Wales Weekend Explorer - 11th & 12th March 2023 - Booking now open

[MGomes]

13 minutes ago, Hecklejk said:

We (me and my 3 kids ages 7, 7 & 12)will be on the campsite Friday and Saturday night!! Should be a blast, my kids loved the Sailsbury trip and are super excited for this one!!

Gutted I am missing this one  - Still have the pic of your boy playing in the ice - love it! - Hope you have a blast! (hopefully this time you will go home in one piece  )

[UKTJ]

53 minutes ago, SheffieldWrangler said:

Ok thanks for the reassurance. Indeed it’s had Buzz work done but no lift. It was done before I bought it though so I’m not 100% sure of what exactly was done. 
 

Is it essential I get a CB radio? I’d rather get one that’s fitted to the aux power in the car but won’t have time before this weekend. I could get a hand held one but seems a waste of money if I’ll replace with a bigger unit later. 
 

does everyone else have one? 

Unless you already have a ticket you may be out of luck.  Shop currently shows no tickets available

[Chrisby]

Looking like a good one, hoping the Snow is still there at the weekend .

@SheffieldWranglerHave you booked ? I can't see you on the list and I believe that tickets are all allocated as this is a limited numbers event .

[SheffieldWrangler]

28 minutes ago, UKTJ said:

Unless you already have a ticket you may be out of luck.  Shop currently shows no tickets available

Ah ****. You're right. 

Just bought the CB radio and found a place to stay indoors aswell! Should have got a ticket sooner.

 

Is there any chance of more tickets opening up? 

[SheffieldWrangler]

Just now, Chrisby said:

Looking like a good one, hoping the Snow is still there at the weekend .

@SheffieldWranglerHave you booked ? I can't see you on the list and I believe that tickets are not all allocated as this is a limited numbers event .

No, missed out this time

[Chrisby]

1 minute ago, SheffieldWrangler said:

Ah ****. You're right. 

Just bought the CB radio and found a place to stay indoors aswell! Should have got a ticket sooner.

 

Is there any chance of more tickets opening up? 

Unfortunately not on this type of event as we must run specific numbers in small groups to comply with GLASS Guidelines as the areas are very sensitive to other groups pushing the for removal  of vehicular rights on the Green Lanes . 

[SheffieldWrangler]

ah ok. No worries

[Hecklejk]

47 minutes ago, MGomes said:

Gutted I am missing this one  - Still have the pic of your boy playing in the ice - love it! - Hope you have a blast! (hopefully this time you will go home in one piece  )

That was a great photo!! Almost done with the edit of my video!! Been stupid busy with work!!

[MGomes]

25 minutes ago, Hecklejk said:

That was a great photo!! Almost done with the edit of my video!! Been stupid busy with work!!

Bloody work right!lol

[UKTJ]

17 hours ago, Hecklejk said:

That was a great photo!! Almost done with the edit of my video!! Been stupid busy with work!!

Looking forward to seeing that.

 

How did you get on with sorting your control arm?

[UKTJ]

Current forecast is for heavy snow in Corwen and Conwy today.  The forecast I have says for tomorrow and Saturday temperatures will be on the cusp between more snow and rain.  But prudent to allow some extra time getting there on Saturday morning I think.

[V]

Driving on unsealed surfaces in snow is great fun but it comes with hidden dangers under the snow particularly when snow drifts fill up ditches making the road surface look wider than it actually is. This applies to kerbless tarmac lanes in the countryside as much as byways. Be particularly careful if you have to give way to passing traffic. Despite having a lot of snow driving experience, the number of times I've done this in my Jeep in snow covered Wales is too embarrassing to reveal. I have managed to drive out of the ditches each time but if I had slipped into them at 20mph it could be more than just embarrassing. Take care.

 

Also be wary of sheep and lambs sheltering under snow covered hedges. They will jump out in front of you to run away instead of staying put. If on snow, try not to swerve. Keep in a straight line while slowing down. A lot of sheep and lambs do not survive deep snow for a multitude of reasons.

[Volant165]

Dear all,

 

Quick update! The JOC team are watching the weather closely & a recce will be undertaken tomorrow as safety is our key concern.

We will provide an update as soon as this is complete. 

 

Mrs V & Team JOC

 

 

[UKTJ]

13 minutes ago, Volant165 said:

Dear all,

 

Quick update! The JOC team are watching the weather closely & a recce will be undertaken tomorrow as safety is our key concern.

We will provide an update as soon as this is complete. 

 

Mrs V & Team JOC

 

 

Do you know when you will be able to provide an update?  I am travelling to Shropshire tomorrow mid afternoon to stay with my daughter so she can come with me on the weekend.

[UKTJ]

On 08/03/2023 at 13:22, Chrisby said:

Looking like a good one, hoping the Snow is still there at the weekend..

