Jaguar Tour of Wales 2026

Four Greater Manchester JEC Region members, together with their partners, joined more than twenty fellow Jaguar enthusiasts for a long weekend based near Llandovery, Wales. They enjoyed two days of carefully planned driving, some spectacular Mid Wales scenery, good food and the sort of company that explains why so many people book this tour again before they have even gone home.

From Friday 4th to Monday 7th September, Peter Smith and Liz, Stephen Todd and Bev, Phil Mathews and Vicki, together with Phil’s dad Vic, represented the Greater Manchester Region on the annual Jaguar Tour of Wales.

A few years ago this annual event began life as a Jaguar X-Type tour, but over the years it has broadened into something much more, and this year the X-Types were joined by XFs, an XE, S-Type, F-Type and XJ, creating a varied line-up and proving that the event has become more than a one model tour.

For our members it meant three nights away and two full days of touring, with around 90 miles of planned driving on both Saturday and Sunday. The routes mixed A and B roads with quieter minor roads and stretches that most visitors to the area would probably never discover for themselves.

The Event weekend was based at Llanerchindda Farm, at Cynghordy near Llandovery. Set in the countryside close to the Cambrian Mountains, the guest house looks out across the Bran Valley towards the impressive Cynghordy Viaduct and provides exactly the sort of setting that suits a motoring weekend.

Llanerchindda is a family-run guest house and self-catering retreat, and its reputation for hospitality is clearly part of the reason the Jaguar tour has become such a fixture in the calendar. The location itself is part of the experience: reaching it involves the sort of narrow country roads that immediately tell you that the weekend has begun.

The venue holds tours throughout the year, and is visited by not just Jaguar Clubs. For those who are returning again, they ensure that the road trips are different than they might have undertaken previous tours.

For Stephen, this was his first visit. His interest had been sparked by listening to other members who had attended in previous years and that had spoken so highly of the event. In many ways, he said, it was exactly the sort of activity that had encouraged him to join the Greater Manchester Region in the first place.

He enjoys driving, finding new roads and discovering places he would not otherwise see, so the prospect of several days away in the Jaguar was an easy one to accept. As a newcomer, however, there was naturally a moment of wondering whether he might feel on the outside of an established group.

That concern did not last long. With many of the other guests returning from previous years, there were plenty of familiar friendships already in place, but Stephen found the welcome immediate. Conversation, laughter and a drink quickly removed any apprehension and made the weekend feel inclusive from the start.

Phil, a returning visitor, describes the welcome from Martin and the Llanerchindda team as one of the things that immediately sets the tone. Waiting in the rooms were the tulip map books for the weekend, a rally plaque, key ring and OS map — the last of those, he joked, presumably there just in case anyone managed to get lost.

There was also a welcome gift, this year an engraved glass for each guest, while tea, coffee and homemade cake were already waiting in the lounge.

The day then moved naturally into the first three-course evening meal, something both Stephen and Phil highlighted as part of the experience rather than simply a necessity at the end of a day’s driving.

Stephen’s room looked out towards the viaduct and, although modest in size, was clean, comfortable and more than suited to a three-night stay. Breakfast the following morning was equally well received — an important detail when the day ahead involved several hours on some of the best roads in the area.

Saturday’s route headed first towards Carreg Cennen Castle, before climbing into the Black Mountain roads and continuing through the Epynt military training area. These were not simply main-road miles between tourist stops. The route was designed around the driving itself, using twisting, climbing and descending roads that made the journey every bit as important as the destination.

View from Carreg Cennen Castle

Carreg Cennen rewarded those who made the climb with wide views across the surrounding countryside, while the Black Mountain section delivered the sort of switchbacks and open roads that are difficult to resist when you have taken a Jaguar away specifically to enjoy driving it.

The View was worth the climb.

There was an unexpected bonus on the Epynt section when some of the group saw two British Army Apache helicopters carrying out exercises over the ranges. Pete had already noted that there was plenty of activity in the area that day, but seeing the aircraft operating above the route gave the journey an extra moment that no route book could have guaranteed.

The detailed tulip instructions, junction mileages and suggested coffee and lunch stops meant that the tour remained relaxed rather than becoming an exercise in navigation. As Stephen put it, the organisation was so thorough that it was actually quite difficult to go wrong.

Sunday provided a different mix of scenery but no less interesting driving. The route took in Llyn Brianne Reservoir and the twisting, undulating road around it — roads that had also formed part of the previous day’s Ceredigion WRC rally stages.

From there the route continued via Tregaron, with time for a coffee stop, before reaching the colourful coastal town of Aberaeron for lunch. The afternoon then moved on to the National Trust property at Llanerchaeron, with its house, gardens and farm, before the return journey brought the cars back towards Llanerchindda and the viaduct in the valley.

For Stephen, these roads were the highlight of the weekend: A and B roads mixed with minor and unclassified routes, revealing places and views that are easily missed if you simply travel from one headline destination to another.

The strongest memories from weekends like this are not always made behind the wheel. Each afternoon, returning crews were welcomed back with tea, coffee and cake before gathering again for another three-course dinner and a relaxed evening together.

The Llanerchindda team even marked the X-Type’s 25th anniversary with a specially made cake — a small detail, but one that says quite a lot about the character of the weekend.

The Greater Manchester contingent also appears to have maintained its reputation for endurance. Pete reports that each evening our group was still chatting and enjoying a drink after most of the others had gone to bed. Meanwhile Brin, the farm’s new dog, took rather a shine to Pete’s Coco, providing a different sort of friendship over the weekend.

There was another nice connection with Manchester too, as a number of others on the tour had attended our Northern Jaguar Show at Avro and spoke warmly about it, and the Greater Manchester Region also received a special mention in the final-night thank-you speeches.

What I discovered is that both Stephen and Phil contribution to this article, written separately and from very different starting points, both reached much the same conclusion.

The roads are a huge part of the attraction, but the weekend works because the driving is only one ingredient. The organisation is detailed without being restrictive, the hospitality is warm without being formal, the food and accommodation make the base somewhere you are happy to return to each evening, and the company means the experience is shared with people who understand why spending a weekend driving Jaguars through Wales sounds like a very good idea.

Stephen arrived as a first-timer after hearing other members recommend the tour. By the end of the weekend, he and Bev had already booked for 2027. Phil, having attended before, summed up the recurring pattern equally neatly: before you know it, the weekend is over and you find yourself booking for the following year.

That perhaps says more about the Jaguar Tour of Wales than any list of roads or destinations could. A good route can make for an enjoyable day out, but when you add excellent organisation, a welcoming base and good company, it then becomes the sort of weekend people want to repeat.

Thanks to Pete, Stephen and Phil for sharing their memories and photographs from the weekend for this article