Devon TRF Group Forum

Pete · Expert

Once Upon a Time in Wales 5th October 2002

chrisoncbr · Expert

Superb. Everyone looks so young. Good report and photos. I expect they were taken on film and you scanned them in but please correct me if I am wrong.

youaintseenme · Clubman B

Whoah there Pete

I realise this was 21 years ago but -

I was on that ill fated KLX 250, that split the gearbox casing when the bike 'spat back' whilst attempting to kickstart it, pretty early in the day.
How I managed to clean Gwynne Fawre ( think thats the official name for brown trousers ) with no use of 1st gear ( due to the gear shafrs no longer sitting parallel ) I'll never know .....

Think Brian was on a blue posh TTR and Adrian was on a purple wheels version.

Oh and Ive still got the Sinisalo jacket and the blue rucksac and still use em for trailriding (-:

-- Edited by youaintseenme on Monday 18th of September 2023 06:59:27 PM

Pete · Expert

chrisoncbr wrote:
Superb. Everyone looks so young. Good report and photos. I expect they were taken on film and you scanned them in but please correct me if I am wrong.

Yes prints are from wet fuji film negatives and I could have used a negative scanner but took the lazy option of scanning the photos then cropping appropriately

Pete · Expert

youaintseenme wrote:
Whoah there Pete

I realise this was 21 years ago but -

I was on that ill fated KLX 250, that split the gearbox casing when the bike 'spat back' whilst attempting to kickstart it, pretty early in the day.
How I managed to clean Gwynne Fawre ( think thats the official name for brown trousers ) with no use of 1st gear ( due to the gear shafrs no longer sitting parallel ) I'll never know .....

Think Brian was on a blue posh TTR and Adrian was on a purple wheels version.

Oh and Ive still got the Sinisalo jacket and the blue rucksac and still use em for trailriding (-:

-- Edited by youaintseenme on Monday 18th of September 2023 06:59:27 PM

My memory is no better now than then as best I recall anyway. It was a good day riding though.

Some things never change...

youaintseenme · Clubman B

Slightly hijacking the thread but kinda along the same lines heres some words rather than pictures from a trip a bit further up into Wales from November 2009 -

Several weeks ago, Devon TRF members collectively entertained the trailriding equivalent of The Stig, in the form of Timpo who hails from Wirral, up near Scouserland.

He cheerfully rode pretty much all of Devon in a five day period, sleeping in his van, never needing sustenance and only occasionally oiling his chain, by way of bike maintenance.

Just how did he do that ? Were those occasional references to the Zen state a clue ? Or are we just kidding ourselves that we are fairly handy with the bike. Its all relative after all.

Anyway a small group was put together to follow up his offer to show us around some of his patch, which seems to be the top half of Wales, an area Ive never ridden but have drooled over the memory map with its miles of high up open moor trails. Mmmmm

Llangollen was the location, a mere 250 miles away and a bunkhouse for eight was booked at the Wynnstay, with B&B at £25 pppd. A secure courtyard for the vans with a narrow access apparently available.

Mark Edwards and Dave Muller representing South Devon got there first ( youve got to get up early to beat these guys ) Then me and Andy Charlton from Exeter area, with those East Devon laggards Roger Hart And Dave Clarke finally turning up just after we did. Dave and Mark had found Timpo and somewhere to eat, the rest of us grazed en route.

The narrowness of the entrance nearly beat us as the almost new transit van I had borrowed from Jamie, was only 6 narrower than the gap. The vehicle had to be exactly square to the gap, off a narrow street and the mirrors folded in. No one would want to try and steal a van if it took 10 minutes to shuffle the thing out.

I got the dogs bed which looked a bit better than a bunk bed. ( The 2nd night I put the mattress on the floor ) and we all had ear plugs to drown out the racket of everyone elses snoring.

So bright and early Saturday were all up, breakfasted and wondering what to wear as its not too cold and it had finally stopped chucking it down. Its never easy is it. Bikes out the vans and top up the fuel tanks ( theres no fuel station in Llangollen ) and I hit my first mechanical snag. Fuel dump. Tap the carb, same, hit the carb, no better. Hey no panic, Ive brought both bikes in case anyone needs a spare. Heh, thatll be me then. CRF 230 fuelled and running, XR4 back in van and off we go.

