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Easter Monday in North Wales

Gav Peter

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Mar 1, 2010
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'10:00 am rendevous at Tesco's in Bangor' were the last instructions received from Jim's (Jimbo4x4) smessage on Easter Sunday evening which sparked a furious flap of preparation at Chez Gavlad, fuelled by an afternoon roast dinner & the accompanying excessive dwinkee poos with my Ma & Pa after being newly returned from their month in New Zealand...

I almost couldn't get to sleep in excitement for my first proper 'expedition' ( :roll: ) away from the local mud pit... DEP Wirral ~07:45 for a leisurely cruise out to Bangor down the A55 via McDonalds. On the last roundabout before arrival at Bangor, MUX's dull growl of a mostly removed exhaust suddenly becomes more of a roar. Yup, the last bit had broken off so the zorst now finishes just afer the flexible section - its loud... :oops:

Anyhoo, Jim lands & he's got all the routes punched in on his laptop & I'm completely in his hands. Off we go.

The first lane is undrivable due to fly tippers so we head round the tarmac twisties through the wind & rain over towards Capel Curig past Tryfn & the Nant Ffrancon valley. Even the tarmac sections are fun in the wet & the scenery is dramatic. One of my gloves attempts to make an escape while Jim's setting his bearings atthe foor of Tryfn - my 100 yard dash secures that badboy :twisted: I ain't built for speed & must've looked ridiculous :lol:

The first lane is one I have walked sections of in the past - Tan-y-Garth (thanks for the info Jim :)) It skirts around Moel Saibod to the forestry commission area after a very nice rocky climb up through the woods. I got a couple of (poor) photos of Jim but was enjoying it all so much thereafter, I forgot to take any more :oops: Lots of gorse... (Crispin, take a strimmer if you go ;-))

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Another blast along some tarmac got us over to Sarn Helen - what a wonderful lane... This hooks us up from Pont-y-Pant to Betws-y-Coed.

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Just after I skin MUX's flares on a tight gatepost even with Jim spotting me :oops: we pass the abandoned farmhouse - someone's next 'Grand Design' in a beautiful spot... Shame the camera had one of its funny turns :(

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And then, through the wind & rain, we spot 'arboretist (sp.) of the year' - anytime, anyplace, anyweather!!! A braver man than me ;-)

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On we go, following some of the routes Jim plotted over Christmas with a few of you guys on here. Pen-y-Rhiwlas & on to Llyn alwen where we were defeated by snow. Jim had a trundle into the drifts & was able to back out but when MUX & tried it, the 'hydrofoil' bumper grounded us high & dry so out came the recovery gear that I had spent til 11 o'clock at night packing :cool:

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It looks fairly inoffensive but its not really snow - its halfway to ice & quite a bugger to shift...

On we yomped & on to Corwen Carwash... I was (quite unnecessarily as it happened) apprehensive of this having only forded 'streams' before. Jim sent me through first to check things out & shot some video

No problemo :D, not with the 'hydrofoil' bumper ;-)

A happy river traverser...

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Here, we met up with a couple of Landy owners & we joined up for the afternoon after visiting the burger van on the A5 that exists solely in Jim's mind... ;-)

Paul took over the lead around here in his Discovery - I think Jim was feeling the pressure ;-) We went up & over Cieriog Forest & then to Whitestones where we encountered a bunch of trials riders - apparently our route had intersected with a huge local event... We pulled over to let them past... Cue the 'team' shot ;-)

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but after a ten minute wait for no-one we carried on... And then they did too!!!

Up on the moors - the trail winding away into the distance with Jim in front of me...

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Queuing up waiting to drop down into Llanarmon:

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From where Paul led us up to 'splashy lane' - vay apt!!!

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This is the run down the top of the pheasant pen steps:

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Parked up whilst the route was assessed:

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Rob in the other landie had been strategically positioned as lead truck by now as there had been some chat about a big hole on this route. So as his truck had a winch, he went first... Around the side of the hole, very neatly & without any problems really.

Then Paul had a go at the hole - not the best decision ever made...

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DOH...

As a little interlude, Jim tried to hide... Can anyone spot the Jimster on the snap below??

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Anyhoo, we got Paul out & Jim followed Rob's line round the side of the hole. I spotted Jim - no probs - & then nipped back up the hill to fetch MUX. When I got back, they'd all buggered off so I came on through & got a bit plugged :-( On with the difflocks (front only, rear still not playing nicely...) & out the big guy came with little effort - what a truck :)

Descending the steps - quite a few steps here & quite hairy...

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Then it was back on the black stuff so Jim could get home (late!!!) for his tea ;-)

I gave MUX a light de-dusting:

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And assessed the scraups...

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Ooops, sorry MUX :oops:

What a way to start mine/our laning career though - mucho gracias to Jim for getting me on-board & to 'er indoors for letting me play out. Fabulous day out & about - can't wait to do it again!!!

Cheers

{Admin Edit: Relocated to Trip Reports ;) }
 
Great report there, Gav!! Not sure whether it was the missing exhaust or the wind noise but the sound in the video clips sounded like a top-fuel dragster at idle :twisted:
 
Great report - burnt my dinner reading it!!

Do you have the start and end points on the lanes so I might take a peruse when next in the area?

Cheers muchley
 
Cheers guys

Andrew Prince said:
Not sure whether it was the missing exhaust or the wind noise but the sound in the video clips sounded like a top-fuel dragster at idle
Combination effect I think Andy - but mainly MUX :twisted:

adrianr said:
Great report - burnt my dinner reading it!!
Sorry Ade - put it on my tab ;-)

adrianr said:
Do you have the start and end points on the lanes so I might take a peruse when next in the area?
Jims got the routes but I plan to print out the relative chunks of Memory Map when I get a chance to keep for my records...

Pick me up on the way by & I'll do my best to show you the tour ;-)
 
Gavlad said:
Pick me up on the way by & I'll do my best to show you the tour ;-)

Most definitely.

My 80 looks almost petite compared to your brute.

Hope to be off out in a week or 2. I'll bell you.
 
Great writup Gav. Would like to do that one day soon :cool:
 
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Excellent trip report, looks like you had a great day in some good looking country.
 
You might as well take the flares off now Gav :lol:
 
:mrgreen: That was a fun day, thanks for the writeup Gav (and coming along, of course).
 
Great pics and write-up - looks and sounds like you had a great time! :cool:

Are the wheels/tyres on the "T" reg Colorado in the backgound, standard? They look a bit taller and seem to fill the arches much better. Though that may just be the angle and my eyesight! :roll: ;)

Cheers,
 
Hi Chad

Yeah, it was a wicked day out - the decent photos are from the guys in the big landie. See, they do have their uses ;-)

The wheels on Tonka are actually 80 series rims which are more offset than the Colorado alloys; fitted with 285/75/16 BFG AT's, the arches are filled out a bit more... We get a bit of rubbing occasionally but now't to write home about.

I will be fitting some spacers in the near future - lets see what happens then!!!

Cheers
 
Gavlad said:
The wheels on Tonka are actually 80 series rims which are more offset than the Colorado alloys; fitted with 285/75/16 BFG AT's, the arches are filled out a bit more...

Eagle eye! :cool: :D
 
Except having looked at them on the way in they are 275/70's...
 
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