My plan was to stay at the Red Lion and spend two and a half days at the Mach Loop. Then sometime on Thursday to leave for Worcester, stay overnight and then go to RIAT on Friday.
Day 1: 15th July 20204: Red Lion at Dinas Mawddwy
I had urgent text as I was having breakfast. It seems the Aviation Club that we planned to be in at RIAT on Friday actually had a dress code! The documented claim was that neither jeans nor trainers were permitted. As I planned to wear cargo pants and my hiking boots (as usual), I was then struggling around deciding on which trousers and comfortable shoes that I could wear.
In the end I compromised and laid out some options on the back seat before setting off to meet my colleague for our car share to Wales.
Once we reached Dinas Mawddwy in the afternoon, the Red Lion was closed. We carried on the A470 and as we passed the car park for the Bwlch there were only two cars there.
Even more disappointing, it started to rain.
The Cross Foxes
This was first time in many years that we had been to the Cross Foxes. On our last visit I had been called away for a family emergency and subsequently we had switched all our visits to the Red Lion.
At the Cross Foxes, we sat outside with a beer on the covered balcony and checked out the latest pricing and special offers that they had. We were sheltered from the rain but eventually we were driven inside as it was so cold and windy.
The offers were not really applicable for us and our visits to the Loop. Plus the menu and room prices were still high in our opinion.
Back in Dinas Mawddwy while we waited for the Red Lion to open, we met one of the other guests there. He had travelled all the way from China both to visit the Loop and then go onto RIAT.
Evening at The Red Lion
We chose to eat in the bar and I settled back to enjoy a plate of scampi and chips.
In the bar later, we chatted with another looper who was staying at the Red Lion. He had travelled to a lot more places than us to see planes and we were fascinated listening to his experiences. He was recovering from a serious heart condition and sadly this limited him to visiting CAD East only. The climb from the byway there was light enough for him to manage but nevertheless it would take him over an hour to go up to the cliffs.
One of our alternative plans was to visit “Spur” rather than “Bwlch”. He had in the past been in a group and one of the party had slipped and broken their ankle. It seems in places the path is at a 45° angle and cleats, in his opinion, are needed especially after rain.
Just as fascinating was his description of another vantage point, “Lumberjack”, that is a ledge in the trees literally high above Dinas Mawddwy.
I haven’t documented the plugs available in Room 2 before – here they are including the USB socket at the side of the bed.
Due to our planned early start we were back in our rooms at 9pm
Day 2: The Bwlch: Tuesday 16th July 2024
We had decided on a very early start and left the Red Lion at 7am after cereal for breakfast. Our packed lunches were in the fridges behind the bar. Based on the advice of last night we decided to just go to Bwlch as usual. In the car park, when we arrived, there were only three other cars there.
On the Bwlch
We had a very slow walk to the top. We had to smile, just a little to ourselves, as we watched other people go straight up the Bwlch rather than follow the winding path that we always followed.
Once up on “Top Shelf” it was cold, misty and hazy in the distance with the usual wind. The groups that that we had seen going straight up had moved from lower down and joined the crowd up on Top Shelf. We all chatted and waited for something to happen. With us there was a local (only 10 miles away), a Swiss guy, Dutch guys and more people from over the border in England like us.
From the radios we heard that two flights of F-15s had left Lakenheath. One of the flights was a four ship. At 10:25 am the weather was clear.
We all watched in disbelief as mist rolled down the valley. We could here the F-15s above us and eventually the radio call to head away from the loop due the the weather.
Afternoon on the Bwlch
The mist had cleared and we watched Aston Martin DB5s on a private rally passing below us.
We watched as far away two RAF Texans crossed from Bala and then turned and headed off over Poison Lake.
14:06 Two Texans
These were the same Texans that we had seen before.
After the Texans we heard on the radio that the F-15s were coming across to the loop again. Just as before the mist/clouds descended into the valleys around us. Then we could hear the F-15s above us again. All in all very disappointing.
I had been cold most of the day and this last bout of mist just added to the misery. After the second time we had missed the F-15s we decided to call it a day.
Going down is always a trial for my knees, this sheep watched me struggling on one of the steep parts.
To round the day off (badly), as we were slowly descending two more Texans came over us.
Evening at The Red Lion
Once back in my room I had a long shower before getting changed to go back down to the bar for dinner.
For my evening meal I had two huge pieces of gammon plus a half portion of chips.
The Internet was buzzing as the Royal Canadian Air Force had announced that they planned to send their demonstration CF-18 through the Loop after it left RAF Brize Norton and headed for RIAT at RAF Fairford. We now had to make sure we were away from the Red Lion even earlier in the morning as this promised flight would bring lots of fans to the Loop.