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Great Roads: A Festive Meander in Wales.
For the 2025 festive season, I’ve decided to decamp to Wales. For a few years Christmas has had less and less meaning as an ‘event’ for me, the only boon seemingly being the enforced break from work. Perhaps I’m just getting old, slightly cantankerous and some might say a little selfish but I’ve had for a while, a hankering to escape from it all, book myself into a nice hotel somewhere and let other folk have the stress of all the season seems to bring with it. Obviously, I’d be even more content if my other half were to join me on such an indulgent excursion, however, this time that was not going to be, so on Christmas Eve, we said our goodbyes as she headed to Yorkshire in the van, and I clambered into the Capsicum Red 'Rally Recce' car and pointed it’s lacquer peeling snout Southwards, destination Dolgellau.
Whilst on the Welsh Weekender back in September, the other half had found us a rather nice hotel to stay in on the Saturday evening. When I’d hatched my plan a few weeks ago, I’d had a few ideas about hotels which were particularly stand out from the last few years , somewhere I could imagine being a great experience to kick back and hide out in over the festivities. My obvious first choice was sadly fully booked, so I gave my second choice - ‘Penmaenuchaf’ in Wales a call. Luckily, they had one room left on their ‘Festive Getaway’ package, the credit card groaned a bit and seemed puzzled I wasn’t making another purchase from Renault Parts Direct… I was all booked.
I’ll not rattle on about the hotel experience, I’ll save that for when I write my piece for an appropriate travel journal… Suffice to say, it’s been a really quite different way to spend some festive downtime, and their pillows are excellent. I’d dispatched the walks through woods and afternoons spent lingering over various beverages in the bar early on in the proceedings. So sometime on Christmas Day morning, I’d hatched a plan for Boxing Day based on an EVO magazine cover shot from 2009, which some time ago I’d deciphered was a lovely location somewhere on the A498 above Llyn Gwynant. The plan? To go on a little mini ‘Welsh Weekender’ in what some would look on as the most inappropriate car.
I was down early for Breakfast on Boxing Day, looking out on cloudless skies as the dawn broke, it looked like the perfect day for a Winter drive. I’d done my usual Harry Metcalfe impression with some maps the previous evening and written some basic ‘pace notes’, all a bit old-school, but I’m a luddite when it comes to things like sat-nav - none of our vehicles have it. It’s cloudless and still frosty as I set out from Dolgellau, heading out Northwards on the A470. Initially it’s a gracefully sweeping A-road, twisting and turning gently through the wooded valley before ironing out to an arrow straight affair that 30 odd years ago, in the era before cameras and snitches with dash-cams watched our every movement, you’d be seeking out the v-max in these impeccable conditions. These days, 70 horsepower almost seems excessive as we whizz along with the needle locked to the legal limit on the dial. The early morning golden Winter light as we scuttle our way Northwards is nothing short of sensational.
After Ffestiniog, the road gains a good bit of elevation and continues in a similar sweeping vein, the views getting a bit more spectacular before it dives back down to a nice naggety finish. It’s the perfect pace to get some warmth into the mechanicals and enjoy some fairly brisk, yet untaxing, road driving. I’m particularly enjoying the glimpses of frosty woods and pastures which I’m flashing through. As we approach the A5 at Betws-y-Coed I glance down at the river to see it’s actually frozen over in places. I’ve not had a peep out of the skinny Goodyear all-seasons, which seems a miracle given the conditions and pace.
I make the first call of the day at the, infamous from EVO magazine, Shell garage in Betws-y-Coed, brimming the tank with V-Power. From here it’s more familiar territory for a while, picking up the ‘Welsh Weekender’ route, taking the A5 up to Capel Curig where I hang a left onto the A4086 towards the monumental snow capped peaks in the distance. These are excellent driving roads and on a deserted, sparkling morning such as this, it was a joy to hustle along, getting to know the curves, cambers and nuances a little better. At the usual right turn of the ‘Weekender’ to take in the Llanberis Pass, I elected to continue straight on at this point, on the A498 towards Llyn Gwynant, the views up here at this high point are superlative and as the road started to dip into the descent towards the Lake, there it was, the little car park from that EVO cover shot, teetering at the head of the Vally with the most exceptional vantage point, I could see why they’d chosen it for a group shot. I swung the little red car around into the car park and hopped out to try and get a snap before any more camper vans spoilt the scene. The run down to the Lake in the bottom is new to me, but it’s a cracking descent, twists, turns, wooded sections, between rock faces and dry stone walls, the holes in which highlighting the incompetent or over-exuberant who’ve tackled this tarmac recently. I’ve still got it much to myself at the moment and there’s some lovely sections on the run down the flat valley bottom to Beddgelert.
It’s familiar territory again here, as I once again pick up sections of the 'Weekender' route, still on the A498 as we leave the town. For certain sections of the mornings drive my mind has been considering the size of modern vehicles in relation to these diminutive and at times challenging and tricky roads. They must be a handful to try and thread along them and this notion is confirmed as I get held up for a good few miles by a dark metallic grey Porsche Macan GTS, the thing obviously has a bit of shove on the odd straight or two but for the main part it’s utterly wrong footed by this environment and completely outclassed by a 19 year old shopping trolly… a bizarre scenario.
