A journey to the EVO triangle and back...6.00am - Good grief, this is the midle of the night !
6.30am - 1st cup of wake-up juice starts to kick in.
6.35am - wingman Carrots arrives, the adventure begins
7.00am - formate on wingman 2, Cannonball at Reading services, where an assemblance of Elises
were just setting of, probably on a blat-ette !!!!
Now the boring bit, M4 all the way to Chepstow. Time for a 'Caterham-fact: if you can keep it below 3000rpm, and believe me the urge to open the taps is almost too much !, then you can , actually achieve some semblance of fuel economy in a crossflow. Unbelievable , but true !
Once the big bridge comes into view, the excitement starts, as you know good roads are ahead. Once over the bridge we head for the Rendezvous point at the Pirecefield Pub where we join up with at least 60 other Seveners intent on a mass invasion of Wales.
A quick mission briefing from Dave Jackson of the Taffia Lotus
Seveners (usual stuff, no exceeding the speed limit ,don't crash etc) , and we were off in nice tight blocks of 10 cars.
The convoy split again , and it was back to the original three cars.
Once again we set off, after a quick brew courtesy of CB's JetBoil !
Wales sublime, pothole free roads beckoned, and despite sheep, normal people out for a drive, we managed to makes some good time (and all under the national speed limit !)
Carrots steamed ahead in possibly the fastest crossflow in the world, and as we struggled to keep up we reached a crossroads, with Carrots nowhere to be seen I followed Bob, only to meet him coming the other way ! - A quick U-turn and I was back at the same junction , only to turn right instead of going straight on !
Minutes later, I hit some fantastic Italain Job-esque scenery along the Elan Valley route, with just sheep for company as the road winds its way along the valley side, in and out of forests, and some beautiful sunny Wales scenery.My solo-blat ended at the final blat destination , Abeystwyth seafront , where Jacko had got us permission to park right on the promenade where I met up with my two wingmen, who had taken the fabulous 'reservoir-route' made famous by the likes of 5th and Top Gear, which would be my return route.
We had already decided one day in Wales was simply not enough and headed to a campsite recommended by Carrots, nestling in a meadow in the forest lined Elan valley.After a hard days blatting, some medicinal alchohol is needed along with some much needed food at the local hostelry, which the campsite owners son had kindly driven us to.
The next day we awoke to a misty morning and headed out for breakfast in Llandudno, where we parked in a very quiet little town next to an old 1960's garage, half of which was now a charity shop , but inside was still almost as it had been left when it had closed 40 years ago, complete with a signed picture of Henry Rootes on the wall.
A greasy breakfast later we were back on the road, blattting back to the campsite , and ultimately home.
Not one pothole had been encountered in all of Wales, but as soon as we got close to Basingstoke, where we stoped at the superb 50's Nelsons Diner the road turned into a WRC gravel stage, and I split from the posse to break for home.