Touring Wales,My Route to Angelsey.

newbootclimbco · Post by **newbootclimbco** » 9 Mar 2013, 4:45pm

I have been looking at the Lon Las trail and i dont think it suitable for my touring bike.So my route to Angelsey is,Chepstow B4235 Usk B4598 Abergavenny B4458 Brecon B4520 Builth Wells A470 Rhayader -Llangurig A44 Aberystwth A487 Machyniieth A493 Tywyn - Barmouth A496 Harlech over the toll at Penrhyndeudraeth A4085 Caernarfon over the Menai Bridge.On Angelsey follow the coastal roads back to bridge and up to Conway. Thats about 400 miles from my home town of Wimbourne Dorset. I do not have a return route yet ,but i want to go back via Snowdonia and have a look around that area.Hopefully i can find campsites, but also the odd hostel and camp barns.All being well i hope to start on sat the 18 May .I would welcome any comments on my fast and flat route.John from the conwy area will i be anywhere near your field ?. I will post a return passage if i decide to go home.Thanks T.

Tail End Charlie · Post by **Tail End Charlie** » 9 Mar 2013, 7:02pm

The Lon Las Cymru route is very suitable for a touring bike and I'd highly recommend it. It'll take you down lanes which often run parallel to the A road, but on the opposite side of the valley. You're missing out if you don't use it.

james01 · Post by **james01** » 10 Mar 2013, 7:27am

Tail End Charlie wrote:The Lon Las Cymru route is very suitable for a touring bike and I'd highly recommend it. It'll take you down lanes which often run parallel to the A road, but on the opposite side of the valley. You're missing out if you don't use it.

Agreed. Unless you're in a great hurry why use A roads, some of which can get very busy, especially at tourist times. However I certainly wouldn't follow the Lon Las route 100% because some of the diversions take you off road when there's a perfectly good metalled road available.
By the way, I'd make sure that your "touring bike" has low gearing if you're carrying full camping kit, mine has a 17.5 inch bottom gear and I used it a fair bit on the Lon Las trail.

meic · Post by **meic** » 10 Mar 2013, 10:26am

You probably would have used it on the roads running parallel too. It is Wales.

Thinking about it, apart from little gimmicks thrown in by the planners, the Taff Trail is flatter than its surroundings a lot of the time as it follows a river and uses old train routes.

newbootclimbco · Post by **newbootclimbco** » 12 Mar 2013, 6:30pm

My thanks to Tailend Charlie and James for your comments about the Lon Las trail,i have read that some parts are more suited to mountain bikes. Having said that i have still ordered Maps North and South for this route and will follow them as much as possible.If i get to a part i dont like i shall use any near by road instead.Hopefully i shall find campsites and supplies as i go along.I just hope weather is kind.I in tend to set off on sat 18 May ,i would like to be at Chepstow by Sunday afternoon. I am happy for a cycle buddy to tag along, i hate to drink alone.Any more suggestions are still welcome ,Thanks for now, T.

stormdog · Post by **stormdog** » 12 Mar 2013, 9:20pm

Hi T

I have pm you re camping at our place

John

IanCh · Post by **IanCh** » 15 Mar 2013, 12:05pm

I can't think of any parts of the trail where you need a mountain bike - it's a great route. Go for it on your tourer but be prepared for a few stiff climbs.

welshwoodsman · Post by **welshwoodsman** » 16 Mar 2013, 9:30am

I did it no problem on a tourer. Right about the climbs,but that goes for pretty much all of Wales

newbootclimbco · Post by **newbootclimbco** » 19 Mar 2013, 3:40pm

Now that i have purchased North and South maps of the Lon Las Trail and with advise given, I shall be attempting said route.Two things,I hope the weather is going to be kind to me and i hope that i can cycle up and over most of the climbs that i meet. I intend to go to Llangurig then leave lonlas and head to Aberystwth. The only road i cas see being the A44.,From there along the coast road or the trail to Barmouth via the bridge then on to Caernarfon.Depending how i feel then i may cycle around Angelsey.My return route is not yet clear but i may use a lot of the Lon Las trail down to Llanidloes.I have family in West Midlands so i may go there before heading home via the Cotswolds.Now that i have a Tour in mind i dont know if i am Young enough,Fit enough, Strong enough,Certainly daft enough to try.If anyone else is about maybe we can hook up for a few miles.As always your comments,good or bad ,are welcome.Thanks T.

newbootclimbco · Post by **newbootclimbco** » 19 Mar 2013, 3:45pm

Please see my old Topic,below somewhere.Thanks T.

meic · Post by **meic** » 19 Mar 2013, 4:11pm

Going from Llangurig to Barmouth, if you choose to go via Aberystwyth you will be forcing yourself to go on main roads, I normally try to avoid using the coast road (A487) up to Machynlleth and the A44 for that matter. Now they are not bad as A roads go but I dont like using A roads.

If you wish to go from Llangurig to Aberystwyth there are two other options apart from the A44.
These involve going through Cymystwyth, you can backtrack all the way to Rhayadr and come up the Elan valley. Or you can take a rather adventurous mountain pass, involving sections of collapsed road from Llangurig to Cymystwyth. To find it on a map you would draw a straight line between the two towns and that is roughly where it goes. It is a very small road coming off the A44 at Glangwy (cheap campsite and B&B there) which appears to be a no through road but it does have a cycle track connecting through to the road near to Cymystwyth.
A good cyclist could cycle the length of it but I chose to walk a few sections as I am pretty cautious. Normally I cycle the long way around through Rhayadr.
These routes would both probably take around 4 or 5 times as long to do as the A44 route!

I can not see any good reason for leaving the Lon Las to go to Aberystwyth, except shopping or staying at Borth YHA. The Lon Las from Llangurig to Machynlleth is a nicer ride.

stormdog · Post by **stormdog** » 19 Mar 2013, 10:18pm

Hi,

I agree, I would not head for the A44 or Aberystywth, I would stick to the Lon Las.

If you want to see some Welsh Coastline I would travel from Dolgellau keeping to the Lon Las NCR8 to Porthmadoc and then spend a day or two cycling around the Llyn Peninsular, heading towards Nefyn or Aberdaron.

Some spectacular coastline and if you keep off the A497/499 you will meet very little traffic. There are some lovely little farm campsites dotted around the coast, and afterwards head back out and pick up the NCR8 Lon Las up to Caernarfon. I am spending a few days down there on my bike the beginning of April.

If you decide on that route I can let you have a couple of nice relaxing day rides around this area. Let me know your days for the North, if they fit in will catch up with you at some point on your way up

John

Richard Fairhurst · Post by **Richard Fairhurst** » 19 Mar 2013, 11:27pm

meic wrote:These involve going through Cymystwyth, you can backtrack all the way to Rhayadr and come up the Elan valley. Or you can take a rather adventurous mountain pass, involving sections of collapsed road from Llangurig to Cymystwyth.

Signposted as NCN 818 and mapped on OpenStreetMap. Still want to find time to do it one of these days. Last time I was over that way I chose Rhayader-Pontrhydfendigaid via Claerwen instead... that was fun.

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Touring Wales,My Route to Angelsey.

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