(Thursday 23rd June – Saturday 25th June)
When we signed up for Ron’s Wales Adventure, we expected fabulous routes, and top notch group riding and we were not left wanting!
Eleven bikes (including Ron’s wife Jackie, as pillion) set off from Bourne, on what we thought would be a very wet journey to Llanfyllin, a ride of around 150miles.
The route Ron had planned was a mixture of spectacular roads and scenery, which continued throughout the tour.
We headed off on some of the well-known local B roads out to Melton Mowbray, following the bendy A6006 through some picturesque villages.
Our first stop for lunch was at The Cricketts Inn, Acresford, following on from an unexpected U-turn after the planned café lunch stop, was closed. The pub was a fabulous find! A traditional Country Pub with a Master Chef Finalist, Award Winning Chef, the dish of the day, a pork bap was a meal in itself and along with a refreshing lemonade and lime was very welcome on what had turned out to be a very dry and warm day.
Feeling fully refreshed and ready to continue our journey, we headed off for the final leg of the journey, which included a visit to the Knockin Shop!
On reaching The Cain Valley Hotel, we found safe secure parking to the rear of the Hotel and a very warm Welsh Welcome at the Hotel.
The food was excellent with the Bara-Brith Bread and Butter Pudding (and custard – of course) being a very popular choice, so much so that the Hotel kitchen ran out of Custard!
Friday started a bit wet, with waterproofs at the ready, we headed off on a 145mile loop of the Snowdonia National Park, once again the roads and the scenery did not disappoint!
The roads were not too busy, we had plenty of opportunities to overtake, with the odd car driver making it difficult for the whole group to overtake, (there is always one driver, who does not like Motorbikes!)
The loop took us up through Blaenau Ffestiniog where the scenery changed, no more green and lush views, now dark slate, tumbling down deep steep-sided mountains.
Following the River Conwy down to Bala, for a coffee stop, before heading off for another round of excellent winding tree lined roads, back to the Hotel for the evening.
Saturday saw us packing up and leaving to make our way back home, our journey through Wales back to England was a mixture of roads, with a pitstop at The Three Crowns in Stone, with our goodbyes said in Melton Mowbray, one by one the group filtered off to make their own way home.
We all had a fabulous few days, riding awesome roads with beautiful Welsh scenery, some rain, cos it would not be Wales without rain! and great Company.
Evenings of telling stories and much laughter was had, all getting to know each other a lot better, although some would say, a little too much information may have been shared 😊
A big thank you to Ron and Jackie for all the planning and organising and to Barry Wroe for his TEC duties and to everyone for your company and making the tour exceptional.
As for the elastic band……..well, what goes on in Wales, stays in Wales!