CYCLING LÔN LAS CYMRU CYCLING LÔN LAS CYMRU About the Author After years of road running and mountaineering had wreaked havoc with 250 MILES THROUGH THE HEART OF WALES his knees, Richard Barrett returned to long-distance cycling in his fifties when he bought himself a classic British-made touring bike. Now in his ON TRAFFIC-FREE PATHS AND QUIET ROADS sixties, he rides a hand-made bike from one of the great British frame makers that have appeared in recent years. Combined with walking, by Richard Barrett cycling allows him to continue his love affair with the more mountainous parts of the UK which he first visited as a teenager. He spent his career in marketing in a number of multinational organisations in the UK and abroad, but he now lives in West Cheshire and rides two or three times a week with groups on both sides of the border. Other Cicerone guides by the author Cycling in the Hebrides Cycling in the Lake District The Hebridean Way Walking on Harris and Lewis JUNIPER HOUSE, MURLEY MOSS, OXENHOLME ROAD, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA9 7RL www.cicerone.co.uk © Richard Barrett 2018 First edition 2018 CONTENTS ISBN: 978 1 85284 987 0 Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd. Map key ...................................................... 6 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Route summary table ............................................ 7 All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated. Overview map ............................................... 8–9 Ride planner from Cardiff ........................................ 10 Route mapping by Lovell Johns www.lovelljohns.com Ride planner from Chepstow ..................................... 11 © Crown copyright 2018 OS PU100012932. Suggested schedule summary from Cardiff ........................... 12 NASA relief data courtesy of ESRI Suggested schedule summary from Chepstow ......................... 13 Dedication INTRODUCTION ............................................. 15 This book is dedicated to those stalwarts who lobby for better facilities for cyclists Why Lôn Las Cymru? ........................................... 17 and give up their time to maintain Sustrans routes in their neighbourhood. How tough is it? ............................................... 18 Which direction to ride? ......................................... 18 Selecting a schedule ............................................ 18 Acknowledgements Getting there ................................................. 19 My thanks to Jonathan and Joe Williams of Cicerone for commissioning this book First and last nights ............................................. 23 and in so doing introducing me to wonderful bits of the country I had never When to ride ................................................. 24 previously visited. I should also like to thank Sian, Verity, Stephanie and the Accommodation ............................................... 24 production team, who once again made the process such a pleasure. Baggage transfer ............................................... 24 What to take .................................................. 25 Preparing your bike ............................................ 25 Eating ....................................................... 27 Updates to this Guide Phones and Wi-Fi .............................................. 28 While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as Emergencies .................................................. 29 they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates Waymarking .................................................. 29 that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone. Maps ....................................................... 29 co.uk/987/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise Using this guide ............................................... 29 that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful LÔN LAS CYMRU ............................................. 31 for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on Stage 1 Cardiff to Glasbury .................................... 32 the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, Stage 1a Chepstow to Glasbury .................................. 49 Juniper House, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, LA9 7RL. Stage 2 Glasbury to Llanidloes ................................. 64 Register your book: To sign up to receive free updates, special offers and Stage 3 Llanidloes to Dolgellau ................................. 74 GPX files where available, register your book at www.cicerone.co.uk. Stage 4 Dolgellau to Caernarfon ................................ 