00:00 - Merthyr Tydfil
04:17 - Ebbw Vale
10:56 - Blaenavon
14:10 - Mynyddislwyn
19:05 - Bedwellty
As is usual on Tour, Wednesday was our “big day out". This year, it saw us head Northwards into the valleys, with its stunning scenery (albeit not quite matching Brecon last year!). We were reinforced by Rachel (who came brandishing cake from Mummy Rachel, yum!), Jose and Lauren joining our motley band. Three other daytrippers bolsterd our ranks today; the wonderful Becca, who brought two equally wonderful non-ringing friends; Kinsey, The Goodest Boy, who had to fight for that crown this year with Bertie, who was very excited to join his first Lilliputters! Today was our designated “rainbow shirts” day - sunglasses may be required for this video!…
In a day of exclusively eight-bell towers, our first offering was Merthyr Tydfil, which recently featured on my channel in a separate video. The bells were cast by Taylors in 1893 for the new church, and are only the second Simpson-tuned octave (behind Norton, Sheffield). Following local efforts in the 1980s, they were saved from the scrapheap, and instead rehung on ball bearings; a jolly good effort, as they are a smashing ring! Touches featured here are Grandsire Triples (inside) and call-changes (outside); no repeat footage from my other video, that would be pure laziness! :P
dove.cccbr.org.uk/tower/12405
Up next, one of the undoubted highlight towers of our Tour; the wonderful Taylor bells of Ebbw Vale. Cast in 1937, they are widely regarded as one of the best eights for their weight - and rightly so. There is little to dislike here; they sound incredible, handle like tops, are crystal clear, and enjoy a homely ringing chamber. On our visit, the 2nd stay was absent, so a few lucky members were nominated (as tribute) to ring it stayless; much fun ensued between mine and Becca’s turns, as she did not require the knot I put in the rope!… A few of us also ventured up to the belfry for a look afterwards; a cameo appearance from the Tenor appears from 9:23. Listen to that roar! Ringing featured here is Grandsire Triples (inside), and some call-changes (outside). See if you can spot the unsung hero of our 2023 Tour making a debut appearance in one of the touches!…
dove.cccbr.org.uk/tower/11978
After lunch in Ebbw, it was off to a ring at the other end of the weight spectrum; the light octave at Blaenavon. These are another complete Taylor ring, cast in 1948 to replace an old six. Whilst bright, they are also rather loud and rather hummy inside, making it a bit tricky to discern accurate strike notes. Following the ringing, our group photo was taken - and Euan decided to take his new pet brick for a walk (unlike Father Jack Hackett…). I - or rather, Harry - only recorded one touch during our time here; please enjoy some Spliced Surprise Major - we did!
dove.cccbr.org.uk/tower/14334
Mynyddislwyn (pronounced men-er-this-a-lin) church is located atop a hill in a lovely rural spot, offering some stunning views. Aside from receiving the best welcome of the week here, with tea and biscuits in full supply, they were also our first ground-floor tower; this pleased our elder statesmen (Kinsey, Andrew!…). The bells are basically a 1947 Mears & Stainbank eight, originally hung at St Luke’s, Abercarn. They were transferred to Mynyddislwyn when that church closed; unfortunately, three of the bells (the 3rd, 5th and 6th) were stolen, and had to be replaced. The new bells (plus a sanky, the same note as the 5th!) were cast and the ring installed by Taylors of Loughborough in March 2000. They are nothing special to write home about; pleasant enough, although they sound better outside than inside. They are trickier than they should be to ring well (with unbalanced light trebles and sluggish back). Ringing here includes Grandsire Triples and the lower from inside, and Cambridge Major from outside (with thanks to Ashley for his deft camerawork).
dove.cccbr.org.uk/tower/13414
Onto our final tower, Bedwellty, another ground-floor offering. The back six were cast by Taylors in 1895, and augmented to eight by the same firm in 1920. Despite the outwardly-chunky looking tower, the ringing room was pretty cramped, with ropes falling very close together. Acoustically, the bells were nice outside, but very poor inside; very quiet, exacerbated by the “bathroom effect” as sallies filled the rope holes. Neither were they the easiest bells to strike, with a particularly torpid tenor. Tiredness had definitely set in by this point, and there wasn’t the appetite to do much ringing, although we did manage half a course of Yorkshire and some call-changes. These both feature here, as does the lower and Euan playing on the Ellacombe.
dove.cccbr.org.uk/tower/16905
A full-on day concluded back at Miskin, where Chef Josh had prepared a pasta tea, before the musicians serenaded us into the evening. How long did this medley go on for? Find out soon, in Day 4!…