Adventures | EVO Triangle
With me and my friend both having been infatuated with cars since an early age we had grown up reading EVO & Top Gear magazines conducting head to heads and car reviews on the hallowed EVO Triangle. Naturally we had to take a road trip across!
The Cars...
I drove in my SLK55 AMG it was the second big trip I did in the car and it has a great GT type cruiser quality on long journeys while at the same time being able to turn into a savage snarling beast at the press of the accelerator! We can get into more detail on the characteristics of the car in a separate blog and focus on the journey.
My friend drove in his Mk5 Golf GTI manual, the car had an induction kit, cat back exhaust system, lowered springs and of course a remap! As a manual car it was certainly lively under load especially in the slippy wet conditions Wales always presents you.
The Journey...
Setting off from Norwich I made the mistake of starting a long journey at motorway speeds with the roof down... 3 hours in around Birmingham we had to stop so I could keep my sanity and put the roof up! The journey across to Wales was long and arduous but we hoped the roads at the other end would make up for it.
Heading around the coast to Bangor the anticipation started to build heading through tunnels and feeling the superior Welsh tarmac through the steering wheel I was excited for what was ahead of us. We grabbed a bargain staying in Bangor University halls outside of term time... I cant recall the price but I remember it being cheap and I have never been in a room with more plug sockets which was a bonus for charging all of our equipment.
Day 1
Day 1 Wales blessed us with its typical wet weather. We toured through Anglesey exploring the island me a passenger in the Golf flying over crests and hurtling into bends the amount of grip the FWD chassis could find in the conditions was incredible. We drove throughout the day exploring Snowdonia and the surrounding areas.
Day 2
Day 2 was a better start waking up to a grey but dry day we both knew that this would be a good day. Starting early we set off towards Betws-y-Coed to meet with another friend for Breakfast and to join us on our adventures! Finally we were on the EVO Triangle, as we opened up over the undulating twisting sections you could appreciate why it is seen as one of the best driving roads in the UK. That is not to say it was the best road we found in North Wales but it certainly offers a great mixture of turns, crests and open sections that allow you to test your cars potential.
Day 3
Day 3 was another early start and unfortunately it was the end of our trip and typically it was the brightest sunniest day yet... With no reason to rush home we set about planning a car fuelled day making a stop at the British Motor Museum in Coventry. But first we had to leave Wales to taking a scenic route home through winding A & B roads it was great fun to have a destination to reach but with no set route. We meandered through the Welsh countryside across the lovely smooth tarmac until we reached the museum. Stopping at the museum we got to see a number of notable British motoring icons although I have to say it wasn't the most exciting of places to visit. The rest of the journey home around Birmingham and along the A14 was uneventful and we made it home after a great long weekend!
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The Experience...
As a trip I would highly recommend visiting the EVO Triangle as an idol of British motoring it is one of those trips that all petrol heads should do. The tarmac in Wales is so smooth and seeing ARAF (SLOW in Welsh) always seemed to amuse. Wales in all of the times I have visited has always featured rain but then there is always this lovely cafe in Betws-y-Coed to stop in and have a hot drink.
I hope you enjoyed this story of our adventures. If you have any questions, would like any recommendations or just want to share your own experiences get involved in the comments!
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