84 Stage 5 Caernarfon to Holyhead ............................... 103 Front cover: Parked up at my preferred ending – South Stack Lighthouse (Stage 5)  Appendix A Cycle shops ..................................... 114 Appendix B Accommodation .................................. 116 ROUTE SUMMARY TABLE Appendix C Useful contacts ................................... 119 Appendix D What to take ..................................... 121 Stage Start End Distance Ascent Time (hrs Page Appendix E Welsh words and pronunciation ...................... 122 (miles/km) (m) at 10mph/ Appendix F Selected additional reading ......................... 124 16kph + 400m/hr) 1 Cardiff Glasbury 70/112 1200 10–11 32 Symbols used on route maps 1a Chepstow Glasbury 57/91 1500 9–10 49 route hostel (Alt start) alternative route bike shop 2 Glasbury Llanidloes 48/77 1000 7–8 64 start point railway station 3 Llanidloes Dolgellau 39/62 1200 7–8 74 finish point Tourist Information Centre 4 Dolgellau Caernarfon 60/96 1100 9–10 84 alternative start point castle or fort 5 Caernarfon Holyhead 38/61 500 5–6 103 Total 255/408 5000 38–43 alternative finish point priory Total (Alt start) 242/387 5300 37–42 route direction point of interest steep ascent or descent ( distance marker in miles very steep ascent or descent The Brecon Beacons from the north (Stage 1) GPX files GPX files for all routes can be downloaded free at www.cicerone.co.uk/987/GPX. Route maps are at a scale of 1:200,000. All other maps, including town maps, vary. Please refer to the scale on the map. 6 7 A570 A565 A49 Bolton A58 8 8h C Y Formby A59 Wigan C M58 LING Bootle A580 L Amlwch Liverpool M57 A57 Ô Liverpool Wallasey N M60 Bay M62 Warrington L Birkenhead AS Llandudno A41 C Benllech Widnes Holyhead Colwyn Rhyl R Dee M56 YMRU ANGLESEY Conwy Bay M53 Runcorn 250 Llangefni Beaumaris A533 A Knutsford Menai M56 Holy Island Abergele 556 A55 Bridge Bangor A55 230 Holywell Northwich Rhosneigr A55 M6 to Chester 5 A470 A54 Llanfair Denbigh Queensferry Chester A54 220 Bethesda Talhaiarn Clwydian Range A55 Middlewich Stage 4 end Caernarfon A5 Llanrwst Mold A41 Ruthin A483 A51 A530 Caernarfon Bay 210 A494 A534 A49 Blaenau Betws- Pentrefoelas Nantwich A487 A500 Ffestiniogy-Coed A5 Wrexham ove 8 r d r Nefynr 190 Audlem 200 Llan Ffestiniog Corwen L Porthmadog A5 Llangollen omsg E r Chase A518 A518 Cannock Stourbridge A53 Stourbridge A5 B 180 Tetbury L M60 N Knutsfo Knutsfo Criccieth A54 Stafford A46 E A458 A458A442 A442 A58 N A58 SNOWDONIA Y Bala Pwllheli S Ellesmere Market A36 N Llynˆ Harlech A41 A Drayton A470 Oswestry A53 A53 A530 N AbersochM6 A530 A41 N Wem A41 A40 ate M56 M4 556 H 556 A449 S A449 Y A A A456 A456 A500 A A500 I A49 A4103 A580 C A494 A5 Bath 170 n Hills A53 r Stafford Telford Market N H Drayton Llanfyllin Bardsey A Shawbury A518 Newport I Middlewich S Bolton Dolgellau A4 n ’ C Island n r A44 r T Bridgnorth Newport A533 d e Stage 3 end e v A458 v r Cannock A403 A403 e E A Ledbury e S S A48 A48 alley Malve S A41 M32 Wigan A470 Mallwyd Shrewsbury A37 R A483 R A51 Chase M5 A53 ’ Barmouth A53 N G A49 T A458 V 7 A5 ydney Audlem 160 e Hills e Hills A54 A54 A49 A49 8 A458 L r E r arrington 150 4 A5 omya A49 A5 A49 R A U r A38 A38 A49 A49 Welshpool N enlock Widnes W B Much Much G Nantwich Leominster Ludlow O Northwich Wye W Telford A49 A4137 N A470 R n O A49 E U A49 Ross-on-Wye M56 r M62 em O Machynlleth e Llanfair r G M49 Much Bristol Shrewsbury A470 A57 A57 Chepstow A44 W M O A44 A40 Caereinion A40 Shropshi Shropshi E Shawbury . A489 Wenlock M48 A465 A41Tywyn A465 A534 A534 A5 T G A55 A55 140 M58 0 Runco 20 M Carno A458 Chester exham A368 8 A368 M57 A59 A59 A483 Church S r A4112 . A4112 gavenny vonmouth M4 Hereford Ellesme A570 km r A49 Monmouth A449 A458 T A458 Stretton A438 A A5 Church W 130 Stretton N to Welshpool 81 A458 Castle Castle Newport A483 S A483 Bishops Usk Bishops 0 10 miles Bishops Bridgnorth Abe A41 A41 A487 A470 M53 Castle A4042 A Newtown A458 A565 N Shropshire Hills Stourbridge e Kington Llanidloes Bishops Clevedon I A442 r A5 A48(M) A487 A470 A483 A483 Castle Aberystwyth A44 A Newtown Clun Shropshire Hills Stourbridge Clun R Llanidloes Clun -Ma Bootle I A442 r Hay- Mold 120 Stage 2 end CARDIFF A44 A44 on-Wye Aberystwyth ale Formby B Clun A55 A48 R A48 allasey V Ebbw Cwmbran Knighton Pontypool Crickhowell R Dee Llangollen A494 A494 Caerphilly W Llangurig Ludlow A479 Queensferry M BOswestry A483 Liverpool CARDIGAN BAY / A483 A483 Birkenhead A483 S S S S A465 A465 Barry A5 110 Newtown Newtown BAE CEREDIGION A elshpool N N N N A470 Lledrod A470 Range M Knighton I Llanrhystud I I I Rhayader W Clwydian Llanfyllin Holywell einion A483 A456 algarth Bromsgrove r eston-supe T A A A C A A A44 Bay T T