Riding out of town we saw some big fallen trees, carved to look like a group of Dinosaurs, on top of a hill. Neat. Up a gentle rocky climb that carved across a hill and we were into the trails.

Probably easier to describe the trails in general terms rather than individually.
Lots of rocky climbs, lots of open going, lots of greasy centre slots, lots of gates and LOTS of water. Well it had been raining hard for the previous 24 hours. Brilliant.

The rain started again within a couple of hours but no one seemed too concerned.

I recall my first badger when I felt obliged to acknowledge a couple of beaters who were walking up the trail where we had briefly found ourselves in the middle of a pheasant shoot. ( One shot bird flopped down a few feet from us ) So taking one hand off the bars to wave, whilst attacking a slimy centre slot might not have been too smart.

I was entertained to see a mild trout tickle and a badger from an unnamed other who I dont recall ever seeing at rest like this. Proper greasy in places, it was.

A dinner stop was eventually achieved at a garage at 2.00 pm, a mere 5 hours after setting out. Not that Timpo needed any sustenance, just a bit of fuel.
I had lost my front brake a couple of hours back the trail ( rear drum brake ineffective within 100 miles of fitting new shoes ) and was getting a bit too much adrenaline at times, so a chance to investigate. We soon found that there was no brake fluid in the reservoir. The best I could find in the garage was ATF, a bit thick but fluid. We eventually got the air out and a working, if spongy brake. Thatll do. Lets go.

More great lanes, too many to recall and we found ourselves at a bottom looking at another group of riders with three dead bikes. They had all crossed a ford that was dangerously deep and fast flowing and had been pushed over by the water.
One was pushed under his bike and could easily have been drowned. Water doesnt normally bother me but I argued against trying this particular ford. Fortunately it was unanimous.

So when Timpo said heres a lost lane I found through doing research , its a bit overgrown but quite long , Ill follow you guys up We half expected it to be a bit snotty, cos he seemed to enjoy sending us ahead on the interesting ones, so he could watch the action.

Andy was in front followed by Dave M then me, Mark, Roger, Dave C and Timpo at the back.

Whats the hold-up then ?
Err its a bit wet. How long is this puddle ?
Dunno, just keep going, it must be rideable.

Trouble was the stream had altered its course due to a blockage forming and the lane was flooded to seat depth for about 50 yards, with a soft bottom and plenty of vegetation, as you would expect from a little used lane.

Andy got through, Dave M had his foot grabbed by something and went down, fully immersing his bike. I said let me get past and I will come back and help then footed into nothing and went down, immersing the bike far enough to part fill the airbox and stop the engine. Mark was the next down but only a quick immersion. The others got through.

So three dead bikes and a long way from home. Oh dear. Teamwork got all the bikes to a dry place the stream rerouted. We quickly set about de-watering the
bikes. Marks came back to life first, mine was next but I had to have a battery boost, as I drained my battery and theres no kickstarter.
Daves finally came back on line and we were able to get underway. Reckon we were stopped for about half an hour. Could have been a lot worse.
Timpo was amazed at what had happened to the lane as he had never seen a puddle there. If he had been leading he would probably have turned us round.

It was getting pretty gloomy as the rain clouds were pretty full and low but we had a fair way to go so it was lights on and keep going. I recall riding up a very smooth tarmac road, with a huge U shaped valley on our left with big waterfalls and when we got to the very top of the pass, we turned right, to cross some wild moorland.
A brief stop for a puncture in Marks front tyre that the fix a flat goo, actually fixed !
As it got darker my lights got dimmer, possibly due to water getting into something electrical and when we came to do a very long open moor crossing known as The Wayfarers, I suggested that we travel in close formation with a bike ahead and behind me staying on the right as much as possible, with me staying on the left side
This turned out to be a wonderful experience. We all seemed to benefit from each others lights and I was able to ride as though I had a perfect working light.
This trail was about 5 miles long and you could tell that we were on the best trail of the day. Brilliant, except that when we finally got to the end we were two riders down !

Timpo went off in search of Andy and Dave C while I fretted about my battery getting so low I might not get a spark and within a few minutes, sure enough, my engine died. Turned out I was out of fuel as switching to reserve and bump starting got it going. Wheres all my fuel gone then ??? Everyone else had plenty.

