With a few days holiday to use up, and the Clio having been gathering cobwebs all summer, I decided to go for a bit of a roadtrip around south and mid Wales. With a map to hand and drawing on experience and some pointers off the net I soon worked out a route.
Most things Wales-related involve the M4, and in my case this meant a tedious few hours on the motorway before turning off at Bridgend. But reward soon came in the shape of the A4061 between Nant Y Moel and Treherbert. Considering its proximity to the motorway, this road is a corker. Really alpine in feel with hairpins beneath big cliffs and long stretches of black and white armco.
For a real sense of being there while viewing the pics, I suggest you blast yourself with a hairdryer (on cold) while repeatedly splashing water in your face.
The hairpin midway to the summit.
The lonely summit.
Now it gets good...
The A4061 continues through Treherbert and, once beyond the houses, resumes its spectacular course to Hirwaun. It begins along the side of a valley beneath the cliffs and ends with a corkscrew off the mountain that leads to the Tower Colliary.
Overlooking Craig y Lyn.
The descent across Hirwaun Common.
At Hirwaun I got on the A465 and then headed across to Bynamman, passing Walters Arena: one of the stages on Rally GB. Bynamman is the start, or end, point of the A4069: the famous Black Mountain road. Another great mix of fast, sweeping corners and tighter bends made especially worrying by the large boulders that line the entire road.
The famous hairpin. Performance Car's relaunch cover with the Clio 197 was shot just along from here.
Looking back up from the hairpin.
From Llangadog to Llandovery the A4069 changes character: smoothly surfaced with long straights and flowing corners. From Llandovery I continued north to Llanwrtyd Wells on the A483 then picked up a singletrack road to Abergwesyn. I was a little worried about floods here, as I know how wet this area is and reports on the radio on the way over were a little worrying. Thankfully it wasn't too bad and I made it few the few puddles and began to climb past Abergwesyn heading for Tregaron. The road was only singletrack, but full of character with loads of yumps and some steep climbs and descents. It was also absolutely deserted.
Esgair Irfon. Reminded me of the Lake District without the chavs.
It was a great road to Tregaron - not one for going mad on, but truly wild in terms of landscape and lack of civilisation.
At Tregaron I headed north for Pont rhyd y groes (B4343) then Cymystwyth.
V Power at tuppence ha'penny a gallon.
Cymystwyth led me to the Elan Valley Mountain Road, and shortly out of the village you pass these old copper mines, with the ground still stained a rainbow of colours from the leaching metals.
This road was a revelation: practically deserted and constantly changing from singletrack to full-width. Alternatively fast and flowing, then tight and technical. Eventually I came to a fork, and looking to the right brought a view familiar from last year's Evo car of the year.
I turned right and followed this road along the edge of Craig Goch. Although singletrack for the most part, the sightlines are good and there's a sequence of wonderful corners that are more than full double width road. Great for a RWD car.
After about 2 miles I reached the dam...
... and the last of my photos. It was getting pretty late by this stage, so I got a move on, dropping down passed all the reservoirs, to Elan Village and Rhayader. Then I took the A470 south, followed by the B4358 (good fun) to Garth and the B4519 Epynt road. Sadly it was dark by this point so I didn't get to see any tank battles.
Then it was main roads from Brecon to Abergavenny, then the B4598 to Usk and the excellent B4235 to Chepstow (which was spent with an Impreza WRX welded to my bumper).
Total distance 520miles. Worth the 2 1/2 tanks of super unleaded? You bet.
Most things Wales-related involve the M4, and in my case this meant a tedious few hours on the motorway before turning off at Bridgend. But reward soon came in the shape of the A4061 between Nant Y Moel and Treherbert. Considering its proximity to the motorway, this road is a corker. Really alpine in feel with hairpins beneath big cliffs and long stretches of black and white armco.
For a real sense of being there while viewing the pics, I suggest you blast yourself with a hairdryer (on cold) while repeatedly splashing water in your face.
The hairpin midway to the summit.
The lonely summit.
Now it gets good...
The A4061 continues through Treherbert and, once beyond the houses, resumes its spectacular course to Hirwaun. It begins along the side of a valley beneath the cliffs and ends with a corkscrew off the mountain that leads to the Tower Colliary.
Overlooking Craig y Lyn.
The descent across Hirwaun Common.
At Hirwaun I got on the A465 and then headed across to Bynamman, passing Walters Arena: one of the stages on Rally GB. Bynamman is the start, or end, point of the A4069: the famous Black Mountain road. Another great mix of fast, sweeping corners and tighter bends made especially worrying by the large boulders that line the entire road.
The famous hairpin. Performance Car's relaunch cover with the Clio 197 was shot just along from here.
Looking back up from the hairpin.
From Llangadog to Llandovery the A4069 changes character: smoothly surfaced with long straights and flowing corners. From Llandovery I continued north to Llanwrtyd Wells on the A483 then picked up a singletrack road to Abergwesyn. I was a little worried about floods here, as I know how wet this area is and reports on the radio on the way over were a little worrying. Thankfully it wasn't too bad and I made it few the few puddles and began to climb past Abergwesyn heading for Tregaron. The road was only singletrack, but full of character with loads of yumps and some steep climbs and descents. It was also absolutely deserted.
Esgair Irfon. Reminded me of the Lake District without the chavs.
It was a great road to Tregaron - not one for going mad on, but truly wild in terms of landscape and lack of civilisation.
At Tregaron I headed north for Pont rhyd y groes (B4343) then Cymystwyth.
V Power at tuppence ha'penny a gallon.
Cymystwyth led me to the Elan Valley Mountain Road, and shortly out of the village you pass these old copper mines, with the ground still stained a rainbow of colours from the leaching metals.
This road was a revelation: practically deserted and constantly changing from singletrack to full-width. Alternatively fast and flowing, then tight and technical. Eventually I came to a fork, and looking to the right brought a view familiar from last year's Evo car of the year.
I turned right and followed this road along the edge of Craig Goch. Although singletrack for the most part, the sightlines are good and there's a sequence of wonderful corners that are more than full double width road. Great for a RWD car.
After about 2 miles I reached the dam...
... and the last of my photos. It was getting pretty late by this stage, so I got a move on, dropping down passed all the reservoirs, to Elan Village and Rhayader. Then I took the A470 south, followed by the B4358 (good fun) to Garth and the B4519 Epynt road. Sadly it was dark by this point so I didn't get to see any tank battles.
Then it was main roads from Brecon to Abergavenny, then the B4598 to Usk and the excellent B4235 to Chepstow (which was spent with an Impreza WRX welded to my bumper).
Total distance 520miles. Worth the 2 1/2 tanks of super unleaded? You bet.
