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Spending the weekend in North Wales this coming weekend. Weather looks pants, but who knows at this range.
Does anyone have any recommendations for road riding routes not including the big loop of snowdon which i'm not fit enough for and don't have the motivation for!
40-50 miles ish!?
We used to sometimes cycle over Horseshoe pass and World's End etc when we wanted a day ride. Couldn't give you a precise route, this was 25 years ago, riding out from Wirral (so you can make a a bigger better ride starting in N Wales).
Lovely countryside, which is more than can be said for Wirral - didn't last long there!
North wales is a very big place where abouts roughly are you ?
A loop of the great orme?
Have a look at the loop from Bala to vyrnwy and back. Lovely quiet roads compared to the Snowdon loop and feels really remote.
We found loads of great minor roads and some very tough climbing based near Dolgellau. I would need to check on a map for a specific route. Get out and explore.
Take the MTB and do Penmachno.
It's spectacularly wet at the moment, and that's saying something 🙂
Pen y bont fawr to vyrnwy, round the far end. Up and over down the hirnant to Bala, back over the berwyn going through llangynog by revs (rip) back to start.
Here’s a good route, nice amount of climbing, reasonably quiet roads. The main climb is very quiet. And a cracking descent, about 6 miles of downhill. The descent averages 1.7% but at the start it’s nice and fast (50mph + if it’s not windy).
https://strava.app.link/eUYvqbYliwb
Have a look at the loop from Bala to vyrnwy and back. Lovely quiet roads compared to the Snowdon loop and feels really remote.
I’d second this! Just driven back from Bala today and although I didn’t ride this route, I did drive over to Vynrwy reservoir and thought how great the riding would be there.
Prestatyn to Denbigh and then up The Road To Hell climb, across the plateau to Bylchau to descend back into Denbigh and back to Prestatyn was a fun variation in early September '22.
~40 miles direct with ~4000 foot climbing.
However, the wind doesn't look good this weekend, against you on the way out and up.
Laps of Shotton or Flint?
Personally if the weather is looking grim in the mountains then I'd head to Anglesey. Weather is usually a lot better on the island than the mainland. Loops of any length can easily be made linking stretches of the A5025 in the north or the A4080 in the south with the multitude of quiet B roads and lanes that criss-cross the island. You won't need a GPS, just take a map and go and explore.
Have a look at the loop from Bala to vyrnwy and back. Lovely quiet roads compared to the Snowdon loop and feels really remote.
+1
I have recently done this route, I loved it.
Here’s a good route, nice amount of climbing, reasonably quiet roads.
I've fancied that road out the back of Penmachno for ages, is the navigation from the descent to Festiniog easy enough without a Garmin?
@chakaping yeah you can’t go wrong, up to the top of the climb, there’s no junctions, just a straight climb. Steep as heck in places. The descent is straightforward, follow the road to a T junction with the cafe, then turn right, small climb up to the cliff edge where you hit the descent again. Straight fast descent to the town, first junction turn right. Then it’s a gradual climb back up, at the slate mine it’s another tough climb, then an amazing descent for 6 miles. I’ve done it in all weather and it’s fine.
Cheers woodster, I've driven up the climb from Penmachno and thought it looked great.
I know the return leg from BF really well from driving / MTBing in Gwydir.
Will deffo give it a go sometime.
not including the big loop of snowdon which i’m not fit enough for and don’t have the motivation for!
40-50 miles ish!?
Can't think of many great 40-50 mile loops that aren't at least as hilly as the loop of Snowdon that uses the road through Bedgelert / Rhyd Dhu and Llanberis Pass, that's 50km under 1000m climbing and about as good as it gets in terms of effort to views + experience ratio without doing an out-back ride. Or you'd need to use A-road or gravel track links to keep the distance and climbing down.
As an out-back the NCN13 just S of Trawsfynned heading E towards Bala is a stunner, might only be 35km in total but worth it. The road to Cwmystwyth from Elan valley (Sustrans 81) is also beautiful and worth an out-back but it's a bit further S.
If you were near Bala there's a great ride starting on the NCN15 going NE, onto the small road S of the lake that takes you to the A4212, cross over onto the B4391 then go right onto the B4407 - imo the 4407 is one of the most beautiful fast-riding open roads in Wales if the weather's ok. At Ysbyty Ifan go left towards Glanconwy then go left / E before you get to the A5. Then loop back through Penmachno to get to the B4407 again and head back to Bala on the same route. About 75km / 1250m. (edit to add, it goes up the climb out of Penmachno woodster and cha****ng are talking about and it is a steep one)
The NCN12 route Bala to Vyrnwy loop is a good call. I love the road out of Bala through Aberhirnant and the road from Vyrnwy on the way back is beautiful like the B4407 but smaller + usually quieter. Pretty steep climbs though.
Start in Betws y Coed. Head north up the Conwy valley on the minor road (left side, going that way, of the river). Take a copy of Simon Warrens hills climbs in Wales book and do all of them out of this valley plus Afon Ddu. You'll be in a world of pain at times but they are all short. Finish on the Little Orme and Wetherspoons in Llandudno.