Sunday 5th January 2020

Wet 'n' wild in Wales | Pic of the Week

Your visual antidote to tomorrow's school run

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If there’s one thing whixh ought to be on every PHer’s new year’s resolution list, it’s to go out and drive more. Particularly for those of us in Britain, where traffic and worsening tarmac seem to dominate our on-road experiences more with every passing year. But put the effort in to hunt out the best these shores has got to give and you’ll quickly be reminded of its world-class status. Beyond the average speed cameras and school run chaos, the nation has some epic driving roads – so let’s all head out more regularly in 2020 to enjoy them. Deal?

That’s certainly been the shared ethos of PH staffers upon returning to the desk this week, thanks to still-fresh memories of last month’s trip to north Wales with the Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro and McLaren 600LT Spider. As Matt’s feature confirmed, this duo – which produce a combined 1,185hp from their turbocharged V8s – represent very different approaches to the same solution. They both add power, agility and lightness to already brilliant templates, but with contrasting results on the tarmac. We wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Even with machinery half as competent (and expensive) at our disposal, there’s no doubt that the technical, twisting and undulating roads that encircle the peaks of Snowdonia would have remained equally as enthralling during our visit. It helped, of course, that the Welsh Gods were there to provide everything from light snowfall to angelic bursts of sunlight through thick cloud. For PH snapper Sim Mainey, the climatic drama made the numb fingers all the more worthwhile, because it created the setting for his imagination to run wild.

Naturally, it was impossible to nominate just one for Pic of the Week, so here are two to choose from. Let the addition of either to your device’s background be inspiration for more epic drives in 2020.

Top pic:
16:9
16:10
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Bottom pic:
16:9
16:10
QuadHD
4K

[Nerdherder]

Beautiful! Confirms the validity of a grand tour of the UK on my must-do list.

[CDP]

My 86 year old Dad's 70hp Skoda Fabia was fun on those roads when we took him to the Ffestiniog. Even with him and my brother in it, fortunately Dad doesn't mind cars getting revs as long as we are making progress....

Obviously something quicker would have been more exciting but honestly a fairly basic supermini will still put a smile on your face out there.

[Turbobanana]

Lovely pics, and I grew up there so I know how beautiful it is.

Sim did a great job, but (and it hurts to say this) the cars let the composition down. I realise you're at the mercy of the manufacturers, but couldn't you have asked for something more colourful?

[Al Klostert]

Quiet roads and stunning scenery is a tempting proposition. The only drawback is actually getting there.....among the hordes of brain dead drivers who make driving a chore most of the time.

[Sim Mainey]

Turbobanana said:

Lovely pics, and I grew up there so I know how beautiful it is.

Sim did a great job, but (and it hurts to say this) the cars let the composition down. I realise you're at the mercy of the manufacturers, but couldn't you have asked for something more colourful?

Thank you! Unfortunately we're always very much at the mercy as to what's on the press fleet's books. Grey cars on a grey day in Wales wasn't ideal and certainly proved a bit of a challenge. What made it even worse was there were two candy coloured Lambos alongside us on the shoot! That said, the matt grey that Mercedes option on a lot of their press cars photographs really well - it picks up edges and shows off curves without undue glare. The big green stripe on the GT -R Pro helps a bit, too!

I'm hoping 2020 sees the return of colour though. Just maybe not lurid fluro…

[MikeDB1]

"But put the effort in to hunt out the best these shores has got to give and you’ll quickly be reminded of its world-class status. "

I shouldn't even need to hunt them out as I have the Cat and Fiddle road less than 10 minutes from my door ... but it's been utterly ruined by Cheste council putting average speed cameras in, which drove everyone away which caused the famous Cat and Fiddle pub to close. For every great road there's a whole team of morons trying to ruin the experience.

[silentbrown]

Crib Goch looking fun in the snow in the top pic.

I'm struggling to place the second one above the lake...?

[robinh73]

silentbrown said:

Crib Goch looking fun in the snow in the top pic.

I'm struggling to place the second one above the lake...?

The second one is looking down the Llanberis pass, with effectively Snowdon over the right shoulder.

[silentbrown]

robinh73 said:

The second one is looking down the Llanberis pass, with effectively Snowdon over the right shoulder.

Thanks Heading down to Nant Gwynant, rather than the actual pass. The telephoto foreshortening made me think the lake must be a lot closer!

[robinh73]

silentbrown said:

robinh73 said:

The second one is looking down the Llanberis pass, with effectively Snowdon over the right shoulder.

Thanks Heading down to Nant Gwynant, rather than the actual pass. The telephoto foreshortening made me think the lake must be a lot closer!

Not actually heading down to Nant Gwynant (which is the lake in view). This is about half way down from the top of the pass at the end of the straightest section and just out of sight is a left hand bend with crash barrier on the outside. At the bottom of this road is the T-junction with the PenY Gwyryd hotel on the left.

