In February 2017 I took on the AdventureBikeRider Wales in a Weekend Route. Starting South of Brecon and heading north I would take in the Beacons then head into Snowdownia National Park before crossing into England from North Wales and returning back to Northern Ireland on an overnight ferry. All of this would be done in a mere three days. If you lived close enough to the starting point this is a great route that can easily be done in 2 days – even in winter!
If you happen to be a Twitter or Instagram User and do this route (or something similar through Wales) I have used the hashtags (Wales In Winter & Winter In Wales) #WalesInWinter and #WinterInWales – make sure to add to them!
Weather forecast for 22/02/2018
Day 3 – the final day of my Wales in Winter trip and this leg takes me from Aberystwyth to Betws-y-Coed then onto the Liverpool for the return overnight ferry back to Northern Ireland.
So far it has been two days of good hardcore rain and this final day won’t be changing that format in any major way.
In fact it is due to get worse at some stage with the approach of Storm Doris bringing more and heavier rain and some gales, gusts and other variants of high winds thrown into the mix. The biggest question is when will Doris visit? Whilst on the road or on the boat?
As far as accomodation goes I am absolutely sold on ‘The Glengower’ – clean and comfortable room with good food, a good bar, big TVs for the Sports Channels and a couple of pool tables, all with a sea view. You need nothing more, but you’ll get it in the form of a delicious breakfast.
The Glengower Breakfast Menu
After breakfast, I make the short trip round the back of the hotel to get the bike. Having turned on all the radiators in the room over night my gear was dry for starting. After a 50 metre walk I was back to being as soaked as I was when I finished yesterday. And looking at the forecast this is only the start of the rain.
If you happen to be a Twitter or Instagram User and do this Wales in a Weekend route (or something similar through Wales) I have used the hashtags (Wales In Winter & Winter In Wales) #WalesInWinter and #WinterInWales – make sure to add to them!
Weather Report Wales 21/02/2017
It’s Day 2 – although for the Wales in a Weekend Route it is actually Day 1. Confusing eh?
If you made it to this post via some strange and startling way then the simple explanation is that Day 1 (for me) was actually a travel day from Northern Ireland to the start of this route.
As I concluded in my write up of Day 1 this first day of the actual route was set to be a wet one.
The overnighter at the Mount Pleasant Hotel was just that – pleasant. The bed was very comfortable, the place was clean, tidy and friendly. The shower lacked a bit of power but no doubt the rain that was forecast for arround midday should sort that right out!
If you happen to be a Twitter or Instagram User and do this route (or something similar through Wales) I have used the hashtags (Wales In Winter & Winter In Wales) #WalesInWinter and #WinterInWales – make sure to add to them!
This time last year (20/02/2017) I set off on a quick trip through Wales. I was using up the remanants of my leave from work and in an effort to feel that I wasn’t taking time off just for the sake of it, I found a quick route that I could do for very little outlay that would take in the entire length of Wales.
Starting South of Brecon and heading north I would take in the Beacons then head into Snowdownia National Park before crossing into England from North Wales and returning back to Northern Ireland on an overnight ferry.
I found the route on www.adventurebikerider.com and having never seen Wales before, but with the ease and affordability of travel to and from Northern Ireland it seemed like a sensible option. Accomodation was also easily sorted with a bucket load of options available on sites like Booking.com – and prices ranging from very reasonable to ‘oh that must be quite fancy.’
The route is called Wales in a Weekend – which is realistically two days long especially in the Winter – if you like a good long distance challenge you probably could snort round it in a (long) day, but spread over two it is easily managable and very enjoyable.
Remember to factor in any travel time to get to the ‘Starting Point’ just outside Aberdare. But from Aberdare to the end of the route at Betws y Coed you should set aside 2 days to complete.
Controversial title there isn’t it? Well that’s exactly the question I have struggled with since the announcement of the DJI Mavic Air. Which one should I get the DJI Mavic Pro, or the DJI Mavic Air. The DJI Spark was truthfully never even in the equation.
I should point out straight away I am a drone novice. A first time flyer, with no experience whatsoever. I didn’t know what to expect, whether I would even enjoy flying a drone, or whether I even actually needed one. To be honest I didn’t ‘need’ one, but I had wanted one for quite some time. I was constantly checking out the Phantom series, but I really wanted it to take it whilst out and about on the bike, so the Phantom didn’t really cut it. The anouncement of the Air then made me think this is the one, easy to transport in the top box of the bike, quick to set up, quick to get in the air and user friendly settings for the camera – which is quite nicely spec’d to boot – surely this is the winner.
Then I started doing my research – a lot of research.
The 2018 Northern Ireland Motorcycle Festival (MotorcycleFest) ran at the Eikon Centre, Lisburn from Friday 2nd February 2018 – Sunday 4th February 2018. The event has been running at the Eikon Centre since 2016 and seems to be going from strength to strength.
Rumours have been rife since late 2017 that John McGuinness could find himself on top of a lush silver Norton in 2018. However with this weeks earlier announcement of Josh Brookes on the 2018 Norton – and that was it – it seemed that the rumour of John McGuinness as his team mate had died a death.
Breaking news : John McGuinness to get a seat on a 2018 #Norton! (Not actually breaking – I just made it up but I’d happily place a moderate wager on it). @iom_tt#waitandsee
No #Norton ride for John McGuiness announced. Maybe they have to hold off until 100% sure that John is fit enough for 2018. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.
