I used to pass the Ponderosa each way every time I visited my parents near Rhuthun and have driven the Horseshoe Pass literally hundreds of times in conditions ranging from brilliant sunshine to six inches of snow ( in my Subaru/Discovery days), using the old road up the middle if the barriers were down. It seems the ridiculous 40mph speed limit and some poor road maintenance in the area has killed off a thriving local business. The breakfasts were pretty good too😔
The Nant y Garth Pass further on was a lot more treacherous to be honest...
It's a pity, but a little part of me isn't too surprised. When I've been there its usually been summer, sunny, weekend and it has been busy with the usual suspects, but a couple of visits out of season and away from the weekend showed a different picture. I can imagine the economics of running the place have been marginal for a long time and it hasn't taken too much to break it.
I've a feeling that there's a lot that's not been said about the Pond. It's in a good position and usually has a year-round trade from bikers, hikers and tourists wanting a breath of fresh air. Suggestions that it's down to the widespread urban 20mph limits in Wales is a load of cobblers - plenty of other bike-oriented cafes in Wales are doing very well despite the over-zealous limits. For what it's worth, my suspicion is that it's part of the continuing repercussions from the conviction and jailing four years ago of a part-owner of the Ponderosa on child sex offences. John Clemence had played no part in the running of the cafe, and he had scarpered to Australia before being hauled back to Wales to face justice. He wan an old man at the time of his conviction and sentence. He'll have been released a while back - he got five years - and he may well have died by now. If he's still with us, he'll be over 90. As fas as John Clemence is concerned (Google him if needed), I couldn't care less whether he's alive or dead. But his stake in the business (now run by his totally innocent family) is an asset that can be disposed of. If I was a financial investigator, that's where I'd start looking. But that's just a theory. In the meantime, if you want a cafe up in the hills that's fairly biker-friendly, try the visitor centre at Llyn Brenig about 20 miles away, or drop down to Ruthin or Pontblyddin for the Chain and Sprocket or the Old Stores cafes. Both biker-oriented and doing a roaring trade when I went on a cafe crawl on Sunday.
![Ponderosa Café - Forums [Biker Match]](/images/backgrounds/strips/8mobileLQ.jpg)
![Ponderosa Café - Forums [Biker Match]](/images/backgrounds/strips/8desktopLQ.jpg)
