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Speed Track Tales

~ A history of the International Six Days Trial and Welsh Motorcycling

Speed Track Tales

Tag Archives: Llangollen

Reliability Trials: Hill Cup Trial 1924

05 Tuesday May 2015

Posted by Highwayman in England, Magazine, Reliability Trials, UK, Wales

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Allt y Badi, Conquering Hero, Glyn Ceiriog, Helsby Bluff, Llangollen


This report of the Hill Cup Trial, a reliability trial organised by the Sale and District MCC was found in the December 1924 issue of ‘Motor Sport‘. There are no images available with this report. The event is quite an epic starting in South Manchester. The ‘Colonial Sections’ were public road where a low speed average was maintained due to frequency of other traffic) A number of riders appear mentioned here also featured in contemporary event reports.

“SALE & DISTRICT MOTOR CYCLE CLUB.

This Club’s Annual Hill Cup Trial was run off recently, in an interesting way, on lines which the Committee of the Club have found to be most generally acceptable to the average member. There were no checks on those portions of the route which ran along good main roads. There were some stiff hills to be observed and some short stretches of colonial section had to be traversed in order to reach them. Checks were instituted over the Colonial Section and hills only. The route led over Helsby Bluff and Glyn Ceiriog, and lunch was taken at Llangollen. After lunch Allt-y-Bady had to be negotiated and the run home from there was comparatively easy.

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Two Men, Two Mounts, Two Countries, Two Days

18 Monday Aug 2014

Posted by Highwayman in Europe, Manufacturers, Media, Motorcycling, Motorsport, restoration, UK, Wales, Welsh Borders

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

5/5, Allt y Badi, Bala, Bwlch y Groes, Corwen, Dinas Mawddwy, Eunant Pass, Lake Vyrnwy, Llangollen, Triumph, Twin


The mission of SpeedTrackTales is not just to capture as a record the history of the people the bikes and places of the International Six Days Trial. It is also important we learn of, and reflect on the social and  cultural conditions of those times that contributed to both the development of the sport of Reliability Trials and its evolution to be renamed Enduro as well as the history of land access and the impact of the modernisation of highways and land management during the era. In many cases the sports happily co-existed with local people going about their own daily business.

The road twists and turns all over the place, and it seemed to be full of country folk shepherding home animals from Corwen market.

For this article reproduces an article written and published in the weekly ‘Motor Cycling‘ 28 November 1934. The article is a test of two models of Triumph the 5/5 and the Twin models for 1935. The test compromised of a tour around North Wales, but in particular it took in the classic roads in regular use by the ISDT and reliability trials of the time such as ‘the Reliance Trial’

Early on Wednesday morning we were skirting Bala Lake and heading for Hirnant Pass, en route for Lake Vyrnwy. The lane we traversed were shockingly surfaced. It was an endless procession of large culverts, cart ruts, slimy mud, rocks and everything else imaginable.

It is clear that by 1934 the area was very familiar to many in the Motorcycle industry as a place to both test Motorcycles and to undertake adventure tours by motorbike. It goes without saying to do this motorbikes were required to be reliable and handle well where road surface conditions were still poor. Places like the Bwlch y Groes, Eunant Pass and the Allt y Badi regularly feature in both test articles and event reports.

Long, gruelling climbs made no difference, either. Taking the Eunant Pass from Lake Vyrnwy,” we climbed another 1,000feet, which brought us out near the top of the famous Bwlch-y-Groes.

The article, coincided with the holding of the annual ‘Reliance Trial’ in the North East Wales area, the report for this event can be found here.

image - the artwork and images for the test taken on the Allt y Badi

image – the artwork and images for the test taken on the Allt y Badi (Courtesy Mortons Media Group)

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A ripping yarn from 1919 about Motorcycle Trials in Llangollen

11 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Highwayman in Trials, Wales

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Allt y bady, Llangollen


It was interesting to find this news cutting of the 6 June 1919 as it indicates the trials in the area that used the Allt y Bady had some kind of ‘Official’ status back in 1919 which is confirmed in this story of two motorcycle traffic offences which took place in the vicinity of the Allt y Bady although were not related to competitors in the event.

