Andy Williams had planned this run around the Elan Valley late last year, but at the last moment we couldn’t go. Then weather and circumstances delayed it further, but Andy promised we would do the run when the weather got better. The plan was to start our day at The Steel Horse cafe for breakfast then drive around the valley and end up with lunch in Rhyader. We didn’t get the best start and had to implement plan B before we even started, as the cafe was shut on Mondays and Tuesdays, and it started raining a little. So we had breakfast in Abergavenny instead then began our run by driving to the Elan Valley Visitor Centre. I think we saw almost all of Mid Wales police while we were driving, five unmarked police cars with blue lights, five unmarked police transits also with blue lights, all with better things to do on that day than worry about than us. Four more also turned up at the Visitor Centre, which did mildly alarm us as it’s not the first time police have been looking for us while we were driving (it was in France – a long time ago) but it seemed they just wanted their lunch. While they weren’t looking we quietly sloped off and the fun began.

I can’t begin to explain exactly where we went, I followed Andy and his new exhaust and in the process “honed my driving skills”. Anyone who has ever been on our European adventures knows what that entails. We stopped often for pictures and to just enjoy the peace and beauty of the place and as we drove the clouds broke up and the sun came out.
 We ended our day at Rhyader for a late lunch in the Old Swan cafe which I can highly recommend, then I drove back home through the most beautiful Herefordshire countryside in glorious sunshine. A lovely day out (serious drivers only.)