So, first item of business last weekend was playing with a drift trike.

It’s Trikey

Written by Haydn Williams

So, first item of business last weekend was playing with a drift trike.

For this we travelled to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and more specifically to the access road for the Stwlan Dam. Blog fans will remember that I’ve run over here a few times for Ras y Moelwyn in 2016 and 2015, and on a recce a few years ago. This time we had a drift trike in tow, and weren’t afraid to use it. (I’ll admit that there was mild trepidation. Definitely not fear though.)

View across to the Moelwynion, including Stwlan Dam - our destination. © Haydn Williams 2016
View across to the Moelwynion, including Stwlan Dam – our destination. © Haydn Williams 2016

The road had the perfect gradient and is closed to traffic so carried little chance of disaster (apart from the steep hillside, concrete-lined ditch, fencing, and other people). Unfortunately the surface is also incredibly rough and therefore grippy, meaning that drifting was almost impossible. It certainly was possible to pick up lots of speed very quickly, and also to go into at least a 360-degree spin at the drop of a hat, but it was hard to establish a happy medium.

James descending from the dam. © Haydn Williams 2016
James descending from the dam. © Haydn Williams 2016
James having fun. © Haydn Williams 2016
James having fun. © Haydn Williams 2016

Nevertheless, it was an awful lot of fun. Thankfully the alarming rattly noises from the trike didn’t really come to anything (James only had to straighten the steering out once), and the descent from the top of the dam was certainly quite high-octane.

View of the descent from the top. © Haydn Williams 2016
View of the descent from the top. © Haydn Williams 2016
This was quite enjoyable. © Jono Sumner 2016
This was quite enjoyable. © Jono Sumner 2016
Gareth on the edge of control. © Jono Sumner 2016
Gareth on the edge of control. © Jono Sumner 2016

After those fairly frantic shenanigans, we pitched the tent at Nant Gwynant and I bullied everyone into a quick trip to Tryfan Bach. It feels like I’ve done Chimney Crack (Diff) about a hundred times but according to my UKC logbook it’s only twice, the last of which was SIX YEARS AGO! How time flies when you’re having fun. Anyway, having recently joined a climbing club I thought it only proper that I see if I could remember how to climb. Fortunately all went well in a single enjoyable pitch, and we were soon back at the campsite for pizza.

Back in the quarries, for the second week running. © Jono Sumner 2016
Back in the quarries, for the second week running. © Jono Sumner 2016

Sunday was more relaxed, and I’d had such fun around the Llanberis slate quarries the previous weekend that I took everyone up there. I really just wanted to go up the rusty ladders again, but I didn’t let the others know that. Quite frankly, we’re all starting to get middle-aged and easily tired nowadays, so after a spot of lunch we were quite satisfied at a weekend well-utilised and toddled off to our respective homes (some people having a sleep in the car on the way home, naming no names Gareth).