Has it really been a month since I sat here
and told you about the MancRiders Café Racer Challenge Ride? How time flies.
Lake Vyrnwy in all it's glory
After a great holiday out at Casa deLilieRosa Jeannie and I were both feeling refreshed and raring to go. I’d
already taken a cheeky little ride mid week up to the Scottish borders picking
up the two most Northerly English Cafes and was buzzing at the prospect of a
full weekend in the saddle.
.jpg)
Hartside Top Cafe
.jpg)
Kielder Forest - Cafe on the water
Well when you are so far north, be rude not to.
My original plan was to head right to the top of Scotland on my own and bag the five locations up there. Starting with John O’Groats and working my way back into England but the weather was against me. After a quick look at the map and with Jeannie deciding to join me for the full weekend there was only one real area that stood out, Wales.
With a total of 8 cafes, 1 biker meeting
location and the Bike4Life Event all within easy reach of Wales it was a no
brainer. A quick search using ‘Google’
for Biker Friendly B&B’s in Wales, up popped ‘The Biker Guide’
website. I opened their mini map and
spotted Ceredigion, which is over towards Cardigan Bay and mid way down, just
where I wanted to base our stay. There were two places to choose from and as YTalbot in Tregaron had won the 2015 CAMRA Award for real ale, I booked the family
room straight away. As fate would have it, Y Talbot is located just a few miles
south of the Devil’s Bridge biker meeting location on the Challenge Ride.
Something both Jeannie and I where very pleased about by the time we had
finished riding 225 miles of A and B roads all the way from the Whistlestop Café Rhuddlan in the North of Wales.
So after packing the ‘not so Little Ones’
off to school on Friday we mounted up and headed out on our weekend ‘Wandering
Around Wales’
The first 80 miles were quite boring, M62,
M60, M56, A494 and then along the A55 to the first stop of the day the
Whistlestop Café. As soon as we dismounted I spotted who I thought was the
owner Barry but it turned out to be Pete, one of the main members of the
Whistlestop MCC and a really nice guy at that. As we chatted about fundraising
events, the Café Racer Challenge and a whole host of other events his club were
planning this year poor Jeannie was being inundated by folk asking her all the
usual GoldWing questions.
“So what do all these buttons do?”
“How big is the engine in that then?”
“Has it got heated seats?”
“Where’s the radio?”
And the one question, every single person
asks.
“How much did it cost?”
Thank's for the donation Barry
Pete and I looked over and just grinned.
Sorry Jeannie, I know you hardly got chance to take your lid off before the
barrage of questions started. Something that as you now know happens every
single time we stopped for fuel, a break, a bite to eat and even when we
arrived at the hotel 9 hours later.
After a nice Full English for me and a
Slimmer’s World Breakfast for J, I had a chat with Barry the proprietor who
kindly donated a sew on patch for auctioning off at the end of the year to
raise more funds for Red-Aid. We then headed south towards our next destination
the Ponderosa.
I knew I shouldn't have eaten that cake!
Coffee, cake and sticker purchased we
headed out. Now I didn't want to take all the usual roads down to Devils Bridge
and so decided to take Jeannie to see Lake Vyrnwy, which was midway between the
hotel and the Ponderosa. As it happened the sat nav decided to take us down
what can only be described as a roughly tarmacked dirt track, much to my utter
horror!
The ride was interesting to say the least
but ‘Wow’ what fantastic road lay ahead.
After a 2-mile detour to see the lake it
was off to Devil’s Bridge near Aberystwyth.
Cracking location
Now to say we were greeted in the café by
the most unpleasant, grumpy waitress I've ever had the misfortune to meet is
keeping it polite! Coffee, loo and away were the order of the day. We won't be calling in there again in a very long time.
The road to Y Talbot was hard work. I was
starting to feel it after so many back roads and lanes. Turning the final
corner into Tregaron and seeing the huge inflatable marquee in front of the
hotel was a shock. Security guards and TV cameras surrounded the whole place. I
was surprised we'd been able to book a room in the first place. There was a
full-on televised Election Debate going on right in front of the hotel.
The B4343 - 18 miles of Bliss
As we pulled around the back of the hotel I headed to the very back corner of the car park. By the time I'd parked up one of the security guards was stood at the side of Jeannie. My heart sank, what now? I thought. I needn't have worried.
“Nice bike, have you come far? I've got a Kawasaki ZZR1400” The conversation was in full flow with Jeannie now able to hold her own after a full day of being quizzed about the Wing. I was well proud of her and what a nice guy. He even stopped chatting after quarter of an hour when he realized we hadn't checked in yet.
Best Biker-Friendly Hotel we've ever stayed in!
Get's a 10 out of 10 from the Wandering Waltons
Walking into the Y Talbot we knew straight
away we were going to enjoy our stay. The proprietor checked us in once we’d
battled our way through the hordes of folks all with mobiles in hand comparing
celebrity photos. Even with the election circus going on three stores below in
the town square our room was silent. The
bathroom was tiled from floor to ceiling in smooth gloss tiles making it look
ultra modern, complete with a glorious bath and huge shower. It was beautiful .
