Wales Rally GB route
Nobody knows the route for this year’s Wales Rally GB like the man who drew it. We’ve asked route coordinator Andrew Kellitt to give us the inside line
“Finally we’ve got a rally town to enjoy” Andrew Kellitt
So, David Evans tells me I’ve got the next four days off. All he wants me to do is tell him where to go. That, I can definitely do… In terms of forests used this year, there’s nothing radically different from in recent years. There can’t be. We’ve used every inch of every forest road available to us in the top half of Wales. We’re missing Gartheiniog due to the presence of Phytophthora Ramorum (that’s a tree disease to the rest of us – not harmful to rally fans, but bad news for the trees) and we’re not going into Clocaenog for the first time in a good few years. That’s because of the continued windfarm developments going on in the area.
But, the rest of the roads are all in there. One of the biggest changes is moving the service park from Deeside to Llandudno. This gives Wales Rally GB the first chance to run a central service park right in the heart of a town. OK, we did something like this when we had Ford and Citroen outside the Millennium building in Cardiff, but I think the buzz will be much better in Llandudno.
We’ve got Rally HQ, service, hotels and restaurants right here in one place – finally we’ve got a rally town to enjoy.
Also new for this year is the start in Liverpool, which is very exciting. Starting the rally outside the Royal
Liver building means we wave the crews away in England for the first time in 20 years and it’s great to have the chance to really take the rally to the people.
That’s where I’d start my spectating experience in my virtual four-day holiday. Actually, one of the real treats will be on the way to the ceremonial start, when all those World Rally Cars go through the Wallasey Tunnel; I’d imagine that noise will be quite spectacular.
The ceremonial start’s always a great place to listen to the drivers’ thoughts ahead of the event, when they’re interviewed on the ramp, but personally I’d soak up a bit of the atmosphere, grab some autographs – and possibly the odd selfie or two – and then I’d be on my way to Oulton Park.
Oulton’s back on the schedule for the first time since 1993 and there’s no end of spectating possibilities here. That’s the great thing about running a stage at a race circuit, they’re tailor-made to get fans in and out with minimum fuss, while offering great access and viewing. Don’t forget, if you can’t make Liverpool, there’s an autograph session at Oulton too.
Friday, october 4
It’s SS3 and Penmachno 1 first up for me. But I’ll be in there very early and going to the left in the main car park (take the hairpin left where the car park splits).
This takes you up to the main quarry area of the stage, which offers great viewing for quite a long time. There’s space to move about safely in the quarry and enjoy the cars from a few angles.
Getting from Penmachno to either of the stages in the next loop – Dyfnant or Aberhirnant – is not possible, so don’t even try. Instead, take a break, get some lunch in Betws-y-coed and then go into
Elsi (SS6). You can see a good three or four corners from the stage access out of the head of the car park.
If you want a longer lunch, why not go straight to Slate Mountain (SS8)? Spectators are well catered for in this short stage carved out of a slate quarry. There’s plenty of standing room on the elevated platforms.
After that, it’s up to Llandudno for service or down to Dyfi to bed down in the car and get ready for a long day on Saturday.
For those who want to do Dyfnant
(SS4/9) and Aberhirnant (SS5/10), the good news is that they’re in fantastic shape. Dyfnant has the usual spectating along what used to be Irish Corner and into the hairpin left closer to the car park.
Aberhirnant second time through will be special. Head for car park H and get as far up the hill as you can. This is about as high as the event goes in terms of altitude and if the cloud’s come down, it’ll be incredibly atmospheric; you’ll be able to hear the cars coming for miles with the odd flash of headlights, then they’ll just appear out of the mist before you.
If it’s a clear night, don’t worry, it’ll be just as special – you’ll be treated to an amazing WRC light show with the spotlights dancing across the sky. Like I said, either way, it’ll be a great place to go.
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Saturday, October 5
Like yesterday, I’ve got to make your choice here – there’s no way of jumping between stages. If it’s Dyfi, there’s a couple of choices for the car parks with good viewing from both. For me, the car park on the west is preferable – it offers a good view of the cars 200ft below you in what is one of the classic mid-wales stages. We’re running at full length this year and the road’s in perfect condition.
