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This site was originally created to help me try and find those who I once knew in Beddgelert and Rhayader back in the 1980s.
As I’ve now realized, it didn’t really work out as such, mainly because most folks have moved on. Nearly thirty years is a long time to be absent, and then expect others to somehow remember me.
Just because, back then, traveling to North and Mid Wales was a large part of my life, doesn’t mean others would necessarily remember me, as I thought they would. Of course, the other side of the coin, is perhaps they don’t wish to remember me, in which case, I can entertain that.
Just because I though I created memorable moments all those years ago, doesn’t mean they share the same thoughts and opinions.
However; as I went to much effort to create this website, I’m still going to keep it active, as it’s encouraging to be able to reminisce on my memories.
Most of my ventures to Wales were done while I was working for the Royal Mail and this came about for a number of reasons.
Firstly; the Royal Mail paid reasonably well, and secondly, they paid in cash.
Secondly; things were also not going too well in my home life which wasn’t helping, and in due course I had to find an escape. Therefore; having money and a car, meant I had the ideal means of escaping, and Wales was an obvious choice. How come?
Many years earlier, my folks had taken me on holiday to Mid Wales, to a caravan site on the outskirts of Rhayader. I was very taken with this small town as it was very different from what I had known.
On another occasion, I had been taken to Beddgelert in North Wales, and I just remember being very taken with everything about the village and the surroundings. It was quite enchanting to me in its own way and this created a lasting memory for me.
Years later, this therefore; caused me to venture back to Beddgelert and Rhayader.
I was quite fortunate that if I worked on an early shift I had Mondays off, so this meant I could travel to Wales very early Saturday Morning, and not have to leave till late afternoon or early evening on the Monday. I also had week holidays in Beddgelert and Rhayader.
Traveling to Beddgelert and Rhayader at the weekends, became a major part of my life, and I kept this up for a quite a number of years. I even remember occupying a couple of Christmas’s and New Years in Rhayader.
If you put you’re mouse, over the two maps shown below, you should see the routes I took... show up in blue.
Map below shows route taken getting from Rhayader to Beddgelert.
Rhayader was slightly easier to get to in terms of traveling. I would travel through London, (which at 4am, was very quiet) and then along the M4 into South Wales and then come off at the Newport turn off. Then head for Pontypool and then Abergavenny. Then I headed for the Tretower turn off and then kept going to the T Junction at Bronllys. Turned right and then took a first left and then down quite a long and steepish hill. I'd eventually reach the market town of Builth Wells. After this the road was quite straight compared with the previous roads and I would reach Rhayader reasonably quickly.
For Beddgelert, the journey involved getting on the M1. This was a bit of a drawn out process as it involved going through quite a few towns (as the London orbital M25 didn’t exist) and was also the reason I left so early. Then onto the M6 and eventually the A5 which was just north of Birmingham. The A5 wasn’t what it is today and back then petrol stations were a little distance apart, especially once you got into ‘what I termed’ the wilds of Wales. The A5 would take me right through to Capel Curig, having gone through many towns and villages on route, Telford, Shrewsbury, Chirk (which was the Welsh border) Llangollen, and Betws-y-Coed, to name just a few.
Once I turned off at Capel Curig the road downgraded itself somewhat, and once I passed Pen Y Gwryd which was the turn off for Snowdon, the road really began narrowing in parts, due to the terrain I was now in. This was all being driven in the early hours of a Saturday morning, so I could arrive in Beddgelert at about 7am ish.
This was also being done back then in a MKI Ford Escort and on reflection (although I shouldn't have been) I’m amazed the mileage I used to do. The car did incur problems on occasions, and depending on what it was, sometimes recovery would have to come out, but on more than one occasion the then youngsters in Beddgelert helped me to fix the car.
As I’ve already commented, I got to know quite a few youngsters around my age in Beddgelert and Rhayader.
