Tour of Wales September 2020
After weeks of “not going out” in the Pilote we made the decision to try to book a few campsites in Wales for a short break. After a few “sorry fully booked” replies we managed to book up three Cl’s and a campsite. We set off in glorious sunshine towing our Hyundai i10 to give us more independence and our electric bikes hoping to get some cycling in.
Our first CL was on the Gower in Old Walls Village a very well organised site. Hardstanding electric h/u water and emptying plus free range hens that became very friendly when we sat out with our lunch! No shower or Toilettes. Our first outing in the car took us the short distance to the delightful Welsh Village of Reynoldston up to the open moor where we walked to Arthur’s Stone an ancient burial site and affording wide views of the coast and estuary.
The next day, in glorious weather, we set off towards Rhossili and Worms Head, run by the National Trust. It was quite busy when we arrived in the car park and interestingly there was an area to park motorhomes. Everyone was being sensible and there was no problem in walking in our own space. If you have not been here and you love coastal scenery then its a ‘must do’ because it is an outstandingly beautiful place. The walk to the end of the peninsular is on a hardstanding path so suitable for all and where we found a nice spot to sit and have our picnic lunch overlooking the rocky causeway which at low tide is possible to walk along to the actual Worms Head Rock. 
After lunch we did a circular tour of the area along very narrow lanes to Port Eynon nice beach, Oxwich a very pretty village, Pentrice ruined Castle. Then on over open moorland to the other side of the Gower to take the LLanrithidan Marsh Road a straight narrow causeway to Crofty. Very different as flat salt marshes with lots of free roaming sheep, cows and horses. Then it was back to our CL where Mike the owner introduced us to his menagerie of ducks, turkeys, hens and native welsh horses before presenting us with 6 lovely brown eggs. 
Next morning we packed up and set off to our next CL site nr Rhayader in the Elan Valley. We last visited this area 56 years ago on our honeymoon! The CL was adequate but a bit of a carpark as the property had several holiday cottages. We did have electric water and emptying but shower and toilette closed. On the plus side it was adjacent to a fuel station with Spar and a Greggs food outlet and also very handy for touring the Elan Valley area.
Sunday 20th A clear sunny morning. We set off for a tour of the four Elan Reservoirs, Caban-Coch, Pen y Garreg Garreg Ddu and Craig Goch. Set in the beautiful Elan Valley the reservoirs were built to supply drinking water for Birmingham by damming the Elan and Claerwan rivers. The sweeping undulating minor roads make it a popular place for bikers, cyclists and walkers and together with the stunning mountain scenery is a great place to visit. We were surprised to see a number of quite large motorhomes in some of the bigger carparks.Elan Village is an interesting place with visitor centre shops and cafe but we avoided this area as quite busy. We found a handy seat on a steep hairpin bend section of road with open views of Craig Coch reservoir. We spent 2 hours here having our picnic lunch and being entertained by watching the antics of bikers, cyclists and cars tackling the steep section of road! We then drove along a very scenic yellow road stopping off for a walk along a stony trail and a disused lead mine. At times the road was reminiscent of ones that we have driven along in the past in the Alps and the Pyrenees. Not for the fainthearted! 
Monday 21st We set off for our next CL nr Dolgellau, one that we have stayed on before on our tour with MGTC. We took the scenic B road stopping at theLlyn Clwedog reservoir for a coffee popular for fishing we were joined by a group of classic cars out for a drive on a sunny day. Rejoining the A road we climbed up and over the Ocht y Bwlch pass before heading down to Ty Cerrig and the CL where were warmly welcomed by Myfanwy the farmers wife whom we had met previously. We quickly set up camp, got out the bikes put them in the back of the Hyundai and set off to cycle the Mawddach Trail as recommended by fellow Pilote member Trevor. We certainly were not disappointed as this beautiful 9 mile trail runs along the spectacular Mawddach Estuary starting in Dolgellau and crossing the famous wooded train bridge to the popular seaside town of Barmouth. 
The next day was damp and misty so went in car to Harlech Castle but closed. The little town boasts of the steepest street in the world which of course we just had to walk down and up! Fortunately for us living in Devon and being used to hills it wasn’t a problem for us. Arthur then decides to take me on a Misty scenic tour of the local mountains. There were lots of sheep on unfenced roads and I had to get out and open and shut lots of gates, needless to say I was not that impressed with his “Tour”
Another wet morning but cleared by lunchtime drove into Dolgellau for Fish and Chips then on to Fairbourne, taking the scenic road over Cadir Idris mountain. Came across a National Trust carpark near a lake at Gregennan so stopped and walked halfway up the Bryn Brvth mountain with great views over Barmouth river estuary and coast. After another scenic twisty narrow road drive back down we reached Fairbourne a small seaside village. There is a small narrow gauge railway here which runs for 2 miles along the coast from Fairbourne to the Barmouth Ferry.
Thursday 24th Heavy Rain! Left CL to drive just 30 miles to our next stop a Caravan and Motorhome Club site at Coed-y-LLwyn. We had sleet and hail showers on route. Very nice site and helpful wardens however no toilettes/showers open. Weather improved late afternoon so short drive from site to Roman Site at Tomen y Mur where the remains of a roman fort, roman amphitheatre, road and wall are still visible. We walked around the site enjoying the history information board and soaking up the scenery. Chatted to a hill farmer and his lovely dog Scott, they had been gathering up sheep. 
Dry but windy morning. Set off to tour the Llyn peninsular passing through Porthmadog to Criccieth where we stopped by the beach for a coffee and to admire the stunning castle perched on top of the cliffs. On then to Phwllheli and Abersoch a popular sailing centre. We stopped at the tiny village of Llanystumdwy the boyhood home of David Lloyd George to view his memorial, unfortunately as with so many other places the museum was closed. we stopped for lunch on a seat overlooking the beach at pretty Aberaron it was sheltered and out of the chilly wind. The final leg of our tour of the Llyn Peninsular was to drive as far as we could to the cliffs overlooking Bardsey Island. We found a place to park and walked up to the summit of a headland it was so windy we could hardly stand up but worth it for the view and to say that we had done it! Then the long drive back to the campsite.
Saturday 26th Decided to do bike ride around the Trawsfynyd Lake not far from the campsite. This mountain bike route of 9 miles was very scenic but very hard going for us on our folding bikes. There is a large decommissioned Power station at the Northern end. Its very popular for fishing, bird watching and walking. There is a large Visitor centre (now closed) and cafe overlooking the lake (open)We stopped in the typical Welsh village of Trawsfyndd . It was once the home of Hedd Wyn the Welsh bard. We pushed our bikes across a long wooden footbridge scanning the lake and found a nice picnic spot in the sun watching the fishermen fishing for trout, before cycling back along the road to campsite.
This was the end of our Tour of Wales. It had been well worth going. Fortunately for us the local lockdowns in Wales were not in the areas that we visited. We had no problems in distancing ourselves from other people and of course we have everthing we need in our motorhome. I took plenty of food so did very little shopping. We hope that we will be able to return to Wales again before too long.
Jenny and Arthur
