hutchy
25-08-05, 12:21 PM
Not really a bike meet place but excellent grub, great view and fab roads - The cafe next to the Ffestiniog power station visitor centre, you know it's good grub cos the place is full of locals.
Make a ride of it and get to Bala (have a break and a rest at the excellent Bala lake car park) then ride through Bala and turn left onto the A4212 all the way to Trawsfynydd (apart from 1 hairpin all other bends can be easily negotiated at 60mph (cos I never break the speed limit - honest!)) at junction turn right and follow A470/A487 to Maentwrog - make a right onto A496 follow this for Blaenau Ffestiniog/Tanygrisiau you will climb quite high, as the road levels out it will swing right your next turn is on the left into a minor road with an immediate left towards the Ffestiniog railway/Ffestiniog power station.
After a great meal you could ride the Ffestiniog railway £12 gets you a day pass. Go for a walk about - fantastic views. Fish the reservoir £7 for a day license or ride to the Stwlan Dam (poor single track road with steep hairpin bends but well worth it for the view, my mate and I did it on our Kawa R6/SV650S with no problem) £2.50 for a bike (they let us take both up for £2.50).
Finish the ride by continuing to Blaenau Ffestiniog on the A496 then follow the A470 over the crimea pass to the A5 and turn left, this takes you into Betwys-Y-Coed, there are toilets by the playing fields (if you're anything like me it'll be just about the right time for some relief after the drink I had with my meal)
Definately avoid rainy days for this one, but it is well out of the way so rarely busy and absolutely glorious on a sunny day.
I will also stick my neck out and say your bike (locked to something suitable) will be reasonably safe left alone while you explore because of how out of the way this place is.
below are links to pictures of the area -
Ffestiniog power station and reservior -
http://www.freefoto.com/preview.jsp?id=1064-02-11&k=Ffestiniog+Power+Station+-+the+first+pumped+storage+power+station+in+the+UK
Stwlan Dam -
http://www.freefoto.com/preview.jsp?id=1064-02-55
Make a ride of it and get to Bala (have a break and a rest at the excellent Bala lake car park) then ride through Bala and turn left onto the A4212 all the way to Trawsfynydd (apart from 1 hairpin all other bends can be easily negotiated at 60mph (cos I never break the speed limit - honest!)) at junction turn right and follow A470/A487 to Maentwrog - make a right onto A496 follow this for Blaenau Ffestiniog/Tanygrisiau you will climb quite high, as the road levels out it will swing right your next turn is on the left into a minor road with an immediate left towards the Ffestiniog railway/Ffestiniog power station.
After a great meal you could ride the Ffestiniog railway £12 gets you a day pass. Go for a walk about - fantastic views. Fish the reservoir £7 for a day license or ride to the Stwlan Dam (poor single track road with steep hairpin bends but well worth it for the view, my mate and I did it on our Kawa R6/SV650S with no problem) £2.50 for a bike (they let us take both up for £2.50).
Finish the ride by continuing to Blaenau Ffestiniog on the A496 then follow the A470 over the crimea pass to the A5 and turn left, this takes you into Betwys-Y-Coed, there are toilets by the playing fields (if you're anything like me it'll be just about the right time for some relief after the drink I had with my meal)
Definately avoid rainy days for this one, but it is well out of the way so rarely busy and absolutely glorious on a sunny day.
I will also stick my neck out and say your bike (locked to something suitable) will be reasonably safe left alone while you explore because of how out of the way this place is.
below are links to pictures of the area -
Ffestiniog power station and reservior -
http://www.freefoto.com/preview.jsp?id=1064-02-11&k=Ffestiniog+Power+Station+-+the+first+pumped+storage+power+station+in+the+UK
Stwlan Dam -
http://www.freefoto.com/preview.jsp?id=1064-02-55