Looking as it I know I will have to do something to this when I get it home. It will have to open it all out and give it a proper wash and let it dry thoroughly before repacking it.
I finally got going by 9.45 and quickly went through Solva and then into St Davids, after a couple of false turns my Roadbook and OS Road Map proved to be slightly confusing and unfortunately my Sat Nav, went on to the very minimal settings, which just gave a few village names and the direction I was riding in. I had a similar problem when I reached the tip of Cornwall, hopefully it would get better the further I got up the coast. I finally got back on track by taking the A487 North out of the CITY, yes; St David’s is Britain’s smallest City not much bigger than a large village. It is a bit special, however even at this time of the morning the crowds were out and the only way to get close the Cathedral was to get off and walk, sorry I had a lot of mile to cover this day. I had a stupid aim of getting on to Anglesey which could probably get me back close to my initial plan for the weekend.
I turned off down the B4583, shortly after coming out of the City which would have taken me to Whitesands Bay and the views of Ramsey Island but I took the lanes to Tretio, Berea on the run up to Abercastle, I have to say these lanes were beautiful and far more wooded than I had expected, and reminded me of the section I did around Exmoor on the other side of the Bristol Channel.
After riding for a while I thought it time to take one photo of the beautiful views out toward the sea, when I also spotted another sight, both of these were taken on the road out of Abercastle towards Mathry before taking the back lanes again to St Nicholas and ultimately Strumble Head.
The cottage in particular was far more attractive than the dour pebbledash and slate roof you find further North. I was to pass a number of cottages in the subsequent miles with similar roof designs, it looked very resilient to water and ideal in the height of the summer at reflecting the heat of the sun.As mentioned I had turned off through the back lanes and it was fairly quiet as it was still before 11.00 in the morning so the bulk of the tourists I would meet later were still getting their acts together.
I have to mention, coming into Goodwick on the back lanes, I came across a sight that made me stop, unfortunately, due to the road width I couldn’t stop to take a photo, although I would have loved to but it would have meant stopping traffic.
Just coming into the main part of Goodwick from a narrow lane there is what looks like either a or ex-council house, with 4 classic cars on the front area (what might have been garden) one Ford Prefect (1960s) A Cadillac (unknown model under refurb) a 1950’s US Ford pickup.(good but in need of work) and then finally what looked like the main run around a 1957 Chevy BelAir (in very good nick). Shame I didn’t have chance to stop and take a photo.
Just down the road I did get a photo on the descent towards the ferry terminal at Fishguard.
This had left me wondering as I had read about the ferry from Fishguard to Rosslare in Ireland I couldn’t see from this vantage point how that worked, as there was no ferry terminal in sight. Being this far West I also wondered what sort of traffic this would attract.It was shortly answered when I pulled over in the car park close to the terminal to witness the SeaCat on it’s way out of the harbour.
I didn’t realise until I did some research that the bulk of these vessels including the one you can see are built in Tasmania, Australia and then shipped around the world. Just wait until I tell the history of one CAT I am hoping to travel on later in this trip, as it will amaze you.I was then to come across a number of Irish number plates, including those on a few bikes that were obviously on a tour. Once into Fishguard I stopped for fuel and to grab some energy drinks as I was planning to go as far as I could on this day. As I was pulling away two more bikes from Ireland were pulling in for fuel.
Quickly around and into the old part of Fishguard I didn’t stop even for the young hippy chick who was hitching a ride, I have to say this is now a very rare sight, quite rightly, however this brave young lady was trying to get further up the coast somewhere. Now before anyone says anything sexist, she was quite attractive and in a car I would have stopped, this said, by her appearance she could probably look after herself, I hope so anyway.
I enjoyed a clear run for the next few miles on the A487, the bike performing beautifully so it was nice to cruise along at the legal limit on fairly empty roads in gorgeous sunshine. Before turning off to take the back lanes at Nevern and Moylgroveand then down into Poppit Sands, it was crazily busy, this is why all the roads where empty, all the cars were here, spilling out of car parks and taking up every verge and another place where I came across a with Spatial Deficiency Disorder, she was sat in the middle of the road weighing up whether she could get her RAV4 into a space big enough for a Transit van, ‘yes dear it will fit get on with it’ after the third miserable attempt her friend got out and started guiding her in, talk about the blind leading the stupid, she didn’t get within 3 ft at either end before finally giving up and driving off.
