Ep63 | Crossing the Barmouth Rail Bridge by Motorcycle (and more of course)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2024
- The challenges keep coming on our trip around the English and Welsh coastline. See how we managed to navigate this unusual right of way.
Hello and welcome to the Great British Biking Adventures Coast Series. In this series we are travelling around the coast on our motorcycle, a Honda VFR1200X Crosstourer.
A lot of our viewers are bike enthusiasts but this series will appeal to a wider audience. Why? Because there’s so much more to the Coast series than motorcycles. There’s the challenges, the journey, geography, history and people. You get to travel the entire coast of England and Wales with us, see how we did it, share our ups and downs, experience English culture, the history and hear about the people that made Britain ‘Great’!
What’s also good about the coast series is it doesn’t matter when you start watching, it’s like one of those open top bus tours - you can get on at any point and just keep going until you arrive back where you started.
Who are we? We’re a husband & wife living in an unremarkable coastal town in England. We’ve been married 35 years and were brought together by motorcycles. One day, Esther’s Honda Melody broke down and she brought it to Jarrod’s motorcycle shop - the rest (as they say) is history.
One cold February day, we started riding along the seafront and just kept going. We wanted to record the experience to have something to watch in the future - the TH-cam channel was an afterthought. Take a look at those first few episodes to see just how novice we were, cobbling together what little phone footage we had to try to make a story. To make up for our amateur recording and shyness we added information in the editing. This set the tone and style of our videos, we hope you like it. We like to think we’ve improved and hopefully you’ll agree, take a look, compare our earlier videos with the later ones and let us know in the comments.
There’s also the filming and production journey. When we started we knew nothing about filming, video and audio production, editing, TH-cam and the like. We’ve learnt loads and spent loads in time and money along the way but it’s been almost as enjoyable as the journey itself. You’ll hopefully appreciate how far we’ve come.
But what’s with all those bible verses we hear you say. We know some of you don’t appreciate this aspect, one or two have told us in the comments! That’s fine - it really is. All are equally welcome here, believers and unbelievers. It would be a pity if you enjoyed everything else but just stopped watching because of the Christian references but we completely accept you’re free to do as you please.
Our faith has prompted us to include a bible verse in our videos and sometimes a Christian perspective on the things we talk about. The channel is not about Christianity but our faith cannot be separated from it. We hope and pray that it will make you think, inquire and even bring you into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
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Each week i think it doesn't get beter than this! then i watch the latest video and i'm blow away with it it all. A bike blue sky,sand,sea,various railways,horses,kids excitedly waving and a naughty lady, what more could anyone want? Bloody marvallous.
Cheers John. I blame you for your lovely comments saying how each week was better than the last! It keeps us trying to raise the bar!
I wasn't aware of the right of way over the bridge, so thanks for giving us a glimpse of what it's like.
Does it tempt you to have a good? You can actually go around the estuary using Barmouth and the delightful Penmaenpool wooden toll Bridge a bit further up.
Still no motorcycle sign in September 2024. However the bridge is complete. I love your short cut to Fairboure kind of in the middle of the estuary looking inland to Barmouth bridge. A stunning VT capturing a very special area in Wales. Wow and thank you.
Thanks for your comment Julian. We ended up re-watching this episode after you posted and without wanting to sound proud agree with what you said 😁😁😁
What a truly amazing adventure to have as a couple. I was at Bangor University in the early 90s and had my trusty R65RS to enjoy the roads and the wonderful scenery. I would love to do journey like yours, but my wife will not even sit on the bike let alone go anywhere. I have joined you very late but will be going back to the start, ride safe
We rode through Bangor back in episode 55! Quite a few people have recently found us and gone back to the start, you have quite some catching up to do!!! Maybe you and your wife can watch our series together? Let us know what you think in the comments along the way.
Welcome aboard 😃
Been going to Barmouth for years and always said 'one day, we'll walk across the bridge'. Last year we did it. walked across the bridge, round the path to Fairbourne and then back to Barmouth on the ferry. Had an ice cream at Knickerbockers to celebrate. My youngest was 4 then, he's 5 now and the hardest bit was getting him up the Porkington Terrace to the bridge 'cos it's steep. We'll do it again this year.
We will have to return just to do the walk. We've done the cycle path along the estuary when our children were young and it was great 👍
Hey gotchu! Its Thom from Maerakech flight. Plad to meet you both 😊
Hey Thom, great to meet you today. Brilliant conversation.
Another delightful episode. I’ve never been to Wales very much but you paint are really beautiful portrait of the coastline there. Well done.
Wales coast is undoubtedly beautiful, but arguably the Welsh inland is where it really excels. The great thing about Wales is it's not that far from most places in England and somehow feels different. You really must plan a trip Mike.
That wooden road over the bridge is one of th emost bizarre things I've seen done on a bike. You're much braver than me, I would have been too concerned about meeting an angry ambler 🙄 The view in North Wales are amazing, Thanks for sharing your journey 💚
I have been checking my phone every 5 minutes in anticipation of your comment. You once said we had to keep going after Coast, well YOU have to keep posting!!!😄
As for the bridge, you have to seriously consider it if you're planning a Wales tour, quite an experience but not without its challenges.
