Advice about holiday in Wales

I am thinking about doing a 2 week trip to Wales next year and would appreciate some local knowledge. I have been to England before and know you guys ride on the left.
(1) What is the best time of year to go?
(2) Suggestions for a place to stay? I would like to stay at one centrally located b&b or small hotel (luxe accommodation NOT required - hot water, bath en suite, general cleanliness appreciated) and hike and motor about.
(3) Where is a good place to rent a motorcycle? I am short and need something with less than 30.5" seat height.
(4) Suggestions on pretty scenery and good roads? Not interested in tourist attractions.

thanks!

Lots of fabulous roads and countryside.

Lots of accommodation, you don’t have to spend a fortune either, best to look on line at ‘hotels.com’ or similar.

Wales is full of 20mph speed limits. And very keen officers of the law. They seem intent on putting those motorcycling types off. Guess you could be a good test to see how well the Welsh police communicate with US police to chase offenders!

I’d guess anytime between May and end August would be best for weather. If you want a quieter time choose outside of school holiday periods and bank holidays.

Take good waterproofs.

My other half dropped her son off at uni last week and decided to take a drive into Wales for the afternoon as she was staying overnight and had some time to kill
She'd forgotten about the 20mph limit
And although she never got caught she described the experience as painful and never again
It's a big shame really
I got a ticket from an unmarked police car after visiting the black mountains many years ago but that's a different story

Specifics anyone? B&B's you have stayed at and liked? When are bank holidays and school holidays? Can anyone recommend a motorcycle rental outfit?

May 5th is a bank holiday.

School holidays do differ from school to school. But my kids holidays (in the period we’re talking about) are:

May 25th to June 1st.

Then the summer holidays are 12th July to 5th Sept.

So your best dates to be there are basically June 2nd to July 10th.

In fact, if you’re there in May you should go to Anglesey, there’s a weekend bike festival at the race circuit there, me and a couple of other fools will be galloping around on old Nortons !

Not quite in Wales, but rideable distance:

These are further away, but look very professional, and are closer to Heathrow airport which might suit you ?

I’ve stayed in many small hotels in Wales, but don’t have any details of them! I’ve always used hotels.com and not had any that have been (too) bad.

Fast Eddie said:

May 5th is a bank holiday.

School holidays do differ from school to school. But my kids holidays (in the period we’re talking about) are:

May 25th to June 1st.

Then the summer holidays are 12th July to 5th Sept.

So your best dates to be there are basically June 2nd to July 10th.

In fact, if you’re there in May you should go to Anglesey, there’s a weekend bike festival at the race circuit there, me and a couple of other fools will be galloping around on old Nortons !

Not quite in Wales, but rideable distance:

Contact Spyder Motorcycles Silverstone for Motorcycle Hire and Rental

Contact Spyder Motorcycles Silverstone | motorcycle hire and motorbike rental, short term motorcycle leasing, fly-ride tours and Spyder Club

www.spydermotorcycles.co.uk

These are further away, but look very professional, and are close to Heathrow airport which might suit you ?

Motorcycle Hire, Rental in UK & Europe | Superbike Rental

www.superbikerental.co.uk

I’ve stayed in many small hotels in Wales, but don’t have any details of them! I’ve always used hotels.com and not had any that have been (too) bad.

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What are dates for Anglesy bike festival?

nortonmargie said:

What are dates for Anglesy bike festival?

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Dates aren’t out yet but probably 24th-25th May.

stay in mid Wales, Rhayader or Builth Wells. The Owls in Builth Wells will be worth a call ( I will admit to being biased as the proprietor is an old work colleague). They have provided for touring motorcyclist and have parking.

The Elan Valley from Rhayader is a brilliant ride, mostly single track roads across moorland. And several dams to supply water to Birmingham. The road from Tregaron to Beulah is spectacular, again single track road across the moors, and then back and around Llyn Brianne.

Hay on Wye is lovely, and the location for a literary festival at the end of May - Bill Clinton's 'Woodstock of the Mind". But every place in town will be fully booked for festival week, probably even by now. But well worth a visit.

From Hay, there are the Black Mountains and the road down to Llanthony Priory is beautiful, but can be tricky - a single track road, but Llanthony is worth the effort. The whole of the Brecon Beacons is spectacular.



Worth heading west to Pembrokeshire, Tenby is popular, and the Museum of Speed at Pendine is worth a visit. And the Gower peninsula west of Swansea.

