excursions: Wales| March 2009

crew:   Dick Turpin, Phil Turpin & David Turpin

vehicle(s):  1992 Discovery 200TDI

Trip to Wales March 2009.

Phil, David and I decided it would be a good idea to take some time out for a bit of R & R and a few days green laning seemed the ideal solution. Another trip to Wales seemed to offer all we needed. As David was disappearing off on a round the world trip at the end of April it had to be done soon. We decided B&B rather than self catering to allow us more time out and about. After a bit of surfing I found a B&B in Llanfyllin at http://the-green-door.co.uk/ called “The-Green-Door”, after a quick phone call and an E-mail I had booked accommodation for the 10th and 11th March 2009.

Monday 9th March

Today was very busy sorting out all the recovery tackle. I took the two Hi-lift jacks from the 110 and the sack of ropes, shackles and strops. I also took the additional bag of ropes, shackles and strops from the garage, as well as digging out the axes and bow saws from the garage along with a sledge hammer, a small pick axe and trenching spade. I also sorted out all the OS maps and touring guides for the whole of Wales. I found the video camera, and charged the battery etc. I dug out my SLR camera bag and gear along with the tripod. Lastly I also rounded up all the various ancillary items such as cup-a-soups, flask and first aid kit. Everything except the high value camera gear and ancillaries, was packed into the back of the Discovery. I finally got to bed at 11:30pm thoroughly tired, setting the alarm for 5 a.m.

Tuesday 10th March

I woke up just before the alarm was due to go off, got washed, dressed and made up a hot flask for the journey. The car was loaded up the car with the remaining gear and set off to pick up Phil out at about 6:15 a.m. I arrived at Phil’s 35minutes later (10 minutes earlier than expected). Phil was up when I arrived and about to take Maisy (the dog) for a walk, so we took her out together, before setting off to collect David. We arrived at 7:25 which was about 15 minutes later than originally planned. David was ready to go so we loaded up in quick time and set off for the M25 junction at South Mimms. The M25 counter clockwise was relatively clear although it slowed after the St Albans junction. But there were no major delays and we were soon on the M1, Northbound, where the traffic was moving ok. David was hungry, as usual, so we decided to stop at the Little Chef at the Toddington services. The Little Chef has been closed so after a brief toilet break we rejoined the M1. We continued on until we were on the M6 and then just after we passed junction 4 Phil asked “where are we”? Reply “junction 4”, “Oh” he said, “there is heavy traffic junction 4 to 6” (the power of Twitter), too late we were stuck It was a pity we didn't know about Frixio.com Frixo is a road traffic reporting site that provides users with live traffic information and gets updated every 3 minutes using various road sensors.. It took well over an hour before we cleared junction 6 and we were now running very late. Eventually we stopped in Shrewsbury on the A5, at a Morrisons, for a big breakfast. “That’s better”. We continued along the A5 and just before Oswestry we spotted the sign for Knockin, so we took the this turning as per the directions given by Marianne at “the-Green-door” (the B&B we were staying at). We basically followed the signs for Lake Vyrnwy until we saw the signs for Llanfyllin. On our arrival in Llanfyllin, we soon found the B&B, the time was around 12:30. After we unloaded our luggage and had a chat with Marianne we sat in the Discovery and planned our route.