Gwindaf and Gonks came from Beddgelert. Peter came from Nantmor, a village just south of Beddgelert. There was also another chap probably about my age (I was about 24/25 then) who was helping, probably his family, to build a restaurant in Beddgelert. They were there for quite a while as there was a lot of work involved building or completely re renovating the restaurant they were involved in. (I’m sure; it’s what is now, the
River Garden Guest House, or at least, that’s what Street View of Google Earth shows.) Again, I just cannot remember his name.
There was also the girl from Nantlle. Having now joined the Beddgelert Forum, I’m of the understanding, her name was Miranda.
I also got to know Louise from Rhayader in Mid Wales and her family. There was also a girl called Diana who I got to know. There was another couple of girls, but again I just cannot recall their names. I also got to know three lads, again maybe a fraction younger than me, but again I just cannot recall their names.
For a while I visited Rhayader in a Grey Ford Escort XR3i. This was for a couple of reasons. The Escort Harrier was showing the wear and tear of traveling back and forth to Wales so regularly. Additionally, where I worked in Chelmsford there was a Ford Dealership, and it transpired they also rented out cars. Because it was an RS dealership, they rented what was then the Escort XR3i. Therefore on a few of my visits to Rhayader I would hire an Escort XR3i.
It was commented to me by some of the folks I was working with back then, that it must be costing me a lot of money to keep traveling to Wales. This was true, and I could have used the money to buy a place somewhere. But; I was in my early mid twenties and I really enjoyed the driving side of it. Also (naturally) Beddgelert and Rhayader were a few hundred miles from Brentwood. I also got on really well with the locals I met, and as I was visiting Beddgelert and Rhayader regularly, I got to know them really well.
So no; I don’t regret the money I spent on petrol, or even the cost of hiring cars out. And yes; I really did enjoy my times in Beddgelert and Rhayader.
Eventually, towards the end of the 1980s I left the Royal Mail and thus my visits to Beddgelert and Rhayader ended.
After this and for nearly two years, I trained in the print industry to become what was known as a lithographer as I envisioned this being exciting. Unfortunately, compared to the Royal Mail it was very different and understandably it was very dirty due to all the various inks involved, and then there was the different chemicals involved to clean up afterwards.
I then took a big decision. I had always enjoyed driving. You have to, to be able to drive to North and Mid Wales virtually every other weekend.
I’d always been aware of these big lorries going up and down the roads as I travelled to Wales, I decided I wanted to give it a try. I liked to think I was a reasonably good driver and the thought of driving these large articulated lorries really appealed to me. Plus, the money was about the same as what I’d been earning with the Royal Mail.
It was a one week course and this was back in 1989 and I also had to find just over £1,000. I also knew in the back of my mind, I had to pass as I couldn’t afford to re take the test. I took two weeks holiday from the print job and went for it.
As I also discovered I had to learn a separate HGV (which was then known as Heavy Good Vehicle) highway code, and well as be very familiar with the car highway code. I also had to pay for a medical.
I don’t think I’ve ever up till then, given anything so much focus and attention. While some of the other pupils (there was four of us altogether) larked about a bit, I was really focused and serious about what I was doing, as I knew I had to pass, to get my articulated lorry license.
On the day of the test the others all went before me, and for whatever reason, they all failed. I was the last person to go out on the test, and I realized the others thought I had no chance. The drive went reasonably well, but I didn’t do very well on the questions at the end, and I genuinely thought I had blown it. I just couldn’t believe it when the examiner looked at me and said, ‘Thank you Mr Press, for a very pleasant drive. I’m pleased to tell you, you’ve passed your Class One HGV test’. (that was December 1989) I was actually dumb struck.
I walked back into the small room and the others looked at me. I looked at the chap who had been teaching us and said, ‘I’ve passed’. You could have heard a pin drop. All the others just looked at me blankly. The teacher said ‘well done… very well done’.
That was how I progressed into driving articulated lorries for the next 21 years. It was incredibly different to what I had been used to, and at one point within the first year, I really thought I’d made a mistake. But I stuck it out and eventually really enjoyed it.
