Wales Blat report Part2

The route up to the layby I was now parked up in is around 8 Miles in length and contains a mixture of twists and turns along with fast straights. In the time taken to traverse it I only passed 2 cars and about 9 Sheep, so it allowed me the opportunity to stretch the Meg’s legs a little. The noise the car manages to create never fails to create a smile and in the most parts elicits a puzzled look from passengers, according to others in the convoy it sounds quite something from the outside. Based on these comments I have promised myself to get someone to drive it ahead of me soon, as is the case with these things, you rarely hear your own wheels pass you by. The wheels are attached to the car via KW ClubSport suspension which allows good levels of adjustment. In the main the ride is well damped and rebound, whilst fairly aggressive, is probably the best I have experienced in a system orientated mainly towards track work. On the tarmac of the hills of South Wales it performed magnificently offering a connection to Terra Firma that inspired confidence, and at no point felt jumpy of jittery. With the roads starting to dry a little grip was improving, however on a couple of corners the rear of the car started to travel a little quicker than the front and small controlled slides added to the experience. By the time the car was stationary in the layby any doubts around whether venturing to South Wales in such moist conditions was a good idea were forgotten, and with the other cars appearing in my mirrors we jumped out to admire the now developing view. After 5 or so minutes discussing the glorious uninterrupted road we had just retraced our steps up, I took the opportunity to swap cars with Mike who had recently fitted a short shift kit to his R26. I find the shift on my car woefully poor in contrast to the rest of the car, so was keen to see if the change was transformed by the kit. Sitting at the back of the group it was impossible not to smile as I watched Mike sink into the Sabelt seats before getting back out to rearrange the various lengths of Red belts and clasps that allow the harness to be used, a fitting welcome to the comical R26.R seating arrangements! Although I only travelled around 5 miles in the Blue R26 it was clear that the short shift kit will need to make its way into my cars plumbing, the shift is positive and feel some and really transforms the box. It may be that the box on my car is particularly bad but I’m hopeful the change will sort it out. Once down into Treorchy we went in search of the A4061 (getting lost only once) towards Hirwaun where we would pick up the A4059. This unremarkably named road spears out onto the Brecon Beacons National Park and is a road that you must go in search of if you are ever in the area. Thanks to the wondrous world of Google Maps such places can be viewed at any time.



The route to Hirwaun was mainly interrupted by traffic lights and road works but still allowed cars to swap places in the convoy’s order. Once out of Hirwaun the road opened up and as is the norm for such open Moorland the rain swept back in, however with the bit firmly between our teeth and sections where the road was clearly visible for long distances, dawdling Coaches and Caravans were passed by 4 sensibly spaced Renaults, it must have been quite a spectacle from the cars being passed. No doubt some tutting would have been heard from those being passed, as it is becoming more and more frowned upon to overtake these days, seemingly irrespective of it being undertaken safetly. The fun of driving is fast becoming something that is frowned upon sadly. The road eventually ends at the Junction with the A470 which connects Merthyr Tydfil with Brecon and is a reasonably fast well surfaced road, however it is normally fairly well used and traffic was pretty heavy.



At Brecon we joined the A40 towards Sennybridge where one of the group grabbed a top up of fuel before we pushed onto Llandovery. The route was less populated with other cars and allowed us to catch up on some lost time. The reason for heading towards Llandovery was to get onto the road that climbs up and over Black Mountain which we were assured by one of the guys would be worth the journey. With time ticking on and a couple of the guys starting to make reference to the high probability of a cold shoulder waiting at home, the importance of us discovering a worthy road grew with every mile.
Out of Llandovery we turned onto the A4069 which started fairly unremarkably but started to impress as it snaked along the base of the valley, twisting in unison with the River Towy. It offers a challenging route that allows swift progress but insists that you stay very much on your game, the mood visibly changed as the pace picked up and mutterings of concern over time disappeared and were replaced with Radio chatter relating to the route and the approaching climb over Black Mountain. Passing through Llangadog the road branched right and almost immediately started to climb before passing over a Cattle Grid. The white R26 and I pulled over into a layby to wait for the other 2 cars who had been caught behind a few slower moving peeps. With all 4 cars back together we set off, immediately the road snaked towards a tight hairpin right that signals its intent with an off camber entry over a small stone bridge, a group of 3 bikes passed us adhering to the bikers code by acknowledging the bike ahead of us with a customary nod of the head. The road climbs for a couple of miles through various well sighted corners, Mike had managed to pass the bike in a slower section further down, but with a couple of cars despatched by the bike and three of us we gathered pace as the biker led us along for 5 or so minutes. The road is flanked by large boulders of Granite that whilst unlikely to prevent you from joining the Moorland in the event of getting it wrong, they would certainly make a proper mess of anything that crossed their path. Even with attention focused on stringing together a path along this staggering road, the view diverted attention occasionally and only added to the experience. The presence of a large layby allowed us to pull in and drink in the scenery which by now was bathed in slightly friendlier weather, hardly Mediterranean but significantly better than we had started in. Conversation revolved around the brilliance of the road and how glad we were that the route had taken in this section. Turning and looking back up the Mountain the road could be clearly traced out back to the summit, and I made a personal promise to return again and spend significantly more time driving it in both directions. We took the opportunity to line the cars up and take some woefully poor smartphone snaps.




Pulling out of the layby we continued down the remaining descent and the road gradually flattened as we passed through a number of small town’s En Route to the M4 that would take us back towards Cardiff which signalled the end of proceedings as 1 car would take the slip road and head home, followed shortly by another at Newport. As we merged onto the motorway traffic was fairly heavy, but thankfully everything was moving well. I had subconsciously started to wind down in the assumption that the 30 mile slog ahead of us would be more of a chore than a pleasure; however it became rapidly clear that the Blat Gods were still restless. The run to Cardiff was a hoot with the 4 of us swapping places and Scything through the miles like that popular chap from Poldark. At one point a Seat Leon insisted in adding a Spanish flavour to our French Juggernaut, by the time the first car peeled off at Cardiff the final 30 Miles felt like a fitting finish to a day that had started superbly and continued to improve as it progressed. The remaining 3 of us pulled into a service’s in response to the nagging fuel gauges and it was agreed that the day had been a success. With tanks brimmed and rumbling stomachs abated, we all went our own ways. The Severn Bridge, Bristol, Taunton and Cullompton came and went and nearly 12Hrs after leaving the car was reacquainted with its garage. The car, roads and company had contributed to a memorable day that had delivered everything I had hoped for. The R26.R is a car that seems to divide opinion more than most, with true enthusiasts eagerly keen to sample the experience it is renowned for delivering, whilst others are unable to see through the sacrifices made in comfort and practicality. Much as I like the looks and demeanour of the car, it’s difficult not to agree with the argument that it had some acquaintance with the ugly stick during its creation. The Lunar Grey finish is a colour that I rank as one of the finest produced by anyone, but is on a footing with Marmite in the reaction it elicits from people. However its ability to dismiss roads that can upset significantly higher priced machines, coupled with the clarity and depth of information it provides is deeply impressive………still miss a radio just a little bit though!