Cycle Touring in Wales

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

This book is designed to be small enough to carry with you and includes linear maps that are entirely adequate for following the route. However, they do not show much on either side of the route, such as where your overnight accommodation is located, so it is advisable to carry separate maps, such as those in the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger Series for such purposes.

September 2019

Corrections

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