Post by huwjenks on Apr 23, 2010 20:07:02 GMT 1
Just got back in after the longest journey my Mini has done since I've owned it, and only 2 weeks after its hibernation in the winter!
Left Motgomery at 9 this morning to go and see the family down in Llantrisant in glorious sunshine and taking in some great roads too. A483 onto A470, over the Beacons, and down to Ponty where everything turned to pants.
I took a chance on going from Trefforest up 'power station hill' to Tonteg thinking that it wouldn't be too busy at 11 in the morning and there was a new bypass after all. So I couldn't believe it when all the traffic was backed up as far as I could see and I was holding the handbrake with both hands to stop rolling backwards on the steepest part of the hill!
So I did a quick turn in the road and through Rhydyfelin (where I bought the car from a year ago, hence the title!) and up past glamorgan uni, but once again, 200m from the crossroads in Tonteg everything was stopped. It took 20 minutes to do the last 200m to the crossroads then through Beddau and Llantrisant, trying not to let the huge potholes swallow up my car.
So on the way back there was no way I was going down either of those roads to the A470, since I didnt want to die of old age whilst my engine block melted in a traffic jam. The M4 wasn't an option either, there was an accident somewhere near the junction I needed. So I found some random country lanes to take me down to Taffs Well and the main road, but they were covered in the biggest speed bumps I have seen in my life! It was like having to drive over a dead cow with very bad rigour mortis.. If the roads were quiet I could just about sqeeze between them but with the queues on the M4 meant that a few people had chosen the same route as me which made the journey very difficult.
Eventually back onto the dual carriageway where there were queues at every sliproad, and on every roundabout on the Merthyr bypass.
Next time I leave my smooth, deserted Mid Wales highways it is either going to be very early in the morning or very late at night...
I did spot a Mini though! Dark blue Sportspack, heading south on the Merthyr bypass this afternoon whilst I was sat in the massive tailbacks on the other side...
And the car did quite well to be fair, even sat in traffic burning out the clutch the temp didnt go far above N. And I left behind a few Bini drivers, which is always nice
Left Motgomery at 9 this morning to go and see the family down in Llantrisant in glorious sunshine and taking in some great roads too. A483 onto A470, over the Beacons, and down to Ponty where everything turned to pants.
I took a chance on going from Trefforest up 'power station hill' to Tonteg thinking that it wouldn't be too busy at 11 in the morning and there was a new bypass after all. So I couldn't believe it when all the traffic was backed up as far as I could see and I was holding the handbrake with both hands to stop rolling backwards on the steepest part of the hill!
So I did a quick turn in the road and through Rhydyfelin (where I bought the car from a year ago, hence the title!) and up past glamorgan uni, but once again, 200m from the crossroads in Tonteg everything was stopped. It took 20 minutes to do the last 200m to the crossroads then through Beddau and Llantrisant, trying not to let the huge potholes swallow up my car.
So on the way back there was no way I was going down either of those roads to the A470, since I didnt want to die of old age whilst my engine block melted in a traffic jam. The M4 wasn't an option either, there was an accident somewhere near the junction I needed. So I found some random country lanes to take me down to Taffs Well and the main road, but they were covered in the biggest speed bumps I have seen in my life! It was like having to drive over a dead cow with very bad rigour mortis.. If the roads were quiet I could just about sqeeze between them but with the queues on the M4 meant that a few people had chosen the same route as me which made the journey very difficult.
Eventually back onto the dual carriageway where there were queues at every sliproad, and on every roundabout on the Merthyr bypass.
Next time I leave my smooth, deserted Mid Wales highways it is either going to be very early in the morning or very late at night...
I did spot a Mini though! Dark blue Sportspack, heading south on the Merthyr bypass this afternoon whilst I was sat in the massive tailbacks on the other side...
And the car did quite well to be fair, even sat in traffic burning out the clutch the temp didnt go far above N. And I left behind a few Bini drivers, which is always nice
