Afan Weekend, have I done it wrong??

Nick Cod

So I'm getting married the first weekend next month and thought I would like to go and have a blast round the trails in Afan the last weekend in November. I invited my two best men, my brother and my best mate along with a couple of others including my Dad, who unfortunately won't be there on the wedding day.

Both my brother and my best mate ride and it's rare I get to see them as my brother is in the Navy and my best mate resides in Suffolk. My Dad is a complete novice but I've told him he should come and even if he doesn't want to ride he can just chill out for the weekend. But I have a spare bike and kit if he fancies a go.

So I booked accommodation for the weekend with an open invite to anyone who wanted to come. I made it clear I had no intension for anyone to contribute towards what I'd paid out for the cottage and all they had to do was make their way there and ride.

However despite initial enthusiasm I've been getting text messages saying you've done this all wrong, no one wants to come and you shouldn't have booked it.

I appreciate we're in hard times but I'm left feeling a bit deflated as I thought I was doing something nice in giving people the opportunity for free accommodation in Afan.

Thoughts people......

1mancity2

I will come if you have a spare place, but seriously I think its a great idea and as your paying for the cottage why wouldn't you go?

Who is sending the txt messages, are they getting earache from someone maybe?

Kaise

mate just send out a message and say you've booked the accomodation, its free to those who want to go, your going anyway so its up to them, they either join you, have a blast and have free accomodation or they dont, simple. If only you and your best man go its a good way to get away from the wedding planning and clear your head anyway!

You havent done anything wrong mate, people can just be weird!

if you want to do it, then just do it, dont let anyone hold you back!

SUPERSUTT

you havent done anything wrong mybe the person whos texting you wanted a weekend away in Blackpool or dublin something along that line (just a piss up weekend). its your wedding you do what you want a weekend of riding will surly clear your head and trim that few extra pounds off for your suit fitting (just dont come off and end upwith a black eyethe missus will not be best pleased). i was lucky i had two stag nights one with my mates young weekend away and one with the oldies like my dad and his brothers

Mccraque

Can't see the issue myself. If you are getting married, then it's your choice of stag destination....well at least that is how it works with my mates.

Afan can be anything you want it to be...plenty of cycling to be had...and if the others are after a piss-up then get down to Neath Workies on the Friday night and into Swansea on the Saturday. Everyone's a winner.

Razor1548

If people don't want to go or don't like the idea, that is their feeling and they are welcome to it.

To say they think you have done wrong though just doesn't make sense to me. Now having a weekend away in an exepensive hotel in another country... that is a bit of a serious expectation and demand to make on people. Surely the weekend you have planned should cost them just a little bit of money for food and drink. Either way, it's their choice and I can't see anyone having fair reason to criticise.

I say good on you for doing something a bit different and trying to spend some time with good old friends.

Anonymous

If they want a rough night out, you can get that in South Wales easy enough. Emphasis on 'rough'

Maybe not the same as Amsterdam.

mrmonkfinger

are most of your mates expecting a night of drinking in dodgy nightclubs? its your stag do, do what you want, just be aware that hitting the trails won't be everyone's cup of tea.

Dobbs

Just text back that it's no problem and that you're not bothered.
Go for a wazz up with just the people who can be bothered to join you at Afan.
Make note of who put the effort in.

mini-eggs

I'm in a similar situation, wedding coming up in January and would love to bike round afan in the day (its local to me) and maybe a meal out in the night. Nobody is into biking as much as I am, my best man would do it, but he's super slow, but at least he does it. The rest wouldn't even consider it just want to drink (im not much of a drinker, after 1 or 2, im bored and rather do something else) so the whole idea was scrapped.

At moment, i'm compromising with going to see a comedian of my choice and then a quick drink.

But it is your stag do, do something you want, or at least compromise a little, go biking for a day somewhere with those who want and the others join u for the night out?

Nick Cod

Thanks for the support people. After a few phone calls last night it seems the one person sending me texts is the only one who has an issue with this but was telling me nobody wanted to go. The strange thing is though he rides and has done Afan before but have a feeling he just wanted to go drinking....... not really my bag, like you mini eggs I get bored. His loss I guess

My best mate has said he'll be there and my old man is coming but has some concern about getting saddle sore as he's not ridden any kind of bike since his younger days.