Conveniently the road the B&B is on it takes us straight to Bwlchyddar and then on to Llangedwyn where we were to start the day’s laning. We entered some woods just north of Llangedwyn at OS map ref: SJ185 254 and climbed up a narrow grassy track but the route was not very clear. The surface was quite slippery and we stopped part way up to check the route on foot. It became clear we needed to go higher before branching off but “Oh dear”, having stopped we couldn’t get started again. We were stuck! So we decided to descend down a side track to join the lower and less steep route. This track was very narrow and the back of the car kept side slipping dangerously close to the edge, where there was a sheer drop. It certainly quickened the heart rate. We eventually exited onto a metalled road and turned left towards Wenallt to reach the lane we drove in 2002 at OS map ref. SJ187 255. Our intention was to drive it again so we set off down the lane but it is now more overgrown than before and the going was very soft. The car took quite a beating from the bushes and trees. We got to the bottom of the track where the main route turned left. The way ahead is still blocked (as before). As soon as we turned left the lane became a quagmire. The going was very tough. Eventually we ground to halt about 100 yards down, buried up to the axles in mud. I checked the way ahead on foot and it was very muddy for about another 200 yards before it got firmer, but we were well and truly stuck. Using the Hi-lift jack as a winch and some brute force and ignorance it took about an hour and a half to get the car the 100 yards back to the junction and get it turned around. We were now facing back up the lane but the tyres are not at all aggressive and I wasn’t confident the car could make the climb. Phil was now driving and he set off with me walking behind. We quickly lost the passenger door mirror. After a couple of hundred yards I got back in the car for the final ascent. The car got stuck about 2/3rds of the way up this section of the lane, as the incline got steeper. In the ensuing backing up and down, to get going, we lost the driver’s door mirror as well. When we exited the lane back onto the tarmac we turned right down the single track road, Phil was still driving with me navigating in the back. We exited left onto the B4680 at SJ184 275 and drove down until just before Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, where we turned right up a small road at SJ144 264, eventually arriving at a small gated lane near Bryn Coch. The lane runs around the base of Mynydd Mawr from SJ133 275 to SJ128 302. It’s a well surfaced lane which serves as access to a number of remote properties and was a very pleasant drive. We exited right from the lane onto a minor metalled road and took the next right. After about half a mile we came to the junction at the start of the Cefn Hir-fynydd lane at SJ146 309. It was about 5 o’clock when we entered the lane thru’ the gate and took the opportunity for a photo shoot and to swap drivers. It was a lovely sunny day and the views were fantastic. When we reached the intersection at SJ173 323 we turned left down the steep intersecting lane and exited onto a minor road. This road took us down to Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, where we turned left which took us back up to the start of the Cefn Hir-fynydd lane. At this junction we turned left down the metalled road and ran back down to Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant. From there we made our way back via the tarmac to Llanfyllin.
After a quick wash, brush up and change of clothes, at the B&B, we walked down to the town to get dinner. We opted for the fish and chip shop followed by a short walk to the Chain hotel. The atmosphere was friendly and the beer good and at £8 a round it’s fairly cheap. After 4 rounds we returned to the B & B for a good nights sleep.

Wednesday 11th March

We had opted for a fairly late breakfast at 9:30 and we are all up dressed and ready in time. Breakfast could only be described as superb with a mixture of fresh fruit salad, cereal and one of the best full English breakfasts I have ever experienced There was a huge plate of fresh toast with tea and coffee freely available and the option of fresh orange juice for the healthy types. What a way to start the day! After breakfast we sat in the car and planned the route for the day. We decided to make our way to the “Wayfarer” via the green lane that goes around Hen Craig at OS map ref SJ175 308. From the “Wayfarer” we planned to make our way to Snowdon and (if there was time) take a walk up to the summit. Unfortunately we set off later than planned due to the fact that I talk too much and I had spent too long talking to Marianne. Phil was driving, David was in the front as gate opener and I sat in the back navigating. We pretty much retraced the previous night’s homeward journey back to Llanrheaedr-ym-Mochnant. Here we stopped at the Spar grocers to buy sandwiches, biscuits and drinks, for lunch. From there, we continued on to Llanarmon Mynydd-mawr and onward to Fron. At Fron we took a left turn up an unclassified county road at SJ178 299. At first the going was easy along a well maintained fenced track. After about half a mile, the track becomes solid bedrock and starts to climb steeply up the side of the mountain. A stream runs down the track and as we climbed higher there was steep drop to the left. We eventually came to a massive step in the track and the incline was so great I had difficulty holding it on the handbrake. For those of you know how good a Land Rover handbrake is, you can understand just how steep the track was at this point. We built a ramp using the surrounding rocks and packed loose gravel into the gaps. Then we laid dead ferns and bracken over all the slippery bits. It took about 6 attempts to surmount the obstacle and about 40 minutes before we could proceed. The track at this point is solid rock and very bumpy, the car bounced alarmingly as we climbed. We continued up the track to near the summit where there is a nice sheltered spot to pull over and have a bite of lunch. Again the weather was fine and it was another 40 minutes before we continued. Once we were over the crest the track changed to a deeply rutted one. By now David was driving and the ruts were so deep that the axle was bottoming out, on the ground between the ruts. Frequently the car ground to a halt and David had to keep backing up and taking a run at it. It was 3 o’clock before we reached the intersection with Cefn Hir-fynydd and retraced yesterday’s descent. This time we did not stop at the intersection with the tarmac road but continued over and descended all the way down to Tregeirriog. At Tregerriog Phil and David swapped over before we crossed another metalled road and continued up what appeared at first to be a private road, but is marked on the map as a BOAT. Eventually we came out at Cefn-y-braich OS map ref: SJ190 335 and instead of continuing down the lane through gate to Pen y Bont, we turned right to Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog where we were yesterday. This was mainly to avoid any confrontation with the farmer who was giving us the evil eye and seemed hell bent on confrontation. From Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog we proceeded up the Afon Ceiriog valley to the start of “The Wayfarer” at SJ130 366. We reached the start of “The Wayfarer” at 3:45 p.m. and set off in good spirits. Shortly after entering the lane we stopped for break and a Dalmatian dog just wandered into view. It had no collar or accompanying owner and looked emaciated, but we couldn’t get it to come near us and it eventually wandered off the way it had come.

