THE OG WELSH RUGBY CLUB

Not a lot of people know that Rugby Union Football was first brought to Wales in Llandovery. I certainly didn't. llandovery RFC. Now you do.....

 https://llandoveryrfc.co.uk/

WE'RE GONNA FIGHT, FOR OUR RIGHT, TO CRASH!

I must admit to laughing out loud over my eggs on toast @ the West End Cafe in Llandovery this morning.

The Hog was in for it's first annual service, and as Yamaha are still running their £10k prize draw promotion for test drives, I took a MT09SP out for a spin. As I got to the start of the lovely winding Black Mountain run, I noticed that the powers that be had decided to make the 5 miles of the run a 40mph Average Speed Camera Zone for my safety. Bless them. I was not a happy bunny. 

However, I couldn't see any cameras, or a way of monitoring my run. When I got to the Cafe, I googled this, and found out that:-

Naughty Vandals! I thought they were defeated and erased by the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire during the Vandalic War of 533–534 CE. Emperor Justinian I sent his general, Belisarius, who decisively beat the Vandal forces in North Africa. Looks likre the scamps have made a re-appearance in Brynamman. 

However, I also noticed the clubhouse of the South West Chapter of the Hell's Angels is just down the road, in Gwaen-Cae-Gerwen. I wonder if this is a coincidence?

TOP TEN AGAIN

 Wales are now back in the irb top 10. And we beat #9 Fiji recently, so morally 9th :-)) 

CASTLEHUNTING 20 - CASTELL CAS-GWENT

 

Cadw site:- Castell Cas-Gwent

Wiki site:- Castell Cas-Gwent

From Cadw:-

The stones of this magnificent clifftop fortress trace 900 years of history

Beautifully preserved Chepstow Castle stretches out along a limestone cliff above the River Wye like a history lesson in stone.

There’s no better place in Britain to see how castles gradually evolved to cope with ever more destructive weaponry – and the grandiose ambitions of their owners. For more than six centuries Chepstow was home to some of the wealthiest and most powerful men of the medieval and Tudor ages.

Building was started in 1067 by Earl William fitz Osbern, close friend of William the Conqueror, making it one of the first Norman strongholds in Wales. In turn William Marshal (Earl of Pembroke), Roger Bigod (Earl of Norfolk) and Charles Somerset (Earl of Worcester) all made their mark before the castle declined after the Civil War.

Stunning Castle, stunning location again. The size of the site is impressive, perched on a river cliff commanding the entrance to the River Wye. The Norman Keep in the centre of the castle is remeniscent of the Tower of London & Rochester castle.

CWRW'R WYTHNOS PUM DEG CHWECH

 

AU RECHERCHE DU TEMPS PERDU

Off to St. Pierre Country Club Chepstow for a sneaky 3 day break with Les Enfants.

Wacky to think I was last here 50 years ago with Don, Sonia & Martin. It brought back some memories indeed. 

We had a lovely time, chillin, pooling, Sauna, hot tub & steam roomin. Brekkies were awesome after we worked out what time to get in before the gannets. Bar food & drinks were seriously overpriced, and service was awful. The whole place needed a damn good clean, and some specific freshen ups. 

Saying that, a good time was had by all, which made up for our abortive trip to Mallorca. 

Don't think we'll be back in another 50 years......

CASTLEHUNTING 19 DINEFWR

Cadw:- Castell Dinefwr 

Wiki:- Dinefwr Castle

From the Cadw site:-

Much fought-over seat of the kingdom of Deheubarth

Perched in a commanding hilltop position above the Tywi Valley, Castell Dinefwr occupies a similarly significant position in Welsh history. In the 12th century, the fortress was in the possession of The Lord Rhys, ruler of the ancient south Wales kingdom of Deheubarth. His reign saw a rare period of peace and stability that led to a flowering of Welsh culture, music and poetry.