Dyfi will be busy, it always is. If I wanted somewhere a bit quieter, Myherin’s the place. Spectating in this one has changed quite a lot for this year. For the last couple of years we’ve brought fans in off the A44 and up through the hairpins towards the windfarm and Elfyn’s Corner. I’m afraid to say Elfyn’s fans will have to find a new corner this year – the hairpins are going to be used as part of the stage.
Because this is going to be Saturday’s live TV stage, we’ve decided to run the cars down through those famous Pikes Peak hairpins – that’ll make for an exciting end to a great stage. It also makes it easier to get the cars out and across the road and into Sweet Lamb Hafren.
We’ve moved the spectator car park down to the arch on the south side of Myherin and this is why it could be the quietest place in the woods this week – it’s the furthest south the event travels.
I’d say, if you get down there, take a picnic and stay down there for both runs of the stage, which won’t be too long. The good thing is that this area of Myherin is one of the first places that we put a serious spectator infrastructure into seven or eight years ago. The footpath runs alongside the road for almost a mile and a half with lots of good places to watch – staying for both stages will offer you a great chance to explore.
A longer lie-in would mean me going directly to Sweet Lamb Hafren and exploring the amazing opportunities on offer in the bowl and up the hill a bit further. As ever, this place will be packed full of people with great facilities on offer. Sweet Lamb’s become an iconic stage and it does offer the chance to watch rally cars almost continuously.
To combine the two loops, you could do Dyfi in the morning then head to
Sweet Lamb in the afternoon.
Lunchtime on the mid-wales day means a remote tyre zone in Newtown, which is always a great place to see the drivers and co-drivers in the regroup right in the middle of the town centre. There’s potential to slot Newtown in between Dyfi and Sweet Lamb.
Don’t forget the option of getting into Colwyn Bay to see the cars running down the promenade at what’s a new and exciting stage for this year. If you’re coming into the town for the final action on Saturday night, come via Rhos-on-sea, park up and walk to the far end of the stage for a hairpin.
This one’s designed for the spectators and, with the headlights on, it’ll be a real seaside show. The action starts from early with the Red Bull Matadors, a display of Group B rally cars and all sorts of other good stuff to entertain until the World Rally Cars arrive.
Straight into Llandudno for service after that. I know I’m not going to catch the leaders, but it’s always great to watch the WRC 2 and Junior WRC cars coming in.
Sunday, October 6
I’ll join the majority of rally fans bound for the B4501 this morning. The B road that runs down the middle of Llyn Brenig and Alwen Reservoir is a big car park for the final day. And it’s the perfect place to base yourself.
The ideal is to go in Alwen first thing in the morning. Given that it starts at 0728hrs, I’ll be looking at a very early departure from service to get in position for the cars coming through.
After that, it’s over the road for the second running of Brenig. As was the case two years ago, this one’s the powerstage, which means there will be the chance to see plenty of champagne celebrations from the driver who grabs the extra five points.
Brenig runs to the same configuration as before, with lots of viewing potential from the dam at the south end of the lake.
Anybody who wants a steadier day away from the woods is very well catered for in Llandudno. The Great Orme stage starts at 0926hrs and is an easy drive out of town up to the car park on the top of the Orme. From there, there’s a whole range of opportunities to watch one of the most dramatic asphalt stages around. And it’s a beautiful place to spend a sunny Sunday morning…
From there, you’re down and into the town centre where you can wait for the crews to arrive at the finish on the promenade. There will be plenty of rally-related activities going on in the middle of Llandudno and around the service park on Sunday and on every day. But, if you’re planning to base yourself more in Llandudno, don’t forget the cars are away from the coast for the whole day, from six in the morning until after seven in the evening on Saturday.
The finish ramp has been a great place to be in recent years, with Sebastien Ogier celebrating on five of the last six years – and Wales’ own Elfyn Evans celebrating with a few donuts two years ago.
The one thing I will be aware of this year is the time it takes to move around in north Wales. We’re relying heavily on the A470, the main north-south, Llandudno-cardiff road is the spine of this year’s event, if you like. Traffic can be steady there and on all the roads heading away and into the stages. Make sure you give yourselves plenty of time to get where you’re going and be realistic when planning the route.