Feature
How to prepare your car for the cold weather
October 25, 2024
Almost as often as I'm asked what my favourite car I’ve driven is, I'm asked about my favourite roads, and in the UK, it’s a pretty straightforward answer.
Nestled in the hills of Snowdonia, I originally discovered the B4391 when I did a driven feature with a Porsche 993 Turbo S on a gloriously sunny day, and the road left as big an impression as the car.
Since then, I’ve been fortunate to return many times for both video shoots and drives, and stretching just eight miles between the village of Ffestiniog and the A4212 (the main road from Bala), the B4391 is like my little Welsh Nurburgring for these days, with speed limits to respect, of course.
Starting from the west side in Ffestiniog, the road gradually climbs out of the village and gently meanders to ease you in, and you find yourself picking up speed before a tighter section with walls either side to really enjoy some noise as you pass Cwm Cynfal viewpoint, the setting of many a dramatic cover shots in motoring publications over the years.
From there, a great technical section runs along the hillside before the turnoff to the B4407, where you can park by the lake and hike up the hills. Carry on past this turn and the B4391 opens up. There’s barely ever any traffic, and any cars you do see and determine to be going too slowly can be dealt with easily thanks to great visibility through this section.
The smooth tarmac undulates and winds through the surrounding scenery. It isn’t as intense as a switchback road in the Alps, nor is it a gently sweeping road where you have to be going stupidly fast to have any kind of fun. It’s a road where you get into a real flow, and it’s hugely involving whether you’re going flat out or just enjoying the scenery.
After reaching the summit of the road, you head downhill along a very long straight into a series of tight bends with camber that allows you to really throw it in, and the road narrows again for the final stretch, where there’s a big layby at the end for you to catch your breath and catch up with your mates about how awesome that was.
If you want to make a day or two of the drive, North Wales has plenty to offer. One day, when we were shooting, a guy in a Focus ST drove the road both ways time after time, until he finally admitted his girlfriend back at the hotel would probably be wondering where on Earth he had got to! There are plenty of other amazing roads to complement it in North Wales though, and if you want to do more than just drive, there are endless places to hike with amazing views and Bala Lake is a stunning place where you can get out on the water. As for food, our shooting days generally end up with someone being nominated to drive down to the chippy in Bala to bring deep-fried supplies up to the layby while we grab the static photos.
On the other side, you’re only about half an hour from Black Rock Sands for a day at the beach, Norbar Seafood Restaurant overlooking the sea is a frequent stop of ours on the west coast, and Anglesey Circuit is just over an hour’s drive to the north if your quench for driving needs more satisfying.
Sure, nothing is quite like the Alps for pure drama, luxurious accommodation and an escape from British weather, but for pure driving thrills, I don’t think you can do much better than the B4391.
