Welsh National Rally - May 6th 2006 (2)

This year we entered the WNR as a team actually from the Kent Centre of the Suzuki Owners Club. As you can see from the top picture, the team was team made up of two members and their bikes, but can you spot a Suzuki? Nope! In fairness we both own a Suzuki.

My riding partner for the long day was Dave Clark from the Medway. Although both setting off from Kent (I was supposed to be working half day) we decided to make our own way to Oxford and meet at the services on the A40/A34/A44 junction to the north of the city. Not far from the local BMW garage as it happens.

From there on we made our way off motorway in the warm sunshine to Woofferton where we stayed in the Travelodge. Pic 1 was taken in the car-park on the Saturday morning before we set off for the start of the rally.

Our route was for mainly north Wales although we dipped down to take in a few industry sights before a sort of clockwise loop bringing us to the close at Castle Caereinon.

We decided to do the Platinum Award and that meant a long day in the saddle. Luckily (!) with Dave's GPS we were able to travel down small lanes that resembled peoples' driveways and farm tracks to ensure that we saw parts of the Principality that few outsiders ever get to see.

Pic 2 was somehere in the sticks as we searched for a clue!

Pic 3 was the late lunch stop Coed-y-Brenin and it the old visitor centre, a new one is being built close by to cope with the mad sods on mountain bikes and walkers.

The 4th pic of this set is the Slate Museum in Llanberis and was one of the "Welsh Industry" sites that had to be added to make Gold into Platinum. If only it were that easy?

In the end we finished in pouring rain. It was dry and amazing weather for Wales until Conwy (pic 5), where it started to rain. By the end it was absolutely peeing down.

Dave and I separated as we was going to bomb home to kent and I fancied a night's sleep. I ended up in the Travelodge at what used to be called Hilton Park Services... Not nice but dry and warm.

The next morning I had to ride as fast as I could to get parked up, changed and then leg it down to Highbury for the last ever game on the old ground before the Arsenal move across to the new Emirates Stadium.