My picture reminders

It's been a hectic few months. I'm sitting here at the cottage enjoying the coolish interior as the country (and no doubt a load of my boater friends) bake in one of those nice summer heat waves, the ones we moan about when in them but dream off when the inevitable rain follows. 

There is much I could and possibly should be doing but I'm reminded of the sage advice from my ( retired before me ) brother in law Bill who said 'remember, unlike the days of work, it does not have to all be done today, it can be put off, do what YOU want to do'. Today that is echoing around my head so I've made another coffee and had a look through my most recent photos to remind me what I've been up to for my blog diary......

After our boat clean and cruiseette I was back on the bike  - this time the big bike for a few days to North Wales - a trip that was moved due to the Covid Lockdown in early May. I booked the hotels and did draft routes and two friends joined me. Originally this trip was booked to get Rachel back to her beloved north Wales and on the bike but the new dates bumped into other holidays  - also a casualty of last years lock downs that holiday will be another blog ....

So we rode to here ....

We were originally going to be based in Bala ( bracketed note: one of the reasons we like living where we do is the access to wales in an hour and a bit Scotland in three hours and the south coast in three and a half hours) but the hotel did not have the revised dates free so I opted for a place in Betws-Y-Coed. We did a day north onto Anglesey and a day south to the bottom of Snowdonia.... a place ive not visited much but was impressed with. I normally stay/ride north of Barmouth but the area around Tywyn and  Machynlleth will be re visited and possibly stayed at.... more holiday planning but that's retirement for you.

We did the Mach Loop where the fast jets practice their low level flying  - another day ride for the future and on my way home (I could not persuade my fellow riders to join me ) I stopped off at the Pontcysyllte aqueduct, I can't pass or be in the local without a visit.

All in all a good few days, I'd prefer to stop more for photographs but that's the negative of riding in a group rather than on your own. 

we stayed in this ecological B&B in 2012 when we brought Rachel's dad Charles back for ( sadly) his last visit back to Wales. It overlooks the Tanygrislau reservoir near Blaenau Ffestiniog  

My 2018 BMW R1200RT 

We had a stop off for ice cream at Beaumaris 

On the second full day we went south. This is the wooden toll bridge over the Afon Mawddach estuary 

On my return to home I stopped at the Aqueduct - it was mad busy. I want to revisit this canal but only well out of season or when the world has returned to a bit more normality