A55 in North Wales

Mr Loverman

I am planning a bike trip in North Wales from Flint to Barmouth and then Back to Flint. I will be going from Flint to Barmouth along the A494 and then making my way up to Caernarfon, and then from Caernarfon I will be going along the N Wales coast back to Flint. As I am going along the North Wales Coast I will have to travel along the A55 from Bangor to Abergele, and what I want to know is whether that bit of raod is alright to take a bike along? If you are from that part of the world or even better if you have rode along it yourself could you please let me know if it is okay to cycle along and if not is there another route which skirts the coast that I could take instead.

Many Thanks

ML

redddraggon

DO NOT ride along the A55. It's a Motorway in all but name. I'm often on it in the car.

There's a costal cycle path, much better to use that.

Mr Loverman

redddraggon wrote:

DO NOT ride along the A55. It's a Motorway in all but name. I'm often on it in the car.

There's a costal cycle path, much better to use that.

Thanks a lot form the heads up, i am from Liverpool and have been down that road many years ago and from what I remember it is a bit busy for bikes but I wasn't sure so thought I would ask. Is the coastal path alright to take a racer on and where does it start and finish? I will be riding from Barmouth to Caernarfon and then heading back towards flint via Rhyl etc. so how and where do I get on the coast path and as I said before is it suitable for bikes and will it take me to Abergele where the road is a lot quieter.

redddraggon

TBH, I've never used the Coastal Path, I think it only goes from Llandudno to around Flint though, it's fine for road bikes though.

Here's some info:

http://www.cyclingnorthwales.co.uk/page ... co_cyw.htm

Because of the A55 though you'll find most of the smaller roads parallel to it are rather more quiet and they are probably better bets if the coastal cycle path doesn't suit. I would go out of my way to avoid the A55 though even if it is legal (some junctions have signs saying no cycles, other no signs). I was on it today to Colwyn Bay and it's a 70-80mph road, and can be quite busy.

fast as fupp

'kinnel- its bad enough driving on the a55 :shock:

ddraver

There s a coast path aqlongside the A55 from at least Flint to bangor - It does continue along the coast but its a bit crap, better to come off at Colwyn Bay and use the old road through old colwyn to Abergele - much nicer!

Mr Loverman

redddraggon wrote:

TBH, I've never used the Coastal Path, I think it only goes from Llandudno to around Flint though, it's fine for road bikes though.

Here's some info:

http://www.cyclingnorthwales.co.uk/page ... co_cyw.htm

Because of the A55 though you'll find most of the smaller roads parallel to it are rather more quiet and they are probably better bets if the coastal cycle path doesn't suit. I would go out of my way to avoid the A55 though even if it is legal (some junctions have signs saying no cycles, other no signs). I was on it today to Colwyn Bay and it's a 70-80mph road, and can be quite busy.

I have been looking at maps and google earth and there doesn't seem to be any other way of getting from Caernarfon to Abergele without going on the A55, so if I got to caernarfon would I find a quite country lane that would take me along North Wales to without havign to go on the A55?

The only other option would be to get to Abergele from Barmouth via Snowdonia which would be a killer after you had just rode to Barmouth from Flint.

Mr Loverman

ddraver wrote:

There s a coast path aqlongside the A55 from at least Flint to bangor - It does continue along the coast but its a bit crap, better to come off at Colwyn Bay and use the old road through old colwyn to Abergele - much nicer!

Is it easy to find and would it be suitable to take a racer on?

Red Rock

You can plan your route using http://www.streetmap.co.uk or buy OS maps 116, 115 and 124. The cycle routes are shown as green dots and should be way-marked.

How about trying an alternative mountain route (which I've done) - from Flint take the A5119 to Mold, then the A494 to Ruthin. From Ruthin take the B5105/A5/B4407/B4391 to Ffestiniog, then it's the A496 through Harlech to Barmouth. The only really hard climb that I can remember was the B4407. You could use what was going to be your outward route via the A494 through Bala for your return, or vice-versa.

As others have said, stay off the A55, it's just to bloody dangerous to cycle along.

Red Rock

Mr Loverman

Red Rock wrote:

You can plan your route using http://www.streetmap.co.uk or buy OS maps 116, 115 and 124. The cycle routes are shown as green dots and should be way-marked.

How about trying an alternative mountain route (which I've done) - from Flint take the A5119 to Mold, then the A494 to Ruthin. From Ruthin take the B5105/A5/B4407/B4391 to Ffestiniog, then it's the A496 through Harlech to Barmouth. The only really hard climb that I can remember was the B4407. You could use what was going to be your outward route via the A494 through Bala for your return, or vice-versa.

As others have said, stay off the A55, it's just to bloody dangerous to cycle along.

Red Rock

Nice one for that route I will probably go that way as it seems to be a nice area to cycle and very scenic as well.

ean

You can get from Chester to Bangor onRoute 5


.

DavidBelcher

Red Rock wrote:

You can plan your route using http://www.streetmap.co.uk or buy OS maps 116, 115 and 124. The cycle routes are shown as green dots and should be way-marked.

How about trying an alternative mountain route (which I've done) - from Flint take the A5119 to Mold, then the A494 to Ruthin. From Ruthin take the B5105/A5/B4407/B4391 to Ffestiniog, then it's the A496 through Harlech to Barmouth. The only really hard climb that I can remember was the B4407.

On the A496, the steep drag up from Harlech station past Theatr Ardudwy is a nasty sting in the tail when you're not too far from journey's end, though.

David

Graham O

The cycle path from Caernarfon runs on an old railway track through to Port Dinorwic when it joins minor roads through to Bangor. I'm not completely sure of the route from there, but it is mostly the same through to Conwy with some cycle or shared use paths. It also takes in some of Telfords (?) original North Wales route to get around the Tunnels. Quiet roads again through Conwy to Llandudno or Rhos on Sea, where it then becomes cycle path for the next 16 miles through to Talacre at the mouth of the Dee. Due to problems of permission from landowners, it is then on the busy road through to Flint. If you want to go further, then Flint to Connah's Quay is mostly on road, but afterwards, it is cycle path through to Chester.

Hope that helps.