Wales Mach Loop/Cad West.....

Phil-D

Phil-D

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Hi, I appreciate its not an easy question to answer, from what I've read nothings ever guaranteed but I'm heading out to Anglesey for the weekend and could set off tomorrow morning. I was thinking, would be worth going via Cad West.

I don't mind the drive, its a part of the country I've not seen a lot of. I've got nothing else to do tomorrow but did wonder if I would be wasting mi time for just a Friday afternoon there.

Any thoughts appreciated, thanks :)
 
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Friday is usually quiet, friday afternoon more so.

There is very little military flying at the weekend these days and most of the low level milair photography spots are more of interest for the general scenery then.

Go for a recce and a look at the scenery rather than in the expectation of any interesting movements - that way you won't be disappointed and you'll also have a better idea of the location for your next weekday visit.
 
GeeJay57 said:
Not sure how much low flying takes place on the weekend, though I guess there could be some action Friday if you're lucky...

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operational-low-flying-training-timetable
http://www.lowflymedia.com/info/mach_loop/mach_loop.shtml
http://machloop.co.uk

I've only been once so far and it was pretty quiet with just one Tornado and a Chinook..
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Thanks for the links Glenn, I'll have a good look (y)

morfis said:
Friday is usually quiet, friday afternoon more so.

There is very little military flying at the weekend these days and most of the low level milair photography spots are more of interest for the general scenery then.

Go for a recce and a look at the scenery rather than in the expectation of any interesting movements - that way you won't be disappointed and you'll also have a better idea of the location for your next weekday visit.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply :) If I'm being honest this is what I was thinking and expecting, but I was just hoping a regular visitor to Cad West would come on and say "yes, go, there's always loads of low flying jets on a Friday afternoon" :D

I'll see what time we get off in the morning, early enough and I'll go round that way and up through the Snowdonia National Park, cheers :)
 
I've been a fairly regular visitor for 30 years. In those days there were two or three of us on the hillsides there, Dunmail, Tebay etc. and there were a lot of jets....Nowadays (since the publication of 'Lowdown' and the subsequent growth in web pages on the subject) there are a lot of people and very few aircraft. The best time to go is when there are major exercises on but these are few and far between now. There are good days and bad days and looking at the low flying timetable won't actually help very much as it's about the LFAs rather than the Mach Loop. Tuesdays and Thursdays can see a little more traffic but it's mostly down to luck.

Let's face it, the UK doesn't have much of a Navy or Air Force anymore

* "yes, go, there's always loads of low flying jets on a Friday afternoon" *


* not true but I said it as it was what you hoped someone would say ;-)
 
Well it would have been a long day in the loop yesterday waiting for traffic.
 
It would have been a long day - though listening to the radio it sounded like G-BVEZ made a couple of passes mid afternoon.

Shapeshifter - I said "hillsides there, Dunmail, Tebay etc" referring to Cad West/Mach Loop and other areas making the point that there is a lot less low level traffic these days. I'm well aware that Tebay mast and Dunmail Raise are not in Wales.
 
I spent Friday on Anglesey at RAF Valley at the end of the runway (rhosneigr). It was alive with Hawks regularly coming and going. Not quite as spectacular as the Mach Loop but easy access and they get pretty close. Watching them take off side by side was awesome (and loud) too
 
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