Crychan 2

Length: 13.05 km

This is a repeat of SS8.

The Crychan stage is liked by competitors, as it is very compact and is a faster type gravel than some of the other stages such as Resolfen, making the driving surface less rutted. It is more like gravel over stone rather than gravel over slate.

The route for 2003 is slightly shorter than in the 2002 event, and has also been reversed. This is the third stage of a very tough Saturday morning, where the competitors will have to negotiate 4 special stages before the service interval.

How to get there?

Junction off the A483 towards Tirabad

Entrance to Crychan forest

At this stage, you have a choice of 2 car parks, although only Car Park N is covered here. Car Park M is just a few miles further along.

It is highly likely that you are spectating at Crychan 2 after watching Crychan 1 earlier in the day, so you won't need directions, but just in case you are only watching Crychan 2, here they are anyway.

If you are travelling to Crychan from the South, it is a fair drive - especially from Cardiff, but the roads are quite good and you should make it in good time, depending on traffic.

From the Merthyr Tydfil area, head North on the A470. You can either go all the way up towards Brecon until you reach the A40, or you can take a shortcut onto the A4215. If you do take this road, you will save a few miles, but the road is not quite as fast, especially the first few miles.

On the A4215 you eventually reach a junction which says Left towards Swansea and Right towards Brecon. Make sure you turn RIGHT. It looks on the map as if you should turn LEFT, but that's the next junction !

After a further mile you come to the junction with the A40, which is where you DO turn left towards Llandovery. Go through the town of Llandovery, and then turn right onto the A483 towards Builth Wells. After a short while, just before you enter the village of Cynghordy you will see a Public House called the Glan Bran Arms. The junction to Car Park N is directly opposite (first picture on left). It is signposted towards Tirabad.

Be careful because this is a very nasty junction ! It is so bad that there are nearly always police there. After 50m, turn right again and follow the road along. Continue along this road for another 1.4 miles until you reach the entrance to the Crychan forest (second picture on left).

Stage Maps

Thanks to Multimap.com, you can now view Stage Maps here.

Click here for the SS10 access to Car Park M (1:25000).
Click here for the SS10 access to Car Park N (1:25000).

Click here for the SS10 start area (1:25000).
Click here for the SS10 start area (1:50000).
Click here for the SS10 finish area (1:25000).
Click here for the SS10 finish area (1:50000).

The main tip here really is if you do want to visit this stage and you are late, take the option of Car Park N as it will be less busy and you will have a shorter walk to the stage.

Once on the stage at this point though, a good pair of walking boots is recommended, as the best viewing areas are difficult to get to.

Crychan 2 is the third stage of Saturday morning, and a very tough start to the weekend it will be for the drivers. To make sure you see the first drivers through, a lot of spectators will be parking overnight on the stage. If you can't do this, make sure you get to the stage early on Saturday morning

As Crychan isn't the most spectacular of stages, you will need to spend a bit of time finding a decent spot to spectate at. If you have stayed at the stage from Crychan 1, why not try a different spot for the second run through, although you won't have too much time if you've watched all the competitors through the first time.

In 2003, if you want to spectate at Crychan 2 you will need to buy either the World Rally Pass or the Saturday Pass 1 (option 1 or 2). There will be no purchase on the day tickets available for either car park at Crychan.

For full ticket details, including advice, you will be able to find out all the information you need in the Tickets section.

The parking area at Crychan Car Park N is a good surface with smooth gravel and plenty of space. This car park is not as popular as Car Park M, as you have to walk a bit further into the stage to find a good spot to spectate at.

It's basically your choice on this one, and they are both probably quite similar, as I'll explain in the next section here ...

How far to the stage?

View of the stage from Car Park N

From Car Park N the parking area goes directly to the stage as it crosses in front of the road (see picture on left), so if you arrive very early you will probably not have to walk too far. However, to find a decent spot on the stage you WILL have to walk.

200m to the right as you enter the stage is a nice corner which sweeps to the left and allows lengthy views from a raised bank, but if you are seeking more thrills you will need to venture deeper into the forest.

Car Park M also goes directly to the stage, but as this is more popular you will probably have a longer walk to actually get to the stage itself. Once at the stage though, there are a variety of good spots, and for once they are all really well signposted from the stage itself.

Just after you turn left onto the A40, if you are following the directions above, there is a Murco petrol station, but this is privately owned and therefore quite expensive. In Llandovery there are 2 petrol stations, but both are quite expensive again.

There are some public toilets in the town centre, which are kept quite clean. They are situated in the main town centre car park, not far away from the Spar shop. This is a well-stocked shop which sells everything from newspapers to beer to sandwiches.

Best spots for spectators

Two views from where Car Park N meets the stage

As described above, this is a stage which is maybe not as popular as others such as Resolfen and Rheola, simply because it has not been used as much on the Wales Rally GB in previous years.

There is therefore more scope to search around and get a good spot without the chance of your view getting spoiled. Car Park M is certainly the spot for the hairpin enthusiast, whereas Car Park N is probably for the spectator who enjoys more open driving.

The two pictures on the left are where Car Park N meets the stage, and although they are not very spectacular areas, they give you an idea of what the road surface is like, and also the kind of flowing bends which you are likely to experience.