Wrinklies Welsh Wramble

[Matt]

First, good url'ing (click on image for map)
Route 1: Wicked. I did pretty much this zigzag when I first hit south Wales. Good times. We also go through where at least a quarter of my ancestors might still live, Crickhowell. So if we stop for coffee there then maybe I can inherit a farm or something.
Lunchwise: I stopped at the Clytha Arms I think. Or at least i have it starred and I only star decent places. But a mile or so west is Steel Horse Cafe which you may guess is motorcycle place. EDIT: sonofagoose there's a village named after us.

Route 2: hah! Also yeah is that a stop in Aber? I can try and think where wasn't rubbish if you like. There used to be a decent fancy panini place near the old castle, where maybe we could park on the sea front and get rusty. Alternatively I expect the centre of town sea front still has the bike parking...
Ah one thing: on leaving Aberystwyth, I see we head out on the A44 and then turn north at the roundabout for the A4159. My memory tells me if we do suffer going into Aber proper, then exiting via the A487 past the student village provides for a pretty fun mile or so up to Bow Street. I used to rag the 306 up there and do some definitely safe overtakes.

As an aside and not really workable in Route 2, the A44 has some amazing sweepers, again the 306 used to be able to get me passed a load of stuff when a sweeping left-hander (heading to Aber) around the side of the valley shows the oncoming traffic for the next half a mile . Also I think on that road (or off it even) is the Red Kite place where I used to mountain bike, and occasionally watch the red kites. Adding this road would probably add an hour or so, so never mind .

Route 3: Lovely! I'm sure one of those dams is the one we used to go to quite often, so that'd be lovely to see again.

Route 4: No comment. Actually comment: looks pretty fun, hope it's dry!

[raesewell]

No worries Rich I am happy to sell you the route 

[chriscanning]

Route 2 will take you past Cross Gates cafe.

[raesewell]

There is a planned stop at Crossgates.

[TomK1300s]

The routes as they are, are over 8 hours, if you add in more stops you should consider shortening the routes.

You are correct Rae, when we last did the Brecon run we set off at 08:00 where as we normally start the runs at 09:00, with extra stops and a long stop at P&M we were back at Hereford for 16:30 in total 8.5 Hrs this was taking it steady, we could have picked up the pace and with one less stop knocked 1Hr off the trip but there is a lot to see out that way.

[raesewell]

I like the half past four bit Tom, it's the eight O'clock start that might be the struggle. We don't have to see it all in one go.
As you know I'm more for the riding than the sight seeing but I'll go with the flow.

[richtea]

8:00. Hahahahaha . No. 
9:00 is doable - under duress.   

Agreed, 8 hours in the open air (inc stops) sounds like a sensible max.

Right now, those two full-day routes are both closer to 8h 30m with stops, so there will be a little shaving needed, especially if we add / alter stops.

> No worries Rich I am happy to sell you the route 

Rae, you'll be rewarded for your adjusted routes in beer futures. Beercoin. If there's a market rally by June you could get 4 pints, if there's a market crash it'll be half a shandy. If Elon Musk buys in, I'll be mortgaging the Neuadd Arms to keep you in liquid.

[sudolea]

...
As you know I'm more for the riding than the sight seeing but I'll go with the flow.

There's no  thumbs up in the smiley set. I'd have pressed it.

[raesewell]

...
As you know I'm more for the riding than the sight seeing but I'll go with the flow.

There's no  thumbs up in the smiley set. I'd have pressed it.

So that's two of us Philippe 

[Ady00]

...
Hello Phillippe
                          I've just emailed the Nueradd Arms about a room so there will be two of us at least....Ady

Hello, Ady, thanks for keeping me company 

I'm really longing to go ride after this year full of near-isolation. Let's hope everything will be OK by then... Just to be sure ... getting into first gear is pushing down, and all the rest up, isn't it ?

Hello again Phillippe
                                     I have to check the K's owner manual about gear -changing as it has been awhile hen heh, I have heard from Cathrine at the Neuaddar hotel and I now have a room reserved

[sudolea]

...
Hello again Phillippe
                                     I have to check the K's owner manual about gear -changing as it has been awhile hen heh, I have heard from Cathrine at the Neuaddar hotel and I now have a room reserved

 

[richtea]

I've added you in the top post, Ady. Will be good to see you again.

[Ady00]

Likewise Rich 

[Phmode]

Just to whet your appetite for the Wramble, bikers are not the only ones who like the roads in this area. Both the RAF and the US Air Force as well as many other NATO air forces send their pilots to this region to sample some of the best roads in the UK. From the comfort of their cockpits...

One of the UK's best low-flying areas is centred on Dyfi Forest to the north of Machynlleth (McCunt leth to the English tongue) and known by everyone, including the air traffic controllers who police this area, as The Mach Loop.

The Mach Loop is always flown in an anti-clockwise direction, for fairly obvious reasons, two-way traffic at low level is not a good idea and aircraft can join the loop at any of a number of pre-ordained points.

The loop is bordered by three main roads, the A489 east out of Machynlleth to the A470 following the River Dovey north as far as Dinas Mawddwy in the north east of the loop and then west to the A487 south back to Machynlleth and these roads form the flying route for low-level training.

The second half of the Wramble's Mid-Wales route leaves Machynlleth on the A487 to ride around the loop in a clockwise direction as far as Dinas Mawddwy. This means that, if the loop is in use that day, we may well see opposing traffic of the airborne variety.

We will be on the roads to the lower left of the cockpit of this RAF Typhoon as it joined the loop at Machynlleth before heading for the Lake District.

https://youtu.be/Prnthv4uxeE

Those on K's should be OK, but Matt and Tom had better keep their heads down 

Follow this link...

http://machloop.co.uk

...for more amateur videos of big stuff on the loop.

[raesewell]

I once had a close encounter with a Typhoon on the A470 just outside of Dolgellau, frightened the c*$p out of me