Wales Figaro Rally & 10th Club’s Birthday Party – Thursday 6th/Sunday 9th June 2019
Words Kevin Fagan Pictures Figaro Owners Club Members & Sam Cook
Sarah & Patrick Light travelled from Cornwall to attend in ‘Hattie’
Thursday 6th June 2019
After 18months in the making the time had finally arrived! Our ‘mini convoy’, consisting of my Land Rover (packed full of rally packs, club banners & flags) plus our two figs headed off up the M40 to Wales.
4 hours later we arrived at the Metropole Hotel where the four Figaro parking zones (20 Figaro’s in each zone) had already been put in place by the staff. This was ensure that the cars were in their correct zone on arrival in preparation for our group departures the next morning morning. It didn’t take us long to adorn the entrance of the hotel with flags and banner ready to welcome rally members.
The club was given its own ‘Rally Office’ by the hotel where we laid out all 77 rally packs on a very long table in alphabetical order ready for collection. We didn’t have to wait long, soon the office was full of excited members collecting their packs, catching up with friends, talking about what the fun was to come and of course the weather. The rally packs included our 48-page colour rally book which contained all the routes and info on where we were going, times of departure plus a picture of everyone on the rally.
Also, a flag, window sticker and rally plate. Sponsors Classicline Insurance had also supplied some handy cigarette USB charges which are idea for charging your mobile phones.
Jane Ellison-Bates & Mark Bamforths yellow Figaro named ‘Suzanna’ travelled from Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales
Then it was time for the Welcome Dinner. As we wandered into the bar it hit me just how big this rally was, with around 160 people squeezing into the two bars. Although many of the participants were well known to us, it was great to at last meet in person some of newbies on the rally. The welcome dinner is always a really nice ice-breaker and a chance for people get to know each other and share their figgy history. As tradition I always make a small speech welcoming everyone and outlining our hopes and aims for the next few days. Surprisingly it seemed to be well received, but that may have been down to the rather excessive ‘pre-drinks’ at the bar rather than the richness of my content!
Members gathered in the hotel car park for the traditional ‘group photo’
Friday 7th June 2019
Following breakfast everyone was busy in the car park attaching their rally plates, stickers and flags. In the Rally Office we held out first daily briefing, outlining the timetable and going over the routes for the day. Then whilst it’s still dry, we took a quick group shot of everyone on the hotel steps.
My son Dan and his partner (also named Dan) were in charge of ensuring everyone departed the car park in an orderly manner and more importantly in the correct order, with a 2 minute gap between groups. Having run a number of rallies of the years we knew that getting 77 cars in convoy was always going to be a challenge. So the decision was made to create 4 separate car groups to help us depart and arrive at the venues more safely. Each group had its own leader, so a big thank you too Ken and Sandra Graham, Patrick and Sarah Light, Belinda and James Richardson and Bruce and Christine Crowe for volunteering for this job.
Parking for 77 cars had to be pre-arranged at the Elan Valley Centre
Sue and I led off with Group 1 to our first stop at the Elan Valley Visitors Centre. Although as a couple we’ve driven together in numerous convoys before that excitement and pure joy of driving with your fellow Figaro lovers never fades.
Our Breakdown support vehicle (thanks again to The Figaro Shop) was situated at the back of the pack just in case of any breakdowns!
We arrived 30 minutes later at the Visitors Centre and parked in our own reserved grassed car park area. Sam Cook, our CAA approved drone pilot was already in place and the eye-in-the-sky was catching us parking. We stayed around an hour, but there was just enough time to take in this stunning location and enjoy a coffee, take photos and have a quick walk around before we were back in the cars and off again.
The weather closed in whilst parked at the base of the Claerwen Reservoir
Group 4 led this time as we made our way across the Carreg Ddu Reservoir Bridge. Unfortunately, the weather was closing in so Sam couldn’t fly his drone but he did get some great shots of us crossing the the bridge with a handheld video camera. Through winding roads, majestic pine forests and avoiding the rambling sheep, we arrived at the bottom of Claerwen Reservoir.
Although it had started to rain heavily, most of the group adorned their raincoats or grabbed an umbrella and hiked up the hill to the top of the reservoir. Despise the rain the views were stunning!
The buffet lunch at the Hafod was a welcome break from the rain
With tummies rumbling it was time to head off to our next stop for lunch at the Hadford Hotel near Devil’s Bridge. Although the rain was now settling in the visibility was excellent as we were rewarded with some of the most stunning (truly in-the-middle-of-nowhere) countryside views. As the road wound it’s way through the Valley for those of us at the back all you could see was line of Figaro’s for miles ahead, a truly unforgettable experience.