Motor Cycle Trials Sequel.
CONVICTION AT LLANGOLLEN.
At Llangollen Petty Sessions, on Monday, before Lord Trevor and other magistrates, William Amos Rossenall Brown, 5, Bayswater road, Handsworth, Birmingham, was charged, by P.S. H. Jones with having driven a motor cycle at a dangerous speed in the town. Defendant, who did not appear, was represented by Mr. E. Foulkes Jones.- P.S. Jones stated that on May 18th defendant came down a hill and round a corner at a very high speed. There was a lot of motor traffic about and if defendant had met any other vehicle on the corner a serious accident would have occurred. In defence, Mr. Foulkes Jones said defendant’s machine had got very over-oiled and he was travelling down hill on low gear.-— Defendant was fined £5 and costs.
H. W. Graesser Thomas, Riversdale, Ruabon, was charged by P.S. Jones with driving a motor cycle and sidecar recklessly at Grapes Hill, Llangollen, on May 18. Mr. G. M. G. Mitchell, Shrewsbury, appeared for defendant. — P.S. Jones said that from information he received he went to Grapes Hill, on May 18 and saw defendant there. He found an accident had taken place and questioned defendant about it. Defendant told him that he was descending the hill, and when he applied his brake the machine skidded and toppled over. Two children had been knocked down, and defendant gave the children’s mother £2 to cover the injury to the children and the clothing.— Cross examined, He did not know official trials were being carried out at Allt-y-bady. There were a lot of motorists about, witness arrived on the scene about 5 minutes after the accident. The children had their clothes torn, one had a bruised arm and the other a cut knee. — Mr. F. W. Roberts said he was coming down the Grapes Hill at the time together with his two children. He saw defendant’s motor cycle coming behind him, He walked towards the footpath, and as soon as he stopped on the path the cycle knocked his children down. The hill was very dangerous and defendant was on the wrong side of the road. Defendant told witness he did not know he had knocked anybody down, but gave witness’s wife £2. The children, who were aged 3 and 7 years respectively, were walking on the road and not on the footpath. Harold Dean also gave evidence and said, so far as the children were concerned it was a pure accident.— Defendant said he was a manufacturing chemist. He had beem driving for 10 years and daily for the last 3 years. He had travelled over 6,000 miles on his present machine, and had never been summoned before. When he was descending Grapes Hill he picked up Mr. Diggory. He was travelling slowly on second gear. His machine was a 8-10 h.p. machine, which, in second gear, would only travel 18 to 20 miles an hour all out. At the spot where the accident occurred he (defendant) was actually stopping in order to set Mr. Diggory down on the corner. Just when he was slowing down some flies got into his left eye, and in putting his hand to his eye ‘he must have opened the throttle of his machine, which shot forward. He pulled the machine across the road and in doing so; it toppled over. If he had been travelling fast the machine would have suffered, but no damage was done except to bend a foot rest. The lamp was not damaged and neither was the lamp glass broken. He did not see the children until after the accident, when the father told him he had knocked them down. He then gave the children’s mother £2 to cover the damage. – Mr. L. C. Diggory, who was riding on the back seat of defendant’s machine, corroborated defendant’s statement, and said the accident occurred about 30 yards from where defendant was going to put him down. — Defendant was fined £5. We understand that Mr. Graesser Thomas intends to appeal against the decision.