[silentbrown]

robinh73 said:

Not actually heading down to Nant Gwynant (which is the lake in view). This is about half way down from the top of the pass at the end of the straightest section and just out of sight is a left hand bend with crash barrier on the outside. At the bottom of this road is the T-junction with the PenY Gwyryd hotel on the left.

I reckoned it's roughly here.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0780181,-4.0029732...

The road from PyP to PyG is rock/stone walls where you describe, and doesn't give any view of the lake, surely?

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0780417,-4.0126636...

[Sim Mainey]

silentbrown said:

I reckoned it's roughly here.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0780181,-4.0029732...

The road from PyP to PyG is rock/stone walls where you describe, and doesn't give any view of the lake, surely?

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0780417,-4.0126636...

Pretty much bang on with that positioning!

[robinh73]

Sim Mainey said:

silentbrown said:

I reckoned it's roughly here.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0780181,-4.0029732...

The road from PyP to PyG is rock/stone walls where you describe, and doesn't give any view of the lake, surely?

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0780417,-4.0126636...

Pretty much bang on with that positioning!

Apologies indeed and I stand corrected! I have lived a few miles away from there all my life, so should know better! Spot on with that!
Just edited to add that I REALLY should know where that spot is, as there is a right hander just out of sight where I successfully avoided a sheep while out on the motorbike, but ended up in the shrubbery with a de-gloved left foot as a result!

Edited by robinh73 on Tuesday 7th January 10:17

[silentbrown]

robinh73 said:

Just edited to add that I REALLY should know where that spot is, as there is a right hander just out of sight where I successfully avoided a sheep while out on the motorbike, but ended up in the shrubbery with a de-gloved left foot as a result!

Ouch!

It all goes very narrow shortly after that. Absolute PITA if you're stuck behind anything, IIRC.

I've just spotted the PH Banner image is from the same spot, but mirrored and then with the numberplate 'shopped to make it legible again!

[robinh73]

silentbrown said:

robinh73 said:

Just edited to add that I REALLY should know where that spot is, as there is a right hander just out of sight where I successfully avoided a sheep while out on the motorbike, but ended up in the shrubbery with a de-gloved left foot as a result!

Ouch!

It all goes very narrow shortly after that. Absolute PITA if you're stuck behind anything, IIRC.

I've just spotted the PH Banner image is from the same spot, but mirrored and then with the numberplate 'shopped to make it legible again!

Even at this time of year, it can be a right ball ache around there. I went for a drive on Sunday and was stuck at this exact spot until Nant Gwynant, due to somebody unfamiliar with the area. Such a great spot and there are so many of my all time favourite roads around there, both in car and on bike.

[Hungrymc]

robinh73 said:

I successfully avoided a sheep while out on the motorbike, but ended up in the shrubbery with a de-gloved left foot as a result!

How did that happen Robin? Did the boot fail / fall apart or get ripped off ?

Nasty injury.

[robinh73]

Hungrymc said:

robinh73 said:

I successfully avoided a sheep while out on the motorbike, but ended up in the shrubbery with a de-gloved left foot as a result!

How did that happen Robin? Did the boot fail / fall apart or get ripped off ?

Nasty injury.

I swerved to avoid said sheep (had I hit it I would have been able to claim compensation from the farmer, but you don't think like that at the time) and ended up running off the road into the grass at the side of the road. Sadly the grass was covering large rocks. I hit one of these but couldn't get my foot up out of the way in time. As the bike and my foot hit the rock, the foot peg sheared off, sliced through my brand new Alpinestars Mick Doohan replica boots and removed the skin from the top of my left foot. It took me a minute or so to work out what was wrong as the adrenaline had kicked in and my boot had closed up somehow, so it was only when the blood started pumping out through the top of my boot that I realised all was not well. Bit of a mess, but as with all the other crashes it didn't deter me and sadly worse were to follow while road racing.

[Hungrymc]

Crickey, nasty enough and from a fairly innocuous off.
I'm pretty sure I'd have done everything to avoid the sheep as well.

[robinh73]

Hungrymc said:

Crickey, nasty enough and from a fairly innocuous off.
I'm pretty sure I'd have done everything to avoid the sheep as well.

It wasn't even a fast crash, probably about 20mph as it was a tight blind entry bend and I had obviously hit the brakes to avoid the sheep, but it still made a right old mess. All has healed now and works as it should thankfully and luckily.

[Pica-Pica]

Hungrymc said:

Crickey, nasty enough and from a fairly innocuous off.
I'm pretty sure I'd have done everything to avoid the sheep as well.

Hmmm. Look at them when shorn, they are pretty lightweight. They are usually found at the top of a bank, just road-side of the fence, and often just around a bend. Sheep are often moved from pasture to pasture along these types of road. Just remember that when bombing around a corner. One thing you can guarantee, you WILL find a sheep on the road around here.