After a great nights sleep, I woke up just after six. It had not been as cold during the night as the previous few nights, and I had slept right through.
Unknowingly, I had forgotten to turn off the alarm on my phone. It had been going off since 05:45, which is when I had been getting up for work earlier in the week. I had not heard my alarm going off, but Rosie in the next tent had. She didn't go on about it much! I went for shower, to wake up properly, and to give Rosie a chance to calm down.
After walking back from the ablution block, a few other campers had begun to stir. Camp stoves were fired up, and the salivating aromas of sizzling bacon and fresh coffee filed the air. This was devoured with an ample helping of humorous banter, as we geared up for the days ride ahead.
The ride out in the Welsh countryside, on stunning roads is always a highlight of these weekends. There is something special about riding along with 30 or so other motorcycles. It's not about terrorising the locals. It's about enjoying the ride, the scenery, and the camaraderie.
The ride got off to a bang........literally! We all started to move off, when there was the sound of a bike crashing just to my right. Greg had put his bike into gear, stalled his bike and toppled over. Straight on to Simon's bike which was next to him. This had knocked Simon's bike over, with him and his daughter Cloe being thrown off it in all the commotion. Simon had just completed a major rebuild and repaint of his bike. This was it's first time out, so it was not the start he was after!
The bikes were quickly picked up, and the damage assessed. It turned out to be minimal scratches on both bikes, a slightly shocked Cloe, and a broken pillion foot peg on Simon's bike.
Quick as a flash Dean had his tool kit out and was swapping the foot pegs on Simon's and Greg's bikes, so both of them could carry on with the ride.
Finally, we all got going and headed over to Newtown. The A483 is just one of those roads that gets better each time you ride it. Half way to Newtown we realised that some of the group was missing. Sometime shortly after the car park incident with Greg, some of the riders near the back had somehow taken the wrong route. We would try and catch them up at some point later in the day.
After a leg stretch and coffee break we left Newtown on the A470 for Dolgellau, enjoying the stunning scenery even if the weather had turned a bit chilly.
The very twisty and challenging B4405, A493 along the coast, and the A487 came and went with all of us eventually arriving in Aberystwyth for a late lunch stop. I was amazed at how the promenade had been rebuild following the devastating winter storms. It was like nothing had happened.
From Aberystwyth we took the A485, and A482 through Tregaron and Lampeter. This is another amazingly technical, twisting route. I have to admit to upping the pace a little, and putting my Tiger through it's paces. I was beginning to really love my new Tiger, although the front suspension was trying to tie itself in knots at times. This may have been due to the corner entry speeds I was attempting, as I successfully scampered away from the rampaging pack of Italian thoroughbreds giving chase.
We arrived back at camp, exchanging tales of Marquez style elbow down cornering, and tyres protesting at being asked to handle so much remapped power. None of which actually happened, but you now how blokes are!
This banter continued, and developed into local ale induced depravity, accompanied by some fine food at the local pub.
A great end to another memorable weekend. Some videos of the weekend can be seen on my YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/timcrasher
Tuesday 20 May 2014
Tuesday 6 May 2014
Weekend Away- First mini tour: Day 2
I don't know if it was because I am fast approaching 40, the crisp, cool Welsh mountain air, or a combination of the two. But, I awoke several times during the night in need of a pee. I don't remember consuming multiple litres of any kind of beverage before going to bed, so I was a bit puzzled as to why this happened.
Climbing out of a cosy sleeping bag, and exiting a tiny tent into the wilds of the Wales to water the bushes lost its appeal after the third, or it might of been the forth time!
The night sky was quite spectacular though. A clear night sky with no light pollution always makes me stop and stare. It truly is one of natures free gifts.
I was freezing my arse off at 2am, stood in a empty campsite looking at the night sky. I could feel all of the stress from my daily life drifting away never to return. Well, at least not until Wednesday when I returned to work!