Eventually Mark went back to try and find the three missing riders and after a further wait, they all showed up. Andys bike ( XR250 ) had lost its HT. They eventually got it going but it died again. Andy was able to freewheel to where we were waiting though. A thorough clean up of the plug, ht cap and lead and the nasty gallery the plug hides in, got the bike going and we were ready to roll.

Timpo wanted to carry on using the trails as this was a more direct route back to Llangollen but the consensus was we should road it back, in case of further breakdowns.

It was a very long and cold 12 miles ( it felt like double) and I was very happy to eventually see the lights of a biggish town.
Blimey 7.30, we better get moving if we want to eat.
Then we discovered the ultimate luxury for returning trailriders. One side of the courtyard where we were parked had a fancy new timber framed open sided barn with tables underneath and PATIO HEATERS !!! Can you imagine a nicer way to get changed and sort the bikes and gear out ?
Quick shower and change and lets go find some food.
Llangollen is a really nice town with plenty of places to eat and drink. The river Dee was very angry and some really big trees were pinned against the ancient bridge in the middle of town.

The eating place was very busy and we were all impressed by the staff employed there. Do they always have such long legs in Eastern Europe ? Great food and atmosphere. I was quite happy to stay there and chat but we eventually wandered back to the digs for a pint by the fire and more chat.

Sunday morning and were up at seven so we could sort the various bike problems.
Andy got the carb opened up on the XR4 and found some slices of oring that had got stuck above the float needle so that was me sorted. Thanks mate. Then he had to do his front puncture but no time to work out a way of keeping his plug n HT lead clean. Breakfast done and on with dry riding kit, because the central heating rads in the bunkhouse were very effective and we were ready to roll by 9.30.

By popular demand we went back to that amazing trail we rode in the dark and picked off the trails we missed out coming back via the tarmac. Wow, Timpo really had saved the best for last. I could have stayed on that one trail all day and just soaked in the view. Quick photo at the top and on to try and cover a northern loop. Quick fuel stop at around 11.00 am but no munchies and the flavour of the day developed. For some reason Timpo thought out trails tyres were not necessarily the best tyres and I got the impression that he was testing them / us, because the trails got snottier and more challenging as the day went on. One particular climb, he waited at the rear and advised the riders nearest him that they could have a breather cos this lane usually took an hour to get everybody up and recovered. Heh heh, apart from Hamster getting a bit of cramp, we all romped up it. So Timpo was getting a bit desperate in his efforts to find something that would stop us. In fairness the rain made everything so gloopy that our tyres stayed clean, a bit drier and things might have been very different.

I managed to get caught out by some vegetation that ripped my gear lever apart. It was totally unusable but fortunately Dave M had a spare yam gear lever zip tied to his bike and it fitted the XR4 well enough to allow us to continue. A big thank you to Dave then !

We bumped into a small group from Derby and they told Timpo about a climb that had beaten them.
Surprise surprise, suddenly we were at the bottom of a climb that the Forestry had recently reinstated. Timpo explained how we could ride around this but naturally we wanted to have a go. Timpo romped up with his gert chunky rear tyre and apart from Dave C, who Ive never seen beaten, the rest of us failed miserably.
About as steep as Oxencoombe on Exmoor but looser, wet material with clay mixed in.
So, satisfied that he had found our limits, at 4.00 pm Timpo finally took us to a garage for lunch. I had nudged him a couple of times regarding a pit stop but as long as we had enough fuel he saw no reason to stop. I said what about rider fuel ? and he said Ive trained myself to not need food Doh !

By the time we left the garage it was getting dark and we had a bit of Tarmac to do. This was briefly interrupted by Rogerss chain slider picking up under the chain. It was quickly rectified but I noted a frown on Timpo for the first time.
He had a couple of lost lanes to show us that he had researched and I guess he wanted them to get used. Who were we to argue ? Nice lanes too. Then it was up onto the moors for what turned out to be the final lane of the day. Another beautiful high moor pass in the gathering gloom but we got to see it as the light faded. I steeled myself for another hours riding to get back to Llangollen and was delighted to see the town ahead after only a few minutes. We were finished by 5.30. So an easy day really.

