From South West to Wales

[cc1085]

Anyone cycled from Devon/Cornwall area to Wales or vice versa? Hints and tips on routes etc would be most welcome as I'm planning this tour for next year.

[pwa]

You are probably going to use the old Severn Bridge (M48) with its pedestrian/cycle path. Then Chepstow. Then a choice of nice roads, depending on the direction you want to take. Good routes north to Monmouth and Hay on Wye, or more westerly to Usk and Abergavenny.

[meic]

Yes the near certainty of using the old Severn Bridge cuts your ride into two separate halves that can be considered separately from each other.
As that would have you "landing" in Wales at Chepstow the Lon Las (NCN8 to Holyhead) and the Lon Celtic (NCN 4 &47 to Fishguard) are begging consideration, possibly joining the two together with the Lon Teifi (NCN82) and Lon Cambria (NCN81)

[mjr]

I've not done the whole route but http://cycle.travel/by/mjray/taunton_bristol_easier may be useful as part of it. If you'd rather keep Wales in sight as much as possible, the Brean Down Way (NCR 33) is now open by the coast to cross the Axe avoiding the A370.

[Cyril Haearn]

What about the *new* Severn Bridge? Did I read that tolls are only charged in one direction?

[mjr]

What about the *new* Severn Bridge? Did I read that tolls are only charged in one direction?

Yes, same as the old one. No cycleway on the new bridge, built in the dark days where Highways Agency provided roughly nothing for non motorists.

[honesty]

you could link the West Country Way and Lon Las Cymru, both amazing routes. Crossing the old severn bridge as stated is the way to go, and though the Avonmouth area is not the nicest it is probably easier to go over the Avon bridge rather than into Bristol. You do miss stuff going that way though like the Clifton Suspension bridge.

[pwa]

What about the *new* Severn Bridge? Did I read that tolls are only charged in one direction?

No cycle route on the new bridge. The cycle route on the old bridge has no toll.

[RickH]

I enjoyed the Old Severn Bridge across to Wales, we also went over the M5 Avon bridge which also has a cycle path.

Once you are in Wales, is there anywhere in particular you want to go, as that will help refine recommendations?

[whoof]

I currently live in Bristol and therefore regularly pop over into Wales using the old Severn Crossing. There is a cycle path on each side of the bridge and I find the one upstream to be best as to access the downstream side you have to go through a underpass on the Wales side that is often covered in broken glass.

Once you have crossed the bridge it depends on whether you want to get somewhere as quick as possible or want to see some places in particular. Bristol to Land's End is on a number of LEJOG routes and if you search in the LEJOG section of this forum you should find some advice in there, such as the A30 over Bodmin moor being closed to cycles. The plan was to open this section of road today but it's already over run once before.
https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/transport-a ... provement/
Personally I find the new A30 a miserable place to ride a bike.

I've ridden Bristol to Cornwall before and will be doing it again next month.
Last time I rode from Bristol to near (but not down) Cheddar and then toward Taunton and Wellington before stopping at Exeter. The down the OLD A30 to Launceston out the Camelford for the next section. Last day Camelford, down the coast a bit and then back towards Bodmin, another section of the OLD A30 to Fraddon and then some difficult to describe smaller roads into West Cornwall.

As mentioned above Cycle Travel provides a pretty good route that you can tweek.

[PM999]

We did Fishguard to Lostwithiel in June. Used cycle.travel and took the route as suggested, no amendments. Route at http://cycle.travel/map/journey/40447. (And can I once more sing the praises of cycle.travel? Thank you, thank you, thank you).

Loved the stretch through the valleys (Neath to Newport), with nice sections along the Monmouth Canal (despite some irritatingly narrow gates when pannier laden). The Millenium path around the coast at Swansea would have been great, but the weather was atrocious. General route in the SW was Bristol, Taunton, Tiverton, Okehampton, Lostwithiel, all on really quiet roads and no use of A30. The route took in the Granite Way on the edge of Dartmoor - quite short, but enjoyably scenic.

Pub of the trip http://www.royalinn.co.uk/ just on the Devon side of the county boundary with Cornwall, which also served up beer of the trip (Otter Ale). Wonderful.

Lostwithiel was the chosen end point for proximity to the Eden Project and Lost Gardens of Heligan. Both terrific, and you need a day for Heligan, minimum half a day for Eden.

Minor bonus for us on this routing was a plentiful supply of Premier Inns. (I know, it's a Marmite thing, but personally I love parking up the bikes in our room or a secure laundry/store room).

Paul