I climbed back into my sleeping bag and dozed off only to be woken at around 5am by the locals. The sun was coming up, "so why wasn't I" seemed to be the theme. There was such a cacophony of noise coming from the local wildlife, it was like being in a David Attenborough documentary.
I knew it would be cold once I breached the confines of the down filled plushness of my sleeping bag, so I lay there a while. But, it was no good. My bladder alarm was going off, so I made a move to get up.
The three S's got me going, and I was ready for the day ahead. Because the rest of the guys and girls from the forum would not be arriving until at least after lunch, I had the morning to myself. And, I had a plan.
I wanted to try some filming up on the empty mountain roads nearby. So, after a nice bowl of porridge and some coffee I set off.
I headed for the top of the A4069. This is a great road ( one of the best in the UK), and has a stunning view across the valleys from the top. The road begins with a twisty run through the trees, alongside a rolling stream. But as you approach the foot of the mountain pass the scenery changes. In fact there is a cattle grid that marks the change. One side of the cattle grid is a typical country road. The other is much more barren, more mountainous.
I made my way up towards the top, avoiding the sheep feeding on the grass that grows right next to the road. Perhaps carbon-monoxide adds a little something to the fresh dew laden offerings. Heston Blumenthal will be trying it next!
Because it was still early, the top of the mountain was still shrouded in the low lying morning mist. When I got to the observation point at the top, visibility was less than 100mtrs. So, I rode back down the road to just below the cloud line, and stopped on a side road below the famous hairpin section.
I wanted to try capturing a time lapse video of my bike and the sun coming up, to use in one of my Vlogs. This seemed like a good spot, so I set up my camera and lined up the shot.
Here you can see my Drift camera set up using an Ikea kitchen timer, a tripod to take the time lapse shots.
I set up the camera to take a shot every three seconds, finishing with a shot of my Tiger at the end. I used my top case as a secure base for the tripod, so I could frame the bike a little better.
I set the timer to thirty minutes, pressed go on the camera, then sat back and watched the sun come up.
I got my stove out and made myself a cup of coffee and enjoyed it with a piece of walnut cake I had with me. It helped to pass the time! I saw two cars go by in all the time I was up here. Bliss.
Once I had finished with the camera, I made my way over to another favourite road at the other end of the Black Mountains, the A4560 near Crickhowell.
I did some more filming here. One of the shots I wanted involved me setting up the camera on a rock for some drive-by clips. I set the camera rolling and rode back and forth a few times. As, I was returning to collect my camera, a large van pulled up right in front of it blocking the shot completely! I parked my bike and retrieved my camera, much to the bemusement of the van driver! I then had to explain what I was doing. He was very apologetic, and asked about my YouTube channel. I gave him one of my stickers with the link, so he could check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/user/timcrasher
With the filming done, I set off for Crickhowell for some fuel. I headed back towards the campsite as the others would soon be arriving, and I felt like a spot of lunch.
Just passed Brecon, I spotted a bike parked in a layby at the side of the road. It was Dave and Rosie, who were heading for the campsite. They ride a Tiger 955, and had stopped for smoke, and a leg stretch. I stopped to say hello, and Dave and Rosie told me they were just talking about how it would be funny if I came round the corner! Spooky!
They were heading to a biker café just past the campsite, and insisted I joined them for lunch. I'm glad I did. Monster burgers all round. And, the sun was blazing. It was like a summers day, not mid-April. After lunch we rode to the campsite, so they could set up their tent.
We were soon joined by the others, as they arrived from all parts of the country, as well as a few from Denmark and Norway. It truly was an international affair.
Once everyone had set up camp and said their hellos, we all retired to the local pub for some good food, good beer, and even better banter. The weekend is looking good!
Climbing out of a cosy sleeping bag, and exiting a tiny tent into the wilds of the Wales to water the bushes lost its appeal after the third, or it might of been the forth time!