I’m glad when the turn back towards Ffestiniog on the B4410 materialises and I once more have a clear road ahead. Certain bits of this road are becoming etched into my brain from 'Weekender' escapades, it’s a cracker and I’m now asking quite a lot from the little red car. The chassis has some half decent basic ingredients, game enough with the tyre pressures tweaked from what the book says and with enough stirring of the gear lever I’m able to retain a certain amount of momentum to make things very entertaining indeed. As we roll into Ffestiniog to trundle at 20 for a moment I have a decision to make, just as I loose all the gears… it’s an intermittent linkage issue and thankfully with a bit of waggling, things come back together. Usually from here I’d follow the 'Weekender' route over the B4391 towards Bala, however, I know the far end of it is closed currently, with immovable heras fencing. I decide to try my luck anyway and see how far I can get, as it’s an absolutely excellent ribbon of tarmac. The answer is; about halfway, the road block forcing a turn onto the tiny single track B4407, and what an excellent find this is. It’s one of those open moorland stomps which I love back home, just this one has brand-new fresh tarmac, with not a pot-hole or blemish in sight, the little Clio is singing and quite literally flying along here and I’m laughing out loud, it’s one of the best road discoveries all year! I quell the hilarity for a moment to take some snaps then it’s back behind the wheel, as we come off the dips, crests and jumps of the moorland section it becomes a more gentle affair through attractive rolling pasture land, it’s nice, flowing and well sighted and I have absolutely no idea where it’s going… I’m having too much fun to care and eventually pop out on the A5 somewhere…
It’s been quite a morning, but as I trundle back to Betws-y-Coed, the roads are noticeably busier, the time for hard pedalling is over. I top-up the tank with more V-Power at the Shell garage, then start the lollop back to the Hotel retracing my mornings route along the A470. I’m spotting a few more enthusiasts out now, making the most of the stunning day, MX5’s mainly but at one point a lovely 911 convertible in a gorgeous greeny/grey, roof down appears behind me briskly on one of the long straights heading down towards Coed-y-Brenin. I’m trundling and my sight of the road is better than his, so I indicate it’s good for him to pass, he drops a couple of cogs and gives me a cheery wave of thanks and flash of the hazards as he howls by. That’s what driving’s all about.
In these days of clogged and congested roads, it's still good to find that if you pick your moment, the 'thrill of driving' can still be found, even in the most mundane machinery. Wales… We'll be back for more.
For the 2025 festive season, I’ve decided to decamp to Wales. For a few years Christmas has had less and less meaning as an ‘event’ for me, the only boon seemingly being the enforced break from work. Perhaps I’m just getting old, slightly cantankerous and some might say a little selfish but I’ve had for a while, a hankering to escape from it all, book myself into a nice hotel somewhere and let other folk have the stress of all the season seems to bring with it. Obviously, I’d be even more content if my other half were to join me on such an indulgent excursion, however, this time that was not going to be, so on Christmas Eve, we said our goodbyes as she headed to Yorkshire in the van, and I clambered into the Capsicum Red 'Rally Recce' car and pointed it’s lacquer peeling snout Southwards, destination Dolgellau.
Whilst on the Welsh Weekender back in September, the other half had found us a rather nice hotel to stay in on the Saturday evening. When I’d hatched my plan a few weeks ago, I’d had a few ideas about hotels which were particularly stand out from the last few years , somewhere I could imagine being a great experience to kick back and hide out in over the festivities. My obvious first choice was sadly fully booked, so I gave my second choice - ‘Penmaenuchaf’ in Wales a call. Luckily, they had one room left on their ‘Festive Getaway’ package, the credit card groaned a bit and seemed puzzled I wasn’t making another purchase from Renault Parts Direct… I was all booked.
I’ll not rattle on about the hotel experience, I’ll save that for when I write my piece for an appropriate travel journal… Suffice to say, it’s been a really quite different way to spend some festive downtime, and their pillows are excellent. I’d dispatched the walks through woods and afternoons spent lingering over various beverages in the bar early on in the proceedings. So sometime on Christmas Day morning, I’d hatched a plan for Boxing Day based on an EVO magazine cover shot from 2009, which some time ago I’d deciphered was a lovely location somewhere on the A498 above Llyn Gwynant. The plan? To go on a little mini ‘Welsh Weekender’ in what some would look on as the most inappropriate car.
I was down early for Breakfast on Boxing Day, looking out on cloudless skies as the dawn broke, it looked like the perfect day for a Winter drive. I’d done my usual Harry Metcalfe impression with some maps the previous evening and written some basic ‘pace notes’, all a bit old-school, but I’m a luddite when it comes to things like sat-nav - none of our vehicles have it. It’s cloudless and still frosty as I set out from Dolgellau, heading out Northwards on the A470. Initially it’s a gracefully sweeping A-road, twisting and turning gently through the wooded valley before ironing out to an arrow straight affair that 30 odd years ago, in the era before cameras and snitches with dash-cams watched our every movement, you’d be seeking out the v-max in these impeccable conditions. These days, 70 horsepower almost seems excessive as we whizz along with the needle locked to the legal limit on the dial. The early morning golden Winter light as we scuttle our way Northwards is nothing short of sensational.
