Ready for the 'off' outside MacDonalds at the M6 junction 20A services:  new Clogger Drew, Chalkie, Chimes & Debbie, Stuey & Lainey, SteveG, Precious Metal & Sue, Jane, Quiney & Sandra, Nigs, new Clogger Boldrick, Kit, Canary & Julie, Skip, new Clogger Welsh Git and Clive taking the shot.  Even though it was only 09:30 it was HOT!

But before we all got to meet up, here's Kit putting her boots on at 08:20....

.... whilst Skip waits patiently!  We then met up with Rob & Julie and our newly registered Clogger Boldrick on his first run out with us - welcome Grahame.

As we shot south on the M6 Quiney and Precious Metal joined us so we arrived together at McDonalds at 09:00.  And before long the rest of the gang rolled in.  Here's Stu & Garf, Debbie, Sandra, Sue and Julie, and Rob & Grahame.

Our other new Clogger Welsh Git (Tim) joined us and is here talking with Kit.  A warm welcome Tim given that you'd only spotted our event the night before.

Skip tucking into a hash-brownie with Tim.

The 'girls' sporting tea-shirts and vests - Summer's here at last!

The run started along some fast and straightforward 'A' roads to get us onto the A49 to run south along the Welsh border before cutting west onto Bala on increasingly stupendous tricky biking roads where we had our lunch break.  By this time it was getting just 'too' hot!

Normally Skip gets himself down to Stonehenge for the Solstice so to stand in for it this year the Cloggers kindly provided a Pebbelhenge in Bala for his mysterious rites - taking a nap more like!

We actually got to Bala short of two of the original company that started out, more's the pity.  Unfortunately Nige was suffering badly from Hay Fever and showed great fortitude in making it at all, more for Jane's sake as she was so excited about the run, as usual.  However, it really did get the better of him and they sensibly decided to cut short and return home whilst he was still able to make it.  You were both greatly missed and we hope that you got home without mishap.  Make sure you're OK for next Sunday's Lakeland run.

Our route in the afternoon took us through a whole gamut of different road types presenting us all with a wealth of riding challenges and excellent scenery as we rode deep into Snowdonia.  So the stop at the Snowdon observation point was a welcome break.

For part of the run into Snowdonia we were taken on a 'closed road' diversion up into the clouds where the temperature dropped as rapidly as the visibility!  The persistent cloud that stayed with us throughout the Park certainly added atmosphere, but did little for the views.

Looking down the valley to Llyn Gwynant was one of the better ones as you were looking below the cloud level .....

..... but trying to spot Snowdon itself above us was fleeting at best!

So, of course, everyone took advantage of the other facilities!!!  Here's Lainey, Tim, John, Simon and Drew queuing for a Mr. Softie :-) 

And what bikes did we have on this run?  Well, a fair few Blackbirds of course, but also a BMW R1100S, a CBR600,  a VFR800 and an R6.

As we rode back east towards Betws-Y-Coed we left the cloud behind and picked up a brief period of hot sunshine again, but unfortunately it was only short lived so that as the event drew to a close we caught up with the tail-end of the rain and had a short but wet run up the M53 and M56 to our final stop where it turned, and stayed dry.  However, it did little to dampen what was a stupendous day - great roads, wonderful scenery and best of all excellent, easy and fun company :-)

Of course, we couldn't resist documenting yet another occasion when Skip's bike was clean!!!  This'll be the second such to our knowledge.

Here he is checking it over after the night before's shampoo in preparation for his 240 mile return trip to Bognor Regis on Monday.

Stuey's shots taken at the lunch break in Bala:

Stuey's shots taken at the Snowdon observation point: