I don’t ride my motorcycles as much as I would like. There is either something else to do that seems more pressing at the time, or the weather is unsuitable. Today, everything was right. The Leominster Classic Motorcycle Club had even organised a rideout.
It is true that I am not a great fan of riding in groups. I much prefer to ride on my own, and enjoy my own style and pace of riding. However, chatting over a coffee with other riders at the stop-off points is enjoyable. So, after pushing the bike out of the garage, checking the tire pressures, donning my riding kit, I rode off my drive towards Leominster to meet the group at the local fuel station.
The first stop was at Erwood Station. This is the remains of a railway station that was on the GWR line, which closed on 31st December 1962. It’s now a gallery and café, with a Fowler diesel shunter on static display alongside the remains of the old platform. After a short refreshment break, the group set off to ride along the country lanes through the Brecon Beacons National Park towards the Brecon Mountain Railway. This is a narrow gauge railway, with five miles of track running from Pant, near Merthyr Tydfil, along the full length of the Taf Fechan reservoir to Torpantau high in the Brecon Beacons.
The terminus building at Pant also houses the workshops where the engines are restored and maintained. Today the trains were being hauled by the No.2 Baldwin Locomotive, which was designed and built in Philadelphia, USA. It was wrecked in South Africa where it spent its life hauling limestone for the manufacture of cement. It was sold as scrap to the Brecon Mountain Railway, which rebuilt it to the splendid working condition we can enjoy today.
The engine has the typical American mournful sounding “horn” rather the whistle of British engines, which made the experience more like riding rains in the “old west”. The round trip takes ninety-minutes, which includes stopping at Pontsticill station to view the steam museum. It was very pleasant travelling through the pleasant landscape, even more so when standing on the exterior platform at the end of carriage.
It seems I was the only rider in the group to travel on the train. The rest of the group took the decision to commence riding towards the next café stop before the return of my train to the Pant terminus. The pre-arrangement was that I would either meet up with them at the next café stop – or at another time. Taking a shorter, and quicker route, I was able to meet up with the group at the Honey café, in Bronllys on the A479. There was just enough time to enjoy a pot of tea, and a chat, before setting off on the final leg of the journey home to end a great day out.
I must allocate more time to riding my bikes. They are always fun to ride, and give a feeling of freedom that is never apparent when driving a car.
A ride on my Pan European motorcycle. I don’t ride my motorcycles as much as I would like. There is either something else to do that seems more pressing at the time, or the weather is unsuitable.