Timpo negotiated a tray of hot coffee from the Wynnstay Landlord, while we faffed around under the patio heaters. Decadent luxury that we had never dreamed of. Pack up, multiple promises to return, thanks all round, wriggle the vans out through the narrow gap and hit the road for the five hour journey home.
A pretty special weekend and huge thank you to Timpo, I reckon.

Noel

wackyracer · Powermonger!!

Great write ups' by both Authors...

Very worthy to have those stories of great times expanded through out the uk, any thoughts to include them in the 'Trail' mag...

I've just returned from a family holiday in N.Wales (no bike ) great place to be for sure for many different adventures, love Wales smile

youaintseenme · Clubman B

More fun in Wales -

2012 March Moon Rally.

Doesnt seem that long ago that a fella called Timpo contacted the Devon TRF group asking for a full weeks riding.
Hah, no one can do that can they
Well Timpo stuck it for a full week in Devon, with us working in relays trying to ensure he got enough riding.
And once youve ridden with him, you realise hes a bit special.
Not just in his riding ability but in what catches his interest as we ride and the unspoken depths that occasionally emerge ..

So when we got an opportunity to be shown round Timpos patch, we were totally blown away. Why the f*** does he want to ride those tame green lanes in Devon ??
And if ever any of us get an invitation for a Timpo organised event, WE GO !
Timpo seems to organise a lot of his gatherings through the ADV list.
ADV is a worldwide forum for adventure riders and while every UK ADV rider Ive met, is a TRF member, its influence goes around the world
Narrowed down to the European area - www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php

I wrecked a couple of ligaments in my left knee on the climb up the Grolch at last Mays ADV- HAF event. (HAF= hard as fu** ) Allegedly one of the hardest ..
Obviously not my fault but a totally unsuitable rear tyre, only snag being everyone else oop north seems to love the chunky CO2, while us Devon boys love our Pirelli MT43 trials tyre.
So a slow mend but good enough to escort Timpo and a group of ADV riders round Devon in September 2011 and finally a rematch oop north, this time with the mighty CO2 part worn and only 10 psi, oh and a bit o practise on some greasy Devon lanes in preparation for the March Moon Rally.

Invitation only and as a result of previous years, lots wanting to attend. The numbers fluctuated and hints trickled down that with 70 or more riders attending, it wouldnt offend if less came up from Devon.
So come the fateful weekend, it was Jolly Roger, ( Hampster ) Clarky, Andy Charlton and me representing the pasty eaters.

Hampster and Clarky got to the amazing Green Inn venue, about 10 miles into the hills beyond Oswestry, early enough on the Friday to have a little potter round but the real men did a full days work then packed and travelled with no stops, apart from stopping briefly outside no 3 Acacia avenue, Oswestry and wondering where the party was .
Obviously the sat navs fault (-;
but we forgave her when she eventually delivered us to the venue at 10.15 pm.

And immediately it was apparent that we were in for a great time as the craic in the pub was already in full flow and so many old friends to say hello to, plus the chance to get to know a few more.

But who was the totally pissed Scouser who was sat by the neat little bbq fire under that awesome tree around midnight, he was outrageously good at takin the piss and things only seemed to get a bit out of hand, when he poured his remaining drink INTO his pants a very practical short circuit, eh

Hotel Del Scudo turned out to be a bit chilly on Friday night and me n Andy C had little sleep as a result. Hah, we didnt need sleep did we.

Up at 7.30 and smugly brewing a warm cuppa, when I noticed everyone coming out of the Pub with a steaming mug, so we ended up having 4 cups of hot liquid to start the day.
Nearly lobbed the breakfast when I attempted to use THE toilet !
better practise breath holding as part of adventure weekend training (-;

It was cold and a bit foggy so we put everything on and wondered how everyone seemed to know who they were riding with, as there were so many people and bikes milling around, plus several non riders who just wanted to be there
Groups of riders from Belgium and Ireland and a splendid contingent of Dirty Girls too.

The four Devon boys, Local rider Gareth and Timpos apprentice, Joel, were escorted off the premises by run leader Timpo. Wow ! how did we get to be in his group ?

