Routes in North Wales

C-S-B

Hello there!

I may be off to Wales for a few days on the bike soon, and was hoping for some input about nice routes in the area. I'll be based in Bangor, and would aim to do 100-150miles a day, taking in the nicest areas and as many climbs as possible :P

Ive been in Snowdonia before by car and have always thought it must make excellent cycling country, so thats on the to-do list..

Ive heard other names mentioned such as Bwlch-y-Groes, Horseshoe Pass, Bwlch Penbarras, 'End of the World'.. Does anyone know the nicest ways of getting there? Or if you're feeling very generous with your time, include them in a route starting/ finishing in Bangor? :P

Also, may try and make it in time for the Llanberis hill climb on Sunday- if its open to anyone.. ?


Thanks muchly for any help

orbeaorca

Have climbed all of those and loved everyone for different reasons.
If you climb Bwlch-Y-Groes approach from Dinas Mawddy then you have the toughest climb out of the three routes to the top , it is brutal tho! Once at the summit ( where the cross is ) keep to your right and enjoy a speedy decent down towards Lyn Efyrnwy, a stunning lake.If you take the left at the summit you can have a gentle drop down towards Bala.
Horseshoe Pass can be very busy with motorcycles at times and in my opinion is not to difficult or very scenic.
End Of The World again isn't to difficult and Bwlch Penbarrass is a short sharp beasty of a climb :P

Splottboy

Nant Ffrancon, Nantgwynant, Llanberis Passes are the closest to Bangor.

Nice flatter rides in Ynys Mon/Anglesey, with a circular route of around 90 miles from B'gr.

Draw a radius of the equivalent of 50 miles with a compass, with Bangor as the base, and you'll have your 100 miles, but take into account the terrain/weather/facilities etc.

Our Self Catering facility is 12 miles from Bangor, cycling friendly.
Search for Nth Degree Mtb

simon_e

There's a loop that was in C+. It goes up the A5 via Bethesda, Nant Ffrancon valley (or the old road to Ogwen) then to Capel Curig, right and across to Pen Y Pass, and down the Llanberis Pass. You can return to Bangor either down to the old Caernarfon road, via Deiniolen or even Mynydd Llandegai. There are plenty of quiet roads close to Bangor. Get an old or cheap new road atlas, rip out the relevant pages and carry it with you.

Anglesey is hillier in the north east of the island, some stiff gradients lurk around Beaumaris and Llanddona. Although flatter than the mainland, it's undulating all over and invariably windy so still taxing. I particularly like the SW side of the island - from Menai Bridge take either A4080 via Brynsiencyn or B4419 Gaerwen to Newborough then on to Rhosneigr. Can return along the A5 - much quieter now that most traffic uses the dual carriageway yet still wide with a good surface. Or cross the middle on the B5420 to Llangefni then Llanerchymedd and over Parys Mountain to Amlwch.

Also:
http://www.bikeradar.com/routes
http://www.bikely.com/listpaths/srchkey ... egion/5389

According to http://www.freewebs.com/crm_results/ the Llanberis Pass hill climb is EOL from 10.15 onwards at nant Peris Car park, for a 11.00 am Start. Entry Fee: £1.50. Shame I didn't plan to visit the parentals this weekend, I'd love to do that event.

Splottboy

Yep, agree with the above. Lots of choices.

Luckily, I can see all these place in an afternoon!!