Although I worked for a small company, I was my own boss while I was out on the road driving, and I really had to think and use my initiative. When you’re driving a 40ft articulated lorry you really have to know what you’re doing. I had to understand and comprehend things, which many car drivers don’t realize, ie you require a lot more room to maneuver and turn at junctions, so you have to do, a lot of forward thinking and anticipate what is going to happen, before it happens, all the time. There are different speed limits for lorries compared to cars. You also have to know the height of the trailer, because of low bridges and you especially have to be aware of weight limits. Many deliveries can be to out of the way places which can involve driving through villages and you really have to make sure you can get though the village.
I brought a really detailed road atlas and would study where I had to go the following day in the evening. HGV’s can cause incredible damage, so you really have to be aware of what your doing. It’s all to easy to take a short cut, and then get yourself in a predicament.
It is easy to make a mistake if you don’t know the area, and yes you can get yourself into situations. But you have to remember, you’re the only one who can get yourself out of what you’ve got yourself into. If you get into to much difficulty, and you start involving others ie police or heavy duty recovery, or you cause damage, the company you’re working for will probably get a large bill, and you may find yourself looking for another driving job.
But, that was part of being a Class One HGV Driver, I had responsibilities to do a job and I was expected to do it professionally.
It’s like a lot of things with what you do in life; it depends on how dedicated you are with what you’re doing. I was incredibly dedicated and therefore I never incurred any major issues. But then again, I paid over £1,000. out of my own pocket to get my HGV license.
I did journey to South Wales on a few occasions, but it was mainly along the M4 or into the South Wales valleys and it was usually to industrial estates.
I also worked in the early part of 1990s for a company which collected livestock. I only did part of the driving as this involved two of us driving and I didn’t get involved with the loading. This involved traveling to South Wales and going to farms along the south west part of Wales. Then into what was Carmarthen cattle Market. The other driver would then take over. We would then drive to just south of Aberystwyth to another farm, and then stop.
In early 2000s I then joined the Wincanton logistics company. One of their contacts was with the High Street Chain Argos, and as I was still in Brentwood, I joined the Basildon depot.
For those of you who are interested, the photo below is one of the lorries I drove for the Argos Group. This particular lorry, was used to deliver between what were known as Distribution Centers.
This again was incredibly different from what I had been used to, and once again took some adjusting to. I stayed with then until 2011 when I left. I had enjoyed my time driving lorries, but the roads where now very busy and often very congested and a lot of the work involved going into London, which involved using the London orbital M25.
One thing I have learnt from all this, is it’s not just about the money. Yes; of course the money's important, but it’s also about the lifestyle which you think you want. Driving a lorry is a very isolated living and you have to be prepared to accept that. The good part; I got to visit some incredible places, (which wouldn't have otherwise happened) and met some really interesting people along the way.
As I type this, it’s now May 2016 (I now live on the east coast of Scotland) and over the last five years, I’ve taught myself computer programming / website coding / html, css, javascript etc. This came about as I appreciated creating graphics on the computer (when I was in my teens I used to draw) and also writing short stories (which I also did in my teens). I then had to figure out and understand how to put them on the internet via a website. I could have opted for the many drag and drop sites, but I also wanted complete freedom to create the site exactly as I wanted. Therefore; I had to learn website coding, ie html, css, php, java, etc. The coding side has taken quite a while to get to know and understand, as it can be very intricate. However; it's thus enabled me to create presentable websites.
As I commented earlier, I got to know a few of the then youngsters back in the mid 1980s while I was visiting Beddgelert and Rhayader and we got to know each other quite well. Yes, I do realize thirty years is a long time and a lot can happen in that time scale as has happened to me.
It's not my intention to start friendships up again, as thirty years has passed and a lot can happen in that time scale, but it would just be encouraging to hear from those then youngsters who would now be in their 40s or early 50s. It would just be good to discover if they remember me, or perhaps, they remember the car.
Although I took photos back in the 1980s, mainly of Beddgelert, not many of them survived. This is the reason there’s only a few photos to display.
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