Home
Travel StoriesThe Thundersprint And Trearddur Bay 2013
Bolton To Trearddur Bay In The Sunshine.
By mid April the weather should be good enough for some comfortable and easy camping. Spring brings a high risk of rain but it should be warming up by now. This year however winter does not wish to leave our shores and spring is slow in coming. So I find I'm preparing for a camping trip that may be somewhat cooler than I'd hope for. I am also preparing for a bigger trip around Europe, 2 up. This is proving to be something of a logistical nightmare as there really is not enough space on a motorcycle for 2 people, their luggage, camping equipment, supplies and tools. This forthcoming weekend is to be a test, to see what works and what does not.
On a bright and promising Saturday I am wide awake and completing my packing at a stupid time in the morning. I am a fairly experienced camper and I ought to know exactly what is required and how it all works. Yet every time I'm dumbfounded by the amount I need to pack and I struggle to place it all "just so". I've been planning this for months, deep thoughts, fixings and fitments, testing, stuffing, packing, re-stuffing and re-packing. After so much preparation there's still much I have not thought of.
This is in fact not the full load, there's more to add yet.
With a little wobble I set off. The bike feels heavy. I both like and dislike this feeling. There is a solid and secure sensation under it's weight but it loses all the nimble agility. I have to focus harder when stopping to keep it upright and parking requires careful forethought. I ride around my home town to ensure nothing falls off then wait at the fire station to meet my first travelling comrade. SL arrives slightly early which pleases me no end. His Aprilia Shiver is as purple and shiny as I remember it from the last time it came out, at the end of last summer. Unlike my machine his is loaded neatly with a pack, saddle bags and a tent positioned perfectly on the back seat. We spend 2 minutes catching up then head off down to Hindley in the warming sun.
SL's Aprilia Shiver. Clean and smart with suitably clean and well packaged luggage.
Being organised and up early and SL being better than prompt we're at the fuel station early. Not to worry as I've not spoken face to face with SL for a while now. We catch up on work, mutual acquaintances, motorcycles and family issues. It seems some time before JA and DA arrive on the Deauville which apart from the tent on the top box looks no different to normal. It's only when DA struggles to climb off the bike I notice her rucksack. DA struggles to move, rather than pack the already full panniers she's wearing all her clothing under her bike gear. The sun's up and the day is warming, I reckon she's going to overheat sooner or later. A pillion using a rucksack on a bike with a top box is awkward, when that pillion is all layered up it's bloody hard work.
Next stop, Millenium Motorcycles in St Helens. It's on the way to my gf's house and has a cafe as well as lots of shiny bikes that I'll never buy. After a brew and introductions SL is talking with JA and DA like old friends who've know each other for years. I'm thankful they're an easy going bunch otherwise this could be a long and awkward weekend. We spend a while sitting on bikes and disagreeing about which ones are pretty and which are ugly. Suzuki's Inazuma is ugly to me but at £3k it's looking more and more attractive...
Arriving at the gf's the sun is shining, the day is warm and I watch DA fight and stumble off the back of the Deauville. The gf is pretty much ready and supplies tea all around while I finalise the load with the gf's saddle bag and handbag. I look at the bike. It looks impressively loaded, it looks like the real deal around the world tour bike. It's nonsense though. Any worthwhile hardy tough traveller would have nothing more than a sleeping bag and lots of resourceful ingenuity, I need a car.
My poor bike.
I am really excited about the trip to Anglesey. It will be my first bike trip away with the bike club and I am looking forward to their company. Plus for once my rain goddess status had left me alone and the sun is shining. I climb aboard the bike and with a excited squeal to myself we set off. Only we do not get very far, the end of my road to be exact. JA is not behind us, we turn around. JA's bike will not start. Noooooo we have got the sunshine but we also now have a dead bike. The BF does not panic and after a quick word with JA they figure out the problem. Yeaahhh his bike comes alive and we are off.
