Last week I managed to escape for a few days to North Wales. You may not think that Wales is an especially large place, seeing as there are American states that are bigger than it, but there are vast differences between the four hour drive between the industrial south and the mountainous, scenic north and it’s perfect for escaping every day chaos… almost, that is unless you’re travelling with a toddler!
One of the main reasons I wanted to visit North Wales again, other than to spend quality time bonding with my daughter and girlfriend was to visit the Mach Loop to see some fighter jets up close and personal and get a bit of an after-burner tan.
Situated north of Machynlleth (from where the Mach Loop gets it’s name) and south of Dolgellau in Gwynedd are a series of intricate valleys that the Royal Air Force use as their playground to train their fast jet crews in low altitude maneuvers. Unlike a commercial airshow, there’s no bustling crowds, no entrance fee and unfortunately nowhere serving food. There are however a few hidden spots on the hillsides that offer spectacular viewpoints to see some the RAF’s finest flying some really expensive metal and machinery, really fast, really low. Dependant on how high you’re willing to venture up the steep and muddy inclines, the aircraft might even be below you.
I’m not really an aviation geek, but the roar as these aircraft thunder past at what seems like inches away from you put a massive grin on my face and gave me goosebumps. I was like a kid. Though the actual kid that was with me who’s nearly 15 months old screamed the mountain down, more due to the unescapable cold, hard wind that was blowing in her face rather than being in the middle of the flight path. Luckily I have a wondrous, understanding girlfriend who escorted the little one back down the muddy trail to the car. There was only so much understanding when she realised I still had the car keys. Oops.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) publish timetables for the Low Fly Areas around the UK to make timing your visit even easier. These timetables are not set in stone though. As we arrived early for the 1100-1200 showing at around 1030, two F-15’s decided to take a fly past. But the show was just getting started.
It’s easy enough to find the car park for Cad East and Cad West (which I visited) by just searching on Google maps, but the other locations I’ll leave a secret for you to investigate – Mainly because I’m not sure where they are exactly.
All in all, it was a great experience and a free one at that. It can’t be sniffed at! As an amateur photographer, I’d highly recommend it just to challenge yourself to produce high quality images in a new, difficult environment. If you’re into your flying things, you’ve probably already been, or it’s on your to-do list.
Top Tips:
- Dress warm – Those hillsides are wide open to the elements.
- Plan ahead – Check the weather and the flight timetables
- Take a snack – There could be some waiting around, and everyone loves to eat!
- Enjoy!
Posted by dwoosnam 
Dan Woosnam 