Sunday September 3^rd - Border Country Drive

How Many are Coming?

You plan your run on a couple of hot & sunny days during the height of summer. Two days before the run, your area co-ordinator e-mails you the “final” list and you are staggered to see 27 cars & 51 names on it! Then the day before the run, the skies open and you have the wettest day in months. The morning itself, you wake to grey skies and fine drizzle. You wonder if anyone will want to come out to play.

We Are Not Alone

Arriving at the meeting point a good half-hour early you are delighted to see 4 or 5 cars already waiting for you. (So it won’t be a solo run after all) ! The roads here are dry, it’s not raining and is that the sun trying to break through the clouds? (Being Dowlais of course there is always a healthy wind blowing).
Other cars start to arrive. They keep coming and coming until finally you have a total of 26 cars (including 3 red Mk3’s) and 48 people! There are quite a few new faces among them as well as some familiar ones not seen for a while. (Hello to one and all). You ‘phone the pub & tell them to put another side of cow in the oven!

Follow The Leader

The plan is to set off in three group’s lead by Martyn & Wayne, Tom & Jodie and Bob & Ros. The first group set off blissfully unaware that back at base due to the eagerness of the others to get started that Keith & Stephanie find themselves leading a breakaway second group. Tom & Jodie are bringing the remaining cars with Bob & Ros now taking that all important last place, keeping a look out for any waifs & strays.

Bridges, Boats and Books

After a short run along the Heads of the Valley we turn off and cross over Mynydd Llangatwg with splendid views of the mountains & valley below into Llangynidr and across what looks to be an impossibly narrow bridge! With great navigating by our lead cars everyone duly arrives at our first stop, Llangors Lake. Here there is time for coffee, a chat and a look at the lake, which is festooned with boats taking part in a competition.
From here we continue north through Hay on Wye (book capital of Wales) and cross into England for lunch at the “Boat Inn” over looking the river at Whitney on Wye. Due to the large numbers, the inn has had to split us over two rooms but everyone gets stuck in to their Sunday lunch with Robin & Andrea only just avoiding being missed off the pudding order (from a quite extensive choice).

The Scenic Route Home

After lunch (and a close encounter with a canoe in the car park) we return via the quaint toll bridge over a very rickety wooden bridge. Then along the “Golden Valley” through some beautiful Herefordshire countryside and villages of Dorstone, Peterchurch & Vowchurch, back into Wales for our finish at Abergavenny.

We had a great turn out, it didn’t rain, we didn’t lose anyone and the inn coped admirably with the large number of people. We couldn’t have asked for more!