Sadly, it was not to last. After Rhys’s death, conflicts over succession led to turbulent years as the Welsh princes fought amongst themselves and against the English. Dinefwr eventually fell into English control in 1287 and remained there for centuries, despite Owain Glyndŵr’s attempt to wrest it back during his uprising of 1403.

Nice publicity arial shot

nice bike

What's left of the gatehouse

From inside

Unusual round keep

Stunning location

Quite a nice Castle, with superb views. Lots of original features intact, from which you can get an idea of its former glory. 

One criticism is that there is no signage to lead you from the car park to the site. This could be down to the fact that the car park is owned (?) by The National Trust, Newton House, and you have to pay the NT to park there (unless you have a Hog).

From AI;-

A Cadw membership does not give you a discount or free entry to National Trust properties.

Cadw membership reciprocal agreements only apply to specific heritage organizations.

Reciprocal Benefits with Cadw:-

English Heritage & Historic Scotland: 50% off admission in your first year, and free entry upon renewal.Manx National Heritage: Free unlimited entry.

If you plan to visit National Trust sites regularly alongside your Cadw membership, you will need to hold separate memberships for both organizations, as they are run independently.

Seems they are missing a trick.

THERE & BACK AGAIN

 Fun on 2 wheels again today. Rode to bont & back on my own this time, on the leccy bike. The "eco" mode came in quite handy on the uphill drags, into the wind, and then climbing back up the Mayals, into "sport" mode. My legs were significantly more bored this time as there was no slower riders to moderate my gung-ho attitude on the way out. I still got home after 27 miles on 3/5 bars on the battery meter. The Giant is proving it's worth. 

Can't get the hang of Strava yet. Today it seems to have recorded 3 rides for the price of one. Perhaps letting the screen auto close was a mistake, but the Pixel's battery is no match to the Huawei. After 2.5 hours I was down to 23%, and that was by trying to conserve power by letting the screen time out. 

Strava worked on the way out, but then got all confused:-

NO GUGA FOR YOUGA!

I read a good suspense thriller recently, called  The Blackhouse  By Peter May.

It was set in the small community on the isle of Harris, and centered around events during the Annual Guga (young gannet) Hunt. If you like this kind of novel, I heartily recommend it. 

Today, I noticed this Story on BBC, about this year's hunt being forbidden. A tradition that goes back to Viking times. The cause of the edict was stated as sustainability of the Gannet flock, but I am left to wonder if this is indeed the case.

IF IT'S NOT ON STRAVA......

 

I did it & lived to tell the tale!

West Cross to Bont & back - circa 27 miles in all.

The next one will be 32 + 7 miles.......

Watch this space.

How many codgers does it take to fix a puncture?

CWRW'R WYTHNOS PUM DEG PEDWAR

 

BIKESAFE WALES

 

I did it! With a little nudge from friends, I got on a BikeSafe course, run by South Wales Police, & ticked this off my "to do" list.

Firstly, on signing up you get a link to 9 online modules to do as pre work. These are based on the police system of risk reduction, IPSGA (not snappy, I concede) as used by their riders, and outlined in their manual, "Motorcycle roadcraft".

It's all about Identifying & eliminating risks

The day was fab, lovely, sunny, dry & the scenery was stunning. a few bods were no-shows, so I ended up having one instructor to myself for 4 hours on a spectacular drive through the South Wales Valleys

My take-aways?

• The importance of road positioning in different circumstances
• Using high revs & a low gear to balance the bike in turns
• Not stopping in "Pole position" after filtering
• Not having to overtake - wait for the right time, if at all
• Sign up for the next course in a few months, or maybe next spring - The Dragon Rider Scheme from NPT is good & cheap, apparently
• Try giving a running commentary whils riding to identify hazards & plan to avoid them
• "Drive like Eeyore - everyone is trying to kill me

The route

First order of the day - brekkie 

20 Sturmi Way, Pyle, Bridgend CF33 6BZ

Coffee stop

and back for debrief

The thing the above misses is the joy. The sheer joy of doing something great fun with others who feel the same way. With great views, the zen of motorcycling.

:-)