Powys and Shropshire entries in the Welsh National Tractor Road Run

Views, views and more views was the order of the day to describe the route of this year’s Welsh National Tractor Road Run.

The spectacle started from Crugan Farm, Llanbedrog, Pwllheli on Sunday, May 31 with welcome speeches by local land agent Iolo Ellis of Baileys and partners and John Bates WNTRR co-founder. Then the tractor drivers climbed aboard their pride and joy on the 30 mile tour of the Llŷn Peninsula watched by the hundreds who had accumulated to see the off.

The event which had been organised by the Llŷn and Eifionydd Tractor Enthusiasts on behalf of the WNTRR, is a charity event, which moves to a different area of Wales every year.

This year the run was supporting the Wales Air Ambulance and the Alaw Cancer Ward, Ysbyty Gwynedd (Awyr Las) and is on course to raise approximately over £8500, but donations are still being received.

This year had attracted 268 entries mostly from the immediate local area but also from virtually every county in Wales as well as the border counties of England as far afield as Oxfordshire.

It was well supported with no fewer of 17 participants from Shropshire, and three from Staffordshire with a gaggle of them from the Bridgnorth and Newport area.

Run regulars of Paul Marsh, Chris Nott, Lynne Rickhuss, Dave Coombes, John Perry, Richard Bowler, Martin Shelley, Nigel Ridgway, Ian Farquharson and John and David Griffiths.

They were joined by a WNTRR newcomers Adam Allison, Tom Woodhead, Fred Cooper, David Siddorn and Jim Ankers who undertook the daunting task of driving to and from the event from the Whitchurch area.

Powys was represented by Martyn Nicholls who had forsaken his beloved County for his International 434 to be able to take wife Rachel and daughter Amy.

Evan Lewis of Llanwrtyd Wells who had organised the 2024 WNTRR had his Ford 3000, while Llanerfyl’s Steve Gittins had his Deutz 8006.

With the weather dry after the squally showers of the evening before, Edwin Hughes in his recently restored Massey Ferguson 20E led the procession taking the farm track through Crugan Farm to emerge on the country lanes to Mynytho, to pick up the Rhiw road before another stretch of offroad to circumnavigate the hamlet of Llandegwning to Botwnnog.

Here spectators had gathered in the surgery car park and sit on the wall to see the tractors take the left fork.

Now heading to climb up Mynydd Rhiw between the gorse and stone wall lined lane, taking in the views over the stretching expanse of Hell’s Mouth beach and passing the assembled spectators at the view point and car park of Penmynydd cattle grid.

Passing through Rhiw the convoy descend down to Aberdaron, where hundreds of beachgoers and local took in the sight, with the marshals controlling the smooth passage of traffic as they negotiated the sharp righthand then lefthand corners before crossing the quaint stone walled hump back bridge and climbing up the hill to the dinner stop at Gwythrian camp site.

After dinner the tractors headed to Rhoshirwaun where a right was taken down to Felin Uchaf where some of the bigger tractors squeezed over the tight bridge and hair-pin corner and onto Penygroeslon and on into the village of Sarn Meyllteyrn, here the tractors turned right and then straight on to take the Dinas road up the hill.

Heading now to bear left at Rhos Botwnnog and climb up to the edge of Garnfadryn and onto the oblique junction with the B4415. Almost immediately turning right along the undulating, hedge-lined lane to pass the little seventeenth century church of St Michael’s, Buan, before passing the next farm where the whole family had gathered to see the spectacle with the grandchildren on their pedal tractors.

Now heading for home and retracing their steps along the farm track to take them back to the start field at Crugan passing the statue of the dairy cow and farm shop.

Meeting the busy A499, crossing back over the marshalled junction to the start area.