Saturday afternoon was the first really beautiful warm day here in England. Most of the country was bathed in sunshine and warmth. It felt like the first day of summer, a perfect day to get out onto the open road with the hood down on my MG.
My girlfriend ‘Posh‘ (otherwise known as Rachel) and I headed across the border into Wales just after lunch, looking for the winding roads leading to the beautiful ‘Horseshoe pass,’ a road that is as notorious as it is beautiful. The road was wide open though with only a handful of people sharing the same idea as us so it was perfect.
As I drove the ‘stick shift’ British racing green car along the road that snaked its way through the beautiful countryside of Wales, I smiled to myself as I realised that I was actually living the hopes of a young Simon who used to look longingly at open-top sports cars when he was a kid. Back then the possibility of actually having one seemed like a dream, but here I was in Wales on a beautiful afternoon with the hood down enjoying the warmth of the sun and the open road – great stuff!
We stopped and went for a short walk along one of the hillsides on the horseshoe path. I snapped a few pictures, but pictures do little to capture this awesome scene. We both commented that the weather was uncharacteristically hot for this time of year, feeling more like a summer’s day than a day in March.
We drove on and headed off the main road onto the back roads before stopping and going for a longer walk along a fast-flowing ice-cold river. Lambs were bounding around the fields partly curious of us and partly wary of us. A little further on down the road we came to the tiny village of Glyndyfrdwy with its historic railway station that stood still in time, a monument to a bygone era. The steam trains still run along the tracks here in the summer months, these days it’s a tourist attraction rather than a practical means of transport.
Eventually, we rolled into the steam train town of Llangollen. We had a drink in an old mill-house pub on the edge of the river. We sat for a while outside slowly sipping our drinks as the sky dipped behind the foothills of the Snowdonia mountain range. Then eventually we headed off again in search of something to eat, which is always difficult, to say the least. After a while, we sat down to eat in the town of Ruthin before heading back to England.
It was a really great way to spend a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon, the first time I’ve been able to really enjoy warm sunny weather in my MG. I’m looking forward to many more such days as the summer approaches.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 21, 2005 at 8:16 am
The third picture from the hill overlooking the road into the valley below – it takes my breath away. So lovely.
Albert’s sister had a little convertible MGB in her younger days. We borrowed it one time (we were still dating, that’s how long ago it was) and had such an adventure as you describe on the country roads outside of Houston. I still remember.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 21, 2005 at 10:05 am
That is a sexy little car. You almost look like you wouldn’t fit in it! I love the third picture to. Once again your life looks like a postcard :-)
Wrote the following comment on Mar 21, 2005 at 10:14 am
what breathtaking scenery indeed!! your site always makes me smile simon!! xx
Wrote the following comment on Mar 21, 2005 at 11:05 am
What a great trip!
Wrote the following comment on Mar 21, 2005 at 11:20 am
i am so jealous! sommer’s taking a drive across the southeast US right now and it’s probably going to be gorgeous when she gets out of mississippi. it really makes me want to hop in the car and just drive. in fact, on the way to work this morning i considered skipping my exit for work and driving until i couldn’t drive any further.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 21, 2005 at 1:27 pm
Wow – those pics are AMAZING!! And Pam’s right, you DO look too big for your car! xx
Wrote the following comment on Mar 21, 2005 at 2:06 pm
Glyndyfrdwy??!! Sounds like a vowelless clown! Cute pics :-)
Wrote the following comment on Mar 22, 2005 at 2:56 am
Sounds fabulous, Wales is incredibly gorgeous.