Travel log of my recent cycle tour from North to South Wales.
Introduction
This is my first multi day self supported tour, whilst I have previously cycled across the UK form West to East coast, Aberdaron to Flamborugh and a 3 day tour of North Wales, these have always been with support and accommodation. My aim for this tour was to get to Cardiff from home ( Llanllyfni near Caernarfon), doing this within a loose timescale of 4-6 days. Living in Wales, I have previously cycled much of North Wales, deciding not to be too particular about my route, rather than following the NCN Route 8. Rather plotting as I went, this allowed me to be responsive to the ever changing weather, with the weather for the ride predictably unpredictable for August.
Day 1. Llanllyfni – Machynlleth.
I was scheduled to leave early, around 8:00am, but due to several issues with kit, I didn’t set off until 10:00am. Starting straight from home in Llanllyfni, I joined Lon Las Cymru (NCN Route 8), my intention being to stick to Route 8 for the majority of the day, although I would be using several short cuts that would see me missing out Dolbenmaen and Porthmadog in favour of the A487. I was comfortable doing this as I have ridden the area extensively, it has t be said though, that both areas are worth a visit if you are not familiar with the area. Dolbenmaen for its serenity and Porthmadog for its steam trains and beer!
About 6 miles in the rain began to fall, this was accompanied by a low cloud, giving a wet overcast feel to the day. I met a purple of cyclist visiting the area, they had come from Criccieth heading for Caernarfon where they had left the car, they were both soaked and not equipped for the weather!
Bryncir in the rain. 6 miles in
Getting into Tremadog outside of Porthmadog, I headed along the A487 bypass into Penrhyndeudraeth, where I rejoined Route 8 along Bont Buiret. Route 8 then takes you up into the B roads that run along parallel to the A496, again I preferred the A road as opposed to Route 8, this cut out a load of climbing and the A496 is a quite small A road that is scenic with vistas over Cardigan Bay, stopping off in Harlech for a couple of photos.
Castell Harlech
The weather once again took a turn for the worse, I stopped at an eatery/bar before the village of Llanaber called Norbar. No idea what the name is, no local collection as is the case with many establishments in this area sadly. Having said that the place was friendly enough with a takeaway hatch and a bar
First “big climb”, provided a steep learning curve (ha ha).
Once the weather had cleared a little and I had finished my coffee, I got back on the bike and headed towards Abermaw (Barmouth), which was packed with tourists, making me glad that I had already eaten, meaning that I could ride straight through the town and onto the Mawddach Trail. The Mawddach Trail runs from Abermaw to Dolgellau passing through Penmaenpool, the George III Hotel is situated here, next to a toll bridge, all very quaint along the Mawddach estuary. As the George III received a 1 Star rating following a Food Hygiene inspection in June 2018, I chose not to stop here and pushed onto the end of the trail in Dolgellau. Once in Dolgellau I grabbed a quick bite at the local Co-op and headed off up over the mountains along route 8. This was the first bit of serious climbing that I had experienced on the bike with the pack and baggage, with my Garmin an 800 ft climb measuring a 16% in places, I found myself searching for a lighter gear, with my current 105 compact drive chain coupled with a 32 T rear cassette proving too heavy for the big climbs.
Once over the top Route 8 crosses the A487, due to both the weather and the amount of dirt and debris on Route 8 I decided to cycle along the A487, it was reasonable quiet but the wind and the rain made it quite a challenging ride in places. As the weather was by this point atrocious, I phoned ahead to a local Pub that rented out rooms, preferring a warm bed to camping. The White Lion had one room left, that I gladly booked, when I arrived the bar staff showed me to a looked bike storage area and I gladly went to my room. After a shower and a change of clothes I went down for a beer and food, with several local ales and good food available a the bar.
Sounds an interesting one so I look forward to seeing the write up.
