Is Skye's Cuillin Ridge on your bucket list? If so, you're in luck! Get 20% our guidebook to this iconic route and other scrambling guidebooks in our range - use code CUILLINRIDGE at checkout. Offer ends 30th April.

Cycle Touring in Wales

A two-week circuit and shorter tours

ISBN

9781852849887

Availability

Published

6 Jun 2019

Edition

First

Pages

240

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.40cm

Weight

270g

Delivery & Returns

Free 1st Class postage on UK orders. European postage is £3 per item. Worldwide postage is £5 per item. If you're not happy with your purchase for any reason, we'll give you a full refund.
More information...

Guidebook to cycle touring in Wales. This packed guide describes a circuit of Wales - perfect for a 2-week trip - plus 6 cross routes, which range from 45 to 73 miles and can be completed as day or weekend rides, or used to create shorter versions of the main circuit. Includes all the information needed to plan and execute a successful tour.

Seasons

Best ridden between April and October when the days are longer and the weather is at its best.

Centres

The route passes through most of the historic cities and towns of Wales, including Cardiff, Swansea and St David's. The route also passes many famous castles and landmarks along the way.

Difficulty

The route can be ridden as a leisure ride or as a challenge and there are schedules for all types of rider. There are long easy-rolling stages along both the South Wales and North Wales coasts, much of which is along traffic-free paths, with harder riding along the rockier west coast and through the low hills of the border counties.

Must See

A 657 mile circuit around of Wales - or shorter tours around the regions - taking in miles of magnificent coastline in the Pembrokeshire National Park, the mountains of Snowdonia and the gentler marcher along the border.

ISBN

9781852849887

Availability

Published

6 Jun 2019

Edition

First

Pages

240

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.40cm

Weight

270g

Overview

A guidebook to a 1057 km (657 mile) cycle tour of Wales. This circular route passes through Cardiff, Swansea, St David’s, Snowdonia (Eryri) and Pembrokeshire National Parks, and can be cycled in 2 weeks. Suitable for cyclists with a good level of fitness.

The route is presented in twelve stages of between 58 km and 117 km (36-73 miles) in length, perfect for a two week cycling tour. The guide also features six cross routes that can be completed separately or as options to shorten the circuit ranging in length from 72 to 115 km.

1:200,000 OS mapping included for each route
Elevation profiles included for each route
GPX files available to download
Detailed information on accommodation, refreshments, and other facilities along the route.
Advice on planning your trip and preparing your bike

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Map key

Route summary tables

Overview map

Ride planner from Cardiff

Alternative Schedules

Introduction

Why cycle around Wales?

How tough is it?

Which direction to ride

Selecting a schedule

Getting there

Travel

First and last nights in Cardiff

When to ride

Accommodation

What to take

Preparing your bike

Eating

Phones and Wi-Fi

Emergencies

Waymarking

Maps

Using this guide

A circuit of Wales

Stage 1 Cardiff to Mumbles

Stage 2 Mumbles to Tenby

Stage 3 Tenby to Fishguard

Stage 4 Fishguard to Aberaeron

Stage 5 Aberaeron to Machynlleth

Stage 6 Machynlleth to Porthmadog

Stage 7 Porthmadog to Conwy

Stage 8 Conwy to Wrexham

Stage 9 Wrexham to Montgomery

Stage 10 Montgomery to Hay-on-Wye

Stage 11 Hay-on-Wye to Chepstow

Stage 12 Chepstow to Cardiff

Cross routes

Cross route 1 Wrexham to Bangor

Cross route 2 Barmouth to Chirk

Cross route 3 Welshpool to Machynlleth

Cross route 4 Aberystwyth to Knighton

Cross route 5 Fishguard to Carmarthen

Cross route 6 Carmarthen to Abergavenny

Appendix A Cycle shops

Appendix B Accommodation

Appendix C Useful contacts

Appendix D What to take

Appendix E Welsh words and pronunciation

Appendix F Selected further reading

Updates

September 2019

Corrections

Map page 144 - p.146 para 1:

...crossing over the M40 to meet a junction... should read: ...crossing over the A40 to meet a junction

June 2019

Page 60: Battle of Trafalgar was in 1805 not 1815.

Reviews

don't ride round Wales without this guidebook about your person

no matter whether you have in mind a fully-loaded touring trip, an excursion into the trendy world of backpacking, or simply a day out in the welsh countryside, this excellent cicerone guide has pretty much every base covered. and as we have come to expect, the opening pages of this compact and bijou introduction to cycling in wales are dedicated to making you more than just wise before the event, not least as to when would be the best time of year to ride.

however, though it may be a wholly constituted, individual country, wales is still a part of the british isles and thus susceptible to the meterology suffered by the rest of us. mr barrett therefore advises visiting between the months of april and october. unless, of course, you're from the west of scotland, in which case all twelve are probably fair game. bikepackers will probably be happy to bivvy at suitable points along the way, while tourers and day trippers might be happier with a few home comforts. rest assured the topic of accommodation is suitably addressed.

the whole purpose, however, of cycling across or round any particular location is surely the attractions that can be seen en-route. here's where cicerone guides earn their well-commended reputation. mr barrett's parcours commences in cardiff, heading south-west to the intriguingly named 'the mumbles', near swansea. aside from being remarkably well delineated on accompanying maps, there are frequent 'asides' to advise the pedalling traveller of the sights passing their handlebars. such as st. donat's castle, for example.

given the nature of the book, offering as it does, the chance to undertake single, or multiple day bike rides, there's the singular question of how to get to your chosen start point, without possibly having to ride there in the first place. thanks to the existence of more than just a few railway stations, it's possible to access the vast majority of barrett's guided rides by train. the introduction makes planning the latter somewhat of a doddle, by way of a clearly defined graphic illustrating the proximity of railway stations to multiple grand départs.

as ever, the size of cicerone's cycling guides is well judged, fitting easily into one of your jersey's three rear pockets, or under the clear plastic afforded by a touring bar bag. additionally, the book's format describes not only a circumnavigation of the country, but, alternatively, several shorter routes criss-crossing from west to east (or vice versa). though you'd be forgiven for thinking that the present-day emphasis is on more extensive cycle-touring in distant countries, far, far away, there's still a great deal to be gained and enjoyed by staying closer to home as you enjoy the touring milieu.

just don't ride round wales without this guide book about your person.

washingmachinepost

tuesday 25 june 2019

Downloads

Cycle Touring in Wales - GPX File

By Richard Barrett

Richard Barrett spent his working life as a professional marketer, but still found time for climbing, winter mountaineering and sea kayaking. He first visited the Harris hills as a teenager and became a regular visitor. He lived in North Harris for a number of years, where he and his wife ran a guest house and, although now a city-dweller, he still makes frequent forays to the Hebrides, reconnecting with the wilderness and catching up with old friends.

View author profile