We stopped at various points along the way to take photos. At the half way point we signed the book and exchanged greetings with a walker who was passing by. He strode off in front of us at a smart pace and although we saw him in front of us several times we never actually caught him up again. When we reached the fork in the lane at SJ083 366 we took the right fork as we hadn’t done that stretch before. We reached the end of the lane just outside Cynwyd on the B4401 at around 5 o’clock. We turned left and made our way down the B4401 to Llandrillo. Turning left in the village just passed the church we followed a lovely little lane through the forest and up over the mountain through equally stunning scenery. The views were spectacular. The lane drops down a good firm track and exits onto the B4391, we turned left here and headed north for about 3 miles. At OS map ref: SH978 352 we turned sharp left off the main road, just after a big hairpin, up a small very steep unclassified county road, which soon became a dirt track. We drove this lane for about 3 miles until eventually we hit the road from Bala to Lake Vyrnwy. We turned left on this road and made our way through the Penllyn Forest and on to the lake. By this time it was getting quite dark but we could still make out some of the beautiful scenery. By the time we reached Lake Vyrnwy it was completely dark and we turned left along the north shore but could see very little of the lake. We arrived back in Llanfyllin quite late and decided to have dinner from the fish and chip shop again and eat it in the car. We arrived back at the B&B and I spent the rest of the evening uploading the day’s photos and video footage, while Phil and David had a drinking competition.

Thursday 12th March

I awoke around 7 a.m. and got up and showered as we had elected to have an early breakfast at 8. Everybody was up and dressed in time, a miracle in deed. After my obligatory chat with Marianne (the landlady) we loaded up the car with our luggage and set off again. We had decided to do a bit of site seeing, on our last day, rather than laning on our last day. The plan was to see Lake Vyrnwy in daylight and the Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall which Marrianne had said was impressive. We set out for the lake and when we reached it we headed up the southern shore. We stopped for awhile opposite the aptly labelled “tower” for some pebble skimming and to admire the views of the lake. We then proceeded to the inlet labelled Pont Eunant where we turned away from the lake up a small road which leads to the Bala to Aber-Cywarch road. The views along this small road are stunning and we frequently had to stop and get out of the car to just look.

On reaching the Bala to Aber-Cywarch road we turned left. In the space of just over a mile this stretch has no fewer than 6 x 1 in 7 descents and 2 x 1 in 5 descents. Boy is it steep, you canfeel your ears pop. We kept on this road until it joined the A470 and a mile or so further on we turned left up the A458. We continued on this road for about 8-10 miles until we turned left up the B4395 just before reaching Llangadfan. We drove up this road until just before Pont Llogel where we turned left up a small road that cuts through the bottom of the Dyfant forest then continues up the Vyrnwy valley until it joins the B4393 about half a mile from Abertridwr. We turned onto the B4393 continued up until we turned right up the B4396 at the junction in Abertridwr. From here we drove up to Penybontfawr where we crossed the B4391 and proceeded up a minor road to Llanhaeadr-ym-Mochnant. In the centre of the town we turned left up the road signposted “Pistyll waterfall”. The falls are about 4 miles up this single track road. The falls are well worth a visit, we climbed up the footpath to the top of the falls. As we climbed a lonely figure came striding across the other side of the valley, it was the hiker from The Wayfarer! As we were packing to leave we saw him again about 20 yards away he had been to look at falls himself. He gave us a wave as he strode off into the distance.

By 3 o’clock we were on our way home again but it had been 3 really enjoyable days for me. The journey home was relatively uneventful with no major hold ups until we got to the M25. Here it was the usual rush hour nightmare from the M1 junction clockwise to South Mimms. By 6:30p.m. we were back and it was time to reflect on the last three days. We had a great time and were made welcome wherever we went. The B&B was one of the best I have stayed in and my thanks go to our host, Marianne, who was both friendly and helpful. The accommodation was fantastic and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wants to visit the area. Situated where it is, it’s an ideal base for walking, cycling, touring or green laning and I hope to visit again in the not too distant future.

Phil                        Dick                    David
The Crew

The Car

The B&B
The-Green-Door can be contacted via their website:
http://www.the-green-door.co.uk/