I stopped a bit further on the road to St Dogmaels to take a photo of the estuary, looking at the map I was expecting to see much more development being so close to Cardigan. I was surprised how under developed it was.
Just back on to the A487 for the quick trip into Cardigan and going out towards Gwbert. I caught this sign which made me turn around and go and get a picture of it.
One of my distant relatives seems to be doing well for himself. I say distant relative as there is in fact a Cave Society that has been researching the family tree for years and according to them the family name dates back to one of the Knight Generals that came over with William the Conqueror in the 11th century.In Gwbert I stopped near Cardigan Golf Club to take a couple of photos across the Teifi Estuary towards Poppit Sands, I also took the opportunity for a stretch and a quick drink.
The roads around here were very good and I was making good time so it didn’t take me long to pass by yet another airfield (21) and one that although I never visited it I had a loose involvement with, as we used to send aircraft off from RAF Valley for missile practice over the Irish sea, shooting at drones and this site was involved in part with some of these exercises.RAF Aberporth is/was spilt into two parts, the formal RAF base at what is now West Wales airport situated a mile or so from the coast and the other part that was RAE Aberporth and manned by RAF And Royal Navy personnel the site and is still in use today is on the cliff top overlooking the town. But now it is a MOD research base for testing unmanned aerial vehicles as well as launching atmospheric research missiles.
From 1940 to 1984, this small R.A.F station was home to a hundred or so R.A.F and Royal Navy personnel on postings involved in weapons trials from war time heavy guns to modern sophisticated missiles.
RAF Aberporth, which, along with the nearby RAE Aberporth, were once the largest employer in West Wales. Between them in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, the two sites employed up to 1,000 people . Much of the work was highly skilled, in what is primarily a rural economy. 75% of that employment has now gone. The RAF camp was built in 1940 during World War 2, when quite a number of Spitfires were based here. The camp was finally closed in 1984, and demolished in 2004 to make way for a UAV centre of excellence. In December 2007 the first five million pound contract was signed for the testing of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles at Aberporth. A new era has started.
Thales, the Watchkeeper prime contractor, is now clear to migrate the trials programme to the UK by October 2009. Initial live flying elements of the operator training are expected to commence in March 2010 contributing to systems acceptance and deployment in October 2010.
Other enhancements at the airport have included the runway being extended to over 1200 metres – a planned development that was accelerated to accommodate the Watchkeeper timetable. While undertaking this extension, extensive planning enabled [underground] infrastructure to be factored-in, giving the new Watchkeeper complex ‘plug and play’ capability with all airfield-deployed assets.
Watchkeeper UAVs will access the MOD Aberporth Range Complex in the first instance. Temporary segregated airspace will also be established to enable flying over mid-Wales and on to the Sennybridge Army Training Estate for integrated systems assessments comprising combined operations with deployed units on the ground. The air traffic control unit at MOD Aberporth Range will be tasked with managing all of the flying operations, with all scheduling being undertaken through QinetiQ’s ParcAberporth offices.
I also pass the sister airfield a bit later in the day at RAE Lanbedr. Before that I got one photo at Aberporth back towards the MOD site, however there are huge signs close to the base as I rode past that warn taking photographs of the gates themselves is illegal but at this range you can only see a the tops of a couple of aerial masts so should be okay.
Pushing on up the coast I made really good time through Tresaith, Llangranog and Llwyndafydd before getting into New Quay and wow, I thought Newquay in Cornwall was busy, this whilst being a lot smaller and far less tacky seemed to have the same amount of people crammed into it. It was also the destination for a lot of bikers and parking was at an absolute premium all the areas that were spare had a bike stuffed in it, I eventually found a small space in a car park overlooking the beach and a short walk into what appeared to be the hub of the town. 
The second photo I took gave me a view of the coast that lay ahead of me right up to the Lleyn Peninsular a further 5 hours riding away.
I stopped off to go and get some supplies for tonight and some bacon and bread for breakfast in the morning as well as some lunch, given the heat of the day I also made sure I had plenty to drink. I was stood chatting with a fellow biker and about to take a photo of a particular bike , unfortunately the owner and his partner came back and I don’t think he would have liked me taking the mickey out of his bike. I have described it to a couple of friends who have laughed their heads off.