This part of Wales is trail riding heaven to us and while there are some trails that feel a bit like home, most are quite different and more, errr, Welsh.
Bigger, steeper valleys and bigger views generally.
As ever, the trails just flowed by and everyone in the group seemed able to keep up, no matter how snotty the going and as the fog lifted we all found ourselves shedding layers, or in Joels case finally warming up.

The totally unexpected bonus of Saturday was to find ourselves caught up in a Classic car rally deep in a Welsh Forest and be able to watch, hear and feel some serious old metal giving it beanz through a snaking section of forest track. Whoever said now I know how ramblers feel had me grinning as we got fully roosted by a drifting mk 2 Cortina.
Turned out this unexpected bonus stopped us from testing the CO2 in some serious mud. Damn !
Fantastic lunch stop at a shop / garage near Lake Vwerny and a real challenge to get going, as it was sooo cool just sitting there, eating an ice cream and watching the world pass by. Saturday riding ended with us being held up behind a small convoy of 4WDs, then a real snotty muddy slot. Great.

Brew up, change and more talking bollox had us eventually in the bar with everyone talking loudly and at the same time, while poor Basil Faulty tried desperately to work his cunning 5 stage catering plan -
Book in to eat
Choose from menu
Book a time to eat
Pay before you eat but not at the bar till
Muster and eat.

Just too funny watching him, close to meltdown, as he tried to herd a bunch of renegades who generally do not respond well to being told what to do.
Dont talk to the waitresses, its distracting them whose gonna tell poor Basil ..

Quite how we ended up in the 8.30 eating slot with most of the naughty corner crew baffles me, as I was hoping for some quiet refined reflection over a glass of mulled wine. What we got was continuous max volume banter, especially when the food finally rocked up. Just too much fun and poor old Basil looking a bit grey and totally washed up. He did it though. Fair play !

And where was Joel, that fit teenage apprentice, who regularly competes in enduro ?
He fell asleep immediately after doing his 6.00 eating slot and didnt wake for another 14 hours . Heh

As a result of our previous nights lack of sleep we took a different approach.
I guess composting might describe it, as we piled everything that wasnt wet or muddy on top of the general sleeping area and fitted ear plugs to reduce the volume of snoring ( not me obviously ) and the cooling fan for the beer cellar, that we were parked beside.

Day 2 arrived ahead of us and promptly confused us to bits by stealing an hour.
So less chillin time and as a bonus, the old body clock not up to speed for toilet duties ( phew !)

Hampster, due to his recent shoulder op, had managed to get himself upgraded to Dirty Girl and was replaced by Mike from Reading.
Joel was dressed in a transluscent plastic hoodie and immediately got nicknamed condo as he touted a safe sex message.
Timpo talked in terms of an easier day, as his previous days OBE had caused him some discomfort in his shoulder and possibly a 4.00 finish.

It quickly became apparent that there was no lessening of pace and that we should keep moving and with the early morning mist quickly lifting we soon warmed up and enjoyed some fantastic lanes and views as we worked our way towards Llangollen.

The steep wet rocky climb up Allt Y Badi was interesting as it was a real test for me and the Mitas CO2 rear tyre. None of the careful line picking that the MT43 allows, just commitment and carrying speed, as grip is considerably reduced when the tyre is wet. Just follow Timpo then .. easy enough ..

More fantastic lanes and a dead end climb that, once again, I only completed because I hung onto Timpos shirt tails, otherwise I would never have jumped across the substantial drainage ditch and would have lost momentum.
Followed by lunch in a lovely village with nice public toilets, ( mmmmm ) a shop that reminded me of Royston Vayseys shop in The League of Gentlemen and a pub opposite, where Andy C ordered tea and coffee for everyone.

A large group of ramblers turned up and sat on the village green, all with their obligatory lunch boxes and we chatted to some of em, who seemed quite friendly but conversation stopped when the waitress brought out our hot drinks from the pub and quickly turned to who should return the cups when we were finished (-;
Only to have her turn up to collect the empties and offer to return with a top up !
Heh, of course we all needed a 4th brew and another discussion about whether we should wait for her to collect the empties again or someone return the tray.

