50cc bike trip

I just read your ‘top adventure motorcyclists’ article on the website and thought I’d share my biking experience too to emphasise ANYONE really can do this and how much I’d recomend it.

Last year me and a friend (both aged 16), after much discussion at the back of our science classroom decided that in the summer we would embark on an epic road trip we’d never forget.

Wales immediately sprung to mind given we were still on our 50cc steeds – this seemed a reasonable target with some awesome potential for all the thrills (hopefully not the spills) of a proper bike trip.

A few months down the line after much saving and after the sale of my beloved bicycle to fund it, we were setting off in search of the best riding road in Wales.

Both bikes were fully loaded with the aid of some old shower curtains (for waterproofing) and some bungie straps and we set off from Helmdon (near Silverstone) to whatever Wales could offer.

The initial journey resulted in many wrong turns and due to being unable to go on many of the larger roads, a rather long time was spent on the road. Still, many hours later we set up camp in a nice site on the Welsh border for just £6 a night.

The next day we set off from Bishops Castle (campsite location) and rode to Aberystwyth where we enjoyed budget sandwiches and a well deserved sit down!

After riding back to camp we looked back on what felt like an incredible achievement, feasted on sausages cooked on a disposable barbeque – complete with tent pegs as forks – and planned the next days riding.

We ended up riding the A483 from Newtown to Landrindod Wells with many low speed overtakes and corners that made us feel like Valentino Rossi despite only being an nth of his speed.

Day three a trip to the Elan Valley near Rhayader was the icing on what had proven to be an incredible trip so far. Even the rain and littering of sheep accross the roads couldn’t dull our spirits – a truly remarkable place with incredible potential for fun on some 50cc supermotos!

Riding home the next day, grinning the whole way back I rode reflecting on what an epic trip to mark the summer it had been.

It may seem rather a small insignificant trip compared to the likes of the Long Way Round, however it seemed bigger and better because we were really doing it!

Not just a Scot and a fat bloke on the TV! At a cost of just under £100 (mostly spent on fuel and 2 stroke oil) we had conquered Wales on our Derbi’s and had 4 days of unforgettable riding.

I’d recomend a bike trip of any scale to anyone – it really doesn’t have to strain your wallet and it can be done regardless of your bike.

Not much horsepower and a 6 litre fuel tank was fine for us. Who needs a Pan European and lots of money to travel? – not me.