It is a classic case of Ewan Wannabees, he got himself and perfectly functional BMW R1200GS and then gave it the ‘Bling’ treatment he had painted the bike in the most horrendous colour of pearlescent Candy Apple Red, including the wheel rims and cylinder head covers, it had a custom seat and top box. It also had a set of road tyres on it, so obviously this guy hadn’t bought it as an Adventure Bike and what made me laugh the most was stickers on the bike for the Paris Dakar Rallye. I would be amazed looking at the bike and the riders whether this bike ever came out in the wet never mind anything like the roads and terrain this bike was designed for. I’ve seen some very customised and revamped bikes but the colour of this one was physically painful on the eyes, certainly something you wouldn’t look at the morning after a heavy session.
Enough of my rant, at little further up the A487 on the way to Aberaeron I pulled over on the side of the road again, however this time to take a photo of a classic and something I was going to pass on to a friend of mine, in fact if I had the money I would seriously be interested in this old BMW ‘Airhead’ a GS100PD, the PD standing for Paris Dakar and something that is totally at the other end of the scale to the ‘bling machine’ this looks as it should.
When coming out of New Quay I had actually spotted another one of these underneath the front porch of a house, so it is amazing to see two in such a short space of time, it turns out the one in town was the owner of this bikes old machine.
Spot the deliberate mistake, I had taken this photo with the idea of sending it on to a friend as it had the number to contact on the front screen, duhh!! I should have checked how it had come out before moving on. Apart from a couple of rub marks on the paintwork she was in great shape and if I had £2,500 spare I would have made an offer.
The ride from here was very straight forward as the A487 hugs the coast all the way into Aberystwyth, it was great relief to ride for the best part of 10 miles in as many minutes (well almost, honest, I didn’t push my luck officer!) Once again when I got on to the sea front I was faced with a huge gathering of bikes and struggled for a while to find somewhere to park in the end I decided to double park and block some people in but at the same time stay with my bike in case they came back and I needed to move.
Sorry the following image is slightly blurred, I’ve cleaned the lens since then. Once again other bikers came over to talk to me and find out what I was up to, there were a huge number of Sports bikes and quite a few Harley riders and it was a few of them that came over first to have a chat, now that is unusual, as most Harley riders for some reason I can never understand tend to keep themselves to themselves and they are the ones that usual do not return your greeting when riding, this is usually a nod or a wave or even putting your leg out off the footpeg.
The latter is a very French acknowledgement, where it is used more often than any other form, it is also a thankyou, you will get if you pull over to let a bike through. Anyway back to the point a couple of Harley riders came up, they were part of a group camping close by, he was from Yorkshire and she was from Oxford, they were genuinely interested in what I was doing and why.
Even with the directions I still got it wrong and ended up coming back to this point on the seafront 5 mins later, next time I went further along the A487 out of the City before turning off up the B4572, which in most places had ample two carriageways to keep up a decent speed into Upper Borth which would allow me to take the following photo of Borth and the major beach there.
It was then down a very steep hill into Borth then carrying on along the B4353 through Llancynfelyn and back up the A487 to Machynlleth, following the Dovey Estuary, once into the town it was very straightforward to take the A493 back towards Aberdovey and Tywyn, the nature of the road meant it was good riding at a good pace, to get into Tywyn and I had been wanting a good cup of tea for hours, I don’t know about anyone else, I am not obsessive about tea, however when I get a thought in my mind about enjoying a good cup of tea I can’t get it out of my mind. So it was with relief on the way out of town I spotted a small coffee shop that was still open, although they were in the process of cleaning up.
I had looked top stay as close as possible to the coast as possible and although they had maintained the railway bridge North of Town, the ‘Bailey Bridge’ that had formed the road crossing had long since gone so it meant a detour inland before coming back onto the coast and having the following scenes on the road into Fairbourne.
The first photo shows the Lleyn Peninsular and I was planning to stop half way along it and the second shows the tip and Bardsey Island in the far distance but I had some riding to do before I got there.
I carried on up the A493 towards Dolgellau but turned off slightly before I got there at Penmaenpool and took the wooden Toll bridge across the top end of the estuary/river to join the A496 towards Barmouth, on the run in to which I pulled over to take some photos of the estuary and in the sun, it really was a beautiful view.
To take these I was really pushing my luck stopping on a clearway with lots of holiday traffic passing by and as it was now after 5.00pm a lot of people were packing up to go home, so the roads were getting busy. Barmouth is a lovely place, unfortunately there are some tacky elements, and riding along you can hear the distinctive clatter of coins in an amusement arcade.
I had made my mind up that I was going to stop somewhere around the Criccieth area so I didn’t have that much further to go today, I had covered a lot of ground and pushing on any further would be a case of diminishing returns, i.e. according to the map I was going to come across fewer camp sites the further I went and it may will be of benefit to get my heads down early and get going sharpish in the morning, I had ridden a l to of these roads in the past when I initial had the idea of doing this ride. It all came about, as I have mentioned following a trip to take my Son up to his Grandparents near Chester and with a few days on my hands I decided to ride down the North Wales Coast staying as close to the coastline as I could, before heading back home. So I knew I could ride from the Lleyn Peninsular, around Anglesey and up the North Wales Coast road to Chester in one day.
It did mean I had to call my father to say I was going to make it to see him on this leg of the trip, which was a shame.
Further up the A496 I came to the Sister Airfield of RAF Aberporth (22) RAF Llanbedr. It has probably the most interesting background of all those I have passed so far.
It opened in 1941 as part of RAF Fighter Command’s 12 Group. During its life, the base has been known as:
RAF Llanbedr until 1957
RAE Llanbedr until 1992
T&EE Llanbedr until 1995,(Test & Evaluation Establishment)
DERA Llanbedr until 2001, when most of DERA became QinetiQ.
The site was (from Spring 1942) an operational base for Towed Target (and in 1943, became the home of the RAF's No. 12 Fighter Gunnery School), and later, Target Drone services to the UK Armed Forces. Target provision services were typically to the Cardigan Bay Ranges (UK Danger Area EGD201, under the control of Aberporth) but Llanbedr targets also worked other UK ranges, including the Royal Artillery range off the Hebrides and occasionally overseas.
It was reported in February 2008 that the Welsh Assembly, the current site owner had awarded preferred bidder status for a 125 year lease to the operators of Kemble Airport near Cirencester. In May 2008, the Snowdonia Society, the Brecon Beacons Park Society and the Friends of Pembrokeshire National Park formed an alliance against the development of a new civilian airport at the site.
This campaign has been met by considerable opposition from people in the Llanbedr area who are delighted that their airfield, which has been an important part of the community for seventy years, is about to take on a new lease of life. A local petition in favour of Kemble's plans for the airfield attracted over a thousand signatures, while one organised by the Snowdonia Society received only 156, all but a few from people who live elsewhere..
In December 2008, the Welsh Assembly Government gave the final go-head for Kemble to take over the airfield, but there are some issues concerning planning consent still to be resolved, and the Snowdonia Society has vowed to continue its campaign. I just have to ask how many people in the aforementioned society are actually from the area. In so many cases, and a subject I have covered previously, ‘townies’ and second home owners come into an area and try and change what they say they have said they loved so much.
For those that may not realise, fast military jets have been flying in Snowdonia for over 50 years, so not one of the society can say a change is happening, in fact over the last 30 years the number of flights has probably decreased dramatically, so wind your necks in,it is part of the local landscape and it is what the locals want. I can’t understand why the group from the Brecons or Pembrokeshire got involved as it will have absolutely no impact on them. So as always, Locals Rule!.
A bit further up the Coast I passed by the next castle on my route Harlech one of only two I would pass during this day of riding and number (26) of my journey.
Construction started in 1283 as part of Edward I's second Welsh campaign. The castle was part of Edward's iron ring of castles around Snowdonia, a string of new castles to hem the prince in. Construction began in 1283. Like many of the castles in the area, Harlech was designed by Master James of St. George. The castle took seven years to build, and cost an estimated £8,190 to build (£88 million in 2009). Following its completion, James was appointed Constable of Harlech Castle, a position he held for over three years.
All the royal castles of Edward's second Welsh campaign were sited so that they could be kept supplied at all times. Harlech was not always isolated; the sea used to come to the foot of the cliffs.
In the Wars of the Roses in the first part of Edward IV of England's reign (1461–1470), Harlech was held by its Welsh constable Dafydd ap Ieuan as a Lancastrian stronghold. Following the Battle of Northampton, Margaret of Anjou and the infant Henry VII of England fled to Scotland via Harlech. Following the defeat of the Lancastrians at the Battle of Towton, Edward controlled the country and Harlech eventually became last major stronghold under their control. Sir Richard Tunstall arrived as a reinforcement to the Lancastrians in the latter half of the siege in 1465. In 1468 it was the last Lancastrian fortress to surrender; it was able to withstand the seven-year siege through its being provisioned from the sea. It is the longest known siege in the history of the British Isles. This famous siege inspired the song "Men of Harlech" according to tradition. The castle was also briefly occupied during the insurrection of 1498.