The riding after lunch took us to some of the very best trails I have ever ridden.
Yeah the weather was perfect, so visibility was as good as it gets but theres something I cannot fully describe that just blows me away on these special trails.
Its an incredibly powerful emotional experience to be climbing up a mountain pass with nothing manmade in sight, just bike, trail and breathtaking desolation in every direction. Its a real Zen thing and only happens in places like the Wayfarers

Ello, my name is noel and i am a mountain pass addict . and im not ready to give it up (-;

Sorry where was I ? Oh yeah the two strokes both played up in deepish water at different times and had to be dewatered but were fairly easy to sort out ..

Oh dear, did someone mention water ?

Ok. I asked Timpo if we could finish on a wet one and possibly clean up bikes n boots a bit . He said he would do what he could and took us to a lovely little ford about 2 miles from basecamp.
I rolled into the 6 deep water, got off the bike, put it onto the sidestand, leaned it over and spun the rear wheel to demonstrate the Irish Bike Wash and invited Clarky to roll his bike into the wall of water being created.

The front of the bike was quickly cleaned and he moved along to wash the left side but ended up beside the water wall, rather than in it. It seemed like a simple enough task to rotate my bike on the prop stand .. with the rear wheel still off the ground and turning no sooner had the thoughts loose, round, slippery rock flashed up, they were followed by so this is what it feels like when you pour beer down your pants then, oh goody, no need to worry about stopping the bike engine, its stopped itself

Un f**king believable! Ive drowned my bike whilst parked and on its sidestand and Im lying on my back in 6 of water !
It was a while before anyone could help me, because they were too busy wetting themselves and I couldnt do anything but laugh at the incongruity of my new situation.

Once again ace wingman Andy C took charge of the dewatering whilst I broke out the (amazingly still dry) oatmeal cookies I had saved for an afternoon stop.
He showed us how to rock the valves open with the bike in gear and stood on its tail, until a slug of water dropped out of the airbox, indicating the engine had released water through the inlet valves. Kickstart cranking ok, lets try the leccy start. Yup instant start and no spluttering. Bloody lucky I reckon.
Probably only took 10 minutes and way quicker than seat off, tank off, plug out.

A short run back to base and I could hardly ride for laughing and by the time I had parked my bike, the bikewash story had travelled round camp !

Probably not the best time to discuss the failure of my ****ing muscle then.
Failure of what muscle ??? dunno what else to call it really .
You know, its the one you use to **** your leg, so you can get on or off your bike .. gotta be the ****ing muscle then (-;

Now because Im not the best at run leading or spannering ( always got plenty of helpful advice though) it seems only right that I compensate in other ways and so i consider it a privilege to be gatemonkey. It also gives me an excuse to ride close to our beloved leader ( whoever it might be ) and see what line they choose and how much momentum they consider necessary .. oh yeah and the max number of helpers if it all goes a bit pete tong, cos another thing Im not very good at is pushing and pulling bikes ( ie my bike ) up steep gradients ..

So gatemonkey for me. But after the first few hundred or so gates, I found it increasingly difficult to lift my right leg and stupidly, do not know how to get on or off a bike using the other leg.
Even after moaning about it and being told to hang back and let others do gates, I still had to do it. Head n heart shouts yeah, gate, its mine ! ****ing muscle whispers, eeeer, I say old chap, give it a rest would you ?

And as I sit here a week later with typing fingers fully recovered, Im still not ****ing.

Perhaps I should jettison the mx pants and lightweight goretex leggings and try some lycra or maybe something really baggy with helium pouches, clearly some serious research is needed.

My only other complaint was that there just wasnt enough time to chat and get to meet some of the new faces or even really catch up with old buddies but this has to be balanced against riding time and theres never enough of that.
I guess this is why so many arrived earlier on Friday. They have learnt this.

Looking through the fantastic photos on the ADV site has me re-living it all, so a big thank you for (nearly) all of em, as does reading the comments and writing about it.

Huge thank you to Timpo for pulling the whole thing together, Hamster and Clarky for generally goading me, ace wingman Andy C, cos knowing he is nearby is very reassuring and to Gareth for ensuring all body parts were picked up and re-attached as he did tailgunner duties all weekend. Gawd knows how long it took to clean his airfilter(s) bet hes still blowing black into his hanky.
And everyone else for making it such a fun event.

Oh yeah and we raised over £800 for the N. Wales air ambulance.
What a great way to do something for a good cause.

Noel.