Route from Brecon to Llandovery

[valleyold boy]

I,m cycling to Tenby with some friends and looking for some advice to avoid cycling on the A40.Looking at the OS landranger map no.160 I note that there is a route that runs parallel to the A40 via Cradoc,Aberscir,Trallong,Pentrer felin to pick up the A40 the other side of Sennybridge.Then onto the A40 to Trecastle.From here the map shows a roman roadover over mynydd bach trecastle to Hafod Fawr,Dagfa and on to Llandovery.Does anyone have any Knowledge of these routes and how good/bad the route is over mynydd bach trecastle i.e.if possible what type of bike would one need.Thanks in anticipation of an answer from the mass of knowledge on this forum.

 

[andrew_s]

The road through Trallong is quiet and pleasant, though considerably lumpier than the main road.
The Roman road looks good on google earth - I wouldn't worry about taking my audax bike along it (I use 28mm tyres). There's a stretch of about 100m by the larger roman camp that looks like it could get a bit damp, but otherwise it looks like decent land rover track. (I've not been along it)

 

[valleyold boy]

Thanks for your input,I didnt think of looking on google earth.I,m on a hybrid with 700x38 tyres so should be ok.Am I right in thinking its best to stay off the A40?

 

[andrew_s]

That stretch of the A40 hasn't been a problem when I've used it (usually on a 400k, so eastbound late afternoon on May Day BH Saturday).
Myself, I'd take the minor roads for a more pleasant ride, unless I was starting to watch the clock.

 

[Andrewscotchman]

It's a while since this topic was followed up, but I came across it via Google trying to find out whether the route was viable. I'm pleased to report that it is, though the first hundred metres on the Llandovery side are pretty desperate... We followed it relatively comfortably on hybrids with a bit of luggage and were able to cycle most of it slowly - we're not very gung-ho. The panoramic view from the Roman Camp is fantastic. I don't know what the legal status of this route is - a green lane? It's Common land and no-one yelled at us!