It is possible Mr LC Diggory was one of the Diggory’s who owned iron foundries and Flour water mills at nearby Froncysyllte, 

Reliability Trials: Reliance Trial 1935

06 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by Highwayman in Motorcycling, Trials, Wales

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Allt y Badi, Glyn Ceriog, Jack Williams, Llangollen, Maeshafen, Mold, New Imperial, Norton, Reliance Trial


I was recently very fortunate to stumble on an original copy of ‘the Motor Cycle‘ for 1935 in which there was a 3 page report with images of the Liverpool Motor Club’s ‘Reliance Trial’

The event which had become a classic on the British sports calendar was a reliability trial and not a sporting trial so the skill was sustaining riding for the duration of the event rather than excelling at specific section challenges. in 1935 the event was based at Mold in Flintshire although in its earliest years it had started on Merseyside with competitors travelling into North Wales.

This is the Article as published in ‘the Motor Cycle‘ October 24th 1935

IN spite of a timed restarting test on Allt-y-Bady and a short, rough section that had to be covered at not less than schedule speed, it was impossible to separate the performances of the only two riders who retained clean sheets in last Saturday’s Reliance Trial in North Wales. The two out standing men who were G.E.Rowley (560 A.J.S.) and L.G.Holdsworth (346 New Imperial), and as there was no rule giving preference to the smaller capacity machine, the two stand as joint holders of the ‘Reliance Trophy. Thus a most unusual situation is created, for It seldom happens in open events that the “premier” cannot be placed in one particular direction, especially when two special tests are used in view of possible ties.

Photo - Trials riders find their way up Heartbrak Hill, Glyn Ceiriog during the Reliance Trial 1935

Photo – Trials riders find their way up Heartbreak Hill, Glyn Ceiriog during the Reliance Trial 1935

This year the trial started at Mold instead of at Llangollen, although it finished at the latter place as usual. The change was thought to indicate that something new would be introduced, but the event was much the same as other Reliance Trials, with the hills of the Bady range as the notable obstacles, Heartbreak and Ken’s Cut in particular. Vron, that long grassy slope which seems endless (and surfaceless) on a wet day, proved no stumbling block on this occasion, and Allt-y-Bady, which is slowly reverting to trials calibre after being repaired a few years ago, was used for the timed restart. In spite of the 1 in 3.8 gradient now having a surface “like a heap of dominoes’.’ (as one rider put it), even two-fifties made no bones about standing starts, which is an indication of the improvement in modern engines and the grip of present-day “comp.” tyres. The sidecars, however, were not too happy; they needed all the urge available from a gradient point of view, and yet when their skippers “gave them the gun” it mostly happened that the front wheels caressed the earth lightly and sportively and the outfits slewed round crabwise, and that was that.

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Heritage Routes revisited: Allt y Bady

20 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by Highwayman in Europe, Photography, Wales

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1932, Allt y bady, Llangollen, Military Tests


I was clearly slacking last year when  I missed this image turn up on eBay in the USA featuring an army vehicle test taking place on the Allt y Bady. It comes from contemporary press archives and if anyone knows how to locate a decent copy please feel free to spill the beans. We know from other material that the British Army quite extensively used the Llangollen area to evaluate vehicles for procurement in a series of tests using the sever terrain of the Horseshoe Pass, Ruabon Mountain and the Area between Llangollen and Glyn Ceiriog. This picture was taken in 1932 on the Allt y Bady complete with parked half track truck.

Photo - Armored Car during Trials on Allt-Y-Bady 1932

Photo – Armored Car during Trials on Allt-Y-Bady 1932

ISDT Heritage Highways – Allt y Bady, Llangollen, Wales

04 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by Highwayman in Book, Enduro, Gelände Sport, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, Wales, Welsh Borders

≈ 5 Comments

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Allt y Badi, Llangollen, North Wales


Back in 1933 the International Six Days Trial (ISDT) first visited Wales and in a report in the ‘Western Daily Press‘ of the event, the course was described as requiring competitors each day to ‘ride over the most difficult and dangerous roads in the British Isles‘ this was Britain between the wars with little need to travel to far off countries for excitement and adventure. The ISDT started in 1913 and much of its course followed tracks that in pictures appear they were made for farm carts yet, today, many of them are surfaced ‘A’ class roads.

