Drive Wales was held just 6 days later and again was another sell out white label event run for SCC|Private Members.
Whilst Wales may well be small, it certainly packs a punch and is perfect for any petrol heads as a destination for a short break in their cars. With the Welsh hills and Valleys providing the natural shaping of the roads it makes for some entertaining driving over the 3 days on the route we have continually updated over the last few years to make it what it is today!
Engines were fired up following a driver briefing at SCC HQ, close to Bath, at the home of Fivezero’s supercar storage, to head over to the start of the tour proper on the roads of the Brecon Beacons.
Following lunch at a fantastic Burger stop in the Brecon’s, the tour headed for a well-known section of road on the western edge of the Beacons, the Black Mountain Pass, where there are some stunning views across the valley, plus plenty of twisty tarmac to satisfy both driver and machine. A long-time favourite of Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson and nowadays of many lesser known ‘Youtubers’, whose skid marks can still be seen on its most-filmed hairpin! It is 12 miles of challenging tarmac that made for the perfect end to day 1 of Drive Wales on route to Lake Country House Hotel.
The second day kicked off with a fantastic route up to the Elan Valley on many of Wales lesser known ‘B’ roads that made for a fantastic morning ahead of a scenic drive through the stunning valley, which is dotted with remote reservoirs that provided Barnes Wallace with the perfect remoteness he needed to test his early bouncing bomb’s, which also makes it a great road to test both car and driver.
The afternoon route included the amazing section of road over the Machynlleth Mountains where the vistas are simply jaw dropping especially in some spring sunshine. The last section included the now well-known Mack Loop section of roads where the best of the RAF’s ‘Top Gun Mavericks’ do their low-level flight training on route to the second nights stay at Lake Vyrnwy Hotel & Spa overlooking the beautiful reservoir and its picture-perfect fairy tower.