So I know Penhydd is closed and the Drop In centre ain't quite what it used to be since Ian left but have there been any other major changes? I hope Whites level is still open, I love that trail!!

JonoStevens

People do seem to have a fixation with getting sh*tfaced for days on end on stag dos nowadays.

Not much of a drinker now I've realised that being outdoors and on form is better than hungover in bed, so wanted a decent outdoorsy adventure for my stag last June. I went kayaking and wild camping on the Jurassic Coast.

A lot of my mates are still in to their boozing, so I kind of let them run loose on the Friday night. It worked well as they got their boozy night out, but the next day they were all done in and had the drinking and strip club crap out of their system. This worked well as they weren't up for going mad the next day so the kayaking and camping was nice and low key and how I'd imagined it. I didn't actually have a drink on my stag night proper.

It is a funny one, but I guess everyone did do something for me that they might not normally, so there's a bit of a compromise to be had.

I wonder if everyone could go out somewhere on the Friday, and ride on the Saturday? You could always sack off the drinking early (I did).

Sounds to me like your mate sending the texts is getting it in the ear at home.

mkf

on the flip side, you might come back from your ride to i cottage full off friends and a stripper. party time courtesy of your friend

Nick Cod

There's wishfull thinking, but I like your style!!

welshkev

deadkenny wrote:

If they want a rough night out, you can get that in South Wales easy enough. Emphasis on 'rough'

.

OI!! watch it you.....no you're right, sorry

Anonymous

Most interesting pub experience I had was a pub somewhere in Cwmbran I think, not sure where now, some time ago. The kind of place where you walk in, sawdust on the floor, bar, nothing else, other than pleasant locals

tsenior

"If you are getting married, then it's your choice of stag destination"

every stag do i've been on, the location programme etc has been decided by the best man in consultation with the comitee.....its f-all to do with the groom, he's not there not there to have a good time

only (partly) joking IME the best stags mix activites with partying and you have some sort of central event to add structure to the jaunt; otherwise its just an endless bar/club crawl.

Day biking followed by drinks in the evening sounds great: you should really be wearing some sort of gimp suit though

welshkev

deadkenny wrote:

Most interesting pub experience I had was a pub somewhere in Cwmbran I think, not sure where now, some time ago. The kind of place where you walk in, sawdust on the floor, bar, nothing else, other than pleasant locals

there's definately some 'interesting' pubs in cwmbran

tsenior

wearing a gimp suit down the cwmbran 'locals' pub.....now we are getting somewhere 8)

supafly1982

tsenior wrote:

wearing a gimp suit down the cwmbran 'locals' pub.....now we are getting somewhere 8)

whos the only gay in the village?

ahg

not at all if you had done that for me i would be over the moon and still offer so money to help

Nick Cod

So we got back from Afan last night, in total there was four of us. We stayed at Skylines Rest http://www.skylinesrest.co.uk/

Advise for anyone going, this wasn't the best accommodation I've stayed at in the valley. There was a definite smell of damp in the house, the boiler was screwed and the Tesco DVD player scratched my DVDs. That aside it was a two minute ride from the Drop In Centre which was the reason why I went for it.

Hats off to my old man this weekend, he's never done a days mountain biking in his life but managed to negotiate riding The Wall on my Voodoo which I loaned him. All I'll say is it's a good job he had his helmet on while we were descending The Graveyard, that rock never saw his diving head butt coming.

Three days, three rides and a good time had by all

Day One: The Wall
Day Two: Whites Level
Day Three: Cwmcarn

VWsurfbum

AWESOMES
Hope you enjoyed it.
That will teach those nasty rocks

welshkev

glad you had a good time mate, and your 'mates' that didn't come - uninvite them from your wedding....grumpy feckers

Kaise

i've dropped some hints to my best man about sorting this out for my stag do in June, if he organised anything like this i would be Uber stoked!

glad you enjoyed it, at the end of the day that weekend was about you and nobody else!!