After Ffestiniog, the road gains a good bit of elevation and continues in a similar sweeping vein, the views getting a bit more spectacular before it dives back down to a nice naggety finish. It’s the perfect pace to get some warmth into the mechanicals and enjoy some fairly brisk, yet untaxing, road driving. I’m particularly enjoying the glimpses of frosty woods and pastures which I’m flashing through. As we approach the A5 at Betws-y-Coed I glance down at the river to see it’s actually frozen over in places. I’ve not had a peep out of the skinny Goodyear all-seasons, which seems a miracle given the conditions and pace.
I make the first call of the day at the, infamous from EVO magazine, Shell garage in Betws-y-Coed, brimming the tank with V-Power. From here it’s more familiar territory for a while, picking up the ‘Welsh Weekender’ route, taking the A5 up to Capel Curig where I hang a left onto the A4086 towards the monumental snow capped peaks in the distance. These are excellent driving roads and on a deserted, sparkling morning such as this, it was a joy to hustle along, getting to know the curves, cambers and nuances a little better. At the usual right turn of the ‘Weekender’ to take in the Llanberis Pass, I elected to continue straight on at this point, on the A498 towards Llyn Gwynant, the views up here at this high point are superlative and as the road started to dip into the descent towards the Lake, there it was, the little car park from that EVO cover shot, teetering at the head of the Vally with the most exceptional vantage point, I could see why they’d chosen it for a group shot. I swung the little red car around into the car park and hopped out to try and get a snap before any more camper vans spoilt the scene. The run down to the Lake in the bottom is new to me, but it’s a cracking descent, twists, turns, wooded sections, between rock faces and dry stone walls, the holes in which highlighting the incompetent or over-exuberant who’ve tackled this tarmac recently. I’ve still got it much to myself at the moment and there’s some lovely sections on the run down the flat valley bottom to Beddgelert.
It’s familiar territory again here, as I once again pick up sections of the 'Weekender' route, still on the A498 as we leave the town. For certain sections of the mornings drive my mind has been considering the size of modern vehicles in relation to these diminutive and at times challenging and tricky roads. They must be a handful to try and thread along them and this notion is confirmed as I get held up for a good few miles by a dark metallic grey Porsche Macan GTS, the thing obviously has a bit of shove on the odd straight or two but for the main part it’s utterly wrong footed by this environment and completely outclassed by a 19 year old shopping trolly… a bizarre scenario.
I’m glad when the turn back towards Ffestiniog on the B4410 materialises and I once more have a clear road ahead. Certain bits of this road are becoming etched into my brain from 'Weekender' escapades, it’s a cracker and I’m now asking quite a lot from the little red car. The chassis has some half decent basic ingredients, game enough with the tyre pressures tweaked from what the book says and with enough stirring of the gear lever I’m able to retain a certain amount of momentum to make things very entertaining indeed. As we roll into Ffestiniog to trundle at 20 for a moment I have a decision to make, just as I loose all the gears… it’s an intermittent linkage issue and thankfully with a bit of waggling, things come back together. Usually from here I’d follow the 'Weekender' route over the B4391 towards Bala, however, I know the far end of it is closed currently, with immovable heras fencing. I decide to try my luck anyway and see how far I can get, as it’s an absolutely excellent ribbon of tarmac. The answer is; about halfway, the road block forcing a turn onto the tiny single track B4407, and what an excellent find this is. It’s one of those open moorland stomps which I love back home, just this one has brand-new fresh tarmac, with not a pot-hole or blemish in sight, the little Clio is singing and quite literally flying along here and I’m laughing out loud, it’s one of the best road discoveries all year! I quell the hilarity for a moment to take some snaps then it’s back behind the wheel, as we come off the dips, crests and jumps of the moorland section it becomes a more gentle affair through attractive rolling pasture land, it’s nice, flowing and well sighted and I have absolutely no idea where it’s going… I’m having too much fun to care and eventually pop out on the A5 somewhere…
It’s been quite a morning, but as I trundle back to Betws-y-Coed, the roads are noticeably busier, the time for hard pedalling is over. I top-up the tank with more V-Power at the Shell garage, then start the lollop back to the Hotel retracing my mornings route along the A470. I’m spotting a few more enthusiasts out now, making the most of the stunning day, MX5’s mainly but at one point a lovely 911 convertible in a gorgeous greeny/grey, roof down appears behind me briskly on one of the long straights heading down towards Coed-y-Brenin. I’m trundling and my sight of the road is better than his, so I indicate it’s good for him to pass, he drops a couple of cogs and gives me a cheery wave of thanks and flash of the hazards as he howls by. That’s what driving’s all about.
In these days of clogged and congested roads, it's still good to find that if you pick your moment, the 'thrill of driving' can still be found, even in the most mundane machinery. Wales… We'll be back for more.
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