North Wales Rideabout/walk

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by stewie

Hi Guys , just a quickie, what is the standard of riders we normally have on a rideout and how do go about accomodating for slower riders ( like me probably ) ? .Looks like its all coming together nicely btw.

Well This is not intended for a fast ride-out hooning about. Certainly these roads are challenging if taken at speed, but there should be no pressure to keep up. Because these roads are twisty, they are also very scenic. So take your time and enjoy the view.

Once the routes are finalised, we can prepare some route directions (not me given my Left / right dyslexia! ) so folks can find thier way. We should also employ normal ride-out custom of the last person in a group waiting at a junction for next rider to arrive, so no one gets lost. We can also use a 'sweeper' who knows the way to pick up any lost sheep. That way, if you are not sure of the which way to go, wait and someone will arrive to help you out. Also helps with break downs.

HTH

PS Anyone who might be put off coming cos it sounds like a fast ride, believe me it is not intended to be. After all, I'll be on the ride and I'm not noted for my speed.

Sounds good to me, just dont want to be holding people up and the like.

Originally Posted by Baph

Get time off, and who cares about running the bike in or not. Why not run it in around Snowdonia? 5.5k RPM in 6th gear is 70mph. Faster than that anywhere in the UK & you risk points. Hell, most of the roads we'll be on, faster than 50 or 60 & you risk points.

Guys, you grab one leg, I'll grab the other, I'm sure we can drag 9tails to the meet

I really wish i could but i agreed to work this one to get the whole of easter off.

I hope i get to tag along and hold you all up sometime this summer though

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Anyone who might be put off coming cos it sounds like a fast ride, believe me it is not intended to be. After all, I'll be on the ride and I'm not noted for my speed.

Agreed completely.

If I want to hoon around the welsh countryside, I'll borrow my mates R1 & try to kill myself. I also won't ride with anyone else, regardless of how good a rider they are. I know the roads well & I know my limits (before I ride through a hedge). I don't ride anywhere close to those limits when in a group, even with friends.

What I call "brisk" (not "pushing it") might well be considered "pushing it" for people that don't know the roads. For example, there's a bend on the A543, just after you drop down one of the little hills (Mike, I'm talking just before the dip with right hander built in & there's a disused hut on the right, heading out of Denbigh), there's a sweeping left hander which tightens as you go around, and has numerous drains on the inside of the bend. When I'm pushing the bike, I think nothing of taking that corner at licence loosing speed. Briskly I'll take it at 60+.

All it takes one day, is a sheep to be in my line & I'm gone. We won't be risking that on the ride!

Mike, re: the marker system etc, so long as the lead rider knows the route, I don't see why we can't do it the same as the AR's (and France trip that's been kicking about recently). Again, I'll amend my original post in a min to reflect that. If it's not me or you leading, we'll both give directions to whoever is. That person stays in front & the rest do the marker system until the sweeper. I'm good with left/right, but crap with place names unless I'm looking at a map (I'll bring my Snowdonia OS map though).

9tails, shame. But anytime you fancy a jolly I'm sure me & Mike will be able to show you the North Welsh sights

EDIT: What Mike has proposed for day one, as much as I can gather from his directions () is here (just to wet appitites a little):


If day 2 is to be spent around the peninsula or Ynys Mon, I reckon day 3 ride via Bala to Ponderosa. All, thoughts?

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

PS Anyone who might be put off coming cos it sounds like a fast ride, believe me it is not intended to be. After all, I'll be on the ride and I'm not noted for my speed.

Originally Posted by Baph

Agreed completely.

Oi!

Mike
Well, here at the moment.

So I'm off to Llanfair TH on the way home See if I can't rid some more rubber from the back tyre

Mike, if you see this in time, feel free to come out & play

[Lissa]

Just given Pete's Eats a ring, and all the accommodation is provisionally booked.

They have taken my number, though, and will let me know if the rooms become available.

Just been on a nice run.

Left home, A55 to Mochdre down the back road from Conwy to Bewts-y-coed, left on the A5 to Cerrig, left on the "North Wales TT" up to Ruthin, then down to HorseShoe pass & Llangollen. Then down to Bala & across the A4212, right at the juction & up to Bedgellert. Over Pen-y-pass to Llanberis (lunch at Pete's Eats) then past Deinolen & back to the A5. Down the A5 to Betws-y-coed again & up the A470 back to Mochdre.

I left Mochdre at about 10:30 & got back about 3:30. All in all, 4 hours of good roads

I took the digi-cam but I was too pre-occupied with riding :P

One thing to watch around lunch time & before, is caravans & tractors (yes, I know, that's 2, shhhh!). Oh, and I do love those folks on high powered IL4's who have straight line speed but can't corner to save their lives

Oh yea, I also called in at a couple of B&B's to ask about prices. Most are full already! Well, mostof the ones that I called in to. Alpine Lodge in Llanberis starts at £56pppn!!

If they have space available, there's places like Bryn Dinas (log cabins) at £10/night. Bryn Dinas is near the bottom of Pen-y-pass the other side of the mountain to Llanberis (about a 20min ride).

There's also a couple of cottages that I know of that could be rented out. However, most of these are approx £350 for the weekend (fri-mon). Whilst they'd sleep everyone in them, not really to most people budget I'd assume.

[Luckypants]

Was out and about too. must've just missed you. Was a tad chilly in leathers, so wore my winter coat for Sunday's ride. Just a bit too warm bimbling around the Wirral! Doh!

Had to help lift a Bandit out the bog on the A543 after the Sportsman's Arms heading west in the afternoon........ rider ok and so was the bike!

I'll try and make an appearance if I can manage to escape from the kids for a few hours. Be rude not to seen as I live in North Wales! I'll keep an eye on this thread closer to the time and see how the land lies but it would be great to meet some fellow org members.

Riding in a group will be a relatively new experience for me, the most I've ridden with is about 3 or 4 (apart from the Stoke Egg run a good few years ago when there were about 10,000 others but I don't really count that).

The roads and scenery are quite stunning; a good circuit for me is Wrexham to Llandegla, the B5104 to Corwen and then onto the A494 to Bala. Turn right just before Bala and head onto the A4212 to Trawsfynydd. After that it's north towards Betws-y-Coed then I'm either onto the A5 heading for Corwen and then home or getting lost on the B roads in between. It can take me a good 3-4 hours depending on how much tea I drink and whether I take the de-tour off the A5 from Cerryigydrudion (had to look that one up!) to Ruthin - bit of a rollercoaster, that one

Anyway, hope to see you soon!