Attached the panniers and new tank bag (courtesy of BMK) ready for off at 10.30am
From Derby took the A50 to Uttoxeter then the more interesting roads started - A518 to A51 , through Stone and along the A51 to Woore.
Onto the A525 to Audlem for the first stop.
Audlem is a lovely old village, the oldest bit is the 13th Century church (in the pic). Bit of history - the village was granted it's market charter by King Edward 1st in 1296. The village had a big celebration in 1996 to mark the 700th! anniversary. That's old.
The locals leave the flags and bunting out through the summer due to a busy programme of events organised by the village Parish Council and Amenities Group. There's a Pantomime in January, a weekend Summer Carnival, "Proms in the Park" , Funky Weekend (for the kids), Festival of Transport, Open Gardens (all July), Arts & Crafts weekend (Sept) , Bonfire night (5th Nov) , Carols in the square at Christmas and Fireworks on New Years Eve.
...you can also get a cracking "full English breakfast " at the local cafe..
Continued west to Whitchurch. Around the ring road and picked up the A525 then A529 to Llangollen. From here, picked up the A5 west along the stunning River Dee Valley. (colours in photo a bit blue-ish due to faulty camera)
Had a chat with this off-road group - they were from neighbouring Chesterfield! The group hired a couple of "local guide" riders for the day. (group members paid £30 each) . The young lad in the second photo was gob-smacked at the wheelies the guys pulled as they left. He loved it.
After a quick toilet stop , onwards to Druid , then a left turn onto the A494 to Bala Lake...
...and followed the lovely A494 to Dolgellau. Some of the best scenery along this road.
Then picked up the beautiful A496 for the final 8 mile stretch into Barmouth...
Barmouth Heritage:
The first record of Barmouth as a small port on the Welsh Coast was in 1565 in a survey commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I. Subsequently, Barmouth and the Afon Mawddach developed as one of the major ship building centres in Wales during the 18th & 19th centuries.
The shipbuilding has long gone, but the smaller boats still look pretty in the harbour, with the Snowdonian mountains in the background (Cader Idris the big one on the right).
Oh, and if you ever fancy a swim in the estuary, be careful, that tide travels at 4-5 knots at its peak, and if you're sailing watch out for the sand bar about half mile out - I hit it once going flat out on my racing dinghy. Came to abrupt stop, at least the boat did , as the keel rammed into the sand. I took to the air temporarily
.
I followed these 2 Harley's from Bala Lake. The owners , a 50-something married couple from Wrexham, were out for a weekend break. The blue one (forget the model) is owned by the wife. She had the panniers flown in from the States (not available in UK) and colour-matched with the bike. Apparently this model is not rated by the Harley purists - cos its not "air-cooled".
My treat to myself...
After a pleasant rest on the beach, and a walk around the harbour , I started the return journey in the late afternoon sun , and with a tail wind. Lovely.
Cracking roads and scenery for the best part of 3 hours....
some of the colours a bit off on these but you get the gist. Note, the Dee Valley Railway where you can take a steam train ride into the mountains..
Arrived home at just gone 8.00pm, having covered 299.5 miles at an average 55mpg. Not a bad day in all.
Still buzzin from that trip, 2 days later...
