It doesn’t take much effort to get wet in Wales in November. Some might even argue that deciding to take a motorcycle to Wales in November for pleasure is just a little crazy, and they might be right.
Yet all that is needed is decent wet-weather riding gear, a set of good tyres and the desire to ride a motorcycle. Okay, I did wimp out and take my Keis heated jacket. I didn’t need to, but there is something satisfying about that warm glow when it is raining.
Return Visit
We have been to Wales several times in the last couple of years. Our usual base is the Cain Valley Hotel in Llanfyllin, and a return visit to roads we know to be epic is always an easy sell. But Wales is a big place with lots to offer, and part of motorcycling is the adventure – wet or dry – of discovering new roads to ride.
For this visit to Wales, we migrated 65 miles further south to Llanwrtyd Wells – perhaps the smallest town in Britain (population c.850) – and stayed at the Neuadd Arms Hotel, which was at one time the official party headquarters for the Monster Raving Looney Party (Screaming Lord Such).
It seemed the right place to stay, considering what we were doing.
Being November, with fewer daylight hours and more rain, we kept the mileage down to around 150 per day. But none of that dampened our enthusiasm and only curtailed our choice of roads slightly.
Devil’s Staircase
Avoiding moss and leaf-covered, single-track roads just seemed sensible when there are so many excellent roads to choose from, but then the sun made a one-day appearance, and despite the roads being wet, the Devil’s Staircase – the Welsh one, rather than the Scottish or New Zealand roads of the same name – pushed its way onto the agenda.
Running through the Cambrian Mountains, the Abergwesyn Road, of which the Devil’s Staircase is a section comprising a set of hairpins and a 20% maximum gradient, isn’t somewhere to be ridden at pace. It is more about the technical challenge, the stunning views and avoiding the sheep that usually won’t give you a second look.
Other Roads
If single-track roads are not your thing, then there is still an excellent collection of roads to ride. I haven’t developed a foolproof way of working out what type of road you will encounter from looking at the map. There can be two roads, both officially “B” roads, yet one will be fast sweepers and the other a single-lane track.
However, from direct experience, if it is sweeping curves and riders’ roads you are looking for, there is a lot to choose from.
The stand-out road is the 23-mile stretch of the A483 between the roundabouts at Crossgates (A483 and the A44) and Newtown, where the A483 meets the Newtown Bypass. Wet or dry, this is a road to ride. There are sure-grip surfaces on some of the tighter bends and enough straight parts and cross views for a clean overtake on slower-moving traffic.
Once at Newtown, the A470 takes you to Llangurg, where you can follow the A44 and then on to the A4120 to Devil’s Bridge. The famous tea stop is at the Woodlands Caravan Park with the Devil’s Bridge Falls a few miles further on (What3Words: lion.spirit.daydream)
Round Trip
To make a round trip of the ride, I continued from Devil’s Bridge to Aberystwyth (A4120), along the coast (A487), before cutting back inland towards Carmarthen (B4336 and A485).
With the light fading, there was still an engaging ride to be had along the A40 and the A483 back to the Neuadd Arms. The route can be downloaded from the routes page (for free!).
Leaky Boots
I mentioned earlier that one of the things you need to enjoy Wales in November is decent riding gear. Sadly, this didn’t apply to my boots.
I should have known better when I bought them, as my previous pair from the same manufacturer also refused to obey the label that said they were waterproof.
Regardless I was still in Wales with wet feet and needed to do something other than wear plastic bags inside my leaky boots.
Expecting a ride across Wales to one of the major towns, a Google search took me down a country lane near the town of Lampeter to Maes-y-Meillion Farm and the home of Pure Adrenalin.
Christine Clarke, an incredibly helpful lady who helped me rummage through her Aladdin’s cave of a barn that is full of on and off-road motorcycle clothing that afternoon, has been riding since she was 16. How she got from Yorkshire to Wales via CMC Motorcycles would take all day to explain.
That afternoon I must have tried on most of the Gortex boots she had for sale, eventually settling on a pair of Gaerne Vento boots, mainly because they were the only pair I could get my oversized feet into while wearing thick socks.
“Man goes to Wales and buys motorcycle boots” isn’t the most exciting motorcycle-related story you will ever read. Yet, the places motorcycling takes you and the people you meet are always interesting.
In addition to having a well-stocked barn of motorcycling clothing and accessories, Pure Adrenalin runs off-road courses and has an established motorcycle camping facility. If you are looking for Moto-Camping in mid-Wales or, as in my case, your boots leak, then Christine is well worth calling.
