Noticing we had four days with only a few things on the calendar is how we found ourselves enjoying another Welsh Weekend. It is a reflex action. Scotland is outstanding, and the route across the Pennines does make a four-day visit possible, but Wales is a little more relaxing round trip.
A quick 150-mile ride west on Friday and the opposite the following Monday placed us in the middle of the Welsh countryside for the weekend, with many epic roads to ride.
In The Middle
Another of our automatic reactions, especially when returning to Wales, is to return to the Cain Valley Hotel in Llanfyllin. We were not alone; nine other bikers had the same idea, and we were joined by three guys from Ireland (serious off-roaders) on the second.
There may be more iconic places to stay, but we are yet to find a hotel that is in a better location for exploring Wales, which you don’t want to do with luggage on your motorcycle.
It is four days, three nights, in a hotel, so the packing is light. Even so, ditching the contents of the top box – or the SW-Motech RackPack tied across the pillion seat – ensures maximum enjoyment is extracted with minimum encumberment.
Roads to Ride
Ride in any direction in mid-Wales, and the chances are you will come back several hours later with a smile on your face. Even in the early morning rain, we were having an excellent time.
That said, I like a route to follow, and the Mach Loop Route – which you can find on the Welsh Routes Page – has to include some of the finest motorcycling roads in the UK.
Having now ridden the route a few times, it has been refined. The last improvement was caused by missing a turn-off and discovering that the road we should have turned off kept delivering bend after glorious bend.
And then there is the coffee and walnut cake. Having missed the turn but wanting to get back on track because of what we knew was coming, we came across Olivia’s Café in Llanfair Talhaiarn at the junction where the A548 meets the A544. If you need a mug of tea, this is an excellent choice, and the cake is superb.
The Next Day
Due to road closures, we had to change the planned loop across the Brecon Beacons via the Baffle Haus, yet still, Wales delivered again. No matter where you ride in central Wales, you can’t help but find excellent motorcycling roads.
The A490 made a great way to start the day. Nothing too technical, but enough curves to make riding in the morning sunshine delightful.
After that, it is all something of a blur. We rode the truly epic A483 to Crossgates and part of the Devil’s Staircase from the Llanwrtyd Wells end, but missed a turn and ended up in Beulah, and so headed for the Devil’s Bridge the long way around via the A470 and the A44.
Being that close to the coast, we made the compulsory visit to Aberystwyth before taking yet another “I wonder where this road goes” route back to the Cain Valley.
Somehow that day was 215 miles long, not that anyone was really counting. The bends kept coming, and despite the rain that arrived at odd periods through the early part of the day, another excellent day of motorcycling was gratefully received.
Dunlop SportSmart 3
This being the first trip of any length on the Dunlop SportSmart 3 tyres I’d fitted as part of the Multistrada refresh, and given that the Welsh weather is all but guaranteed to be changeable, I was intrigued as to how the tyres would suit the Multistrada.
Looking at the tread patterns, Dunlop’s SportSmart 3 has a similar base pattern to the excellent RoadSmart IV but longer sections of uninterrupted rubber on the edges.
The centre section clears ample water. You can ask Roger, who wasn’t overly enjoying being behind me on a naked Suzuki when it started raining.
Come rain, shine or just damp conditions, I never noticed any lack of grip from the SportSmart 3 tyres. They are either that good, or the traction control on the Ducati is undetectable.
The SportSmart3 compound is a little softer compared to the RoadSmart IV, and the ruffled edges of the tyres are evidence of the superb sure-grip tarmac on many of the long sweeping bends found around the hills in mid-Wales.
Welsh Weekend – The End
And so, another Welsh Weekend came to a close. We rode a B road route west across the Midlands, attempted to sneak past Shrewsbury to the south, and then threaded our way between Birmingham and Stoke on Trent.
Finding an enjoyable backroads route for the last part of the ride to Nottingham still eludes me. Using the A50 is easy, but there is little joy to be found on a dual carriageway. Besides, if we don’t find a decent B roads route across the middle of England this time, we’ll have to go back and do it all again.