The next morning Jeannie was pleased to
hear that our first café the West End Café was just 17 miles away and the second
the Owls Nest Tea Room Diner just half a mile from there. The last stop of the
day was to be the Oasis Café in Abergavenny just 70 miles east and then back to
the hotel for a relax. Well that was the plan; strange how riding plans change
en-route.
A Great Biker Cafe and well worth a visit
As we walked in the Owls Nest we were
greeted with
“Mr. & Mrs. Walton I presume” by Ian
the proprietor.
“What a great guy” is all I can say about Ian. He has followed
the Challenge Ride on Facebook right from the start and has donated t-shirts
and stickers all for Red-Aid. We had a
great time chatting with a few local riders and were sad to have to head out
but yesterday had been a 225-mile day so I planned to keep Saturday down to 150
miles maximum.
Arriving in Abergavenny the sat nav took us
on a merry dance around town only to find the café at the side of the local bus
station. Once the staff had found me a bit of swag in the form of a Sandwich
List flyer we drank up and were about to head back to the hotel until.
Parking 'When in Rome' Style
“Jeannie, I've just been having a look at
the map and if we head back to the hotel we will be riding the same roads as we
rode over on. However if we pop up to Dom’s Bike Stop it will cut us straight
across Wales from Hereford to the coast. What do you think?”
An hour later we were pulling into what can
be best described as a derelict garden centre car park.
Luckily lurking behind the overgrown bushes
is one of the best find’s we made all weekend. What a fantastic café. Dom like
many of the owners we have met along the way was an absolute gentleman and we
had a right good chat and a laugh with him.
J's Favourite Biker Cafe of the weekend
J making friends with Dom & his assistant
Behind the café area is a full on camping
area, toilet block, and outside seating and chilling area. It’s not your usual
café layout but we loved it.
Pulling into the hotel car park after the
unexpected 90-mile detour we had managed to clock up yet another 220-mile day.
Strangely enough after two full days in the saddle we were both on top form.
Yet another superb meal in the hotel was
followed by a couple of rather nice brandies and then it was time to pack ready
for the 0700 hours early start. We would
be heading back across Wales for the third time, towards the Bike4Life Ride-in
location which just happened to be at the side of, yes you guessed it, another
Café Racer Challenge Ride café, Dinky’s Dinah’s (and no that is how he spells
it).
Sunday morning we were up with the larks
and on our way by 0745 hours. The ride across Wales is without doubt one of the
best motorbike rides I have ever taken in 35 years of riding. The roads were
clear, the weather kind if not a little nippy to start with and being as it was
my third time of riding past Devil’s Bridge on those single track twisty’s , I didn't lose any time in having some fun.
I wasn't surprised to find around 35 bikes
crammed into the little layby, all heading to the Bike4Life Event. Luckily
most them thinned out whilst I was ordering my bacon and egg triple-decker
butty. I got chatting to Dinky, as you do, and before long he'd donated a t-shirt to the Red-Aid collection. Now who says businessmen don’t have a heart?
I for one can categorically state that all the Biker Friendly Café owners that
we have met along the way have turned out to be some of the most kind hearted
and generous folk we have had the pleasure of meeting.
My 'Hungry Face'
As for the Bike4Life Event what can I say?
It was manic. 3500 motorbikes parked in an area fractionally larger than a
football pitch. Bedlam springs to mind. It took Jeannie and I half and hour to
find Glen, Lefty, Oggy, Bez, Ella, and Chris and it was great to meet Paul and
his wife Jacqueline who were also in attendance.
Say Cheese
Sadly other than a steady ride to RAF
Museum Cosford along closed roads we ran out of time. Sat just half a mile from
the entrance in a queue of 100’s of bikes I plumbed home into the sat nav. We
had just 40 minutes to spare including the ride home before the carers were due
to finish work.
It broke my heart as I told Jeannie the
news but we had to get back and with a heavy heart we rejoined the motorway and
headed back to Wardle.
All in all, I can honestly say that this
weekend has to be the best weekend I have spent in the saddle in many a long
year. No pressure to get anywhere. Having all the time in the world to take in
the sights and sounds of some of the Welsh countryside made for a magical
experience. Having Jeannie on the pillion seat just multiplied the pleasures of
‘Wandering Around Wales’ ten fold.
To each and every café owner who has
donated their time, energy, merchandise, cash and support to the MancRiders and
Red-Aid I extend a heart-felt thank you.
Finally I'd just like to thank to all the
MancRiders who are taking part or just supporting the MancRiders Café RacerChallenge Ride 2015. You are all absolutely amazing and I really appreciate all
your hard graft and commitment.
I look forward to seeing you all again on
the 3rd of July for the ‘Redwood Ride-In’ Cheque Presentation Ride
if not before.
Done - Wandering Around Wales
“Ride well and stay safe my friends. It’s a jungle out
there’
