For cycling weekends UK cyclists should never miss, the Lon Las Cymru Wales end to end cycle route ranks high on the list. Road bike rides like this are rare: cutting through the highest mountains in England & Wales, pedalling beneath thousand year old castles, through ancient forests and exploring multiple National Parks…it’s very hard to beat.
Highlights
• Road bike friendly
• Explore Snowdonia National Park, the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains
• Bag transfers so you can cycle light
• Logistics planned for you, so you can focus on the cycling
• Cycle in the shadow of Wales’ most ancient castles
• Emergency mechanical breakdown support
The Wales End to End distance and route elevation
Total distances.
Total height gain:
200 miles or 322km
16222ft or 4944m
Place names have been highlighted throughout the description, to help you match up where you’ll be staying, depending on how many days and nights you wish to take for the journey.
Ride Description
This is an area steeped in history and culture. Pedalling out under the magnificent Chepstow Castle, built in 1067 (its Great Tower is the oldest surviving stone fortification in Britain), we quickly enter the ancient woodlands of the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
300 years ago this was one of the most important rural landscapes in the UK, as these fast-flowing rivers powered the first paper mills in Wales.
The best cycle routes start with legendary landscapes, and the Wales end to end cycle ride is no exception.
As we pedal northwards, following the river Usk, we weave through a land of rolling green fields and ancient forests that inspired JRR Tolkein as he wrote The Hobbit.
Indeed, the River Usk is believed to be the River Brandywine, that the brave Hobbits crossed at the very start of their adventure. The majestic surroundings certainly look like the Shire that Tolkein describes.
The river leads us towards Abergavenny, the gateway to the Black Mountains, sitting directly beneath the rolling summit of Sugar Loaf Mountain. Turning due north we skirt the Wales-England Border, with the peaks of the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons to our left
The route climbs gently up the Honddu Valley, rising steadily to the highest road pass in Wales: the 542m Gospel Pass. From here you have a breath-taking view of the ride ahead, stretching out over Hay-on-Wye; To the west is the dramatic peak of Twmpa, also named Lord Hereford’s Knob (probably by Miles of Gloucester, the 1st Earl of Hereford, who took over Hay Castle just a few miles away in 1121).
Reaching the ancient market town of Hay on Wye is a real cyclists’ treat, with its myriad of artisan cafes and food stores, a great many pubs, two Norman Castles and of course a huge selection of book shops. Its impressively packed with interest for a town of just 1500 people! This is the official Book Town of Wales, and its festival was described by Bill Clinton as “The Woodstock of the Mind”.
The next stretch of this UK road cycling holiday is characterised by expansive views and increasingly dramatic, green landscapes. This is River Wye country, like no other. Leaving the town of Hay, the route follows the river’s meandering path, first to Builth Wells, then skirting the edge of Llandrindod Well, then Rhayader.
These picturesque mid-Wales market towns have acted as staging posts for travel and trade for hundreds of years, and despite their populations of just a few thousand, each remains a bustling and charming stopping off point for tired-legged cyclists.
The final town we cycle through on our way into the Cambrian Mountains is Rhayader, renowned as a meeting point between the north-south trading route through Wales, and the east-west route from England to the coastal town of Aberystwyth.
A 3 mile diversion from the main route is a must-do cycle ride, taking you west to the Elan Valley. Over a hundred years ago, 6 dams were built here to provide fresh water to Birmingham, and now the dams, the bridges, the aqueduct and the nature that surrounds them make this area perfect for cycle exploration.
The cycle ride north from Rhayader (Llanidloes) takes you ever upwards, rising and falling as you follow the river Hay almost to its very source. Crossing the watershed is a dramatic moment, pedalling over the 500m Bryn y Fedwen Pass before a blazing seven mile descent to the River Dovey at Machynlleth then onwards to Barmouth.
This bustling, quirky market town is a centre for alternative, eco-friendly lifestyles, and home to a centre for alternative technology, all nestled within the beautiful UNESCO Dyfi Biosphere.
From here, one of the best cycling routes in the UK unfolds, as we spin northwards through Snowdonia National Park towards Llanbedr.
This park is much more than Snowdon Summit itself, and we begin with a climb through the Dyfi Forest, skirting beneath the peak of Cadir Idris. This 2930 foot high summit is named after the Mythological giant, Idris, whose skills in poetry tempted bards in times of old to sleep on the mountain’s summit in the hope of inspiration.
As you leave Snowdonia behind, the route becomes gentler and more coastal. Meandering through quiet lanes that criss-cross the flat coastal landscape, your final destination is Caernarfon Castle. From here we will transfer you back to your car in Chepstow.
The transfer time is 4hrs 15mins and we aim to arrive at Chepstow for 20:30.
