BEDDGELERT  20th - 22nd May 2005.

 

Weather           mild/fairly dry throughout

Hotel                The Saracens Head Hotel   01766  890223

Mileage            500 (with map assistance!)

 

RIDER                                                 BIKE

`BMW Top Guns`

Rob `Rowdy` Yates                                         R1100GS

Dave `Scout` Preest`                                        R1000GS

Graham Bailey                                      R1200GS

Will Nicholson                                      R1100RT

 

`Yammies`

John Jacobs                                                      FJR1300

Dave Graham                                                   FJR1300 (yawn!)

 

Onda`s/Suzi`s

Simon `Hard Deck` Forryan                             `Howling bandit`

John/Annie Hartley                                           PAN thingy

Nick Twissell                                                    Varadingy

 

Friday 9.30 am, and the entire ensemble with the exception of Dave as we are meeting up with him at Hope, is `champing at the bit` in anticipation of a week end to remember.

 

With Dave up front at Hope under Dinmore, we set off on a path that was to see us through Presteigne and Radnor Forest before arriving at our breakfast stop at  Cross gates for the usual artery blocker .

 

All’s well and we continue on our journey towards the afternoon tea`n`cake stop at Lake Vyrnwy, a lovely setting for a pit stop and a quick read of the map…eh John!

 

Bala Lake and many unpronounceable welsh villages were soon behind us as we arrived at our very accommodating Hotel, the Saracens Head in Beddgelert just north of Porthmadog. The comfortable setting allowed us the pleasure to continue with the `team bonding` through the medium of good food, a good pint, and the stimulation of a `healthy debate`…eh John!

 

Following on from the sumptuous evening meal and after full English! Breakfast consumed, we headed out on the Saturday morning via Betws-y-Coed, Blaenau Ffestiniog, most definitely Trawsfynydd!! (I think!) Before arriving for a spot of lunch on the sea front at Barmouth. We arrived at our lunch time destination after a further valuable lesson in map reading!!(See attached pic) and spurred on by expletives from Nick which endorsed his saturation of the virtues of the village of Trawsfynydd!!

 

 

 

In the chance company of Nige and his current gang from Bikers Retreat located in Dolgellau, we enjoyed a sea front lunch whilst reflecting on old times before the inevitable journey back to Beddgelert via the west coast and Harlech. A further 3 course evening meal later on that evening was to represent the culmination of our whistle stop visit to sample a small yet wonderful portion of the wonders of Wales.(does this all sound a bit like a calorific endurance I wonder!!)

 

 

All too soon we were navigating (or attempting to!!) our return journey home which saw our first stop at the Ponderosa café at Horse Shoe Pass, just above Llangollen.

This being a very popular bikers meet, which today saw the chance company of the local police helicopter as it to came to rest for a spot of lunch, and a good look at an immaculate GS1200 in Ocean Blue situated within the car park.(possibly see attached pic,of the helicopter I mean…!)

 

After a reverse fly-by of the Horse Shoe Pass… don’t go there! (It looks different coming from the other direction!)We eventually settled for the good old A49 to get us home, but not before yet another late breakfast (for Will) at Craven Arms just before Hope Under Dinmore.

 

The end was in sight, our weekend was nearly over, yet we felt we had achieved so much in that we had captured a glimpse of Wales in it’s raw beauty, enjoyed `bonding experiences` best left to the imagination, enhanced and further honed some of our riding abilities which gave a clearer view of the white line!, learnt to read a map and understand it when it’s upside down, but more importantly, we went away as friends and came back better friends.(eh….John!)

 

For me the weekend was perfect, each and every one of the above contributed to the overall success with no exceptions. I for one will certainly look forward to the next occasion with perhaps the possible inclusion of one or two more `die hards` within the club, that were not so fortunate to make this trip.

 

Thank you all yet again for an occasion well worth occupation of memory space.

 

Graham Bailey.