Harlech is part of the "Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Harlech, Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Conwy (Gwynedd)" World Heritage site, reflecting its importance and remarkable state of preservation. The castle is now in the care of Cadw and is open to visitors.
Architectural historian Dan Cruickshank selected the Castle as one of his five choices for the 2006 BBC television documentary series Britain's Best Buildings.
The village of Portmeirion has been a source of inspiration for writers and television producers. For example, Noel Coward wrote Blithe Spirit while staying in the Fountain 2 (Upper Fountain) suite at Portmeirion. In 1956 the village was visited by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and other famous visitors have included Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman and Paul McCartney. Musician Jools Holland visited whilst filming for TV music show The Tube, and was so impressed that he has had his studio and other buildings at his home in Blackheath built to a design heavily inspired by Portmeirion.
Television series and films have filmed exterior shots at Portmeirion, often depicting the village as an exotic European location. Examples of this include the 1960 Danger Man episode "View from the Villa" starring Patrick McGoohan, the 1976 four-episode Doctor Who story entitled "The Masque of Mandragora" set in Renaissance Italy, and an episode of Citizen Smith in which the eponymous hero visits Rimini.
The best-known use of the location occurred in 1966-67 when McGoohan returned to Portmeirion to film exteriors for The Prisoner, a surreal spy drama in which Portmeirion itself played a starring role as "The Village". Whilst I didn’t have time to stop and spend time there on this trip, I have been there a few times in the past and all I can say is, It is mind blowing, it is so totally our of character with the area and in fact anything I have ever seen in this country, it is the ultimate theme village.
Quickly along the A497 I passed through Porthmadog and after a quick spin along the front it was on to Criccieth and the 2nd castle of the day and (27) overall, before finding a great campsite shortly afterwards. Situated on the headland between two beaches in Criccieth, on a rocky peninsula overlooking Tremadog Bay.
In 1283 the castle was taken by Edward's army and rebuilt, including adding another tower to the wall of the inner ward and strengthening the "Engine Tower" (now in ruins), which served as a foundation for a siege engine.
In 1294, Madoc ap Llywelyn, cousin to Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, began an uprising against English rule that spread quickly through Wales. Several English-held towns were razed and Criccieth (along with Harlech Castle and Aberystwyth Castle) were besieged that winter. Its residents survived until spring when the castle was resupplied.
The castle seems to have been used as a prison until 1404, when Owain Glyndŵr captured the castle, tearing down its walls and setting the castle afire. Some walls still show these scorch marks.
Criccieth was also one of several locations Romantic artist Joseph Mallord William Turner used for his famous series of paintings depicting shipwrecked mariners.
It wasn’t much later when I saw a sign indicating a campsite in the village of Llanystumdwy, which has a claim to fame all of it’s own. It is the village where David Lloyd George the British Prime Minister lived until he was 16, and where he picked up his political nous and hatred for the land-owning aristocracy from his laypreacher uncle. His grave on the outskirts of the village was designed by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis and inscribed with a poem by Lloyd George's nephew Dr William George, a former Archdruid of Wales. There is also a museum of Lloyd George memorabilia in the village.
But for me it is also the site of a Camping and Caravan Club Site, run by a fabulous couple from Yorkshire, who not only welcomed me but also inducted me into the Camping and Caravan Club. A fellow bikers they understood what I was about and showed me to a pitch that had been occupied by a couple on their bike the previous few nights. After their hospitality I will be making a special effort to utilise my membership to the full.
It was a wonderful site and after getting pitched I had a great long shower and it was wonderful, then on to cook my evening meal and as this was cooking I took the opportunity to take a photo, given the direction I was pointing the mountains in the background are those on the way down towards Cadair Idris and mid Wales rather than Snowdonia.
Take care and as Mick says ‘You don’t stop riding when you get old; you stop when you join the Camping and Caravan Club!’
Posts
1 comment:
hi,your views on how the locals feel about llanbedr airfield are spot on.
Post a Comment