I am feeling good the world is sunny and yellow (my favourite colour). Hoards of golden daffodils grow abundantly on the dual carriageway verges and mix with dandelions who shake their manes.
After a stretch of dull motorway and dual carriageway at last the road becomes more interesting. Dry corners allow me to test the handling of my overladen Fazer and for the most part all appears just fine. We pass through Denbigh and pick up the A543 which I know to be a good road. I can see SL close up behind me, itching for me to open the taps and get a move on. I don't fancy pushing the envelope with this load so I wave him past and he roars off with a big V-Twin thump thump. JA is more comfortable with my slow pace so we jostle along happily.
DA choosing which one of the cute fluffly lambs she wants for dinner.
Windswept moorland and distant hills come and go. The A5 leads us through the picturesque tourist towns of Betws-Y-Coed and Capel Curig. Today Wales is looking as picture perfect as ever I've seen it. Today the colours are vivid and crisp, the blue sky contrasts with the lush greens and grey hues of the landscape. It has all has come together to create the ideal lighting for the Welsh Valleys. It is amazing and the gf is snapping away from the back seat. Why can a scene like this bring on emotions? It makes no sense.
Trying to take photos while on the back of a bike is a new venture of mine. There have been so many times when I wished I could have stopped to take a photo but either there is no safe stopping place or simply stopping every 5 mins the journey would last forever. So the solution seems to be to take the photos on the move. You do not get them as crisp and clear as you would if you were stationary, you do not have time to frame the perfect shot. Yet it sure beats missing those shots entirely. So snap ,snap, snap. Happy, happy, happy!
The last stretch of the A55 through Anglesey is nowhere near as pleasant. The wind is firmly against us, the road is straight and dull, the sky has lost it's crisp blueness and I'm ready for a proper rest. I notice there's a few other bikers around, presumably for the Thundersprint this weekend. There's also the inevitable North Wales police presence in the form of a motorcycle patrol, he passes us with a nod, we're only doing 65 mph on the dual carriageway so there's no cause for alarm.
By sheer luck we arrive at the campsite at the same time as DD, another club member along with 4 of his friends. Other than that the campsite is deserted. No other tents in the field and more worryingly no-one in the office. There's nothing we can do about that so we proceed to pitch up and sort ourselves out for the evening. JA and DA are trying out a brand new tent for the first time, I'm preying everything I need is still with my tent from my last trip and SL is as organised and efficient as any military operation, it's his TA training. DD and his pals are all sharing a large dome tent. Judging by the amount of beer coming out the back of a small van I don't fancy being in there early tomorrow morning.
Sunset over Trearddur Bay and a glorious evening. It's gonna geet cold though...
The gf, DA and I walk to the local shop for supplies. The little coves and bays look enticing as we walk past but there's a stiff cool breeze that keeps all but the occasional dog walker off the beaches. I know the forecast is for rain tomorrow and after todays pleasing climate I can already feel the change is on its way. JA's having a little nap while the youths in DD's party drive around, presumably in the vain hope of finding nightlife and wild excitement. They're in the wrong place, there's only one pub nearby.
That evening in the pub there is in fact a lot of nightlife! It seems the whole of Anglesey is in here and we have to squeeze into benches and become well acquainted with each other. The younger lads come and go for smokes and drinks while we sit and chat. It seems no matter who sits next to who there's something to chat about, riding styles, speed, the Thundersprint and life in general. Inside it's warm and bustling, outside it's now cold and windy. I'm tired and ready for my bed but I don't want to leave the comfort of the pub. The dark windswept walk back confirms my fears.
It has been a good day, good weather, fabulous scenery and great friends to chat with. Think it's going to be a cold cold night though.
Bolton To Trearddur Bay In The Sunshine.
A glorious ride through North Wales to the Thundersprint. An evening with friends in a busy pub. Then we face the cold dark night...
Reader's Comments
Name
Comment
Add a RELEVANT link (not required)
Upload an image (not required) -
Uploading...
Home
Travel StoriesThe Thundersprint And Trearddur Bay 2013