off at the Train Station with the longest name (just for the picture opportunity!):
Then rode out to Holyhead, past RAF Valley which meant I saw a fair few SeaKing Helos and Hawk trainer Jets flying very low and loud!:
After that I headed south down past Mt Snowdon and to Devils Bridge, This photo was taken on the A4120 (a very nice road!):
Then stopped off for the night at Devils Bridge... with a wet tent (Woodlands Caravan Park - £9.50 for one night):
I rode into Aberystwyth that night for dinner:
Woke up the next day to another lovely day!:
Rode over Devils Bridge (A bridge built on a bridge built on a bridge!):
Got stuck in some countryside traffic:
Then a final stop in Abergavenney before heading home along the M4!:
So the plan now is to do a few day trips to South Wales with the GF on the back then off to Scotland next year hopefully. And then maybe one day even Europe
#4
Hey Fryup,
I'm still dribbling slightly after seeing your photos.
I know Wales very well. It's big, beautiful and has probably the best kept roads in the UK. It's a motorcyclists dream come true on a good day. You just have to go prepared for rain. If it doesn't **** down, it's a bonus.
I love you photo of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch. The name means: [St.] Mary's Church (Llanfair) [in] the hollow (pwll) of the white hazel (gwyngyll) near (goger) the rapid whirlpool (y chwyrndrobwll) [and] the church of [St.] Tysilio (llantysilio) with a red cave ([a]g ogo goch).
It's not every day you get to stop outside that mouthful, unless you're the station mater I suppose.
Wales! You just gotta go there.
Thanks for the narrative. I feel much better after that.
Glad you had a good time, even though it was inevitable.
Scotland I've done several times in the car and by train. It is my favourite place on the planet. I just need to take the bike there.
By the way, are your front indicators standard? You've got a lovely bike there.
Cheers
H
I'm still dribbling slightly after seeing your photos.
I know Wales very well. It's big, beautiful and has probably the best kept roads in the UK. It's a motorcyclists dream come true on a good day. You just have to go prepared for rain. If it doesn't **** down, it's a bonus.
I love you photo of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch. The name means: [St.] Mary's Church (Llanfair) [in] the hollow (pwll) of the white hazel (gwyngyll) near (goger) the rapid whirlpool (y chwyrndrobwll) [and] the church of [St.] Tysilio (llantysilio) with a red cave ([a]g ogo goch).
It's not every day you get to stop outside that mouthful, unless you're the station mater I suppose.
Wales! You just gotta go there.
Thanks for the narrative. I feel much better after that.
Glad you had a good time, even though it was inevitable.
Scotland I've done several times in the car and by train. It is my favourite place on the planet. I just need to take the bike there.
By the way, are your front indicators standard? You've got a lovely bike there.
Cheers
H
#5
Wow Fryup - thanks for that.
You did very, very well, superb planning, fantastic photos and a great writeup!
This however is the secret to motorcycle travel...........
"Planned total mileage - 595
Total actual mileage - 640 (getting lost and repeating nice roads )"
You had to start somewhere and it was a great start - and now you know you can plan longer trips comfortably.
Cheers, SB
You did very, very well, superb planning, fantastic photos and a great writeup!
This however is the secret to motorcycle travel...........
"Planned total mileage - 595
Total actual mileage - 640 (getting lost and repeating nice roads )"
You had to start somewhere and it was a great start - and now you know you can plan longer trips comfortably.
Cheers, SB
#7
Hey Fryup,
I'm still dribbling slightly after seeing your photos.
I know Wales very well. It's big, beautiful and has probably the best kept roads in the UK. It's a motorcyclists dream come true on a good day. You just have to go prepared for rain. If it doesn't **** down, it's a bonus.
I love you photo of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch. The name means: [St.] Mary's Church (Llanfair) [in] the hollow (pwll) of the white hazel (gwyngyll) near (goger) the rapid whirlpool (y chwyrndrobwll) [and] the church of [St.] Tysilio (llantysilio) with a red cave ([a]g ogo goch).
It's not every day you get to stop outside that mouthful, unless you're the station mater I suppose.
Wales! You just gotta go there.
Thanks for the narrative. I feel much better after that.
Glad you had a good time, even though it was inevitable.
Scotland I've done several times in the car and by train. It is my favourite place on the planet. I just need to take the bike there.
By the way, are your front indicators standard? You've got a lovely bike there.
Cheers
H
I'm still dribbling slightly after seeing your photos.
I know Wales very well. It's big, beautiful and has probably the best kept roads in the UK. It's a motorcyclists dream come true on a good day. You just have to go prepared for rain. If it doesn't **** down, it's a bonus.
I love you photo of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch. The name means: [St.] Mary's Church (Llanfair) [in] the hollow (pwll) of the white hazel (gwyngyll) near (goger) the rapid whirlpool (y chwyrndrobwll) [and] the church of [St.] Tysilio (llantysilio) with a red cave ([a]g ogo goch).
It's not every day you get to stop outside that mouthful, unless you're the station mater I suppose.
Wales! You just gotta go there.
Thanks for the narrative. I feel much better after that.
Glad you had a good time, even though it was inevitable.
Scotland I've done several times in the car and by train. It is my favourite place on the planet. I just need to take the bike there.
By the way, are your front indicators standard? You've got a lovely bike there.
Cheers
H
That train station has been the subject of many a discussion at work as a couple of guys can pronounce it so I had to go and get a picture!
Glad you like Scotland, I'm looking forward to it already!
Yeah the indicators are standard. The bike has given me a few problems recently... Had to replace the whole top end at the start of summer but she seems to be running pretty sweet at the moment!
#8
Wow Fryup - thanks for that.
You did very, very well, superb planning, fantastic photos and a great writeup!
This however is the secret to motorcycle travel...........
"Planned total mileage - 595
Total actual mileage - 640 (getting lost and repeating nice roads )"
You had to start somewhere and it was a great start - and now you know you can plan longer trips comfortably.
Cheers, SB
You did very, very well, superb planning, fantastic photos and a great writeup!
This however is the secret to motorcycle travel...........
"Planned total mileage - 595
Total actual mileage - 640 (getting lost and repeating nice roads )"
You had to start somewhere and it was a great start - and now you know you can plan longer trips comfortably.
Cheers, SB
I guess you are right with the secret to motorbike travel! I found some great places which I never planned to visit!
I was always a bit paranoid about running out of petrol in the middle of nowhere but I would say there are garages at maximum 30 miles apart. So really I had no need to worry, just had to start looking to refuel when the trip counter hit about 120 miles.
I certainly would plan a longer trip next time but not longer days! By the end of the second day I think I was starting to get arm pump after 7 hours of gear changes and braking. Was happy to see the campsite that night! 180 - 200 miles seems about right for me on A class roads. Could do longer on motorways but that would be very dull!
#9