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

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

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.

September 2019

Corrections

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