The night sky was quite spectacular though. A clear night sky with no light pollution always makes me stop and stare. It truly is one of natures free gifts.
I was freezing my arse off at 2am, stood in a empty campsite looking at the night sky. I could feel all of the stress from my daily life drifting away never to return. Well, at least not until Wednesday when I returned to work!
I climbed back into my sleeping bag and dozed off only to be woken at around 5am by the locals. The sun was coming up, "so why wasn't I" seemed to be the theme. There was such a cacophony of noise coming from the local wildlife, it was like being in a David Attenborough documentary.
I knew it would be cold once I breached the confines of the down filled plushness of my sleeping bag, so I lay there a while. But, it was no good. My bladder alarm was going off, so I made a move to get up.
The three S's got me going, and I was ready for the day ahead. Because the rest of the guys and girls from the forum would not be arriving until at least after lunch, I had the morning to myself. And, I had a plan.
I wanted to try some filming up on the empty mountain roads nearby. So, after a nice bowl of porridge and some coffee I set off.
I headed for the top of the A4069. This is a great road ( one of the best in the UK), and has a stunning view across the valleys from the top. The road begins with a twisty run through the trees, alongside a rolling stream. But as you approach the foot of the mountain pass the scenery changes. In fact there is a cattle grid that marks the change. One side of the cattle grid is a typical country road. The other is much more barren, more mountainous.
I made my way up towards the top, avoiding the sheep feeding on the grass that grows right next to the road. Perhaps carbon-monoxide adds a little something to the fresh dew laden offerings. Heston Blumenthal will be trying it next!
Because it was still early, the top of the mountain was still shrouded in the low lying morning mist. When I got to the observation point at the top, visibility was less than 100mtrs. So, I rode back down the road to just below the cloud line, and stopped on a side road below the famous hairpin section.
I wanted to try capturing a time lapse video of my bike and the sun coming up, to use in one of my Vlogs. This seemed like a good spot, so I set up my camera and lined up the shot.
I set up the camera to take a shot every three seconds, finishing with a shot of my Tiger at the end. I used my top case as a secure base for the tripod, so I could frame the bike a little better.
I set the timer to thirty minutes, pressed go on the camera, then sat back and watched the sun come up.
I got my stove out and made myself a cup of coffee and enjoyed it with a piece of walnut cake I had with me. It helped to pass the time! I saw two cars go by in all the time I was up here. Bliss.
Once I had finished with the camera, I made my way over to another favourite road at the other end of the Black Mountains, the A4560 near Crickhowell.
I did some more filming here. One of the shots I wanted involved me setting up the camera on a rock for some drive-by clips. I set the camera rolling and rode back and forth a few times. As, I was returning to collect my camera, a large van pulled up right in front of it blocking the shot completely! I parked my bike and retrieved my camera, much to the bemusement of the van driver! I then had to explain what I was doing. He was very apologetic, and asked about my YouTube channel. I gave him one of my stickers with the link, so he could check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/user/timcrasher
With the filming done, I set off for Crickhowell for some fuel. I headed back towards the campsite as the others would soon be arriving, and I felt like a spot of lunch.
Just passed Brecon, I spotted a bike parked in a layby at the side of the road. It was Dave and Rosie, who were heading for the campsite. They ride a Tiger 955, and had stopped for smoke, and a leg stretch. I stopped to say hello, and Dave and Rosie told me they were just talking about how it would be funny if I came round the corner! Spooky!
They were heading to a biker café just past the campsite, and insisted I joined them for lunch. I'm glad I did. Monster burgers all round. And, the sun was blazing. It was like a summers day, not mid-April. After lunch we rode to the campsite, so they could set up their tent.
We were soon joined by the others, as they arrived from all parts of the country, as well as a few from Denmark and Norway. It truly was an international affair.
Once everyone had set up camp and said their hellos, we all retired to the local pub for some good food, good beer, and even better banter. The weekend is looking good!
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