Day 1 Thursday 10th October
Arrive at Celtic Manor, Check-in time is from 4pm. You are welcome to arrive earlier should you wish to make use of the resort’s leisure facilities.
The concierge will be pleased to look after your luggage for you, and will also park your car in the secure underground car park, which is included in the package.
Meet in Merlin’s bar from 6.30pm, in the hotel reception area for a meet and greet. We will head off to the Rib Smokehouse & Grill via minibus transfer at 7.30pm for our 8pm dinner. Please note there will be no seating plan for any of the meals, so feel free to mingle as you wish with your fellow tour guests.
Day 2 Friday 11th October
LEG 1: We will be heading out of Celtic Manor on our route up to the Black Mountains on the west side of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The Black Mountain road (A4069) has become very popular since it was featured on BBC’s Top Gear, with Jeremy Clarkson driving the AMG SLK along this route. This route has some great views and fantastic corners, and just looking closely at a road map, tells you its a great one!
We will leave the Brecon Beacons and head out for lunch at the Dolaucothi Arms, voted best countryside pub of the year 2019 by Countryfile magazine! Following this, we will kick off leg 2 heading up to the Elan Valley with its beautiful dams and remote roads which always make for some great fun.
Following this we will head off to the hotel, home for the next 2 nights on the side of Lake Vyrnwy, a truly beautiful setting, perfectly located for a day in Snowdonia on Saturday.
Day 3 Saturday 12th October
Leaving the hotel for Leg 3 of the trip, you will be heading out south-west towards the Welsh coast. Then at the coast, you head north following the fantastic twisty road that is the A493 around Cardigan Bay. You can either opt to take the toll bridge or stay on the road around the bay, it is up to you. Head towards Llanaber, where you can pull over on the right for a coffee and a snack at Restaurant Norbar, which has some great views of Cardigan bay.
Leg 4 and with Snowdonia National Park in our view will be special, and has made it onto The Independent’s list of “The 10 best drives in the world”. There is certainly some dramatic scenery and great roads that we are sure you will appreciate, as you navigate your way through past Wales’s tallest mountain.
With high altitude roads and rugged mountain views are something you enjoy, the A4086 between Beddgelert and Llanberis is for you.
The B4391 from Ffestiniog to Capel Celyn we feel is so good, we are suggesting you drive it in both directions.
Firstly heading, west towards the views of Snowdon, then looping back and heading back east towards Bala. This is one great bit of tarmac, track smooth, and on both recces very quiet. We definitely recommend you don’t miss out on this one.