I was too, but now worried that if it is the trip may be cancelled.

[Chrisby]

2 hours ago, UKTJ said:

Do you know when you will be able to provide an update?  I am travelling to Shropshire tomorrow mid afternoon to stay with my daughter so she can come with me on the weekend.

I’m taking the day off tomorrow to go to Wales a day early to actually assess the risk presented by the snowfall personally. Due to commitments I’ll be there mid to later afternoon so will update as soon as I can .

The snowfall is set to be unprecedented, but I prefer to rely on getting eyes on before we make any decision on what we can/can’t do in regards to getting on the lanes. Regardless, I’ll be at the Giler arms for the weekend.

 

[UKTJ]

6 minutes ago, Chrisby said:

I’m taking the day off tomorrow to go to Wales a day early to actually assess the risk presented by the snowfall personally. Due to commitments I’ll be there mid to later afternoon so will update as soon as I can .

The snowfall is set to be unprecedented, but I prefer to rely on getting eyes on before we make any decision on what we can/can’t do in regards to getting on the lanes. Regardless, I’ll be at the Giler arms for the weekend.

 

OK, thanks for that Chris (and for taking even more time out to check out conditions). Sounds like I may need to set off before the update will be in.  If I am already in Shropshire I will also be at the Y Giler Arms on Saturday come what may, full payment for the room has already been taken so I may as well.

 

My daughter is about an hour and a quarter South West of Corwen.  She said there had been snow where she was, but probably not as much as forecast*.  Not enough to mean she was not still driving around in her little Corsa anyway.  Hopefully the situation is similar in the areas we plan to go to, so e snow but not too much snow.

 

* It seems to me that weather forecasts, particularly the BBC, seem to be very much systematically worst case these days.  I have speculated they do this deliberately so when they forecast a terrible day and the reality is bad but not as bad as forecast everyone is happy, whereas if it turns out worse than forecast everyone berates the forecasters.

[Chrisby]

The snowfall seems to be very much dependent on elevation, but as I said before, I’d rather personally take a look and make a decision based on the risks that are actually there, rather than what is forecasted. Picture is from a friend that has a farm and campsite about 30 minutes south of where we are planning to be. This was taken this morning before the additional snowfall. I’ll be talking with some locals that I know, North Wales police and a local that knows every inch of the green lanes in the area.

Unfortunately, the weather is it out of our hands and I would rather mitigate the risk by postponing the event than risk anybody’s vehicle or personal safety by going ahead when the risks are too high.

 

[UKTJ]

BBC's Wales correspondent on lunch time news filmed in lovely sunshine in Mold, N. Wales, reporting snow is melting.  Amber weather warning for snow now lifted, but because of snow melting and forecast for it to be cold tonight it has been replaced by a new one for ice.  However, that only runs until tomorrow morning.  Conditions seem to be improving, so fingers crossed the conditions are improving just in time for the weekend event.

[TimC]

Of course, on the downside, large amounts of melting snow means lots more water on Strata Florida and the Corwen Carwash which could be potential problems. Both have always been OK whenever I've done them but I do remember doing Breasthigh lane in the Lakes E to W one time after/during a lot of rain ( in the summer!) and getting all the way to the ford on the West end, it was a torrent. We  stood and looked at it for a while wondering how brave/stupid we would have to be to attempt it. In the end we turned round and went back the way we came which was, I think, the right decision. 

Fingers crossed it all looks good for the weekend 

[Grant Tuscan]

We are about to leave Buckinghamshire, will head to the pub/campsite and check for any JOC updates.  Fingers crossed there's sufficient melting this afternoon.  My tel is 07961 182832. 

Cheers,

Grant

[Volant165]

Dear all,

 

Following the recce by Chris today the planned routes for Saturday are completely impassible, posing a significant safety risk. The welfare of our members is paramount. 
 

Brad, Chris & I are currently at the Y Giler Arms  trying to formulate a new plan of action of which one possibility is to do Strata tomorrow (Saturday) due to its lower elevation and less snowfall, having spoken to people who have driven those lanes today. 

Can you please let us know if you'd be happy to do this bearing in mind there is a 2 hour plus drive / journey from the B&B to Strata and back. The best way to get hold of us is admin@jeepowners.club as the phone signal here is intermittent.
 

Team JOC (Mrs V, Chris & Brad) 
 

[XMFjeep]

Hey Team, happy to meet at the start of Strada, let me know time and place.

[UKTJ]

Happy to go with plan to do Strata Florida tomorrow.  Where would we meet, the Y Giler?

[Volant165]

1 hour ago, XMFjeep said:

Hey Team, happy to meet at the start of Strada, let me know time and place.

See you there 12:30-1