We arrived at the Hotel and were welcomed by the most extraordinary buffet lunch. The table was jam packed full of delicious salads, meats, cheeses and canapés, as well as dainty desserts. Mark (Foghorn) Bamforth made an announcement thanking the chef and staff (no microphone required).
I’m singing in the rain! Dolly Webb finds a deckchair on the promenade
Lunch over it was now time to crack on with Stage 4, which took us along the fantastic A4120 with its sunning vistas of the valley on-route down to the sea. The rain increased and the little figgy wipers were going flat out now.
Arriving in Aberystwyth James Richardson had pre-arranged a visit to the RLNI Station where a talk was given by Richard, one of the 24 volunteers. After this we all got a rare chance to sit in a lifeboat.
“Part of the rally was to raise money for the fantastic service they do so we decided to donate £238 (£1 for each station in the UK)”
The time went by so quickly and before we knew it, it was time to make tracks back to the hotel. After a tasty dinner we finished the day being entertained by the fabulous Builth Wells Ladies Choir. They sang a fanatic medley of songs and received a standing ovation for their wonderful choral talents.
The Figaro Shop provided FREE 40 point health checks to all the rally participants.
Saturday 8th June
Today was a ‘free to roam’ day. The chance for everyone to go off an explore Wales. Judging by the posts on Facebook it looks like that included steam train trips, caving, castles, red kite feeding and local shopping.
The Figaro Shop put up two gazebos at the end of the car park to carry out pre-arranged 40-point Figaro Health Checks. According to founder Toby Brooks they were supposed to finish around 2pm but due to demand it was more like 5pm. We’d like to thank him and his team for this initiative and judging by the take up it was a very popular addition to the rally.
We (Sue, Dan & Dan) decided to visit Powis Castle which had the most amazing gardens.
ABBA made an appearance courtesy of Anne & Stuart and Dennis & Angelique
10th Birthday Celebrations
The evening was all about celebrating our 10th Birthday. We were so happy to share this special moment with so many friends and members of the club. We spent much of that afternoon pumping up balloons and Dan had made some brilliant Figaro table centres which needed to be placed on the correct table so it matched at least one of the owner’s car colours.
The theme was ‘vintage’ and as we made our way downstairs to the bar it was clear that everyone had got into the spirit of the night. There were so many great outfits (see the pictures), including The Figaro Boys who turned up as the Peaky Blinders, Elvis was in the building and even ABBA made an appearance courtesy of Anne & Stuart and Dennis & Angelique. 172 of us tucked into a delicious Welsh themed 5-course meal, which included leeks, steak and cheese. Then the night really kicked off when our band for the night, The Cherry Beats, took to the stage. Within minutes the dance-floor was full and we all danced the night way. The final number ‘Hey Jude’ saw us all holding hands and created some lasting memories for me. We really do know how to party!
The metal Llansteffan Bridge was fun for us all to go across
Sunday 9th June
We awoke to a sunny morning and hopefully a roof down day. My final briefing of the rally took place in the car park in front of a number of bleary eyed and worse for wear members! As the weather was better than Friday we decided to retake the group picture courtesy of Veronica Young who took the photo from the balcony as we all waved.
The rally now had a truly international feel to it as not only did we have Michael & Carol from Palm Beach Florida but we had also been joined by our Pakistani Member Khurram and his wife Banish. Khurram had brought along his banner and also a nice wooden club keyring gift for all the participants. It was a very special moment for us all to receive such a thoughtful gift.
Our first stop on this day was the Llansteffan Bridge. This bridge is truly unique, stretching across the River Wye the iron bridge has a bed of wooden slats which made of a rickety sound effect as you drove across. The bridge is also very narrow so you have to be extremely careful as the bridge weight limit was only 3 tons so we were limited to one at a time. Our drone pilot was in place to capture some awesome video and pictures.
The next stop was Hay-On-Wye. Here again we had pre-arranged parking in a large sports field thanks to the Local Council. There was just enough time to peruse the book shops and antique markets and grab a quick coffee before we all headed off the to The Manor Hotel for a BBQ lunch.