Gallt y badi

Hyll, du, budr, yw Allt y Badi; – un serth,
Mae’n hawdd syrthio arni;
Pe syrthiwn ar ei serthni;
Yn ’sgyrion hollt â’i’m hesgyrn i.

The fact was the nation’s road network  had been a considered such a national disgrace in the 1800’s that it required a Parliamentary Commission to fix, this ultimately led to the decision when establishing the new County Councils in the mid 1800’s for them to take over managing main roads. By the 1927 Local Government Act, what roads were left being managed by the District and Parish Councils were passed over the the County Councils. This was at a time there was an increasing demand by the public for the metalling of highways with the increasingly popular Tar Macadam to provide a level all weather surface better suited to the needs of motor cars.

Not a problem then worrying the ISDT organisers, who knew that many of the rural roads were still unmade and which, occaisionally, might only be treated to heaps of crushed rock to fill up holes to ensure the carts full of farmer’s turnips could be safely wheeled to market towns for sale. The roads of the early ISDT years were sufficient for their intended purpose to test motorcycle reliability. Although some private land was available for events, with heavy bikes with little or no suspension the public road network, as it was then, was more than adequate for the job. Local communities were also keen to see the event come though their area, both for the people it bought in and the distraction from the daily norm it gave to those in rural areas long before the distraction of TV or radio became popular social barbiturates.

In the Heritage Highways features we will try to examine a bit more about Roads that hold a particular iconic legacy for the event. If you have a candidate highway let me know, this is the first edition which is the ‘Allt y Baddy’, near Llangollen, Denbighshire. The earliest written reference to the road is found in a poem published in 1878 by the Welsh poet Ioan Myllon which is as follows

Gallt y badi

Hyll, du, budr, yw Allt y Badi; – un serth,
Mae’n hawdd syrthio arni;
Pe syrthiwn ar ei serthni;
Yn ’sgyrion hollt â’i’m hesgyrn i.

in english it reads

Gallt y badi

Ugly, black, dirty is Allt y Badi – so steep
It’s easy to slip on her
If I fell on her steepness
Wholly splintered my bones would be

