excursions: Wales | Feb 2002.

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crew: Dick Turpin, Dave Turpin, Bruce Owen, Tony Marzouka, Chris Owen, Mark Herbert.

vehicles:  1982 V8 Range Rover (the Beast), 1984 V8 110 (Uriah), 1976 Series III Diesel (Dorothy).

Friday

It’s 8th February and it’s 5 o’clock in the morning, time to get up and go. After all the frantic organising over the last few weeks it’s finally time to set off again for mid Wales. I had arranged to meet the 110 at Sainsbury’s Savacenter on the M25 at junction 22 at 5:30 a.m., guess I’m late already! After a quick shower and a few hurried goodbyes it’s off like a bat out of hell in the Rangie. Our party consists of 3 vehicles a 1976 Series III SWB diesel, a 1984 110 3.5V8 Station wagon and 1982 3.5V8 Range Rover and 7 people.

The plan was for Mark and Phil in the Series to set off at lunchtime on Thursday to arrive sometime during the evening at Welshpool. Dave, Tony and I in the Rangie ("the beast") and the 110 (Uriah) travelling up early Friday to arrive about 10 am. Chris is coming on Friday straight from work in Peterborough, expecting to arrive about 10pm and Bruce is setting out from Norwich in the early hours of Saturday morning (following a Jethro concert on Friday) to arrive at 8am Saturday morning. I eventually arrive at Sainsbury’s at 6:15 a.m. to find Dave and Tony already waiting, by the time I’ve filled up it’s 6:30 before we turn onto the M25. Dave and I agreed that the Uriah will lead the way with "the beast" following up behind. We make good time and are soon passing through Birmingham on the M6, although the traffic is heavy it keeps moving.

By just after 8 o’clock we are on the M54 heading for Shrewsbury, where we stop for petrol and breakfast at the Little Chef on the Shrewsbury bypass. By 9:15 we are back on the road arriving in Welshpool town centre by 9:45. We had already had instructions from Phil, by telephone, to call just before we arrive, so he can video us coming up the drive. He and Mark had arrived the night before after an uneventful drive up in the series.

We had arranged a variety of accommodation, us old boys staying in B & B at the farmhouse and the lads in a self-catering cottage. The farmhouse is a lovely 16th century building standing in it’s own grounds far from the road. It’s a working farm livestock farm run by Graham & Sue Jones along with their 2 sons Alistair & Nick. We arrive on the dot at 10:00 a.m. we couldn’t have timed it better.

After a brief hello, we dump our stuff in our rooms and set about changing the wheel sets on the motors. It doesn’t take long once we find the power switch for the compressor. Graham kindly lets us use the barn and his facilities to prepare the motors (it’s so much easier when you’ve got a good trolley jack and an air gun). In no time at all we are ready to roll, to assist us in keeping together Phil acquired a pair of hand held CB radios.

We are travelling in convoy me and Tony in front in "the beast", Dave in the middle with Uriah the 110 and Mark and Phil in the series following up the rear. We are soon heading up the A490 towards Llanfyllin with Tony navigating me driving. 20 minutes later a sudden cry of "we should have turned right there" as we pass the B4393 causes me to jam on the brakes and swerve into the kerb. The 110 slams to halt behind us, the series (unable stop) swerves round us both, coming to rest up the front. The CB crackles in to life "Bloater1 to Bloater2 can you give us some warning next time we ain’t got disc brakes you know".

After turning the motors round we regroup on the other side of the road before continuing. We turn off the A490 onto the B4393 to Llanfechain then on to Bwlchyddar up a small single-track road. From Bwlchyddar we continue up a steep single-track road to Llangedwyn. We proceed on through Llangedwyn up a tiny tarmac road until the next crossroads. Here we turn right to find the first lane of the day.

We drive up a small single-track tarmac road, before entering some woods (time to engage diff-lock and low box). The road rises up into the woods, at the first fork our intended route is blocked by 2 belligerent looking men standing by a Japanese 4x4 parked smack in the middle of the track. Rather than start the day with an argument we take the right fork and climb up into the woods along a muddy track. There is a steep drop to the right and we seem perilously close to the edge but we continue up through the woods emerging onto a track which brings us back out on the tarmac after about half a mile. It’s been raining gently for about the last hour but now it begins to clear. About another half a mile up the road we are ready to enter the next lane, but it’s blocked by a 109 Land Rover and a Citroen BX.