Unfortunately, although the view was stunning the venue did not seem to be very organised as a long queue for food developed quickly. As a club we are always at the mercy of venues and the Manor was the only hotel in the area which could accommodate such a large number of cars. The food was not as good as the Hadford and on return we wrote to them complaining about both the service and quality and quantity of food supplied. We can only apologise for the poor experience. On a positive note the day was starting to brighten up and most decided it was ‘roof down’ on the next leg.
Wales delivered spectacular driving with hardly any traffic
The last stage took us up and over the stunning Brecon Beacons but unfortunately, Pat took the wrong turning and a lot of Figaro’s ended up in a trading estate. Getting lost and taking the wrong turn however is all part of the fun and causes some good ribbing in the bar later. Finally, we were on the A470 voted the UK’s favourite road which led to the last stop of the day at Garwnant Visitor Centre.
The last part of the day was a choice of a 1 hour hike up to the top of the 3,000 feet Pen-Y-Fan, dropping into Brecon or simply making your way back to the hotel for an early swim or beer. Sue, me and the two Dan’s choose the hike which was exhilarating to say the least before making our way back to the hotel.
The Quiz teams of 4 or 6 had names like ‘The Born Losers’ & Figaro Floozies’!
After dinner everyone made their way to the Powys Suite for our Quiz and Awards Night. Traditionally this is a very competitive affair and it was no different this time around. Teams of 4 or 6 with names like ‘The Born Losers’ & Figaro Floozies’ to name just a few made up the room. The two Dan’s had been working on the questions for months which included some General Knowledge, Music, Wales, Famous Faces & a bonus round. The winners can be found below in the summary section. Then it was time for the awards, this is always a fun moment, especially the worst navigator award and this year there was some tough competition for that one. For our furthest oversees visitors, from Pakistan and Florida, there was a special presentation of a hamper filled with British necessities such as Marmite and a chocolate orange. All award winners can be seen below.
Monday 10th June Breakfast was followed by some very long goodbyes as most of us were making our way back home. With 10 countries attending, this rally was a truly international affair. To me personally it re-enforces the club’s ethos of a family of like-minded people who all seem to all enjoy each other’s company and love the Figaro. By attending the rally, our little Figaros have brought us all together, but now, new and existing friendships will continue.
Thanks so much to everyone for giving 100% to everything we threw at you. You really made it one of the best rallies ever!
Until the next time…
Kevin, Sue and the two Dan’s
Rally Statistics
Organiser: The Figaro Owners Club
Car Type: Nissan Figaro
Age: 28 years
Number of Figaro’s: 77
Colours: Pale Aqua 18, Emerald Green 17, Lapis Grey 15, Topaz Mist 9, Custom Colour 22
Rally Route Distances: 14 Stages/323 kms
Member Numbers: 146
Countries Represented: 10 – England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Pakistan and USA.
Award Winners
Best Dressed Couple (Party): Dennis & Angelique Case/Anne & Stuart Wrigley as ABBA
Worst Navigator: Bruce Crow (although there were more than a few contenders!)
Furthest Travelled (road): 1,122km Wolfgang & Angelika Stenner from Gemuenden in Germany
Furthest Travelled (Air): Khurram & Banish Saqib from Lahore in Pakistan
Quiz Winners
Best Name: Victorious Figtillas
Highest Score: Andy Cap
Lowest Score: We Know Who They Are
Thanks to…
- All our members for supporting this epic rally and creating some fantastic memories and a special thanks too:
- Group Leaders Ken Graham, Patrick light, Belinda Richardson, Bruce Crowe for helping get 76 Figs safely around our routes
- Daniel Fagan & Dan Hall for helping with the parking and creating our Quiz
- Daniel Fagan Quizmaster Extraordinaire
- Drone Pilot Sam Cook for capturing some stunning video and still shots
- All the wonderful staff at the Metropole Hotel
- Richard for his talk and opening up the RNLI Station at Aberystwyth
- Catherine Bradford & Graeme Miller for helping with the parking at Elan Valley
- Trish and all the ladies from the Builth Wells Ladies Choir
- The Figaro Shop for their support vehicle and free health checks
- Jon and all the band members of the brilliant Cherry Beats
- Nic Burdekin from Hay-On-Wye for arranging the parking
Event Sponsors
The Figaro Shop & Classicline Insurance
Watch Video
Our video includes a touching dedication on the Johnnie Walker Radio Show made by Lorna & Graeme Rae. we had so much video and pictures so apologies if yours is not included!
Watch more of our YouTube Rallies, Meets & Events
Browse Pictures
Click the right arrow to change the picture. Following the rally we had over 1000 sent in so again apologies if your pictures in not featured
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