Driving Roads - South Wales

Driving Roads - South Wales

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Jonny08

Original Poster:

246 posts

102 months

Wednesday 18th January 2017
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I'm borrowing a demo over the weekend and plan on going for a drive Sunday morning. I want to make a good couple hours of it, any suggestions on roads to complete my route?

So far I have A4059 (From Penderyn to the Beacons Reservoir), then it's an open book on suggestions on where I should head from there smile

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Upper+Boat,+Pont...

Cheers.

framerateuk

2,731 posts

184 months

Wednesday 18th January 2017
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My fav is the B4069 from Llangadog to Brynamman - known as the Black Mountain Pass.

I prefer the run from North to South since you're going upill on the really steep part.

You've also got Rhigos Road from Treorchy to Hirwain, which is very near your route, and absolutely brilliant now it's been resurfaced.

The B4560 from Garnlydan to Llangynidr is also a great drive.

chasingracecars

1,696 posts

97 months

Wednesday 18th January 2017
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This is our usually little joint after breakfast at the Steel Horse Cafe. like above run this from the Abergavenny End, Up hill on the north side of tumble is much more fun. (Can't get it wrong and die basically).

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/51.8162386,-3.05...

Jonny08

Original Poster:

246 posts

102 months

Wednesday 18th January 2017
quotequote all
framerateuk said:
My fav is the B4069 from Llangadog to Brynamman - known as the Black Mountain Pass.

I prefer the run from North to South since you're going upill on the really steep part.

You've also got Rhigos Road from Treorchy to Hirwain, which is very near your route, and absolutely brilliant now it's been resurfaced.

The B4560 from Garnlydan to Llangynidr is also a great drive.
Thanks for these suggestions! I've updated my route to include them :-) The only suggestion I haven't included is Garnlydan to Llangynidr as it's a bit out of the way from the rest of the route smile

Any good roads on the way home from Brynamman? (Home is Llantrisant area)

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Upper+Boat,+Pont...

framerateuk

2,731 posts

184 months

Wednesday 18th January 2017
quotequote all
Looks like you're not far from me.

Personally I'd avoid going up the Rhondda valley since it's all towns and 30mph, I tend to do this route:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Upper+Boat,+Pont...

I have to admit, I tend to hop back onto the M4 then. (I usually do that run early on a Sunday, so by the time I get to Brynamman the traffic is starting to build up). You can get off the M4 at the McArthurGlen junction and head from Bryncethin to Talbot Green via the back roads though. Pant Hirwain is a brilliant road but it is quite short.

Jonny08

Original Poster:

246 posts

102 months

Wednesday 18th January 2017
quotequote all
chasingracecars said:
This is our usually little joint after breakfast at the Steel Horse Cafe. like above run this from the Abergavenny End, Up hill on the north side of tumble is much more fun. (Can't get it wrong and die basically).

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/51.8162386,-3.05...
Thanks for this - I'll have to try this one again smile

framerateuk said:
Looks like you're not far from me.

Personally I'd avoid going up the Rhondda valley since it's all towns and 30mph, I tend to do this route:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Upper+Boat,+Pont...

I have to admit, I tend to hop back onto the M4 then. (I usually do that run early on a Sunday, so by the time I get to Brynamman the traffic is starting to build up). You can get off the M4 at the McArthurGlen junction and head from Bryncethin to Talbot Green via the back roads though. Pant Hirwain is a brilliant road but it is quite short.
That is awesome, thank you. Avoiding the Rhondda Valley makes much more sense! Hopefully the weather will be OK, and temperature above freezing smile

framerateuk

2,731 posts

184 months

Thursday 19th January 2017
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Jonny08 said:
That is awesome, thank you. Avoiding the Rhondda Valley makes much more sense! Hopefully the weather will be OK, and temperature above freezing smile
Good luck smile

I hope the weather holds out for you, the Rhigos road is brilliant in the dry now that it's been resurfaced, just watch out for the speed camera in Treorchy wink

Jonny08

Original Poster:

246 posts

102 months

Sunday 22nd January 2017
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Did the route today, fantastic roads. The Bwlch and the Rhegos were a bit sketchy with the fog and potential ice, so I took it easy. The road from Penderyn to the Beacons reservoir was clear and dryish, so that was fun. And the Black Mountain Pass was the best of the lot, I've done the other roads before, but not the Black Mountain Pass - what a road! smile

I was trying out the new 718 Cayman S, the car tic's all the boxes, speed, handling, styling etc. is just as good as my 981 Cayman S if not better - but the noise! The sound is completely different to the 981, but it just doesn't give that thrill and theatrics that the 981 does. Maybe the 718 would be different with a sports exhaust, but I'm not convinced it's something I could get used to. Totally under-whelmed with the 718 as a whole package to be honest, driving the 718 back-to-back with my 981 certainly made me appreciate my 981 and the naturally aspirated goodness smile





framerateuk

2,731 posts

184 months

Sunday 22nd January 2017
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Glad you had a good run, I ended up driving most of it myself on Saturday (I went as far as Hirwain and then headed back along the A470), it was a beautiful day but very cold! Thankfully my 7 has a heater but at 70mph it doesn't help much and the dual carriageway home felt like a long drive!

The Black Mountain pass is brilliant though, that climb up, while short is great fun. I think I probably favour the Penderyn and Rhigos roads though due to how well they flow, but you can't really go wrong with that route either way!

Shame about the car though. Does the 718 feel bigger to drive than the the 981? How does the steering compare?

Jonny08

Original Poster:

246 posts

102 months

Monday 23rd January 2017
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You're braver than I am, I would just park the 7 up for the winter to avoid the cold!!

Yeah, it's a shame I was pushed for time and had to get home, otherwise I would have drove the same roads back.

The 718 felt like exactly the same car (size wise) to drive as the 981, not bigger at all. The steering is better in the 718, a lot more direct and just feels so much better. The torque that the 718 has is also unbelievable, but that just doesn't connect with the noise the car is making. The 718 is better in every way, apart from the missing 2 cylinders!

framerateuk

2,731 posts

184 months

Tuesday 24th January 2017
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It's a real shame they had to drop cylinders to keep up with the fuel ratings. Turbo's do make a car easier to drive day to day though.

I still fancy a 997 C2S. I'm just doing too much mileage at the moment!

Squadrone Rosso

2,751 posts

147 months

Friday 27th January 2017
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Black Mountain Pass, Upper Brynamman to Llangadog is good. Fast (before the 40mph limit) and quite open. Some technical bits too.

Hirwaun to Treorchy over the Rhigos is excellent (opposite side of the Penderyn roundabout) then onwards to the Bwlch.

At this time of year, slippery up there. The margin for error on a perfect day on both roads is small. It's positively tiny in the cold...lol.

njw1

2,066 posts

111 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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I love a blast over the black mountain pass, it's even good in the works Transit! And LLangynidr road from Garnlydan is less than five minutes from my house, I know it quite well. wink