Ah, you must be talking about the late Mrs Gough of Travellers Rest fame. No messing about with her. I recall numerous Sunday morning hangover fry ups in her establishment. One of her many children, I think she had 8, Michael, was a pal of mine at school.
The Travellers Rest was made famous by Michael Winner who featured it in one of his last Winners Dinners columns in the Sunday Times. He didn't give it the highest rating but I am sure his death shortly after was nothing to do with his visit!
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
Indeed I was.
Back in mists of time I used to commute from Bangor to Cardiff on a Honda C90. The Travellers Rest was my beacon of hope, safety and refuge! A half way recovery stop to ease the aching limbs! Many years later I took our cycling tour there with a framed photo of Mrs Gough to give to her in thanks. Was devastated to find she had just passed away! Couldnt bear to go in now!
Simon Blease
Monmouth
Travellers Rest is certainly a well-used pub name...
My 'local' and the team I played football for many years for, was the Travellers Rest in Bedworth (hence the name 'Travs') had many a riotous night there (and elsewhere), usually ending up in dreading to go back in there the next day/week. We were a decent team though, and one of the more successful teams in the league who were simply a pub team, rather than based from a sports club or a proper setup. Considering we only trained once a week, and that usually ended up in fisticuffs/injuries it was quite remarkable how we progressed.
Considering at one time it was such a large part of my life, it's amazing that I've only been in there once in the past year. Although it has to be said, overall i'm glad I moved on from hacking around playing football.
It's also certainly not as well located as the Travellers Rests at Grasmere or Glenridding, nor Llanidloes.
The Travellers Rest in Llani was/is not a pub but a cafe/restaurant/greasy spoon but would still have many stories to tell!
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
I was quite familiar with the 'dead towns' of mid-Wales in my younger years...
'When I were a lad' we had a clapped out Cortina, and certainly couldn't afford to go abroad on holiday, so generally went to Wales for a week in the summer holidays. Unfortunately the Cortina couldn't be trusted on the motorway, so we had to go cross-country every time. This usually made journeys into a bit of an epic.
So became quite familiar with various Llandoverys/Lampeters/Leominsters/Rhayaders/Llangurig/Ruthin/Brecon/etc, on our way to Prestatyn/Lleyn/Cardigan Bay/Little Haven/Tenby etc...
The same as when we headed eastwards to Norfolk... there was also no A14 in those days... so this was a mammoth journey through Lutterworth/Market Harborough/Kettering and god knows where else.
Eventually some maniac stole the Cortina from Coventry City Centre, and with the insurance we were able to afford another slightly less clapped-out Cortina, and we were then able to risk the motorway, and head down to Devon and Cornwall, which was positively equatorial in comparison to Hunstanton and Corton, never mind Rhyl...
Certainly gave me an appreciation of Great Britain though...
Although my mum's tales of the yearly family holiday to Dyffryn Ardudwy in the 50's and early 60's, when my grandad would need to stop for a fag "before we got out of Coventry" and then every half hour after, probably puts my journeys into perspective...
Last edited by Travs; 16-05-2019 at 01:55 PM.
Mrs Gough.jpg
Here she is, bless her!
Simon Blease
Monmouth