Driving is always a challenge around here.  The narrow and winding roads are a particular joy for the sports car enthusiast.

There are glorious roads along the Welsh coast particularly between here and Harlech castle.  There are also roads that will make you feel as if you are truly alone in the world with only sheep as companions.  I love this photo of my car and the completely random phone box.  We hadn’t seen a soul for quite some time — so who uses the phone?   The sheep?

This is a drive over the “Mountain Road.”  Don’t you love a useful name for a road — everything is a mountain road!  How does that tell me anything?  In point of fact, this is the “Mountain Road” above Tregaron.  Still not terribly useful . If you want to do this drive over some beautiful and challenging single tracks then take the road out of Tregaron towards Cwm Berwyn Plantation, pop out the other side of the forest and the phone box is located on  146 OS Map co-ordinates SN 58 76.

Roads are very narrow here.  Master the art of giving way and backing up before you arrive.   This is a photo of my daughter who decided to lie down to demonstrate that she could almost touch both sides of the road in New Quay.  And, yes, this is a two-way road.  If someone is on-coming you will need to back up around a stone wall.  

Here is my best advice about driving in Wales:  always make a mental note of the nearest lay-by — “which sometimes may be behind you.” You will need the lay-bys.   The locals in places like Llangrannog love to watch the tourists trying to back-up the steep hill.  Endlessly amusing.  

Related articles

• Harlech Castle, Wales (starryskyranch.typepad.com)