main roads in North wales

[crimble]

I am heading fro North Wales for a few midweek days in the next fortnight.

In the mountain areas it seems to be main roads or nothing. which are the A roads to avoid at all costs?

Any comments on:
A roads South out of Caernerfon?
A5 [T] Bangor to Betws?
A470 [T] Blaenau Ffestiniog to Dolgellau?

[rower40]

I rode the A470 from Trawsfynydd to Machynlleth a few times in the 80's. (Year, not temperature!) It seemed particularly well-surfaced and under-used.

South out of Caernarfon, I have recently used the train! The Welsh Highland railway has a wagon on every train for bikes. That gets you to Rhyd-Ddu, which is nearly at the top of the pass, so it's mostly downhill from there.

The A5 is BUSY. On another visit to that quarter, I took a bus from Blaenau Festiniog to Llandudno Junction (I'd just missed the train) and the bus got very snarled in traffic at Betws-y-coed. I've biked the pass of Llanberis, which is very scenic, and again not very busy with motorised traffic.

Hope that helps,

[Steve]

If you can put up with the surfacing there is a good cycle path south from Caernarfon on the old railway which takes you most of the way to Porthmadog - the main road is narrow in places & pretty busy.