Brenhden DrBink
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 8:49 am
28/03/16
After driving back from Lowestoft the day before I must have been mad to attempt this, especially as storm Katie was still attacking the South Coast. But if 2015 taught me one thing it’s that you have to make the most of opportunities. I knew it would be too windy to leave early doors so I had a nice lie in which I spent agonizing over which mudguard to fit to my DR650, the supermoto as its better at speed or the enduro one which is better in the wet.
So at about 10am I rolled out of a sunny Burnham on Sea with kit for B&B rather than camping. My new luggage racks hadn’t arrived yet and I assumed I’d be wet and cold and wouldn’t want to camp. The M5 had a wicked cross wind as I headed north so I sat behind lorry most of the way watching my SATNAV. It was first time I had used it properly since buying it from Brian AKA Picos Metsizo a great guy who sadly passed away in February.
I crossed the Severn Bridge and, as always, wondered why my old colleague from the Vehicle Inspectorate had chosen such a weird turquoise colour for it. She must have had a thing for 1960s swimming pools.
After a bit more of a motorway wind battering I drove through a few towns before reaching Caerphilly. Wow! What a castle. It’s huge and dominates the town like a goose yolk in a chickens egg. I pulled up for a photo of the bike and castle and admired the massive structure whilst enjoying a sarnie.
That done and I was right back on it and rocking the M4 on route to Dinefwr. Cruising past Port Talbot I was consumed by its unsurpassable beauty (not) and spared a thought for the iron workers whose livelyhoods hung in the balance. The sun was shining down and whilst the headwind was still hardwork for me and my thumper life was getting sweeter. At the end of the M4 the roads got a lot more fun and by the time I got to Dinefwr I was loving the corners. The castle was a long way from the road but looked pretty menacing in the skyline. I left via a dirt track and whilst DR650 isn’t quite as good on the pegs as my DR350 the K60 tyres gave a great account of themselves.
A blast down the A40 and the fun A4066 had me eating ice cream next to Laugharne Castle at about half three. I briefly wondered whether anyone could help themselves to Pendine Sands but then common sense kicked in and thought I could squeeze another castle in.
The wind was gone and the sun had his hat on and the B4299 was the highlight of the day, it’s got alpine style hairpins and miles of empty road. There was even a motocross event happening along the way. My exhaust frightened three horses in a field and vowed to get a new baffle for it before the HISS rally in May. Final castle reached (Cilgerran) and photoed and I headed into Cardigan for the night looking for shelter.
£45 got me a lovely room in the very pink Llety Teifi guesthouse. Amazingly I was pretty sunburnt even though it was March and I was in Wales! A burger and a beer at the Grosvenor had me ready for bed.
After driving back from Lowestoft the day before I must have been mad to attempt this, especially as storm Katie was still attacking the South Coast. But if 2015 taught me one thing it’s that you have to make the most of opportunities. I knew it would be too windy to leave early doors so I had a nice lie in which I spent agonizing over which mudguard to fit to my DR650, the supermoto as its better at speed or the enduro one which is better in the wet.
So at about 10am I rolled out of a sunny Burnham on Sea with kit for B&B rather than camping. My new luggage racks hadn’t arrived yet and I assumed I’d be wet and cold and wouldn’t want to camp. The M5 had a wicked cross wind as I headed north so I sat behind lorry most of the way watching my SATNAV. It was first time I had used it properly since buying it from Brian AKA Picos Metsizo a great guy who sadly passed away in February.
I crossed the Severn Bridge and, as always, wondered why my old colleague from the Vehicle Inspectorate had chosen such a weird turquoise colour for it. She must have had a thing for 1960s swimming pools.
After a bit more of a motorway wind battering I drove through a few towns before reaching Caerphilly. Wow! What a castle. It’s huge and dominates the town like a goose yolk in a chickens egg. I pulled up for a photo of the bike and castle and admired the massive structure whilst enjoying a sarnie.
That done and I was right back on it and rocking the M4 on route to Dinefwr. Cruising past Port Talbot I was consumed by its unsurpassable beauty (not) and spared a thought for the iron workers whose livelyhoods hung in the balance. The sun was shining down and whilst the headwind was still hardwork for me and my thumper life was getting sweeter. At the end of the M4 the roads got a lot more fun and by the time I got to Dinefwr I was loving the corners. The castle was a long way from the road but looked pretty menacing in the skyline. I left via a dirt track and whilst DR650 isn’t quite as good on the pegs as my DR350 the K60 tyres gave a great account of themselves.
A blast down the A40 and the fun A4066 had me eating ice cream next to Laugharne Castle at about half three. I briefly wondered whether anyone could help themselves to Pendine Sands but then common sense kicked in and thought I could squeeze another castle in.
The wind was gone and the sun had his hat on and the B4299 was the highlight of the day, it’s got alpine style hairpins and miles of empty road. There was even a motocross event happening along the way. My exhaust frightened three horses in a field and vowed to get a new baffle for it before the HISS rally in May. Final castle reached (Cilgerran) and photoed and I headed into Cardigan for the night looking for shelter.
£45 got me a lovely room in the very pink Llety Teifi guesthouse. Amazingly I was pretty sunburnt even though it was March and I was in Wales! A burger and a beer at the Grosvenor had me ready for bed.