My Dream Drive: Welsh valleys

Get beyond the post-industrial blight and South Wales offers up some fabulous driving roads

Name: Danny Milner
Where: South Wales valleys
Car used: Porsche 911 GT3 (997)

Brightly coloured car helps liven the gloom

The route:
"Easily accessible from the M4 corridor, this is a compact route to be enjoyed on its own merits or treated as a stepping-stone to the Brecon Beacons and the Cambrian Hills. Either way, leave the motorway at Sarn Park (junction 36) and follow signs for the A4061. Outside of Nant-y-Moel the fun finally begins. At the top of Bwlch y Clawdd Pass turn left onto the A4107 to Cymer. If you're feeling peckish, take a diversion up to the excellent Skyline cafe in Glyncorrwg, otherwise make a U-turn and head back to the A4061 and follow it to Treorchy. The route finished off by heading north to Hirwaun on the A4061."

Why it's a dream drive:
"Although most of my family are from the region, I've definitely been guilty of some snobbishness towards the South Wales valleys in the past. It's all too easy to fall into the trap of focusing on the post-industrial blight when actually there are some truly breathtaking landscapes and surprisingly rewarding roads. So if you've never explored this part of the world before, you could be in for a shock.

Sheep not impressed by Stuttgart's finest

"For me, driving these roads usually comes before or after an eternal, life-sucking journey along the M4. I'm either knackered from riding my bike at one of the many excellent mountain bike centres locally, or stressed from the tedious motorway journey to get there. But whichever happens to be the case, this oasis of tarmac always seems to provide the perfect antidote.

"The first taste of what this area can offer comes on the long climb up to Bwlch y Clawdd. At first the road is flanked by conifers, but as the road sweeps left, the trees part to reveal an impressive wall of rock and the first of several amazing, looping hairpins.

"At the summit, turning left takes you toward Cymer on the A4107, over a barren, tussock-clad hilltop; the road hemmed in by banks on either side. Dropping down toward the huge Afan Forest, there's an even more impressive 180 degree parabola followed by a long descent chiselled into the hillside.

If you can take your eyes off road scenery stuns

"Retracing your steps back to the junction with the A4061, turn left to Treorchy for more corkscrewing Tarmac descending. Unfortunately, at this point you'll have to endure a bit of urban crawl for a few miles, but it's short-lived and the leg up from Treherbert is tremendously satisfying, with a mix of fast, open bends and long straights. The final run down to Hirwaun offers more of the same, including the de rigueur hairpin bend."

Highlights and lowlights:
"There are four truly memorable corners on this drive. That's not to say it's not a route packed full of challenging undulations, tricky cambers, and sketchy surface changes, but the real jewels in the crown are the broad, sweeping hairpins. Actually, to call them hairpins is to sell them short; while they look like acute switchbacks on the map, in terms of gradient and radius they do a more than passable impressions of the Karussell. And while there's no concrete banking, the black and white Armco can still make you feel like a refugee from a 1950s Grand Prix.

Anyone fancy an ice cream then? No?

"The towering cliff walls above Nant-y-Moel make a wonderful natural amphitheatre with acoustics to match. Standing on the hairpin listening to a howling Mezger six reverberate around the valley is almost as good as the act itself.

"Suffice to say, if you're two up it's well worth jumping out and taking turns to blast up the hill a few times to enjoy the aural experience. Otherwise, wind down the windows, turn off the stereo and enjoy the closest thing you'll get to a tunnel run without a roof.

"Cattle grids mark each section of open road and serve as a warning to the presence of woolly hazards, most of which seemed to be grazing on asphalt when we were there. It's also worth watching out for cyclists, kamikaze delivery drivers and South Wales' favourite revenue stream; the camera van."

By far the best plaice to eat in the valleys (sorry)

Sights, stop-offs and diversions:
"On the three or four days a year when it's not raining, it's well worth stopping at the top of the Bwlch y Clawdd and Mynydd Beili-glas to savour the views. By a happy coincidence, both lay-bys are regularly home to the world's two most optimistic ice-cream vans, giving you the chance to gaze at the rain streaking across your windscreen while sucking on a Rocket.

"While you're in the area, it would also be a crime to miss the finest pun in the entire fast food industry; Treorchy's superbly christened chippy, A Fish Called Rhondda. We've no idea what the food's like, but with a name like that, it batter be good ... ba-dum-tish!"

Follow the route here.

A little taste of Ogmore Vale here.

My Dream Drive is sponsored by Dunlop Tyres. To share yours email us at dreamdrives@pistonheads.com - if we publish your Dream Drive you'll get a pair of complimentary tickets to the BTCC round of your choosing, courtesy of Dunlop Tyres.

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soad

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