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Contents of Pages

  • About
  • General History of the ISDT 1913 – 1979
  • INDEX of ISDT Events
    • ISDT 1913 – England
    • ISDT 1914 – France
    • ISDT 1920 – France
    • ISDT 1921 – Switzerland
    • ISDT 1922 – Switzerland
    • ISDT 1923 – Sweden & Norway
    • ISDT 1924 – Belgium
    • ISDT 1925 – England & Wales
    • ISDT 1926 – England
    • ISDT 1927 – England
    • ISDT 1928 – England
    • ISDT 1929 – Mid Europe
    • ISDT 1930 – France & Italy
    • ISDT 1931 – Italy
    • ISDT 1932 – Italy
    • ISDT 1933 – Wales
    • ISDT 1934 – Germany
    • ISDT 1935 – Germany
    • ISDT 1936 – Germany
    • ISDT 1937 – Wales
    • ISDT 1938 – Wales
    • ISDT 1939 – Germany
    • ISDT 1947 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1948 – Italy
    • ISDT 1949 – Wales
    • ISDT 1950 – Wales
    • ISDT 1951 – Italy
    • ISDT 1952 – Austria
    • ISDT 1953 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1954 – Wales
    • ISDT 1955 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1956 – W Germany
    • ISDT 1957 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1958 – W Germany
    • ISDT 1959 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1960 – Austria
    • ISDT 1961 – Wales
    • ISDT 1962 – W Germany
    • ISDT 1963 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1964 – E Germany
    • ISDT 1965 – Isle of Man
    • ISDT 1966 – Sweden
    • ISDT 1967 – Poland
    • ISDT 1968 – Italy
    • ISDT 1969 – W Germany
    • ISDT 1970 – Spain
    • ISDT 1971 – Isle of Man
    • ISDT 1972 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1973 – USA
    • ISDT 1974 – Italy
    • ISDT 1975 – Isle of Man
    • ISDT 1976 – Austria
    • ISDT 1977 – Czechoslovakia
    • ISDT 1978 – Sweden
    • ISDT 1979 – W Germany
    • ISDT 1980 – France
  • Folks ‘n Motors
    • Brian Nash’s 1955 ISDT 1953 Royal Enfield 700cc Meteor Trials Combination
    • European Enduro Championships 1968 – 1981
    • ISDT riders : 1934/35/36/37/38 John ‘Jack’ Andrew McLean Leslie
    • Herr Scholte’s Album of 1937
    • Bob Ray – Team Ariel ISDT Ace of the ’50’s
    • The Women at the ISDT
    • The German Enduro all-rounder: Rolf Witthoeft
    • Herbert Schek: a giant of the German ISDT scene
    • The ex-Phil Pike, ISDT 1926 Norton 588cc
    • Tommy Meeten and the Francis Barnett 1927
    • Unknown 488cc Royal Enfield Press Fleet Motorcycle ISDT 1929
    • Road Test: Production 1932 Norton 500cc ‘International’ – the Motor Cycle
    • Silver Vase winning DKW 246 ISDT 1935
    • Percy Sivell’s 1938 ISDT BSA JB25 Empire Star Competition
    • Stuart Waycott’s 1938 ISDT 600 Velocette Outfit
    • Jim Alves’s early career in Motorcycle Trials
    • Arthur Merrett’s works Vincent-HRD 998cc Series-B Rapide 1948 ISDT
    • BSA Gold Star and the ISDT
    • 1951 BSA Bantam D1 – 125cc
    • Georg Meier’s works German Trophy Team BMW 594cc R67/2 ISDT 1953
    • Hugh Viney’s Works AJS 498cc – ISDT 1953
    • Francis Barnett Manufacturers Team Bikes ISDT 1954 & 1955
    • Jim Alves’ 1954 ISDT Triumph 650 twin
    • Unknown 1955 Ariel ISDT bike
    • 1961 Jawa 250cc Type 553 ISDT
    • Arthur Lampkin’s 1965 ISDT TriBSA 502 GOB657D
    • Ken Sedgely’s Suzuki 124cc ISDT 1965
    • Roy Peplow’s works, 1966 ISDT Triumph 490cc Tiger 100S/C
    • Dick Sutton’s 1968 ISDT Cheney Triumph 500 Twin
    • ex British Trophy Team 1968 ISDT 500cc Cheney Triumph
    • Ivor Smart’s ex factory Bultaco 175cc Matador 1970
    • Jim Sandiford’s 1970 ISDT Cheney Triumph 504cc Tiger 100C
    • Bryan Cowshall’s 1972 ISDT Works Cheney BSA 441cc 1969
    • Ken Harvey’s – Team USA Triumph TR5T 500cc ISDT 1973
    • Puch: Austrian Trophy team’s Johann Sommerauer’s works Puch MC 175 ISDT 1973
    • Steve Tell: Monark ISDT team rider
    • Rolf Witthoeft’s 1980 ISDT Works BMW GS 900
  • Miscellaneous ISDT features
    • Mapping the ISDT: Original British ISDT course markers maps recovered
    • Heritage Highways of the ISDT
    • Mapping the ISDT
    • Promotional Material for ISDT
    • ISDT Motorcycle Adverts – 1920’s
    • The Motorcycle Show
    • Miscellaneous Images
    • Miscellaneous Images 2
    • Other Images
  • Artefacts
    • the Speedtracktales Library
  • ISDT tube
    • ISDT History – A video collection
  • ISDT Links
  • Contributors
  • Guest Book

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