As well as the angry amblers, there's the entry/exit at the Barmouth end and the toll booth to get your boxer engine through 🤣
I'll defo keep posting :-) Been delayed as went away on our first camping trip of the year. We stayed near you at Petruth site. Super impressive. It was a little chilly though! My biking budding was in the army for years so has lots of good kit whereas my Lidl summer sleeping bag wasn't quite able to cope with 5 degrees @@greatbritishbikingadventures 🥶
Camping in the cold, we know all about that😆
Good point! And camping in floods @@greatbritishbikingadventures 🙈
I’m really enjoying this lovely series and cannot understand why Honda didn’t update the cross tourer and still have it as a current model, who needs a chain driven tourer ! Anyway i think the Scotland NC 500 should be your next tour.
Ride safe.
Thank you Adrian. It's a pity that Honda have not only given up on the CT but also that peach of a V4 motor. Just as Ducati have embraced it!
It seems Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki have retreated to small model range based around a few engines, mainly inline twin's. How ironic considering that was the very mistake the British manufacturers made, leaving the door open to the Japanese to take over with wider ranges and a variety of engines.
I did Barmouth bridge on my Wales trip. Had a grumpy old man tut as I rode past which I can understand.
Also had a class of school children, the teacher told them to stop and let the bike pass... While we were in your "section 3" 😨 I'm thinking "No, let them get to the wide section and stop"
Yeah, in fairness a lot of people probably aren't aware of the motorcycle access. Or am I being too charitable? 🤔
So beautiful ❤ well done on the bridge, it looked difficult fully loaded but you made it look easy, nice interaction with the train passengers 😅
Thanks for your comment David, it's provided an opportunity to highlight the risks.
Crossing on a motorcycle shouldn't be taken lightly (slight pun intended). Unless people are confident in their skills It's probably best to give it a miss, especially on a larger bike. The entry/ exit point at the Barmouth end is not easy to negotiate.
If people decide to do it and it does go wrong please don't complain and spoil it for everyone else.
Well I enjoyed that ride very much, you showed me a way I didn’t know existed and will certainly try it during my rides thankyou both and you got the lovely weather aswell 👍🏍️
Glad you enjoyed it. You're rapidly becoming one of our regulars. 😃
That was a good episode to watch as are all of your vids thanks
Thanks Nigel, we really appreciate being appreciated. 😃
Not all pedestrians like push bikes let alone bikes. The estuary ride is pretty scenic with lovely pub at the bridge
We try not to let it bother us but do wonder what you have to do to get a smile out of some people😃. We decided only to show the happy folk and not to feature the grumpy ones.😒 There was an exception where we kept in the sandy section so anyone thinking of doing it would know.
As for the scenery, it's really lovely isn't it. Wales seems to have it all in a relatively small area.
Been to Barmouth. It’s beautiful
Underrated. We first went nearly 40 years ago and it was a bit tired but has really come into its own since then.
What a beautiful area.
It really is Alan. Trouble is, we're letting everyone know!🤫. Hope you are well?
Another gem, very interesting facts given throughout the video, I went to Barmouth but we were in a car. We could see the bridge from our hotel. A few miles away we went for a good curry at a place run by an ex Bollywood star. look forward to seeing you again next week.
Cheers Richard. We're currently on another adventure. We're filming it but not sure it will feature on the channel yet. We did 600km today!
Pretty tired, just eaten and ready to get our heads down to do it all again tomorrow!
@@greatbritishbikingadventures Wow thats some miles fair play to you. If I did that I would need to be surgically need to be removed from the seat. All the best for tomorrow take care.
That looks great fun! I too have panniers on my boulevard which aren't quick release, so I'm wondering what the maximum width a user would need to be to get along that bridge including around those metal bars at the end?
I think the metal bars will be gone by now with new bridge. The width will be governed by the toll gate, which was barely handlebar width. Also, the turning from the road is a bit daunting, especially when the road is busy.
Welcome aboard Mark.
Think that’s Bridge I saw on someone’s clip of return journey from Dragon Rally
Worth a trip to Wales for the experience, such a lovely area.
Did you pay the troll 😊 i went over the bridge a couple of times in early march on my ebike. The new sections look great but the gale force winds made it a very wobbly ride
We have to be honest, with everything else going on, we completely forget to leave something. Thanks for the update about the new section. Presumably, it's still open for motorcycles?
@@greatbritishbikingadventures I didn’t see any new signs so I presume it’s still Ok for motorbikes. If anything they could do with signs making it clear motorbikes are allowed as pedestrians seem surprised to see them on there
TRF say they are trying to get signs but I doubt they will be approved because I suspect the authorities probably will prefer if bikes didn't use it.
I have to drive that railway bridge.
Not as much as we have to ride Ireland!
@@greatbritishbikingadventures Certainly have to see Wales. Over here you will find near empty roads (outside Dublin). Great food. You'll have fun here.
i went from tywyn to barmouth on the coast road never went in land
You'll recognise next week's episode then! Lovely stretch.
Why you would ride a bike over Barmouth bridge rather than take the lovely road around beggars belief !. That surely shouldnt be allowed. I wouldnt even dream of taking my KTM over there anyway for how awkward it is and pissing other people off into the bargain.Not religious either, but an otherwise enjoyable video.
As you say, it's a fantastic road and has the delightful Penmaenpool wooden toll Bridge further up but on this trip we were determined to use the first available crossing in order to avoid straying any further from the coast than we had to.