These 2 were here last time in November, so I decided to knock at the house and ask if they could move one of the cars to let us in the lane. I was invited in and after a quick chat in the kitchen with the owner, we agreed to pull the Citroen out of the way as it was non-runner.

This lane had recently been cleared but it was very narrow the noise of branches battering the sides of the cars was deafening. Within a quarter of a mile Phil’s series had it’s roof rack firmly wedged in an over hanging tree. It took about 20 minutes to extricate the series by liberal use of the bow saw. Unfortunately not without breaking one of the spots (my fault, sorry again Phil). The track was fairly good going but after about a mile we passed a spot in where the car leaned sharply to the right and I said to Tony (the navigator) I bet the series gets stuck here. A few minutes later the CB bursts into life "Bloater1 to Bloater2, we’ve just got stuck again", oh well, time for the saw again. Sure enough there was the series firmly embedded in its second tree of the day. After a further 20 minutes sawing the series was free again and we re-grouped at the bottom of the lane.

The exit from the lane is cunningly disguised as a fence lucky we were going out and not trying to find the way in. We continue on down the road for about another half a mile until the green lane starts again and then we find ourselves climbing up a narrow muddy track. Every so often we have to stop to remove various branches that have fallen onto the lane. The lane runs for about half to three quarters of a mile before climbing out on to the road.

We set off for the next lane, which is about 2 miles away. This lane is entered via a gate, the rain is now falling steadily again we proceed down the lane which although firm has much laying water. As Uriah charges through a puddle it suddenly grinds to halt. Oh no! Water in the electrics, stopped by 3" of water, out with the WD40.

We proceed on down the lane crossing a small stream then lane begins to climb up the other side. About a quarter of a mile further on we come to the spot where I got stuck for 4 hours last November. The large hole where I got stuck has now filled with soft slimy silt. Don’t step there Mark it’s very deep, oops! Too late, pull him out, now his trainers.

We decide to try and slowly creep "the beast" round the side by putting 2 wheels up the bank. We are working on the basis that if "the beast" can get through then the series and Uriah shouldn’t have problem. It takes all of 20 seconds for "the beast" to slide unceremoniously into the mire. Attempts to back "the beast" up only result in it skewing across the lane becoming firmly wedged up against a tree stump.

We try to Hi-lift "the beast" up and push it over but we can’t get it high enough. Ok bring up Uriah and let’s pull it out. Next we try levelling the bank to prevent the side slip, but after 2 attempts and 2 recoveries we decide to quit before damaging the lane any further.

Unfortunately there’s no room to turn around so it’s reverse down the lane and up the other side until we can find a spot wide enough to turn. In the case of Uriah it is all the way back to the road (still at least in reverse it doesn’t get stuck in a puddle).

From here we decide drive round the Mynydd Mawr and pick up the next lane called "Cefn Hir Fynydd". We stop about half a mile from the start of the lane by a small stream to wash our hands and feet. Cefn Hir Fynydd is a lane that runs up over the crest of a mountain for 3 – 4 miles giving stupendous views over the surrounding countryside.

We end up at about 2:30 P.M. in Tregeiriog, from here we turn down the B4500 to Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog. At llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog we turn right after crossing over the river and continue down a pleasant wooded valley until we get to next lane. This lane is a rocky mountain track that runs for about 4.5 – 5 miles ending up just outside Llandrillo, by now it is raining heavily again. Halfway down the lane is a monument to a local explorer and we stop here to sign the visitors’ book.

From Llandrillo we drive down the B4401 to lake Bala. We arrive in Bala around 5:30 P.M. it’s been a long day. After a break for some fish and chips other food purchased from the Spar grocer we set off for Welshpool at about 6:00 P.M.. We decide to take the main road to Dolgellau and from there to Welshpool on the A458 on the assumption it will be quicker. Big mistake!

We arrive back at the farm about 8:30 having driven through pouring rain and endless road works. We spend about 20 minutes reviewing the day’s activities on the video in the cottage before Chris arrives. We all decide to move over to the lounge in the main farmhouse where the bar is located. I have a nice hot bath and we sit talking until the early hours before turning into our beds completely exhausted.

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