Snowdonia in the north of Wales is pretty, there is a railway up Snowdon but it needs to booked in advance. Less familiar with riding around there.

The 20mph speed limit can be a pita, but it is under review so it is possible some of it will be gone before long - it has been hugely controversial (and unpopular) in Wales. The Police do watch motorcycles as the weekend roads can be busy with visiting riders.


edit; cannot discuss Wales without mentioning castles. There are hundreds of them, some ruins and some restored. All interesting. Raglan Castle south of Abergavenny is well worth a visit, but there are many more.

Bring your walking boots - you will need them.

p.s. rain; totally unpredictable, other than expect a soaking at some point.

nortonmargie said:

I am thinking about doing a 2 week trip to Wales next year and would appreciate some local knowledge. I have been to England before and know you guys ride on the left.
(1) What is the best time of year to go?
(2) Suggestions for a place to stay? I would like to stay at one centrally located b&b or small hotel (luxe accommodation NOT required - hot water, bath en suite, general cleanliness appreciated) and hike and motor about.
(3) Where is a good place to rent a motorcycle? I am short and need something with less than 30.5" seat height.
(4) Suggestions on pretty scenery and good roads? Not interested in tourist attractions.

thanks!

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Margie, if I were you I would contact Fast Eddie. Perhaps he might let you sleep in his shed, you would be surrounded by beautiful bikes, protected by 2 Ridgebacks, and maybe he'll rent you his Fat Boy to tour the countryside? That's what I'm thinking.. It never hurts to ask!!!!

NORTSTER1974 said:

Margie, if I were you I would contact Fast Eddie. Perhaps he might let you sleep in his shed, you would be surrounded by beautiful bikes, protected by 2 Ridgebacks, and maybe he'll rent you his Fat Boy to tour the countryside? That's what I'm thinking.. It never hurts to ask!!!!

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Girls don't like to sleep in sheds. We like quaint B&B's, with a kindly landlady, full of local gossip. DaveForty has some great ideas.

NORTSTER1974 said:

Margie, if I were you I would contact Fast Eddie. Perhaps he might let you sleep in his shed, you would be surrounded by beautiful bikes, protected by 2 Ridgebacks, and maybe he'll rent you his Fat Boy to tour the countryside? That's what I'm thinking.. It never hurts to ask!!!!

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Three Ridgebacks actually. They’re very cuddly though.

But Margie would have to be SO clean and tidy to be allowed to sleep in my shed !!

Wales would be good for hiking not riding the bike. That 20mph limit is beyond description. I made the error of going down the Severn on the wrong side last spring. You have to be insanely attentive to the signs and if your satnav has a warning beeper turn it to max volume so you cannot zone out and miss it. If you think the 30mph cams are bad ...
Maybe do the trip on a moped.

The 20 stuff isn't _so_ bad, it's just inconsistent. Some small roads are 20, which seems fair enough. Its the larger roads varying from 40 to 30 to 20 and back over short-ish distances that is a pita.

Re. accommodation, Llanthony Priory have rooms, it would be a lovely place to stay, very atmospheric with a long (900year) history.


No need to worry about which side of the road to ride along there, the roads arent wide enough to have sides

Although her ride report is nine years old, wales is included in it. Names and pictures included.

I have located a bike rental agency and need to research the available bikes.

nortonmargie said:

I have located a bike rental agency and need to research the available bikes.

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Have you fixed your travel date yet ?

At the risk of telling you what you already know, a 'crotch rocket' wouldn't be ideal on the roads you will be riding, and a 'ewan & charlie' BMW / KTM type 'adventure bike' could be a handful. And expensive. A T100 Bonneville or Tiger 800, or similar Royal Oilfield would be a decent choice. If you hire a bike from a London based hire company, the journey to Wales is worth a couple of days; the Cotswolds towns - Burford, Stow in the Wold, Moreton in Marsh, Bourton on the Water are worth a visit. Plus the citys of Worcester and Hereford and their cathedrals. And of course, Oxford. The hire place in Silverstone could be good, but Silverstone is in the middle of nowhere, so getting there might not be easy. Milton Keynes is probably the nearest railway station.

(Silverstone is the only track I have ever ridden on, a few laps on my Commando for the Motor 100s show in 1980something, supposed to be a parade behind a pace bike but everyone spread out and had a go...)