2013 wales gb rally

citykid5

hi all. i would realy like to go see this years wales rally GB. think it's around nov 13th
any hints n tips on the best stages, accomadation,and best way to see as much of the rally as possible. hopefully on mse budget.
i used to follow the rally years ago [lombard then network q] when it was based around the midlands and north of the uk.
loved it fun for all the family and little cost's at most stages,havn't got a clue about the cost's these days. so thought a bit of forward planning maybe in order and ask my mse buddies for some advise
:beer::beer:

FatAndy

The last couple of years the rally has had ceremonial starts in Conwy County. Last year it started in Llandudno and year before in Conwy itself. At last years start they got all the cars lined up on the promenade along with a display of classic rally cars from the past. You could walk along and see all the cars close up, take photos, etc. There was a mini-fairground for the kids, live music and so on as well. In the evening the cars were paraded along the promenade to a temporary grandstand where each car and driver was introduced. There was also a meet and greet/autograph session. Everything was free of charge, including the little fairground which kept my kids happy.

I'm not sure what the plans are for this year but I do know Conwy Council are hoping to host the start again (and maybe the whole event) so Llandudno might be a good place for you start from. There is a rumour that both the opening and closing stages will be around the Great Orme in Llandudno but I don't think this has been confirmed yet.

Given that the events website currently still shows spectator info for 2012 I wouldn't confirm any bookings just yet, but if it does happen then I'd suggest staying in somewhere like the Can-y-Bae Hotel which overlooks the part of the promenade where the start and finish lines are likely to be situated. The Can-y-Bae has won a number of awards from TripAdvisor for being one of the best budget hotels in the UK so hopefully it shouldn't be too expensive.

citykid5

FatAndy wrote: »

The last couple of years the rally has had ceremonial starts in Conwy County. Last year it started in Llandudno and year before in Conwy itself. At last years start they got all the cars lined up on the promenade along with a display of classic rally cars from the past. You could walk along and see all the cars close up, take photos, etc. There was a mini-fairground for the kids, live music and so on as well. In the evening the cars were paraded along the promenade to a temporary grandstand where each car and driver was introduced. There was also a meet and greet/autograph session. Everything was free of charge, including the little fairground which kept my kids happy.

I'm not sure what the plans are for this year but I do know Conwy Council are hoping to host the start again (and maybe the whole event) so Llandudno might be a good place for you start from. There is a rumour that both the opening and closing stages will be around the Great Orme in Llandudno but I don't think this has been confirmed yet.

Given that the events website currently still shows spectator info for 2012 I wouldn't confirm any bookings just yet, but if it does happen then I'd suggest staying in somewhere like the Can-y-Bae Hotel which overlooks the part of the promenade where the start and finish lines are likely to be situated. The Can-y-Bae has won a number of awards from TripAdvisor for being one of the best budget hotels in the UK so hopefully it shouldn't be too expensive.

WOW thanks fat andy for the info.i did see that they haven't announced the stages for 2013 yet and noticed the start in 2012 at landudno, was that the first year they'd moved it from cardiff? and then over the next couple of days the stages were mid wales [blyth wells sweet lamb] then south towards port talbot. and i believe the all stages pass was about £120. a bit pricey considering most of the european stages are free. but if i could do this years event for about £250 it would be worth it.
thanks for the link to the accomadation if it's cheap enough mignt be worth booking it anyway and takeing a risk? sounds like a brilliant start/ finish and very interactive event.
cheers again for takeing the time to respond:T

FatAndy

The first time they started up here was 2011 in Conwy. I think they wanted the castle as a backdrop but it was a bit of an inconvenient place to be honest. Conwy is a small town with very limited parking and facilities and the Quay where they had the event was far too small for the number of people who turned up. There's no wall between the Quay itself and the river and given the number of people and the pushing and jostling going on it's a bit of a miracle that no-one ended up falling over the side!

Last year it moved to Llandudno for the first time and it was much better. Llandudno prom must be 300 times as long and 3 times as wide as Conwy Quay so there was far more room and it was possible to get a lot closer to the action. What also helped last year was that it was held earlier in the year so the weather was good and it was still daylight during the evening. This year it's a couple of months later in the year so it's going to be darker and possibly wetter and windier.

citykid5

thanks again andy for the info, and the pics mate.
suppose i'll just have to wait for them to annouce this years route to make firm plans, hope it's kick off in llandudno again this year sounds great. gary

FatAndy

Some details have been released and it's now confirmed the rally will begin and end in Llandudno.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2013/04/03/wales-rally-gb-to-start-and-finish-in-llandudno-55578-33111655/

citykid5

FatAndy wrote: »

Some details have been released and it's now confirmed the rally will begin and end in Llandudno.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2013/04/03/wales-rally-gb-to-start-and-finish-in-llandudno-55578-33111655/

thanks again andy,just back from a week in cornwall without internet, so thanks for the update can now start makeing plans
gary

FatAndy

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/wales-rally-gb-2013-3867555