‘Wayfarer Memorial Rides’

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Photos and report of the Wayfarer Memorial on 25th June 2010

Three of us made our way from Southport to Glyndyfrdwy Station to start our ride. It was nice of Reid to meet us at the station; he had been staying overnight nearby. After a quick morning snack we set off taking a left at the A5 heading towards Llangollen for about 200 mtrs then taking a forestry road up what was to be our first steep hill climb of the day. This road althrough tarmac is little used, as it was originally a track to a quarry and now leads  into the Ceirog Forest. The road  gives wonderful 180 degree views of the surrounding mountains. On passing through the forest we headed  down the national cycle way as far Glyn Ceiriog. On meeting the B4500 we turned  right and continued on through Pandy to Llanarmon DC in time for lunch. On route Ken gave us a short talk about the days of the Wayfarer Weekends, when members would camp at Pandy and ride out each day.

Arrival at the West Arms gave us a chance to talk to new Landlords, who appeared to know nothing about the history of their Wayfarer Bar. After sandwhiches and a bowl of chips we headed for the 'Over the Tops' route that Wayfarer had used so many years ago. Just as we left our lunch stop, we came upon a cyclist, whom it turned out had missed our start. We invited Graham to join us for the ride to the memorial, and then he would ride back to his car. The actual track gets worse each year we do the ride, this year it was closed from where the tarmac ended, which at least meant that we did not meet any 4x4's or off-road motorbikes as we have done in previous years. Further up the track the craters created by these vehicles were obvious, althrough some effort was being made to repair the damage. We finally reached the memorial, which generally seemed in good condition. The box was still in place, together with its books and the usual, in some cases unprintable  inscriptions. There was however one nice article from chap who had recently lost his wife, and had come up on their anniversary, it had evidently been the place that they had originally pledged their love for each other. It brought a tear to eye as Reid read it out. After a short minutes silence inrespect not only of Wayfarer, but of the Lancashire members, now all sadly deceased, (who placed the original memorial stone), we said our goodbyes to Graham and heded off down the valley.

We reached Cynwyd just in time to get ice creams, before the shop shut at 5pm. Suitably refreshed we progressed to Corwen were we said our goodbyes to Reid. The remaing cyclist then made their way to the quiet B5437 and back to the cars for the journey home.

Thanks for all who joined me on this annual ride. The company was good, as was the weather.

Another memorable ride with the Fellowship.

Rob Burrow