The glorious South Wales coastline by bike — Celtic Trail

Dramatic coastlines with views across to North Devon, historic castles and ruins in nearly every town, quiet rural lanes lined with verdant hedges and boats gently bobbing in seaside harbour towns: this in the Celtic Trail.

Following the Sustrans National Cycle Route 4 (Fishguard to London) as far as Bristol, the Celtic Trail mixes coastal roads, inland lanes and traffic-free cycleways to show you the very best of South Wales. There’s plenty of history and local delicacies to enjoy along the way too, as the route passes through lots of towns along the way, most of which boast impressive castles or ruins like St Davids’ glorious Bishop’s Palace.

Spend some time exploring the sights along Pembrokeshire National Park's glorious coast, including historic St Davids, the golden sands at Broad Haven and the colourful harbour town of Tenby. Beyond the national park, you enjoy the modern cycling infrastructure around Swansea Bay and the city of Cardiff.

Though most of the Celtic Trail is on roads or paved cycle paths, there are a few unpaved sections. You could ride a touring bike, hybrid or endurance road bike with wider tyres, perhaps 30mm or more, or even a gravel bike with some slicker tyres. When I rode it some years ago, I chose a road bike with 25mm tyres, but that was all I had and it was still a really great trip!

In terms of overnight stops, I’ve routed this seven-stage Collection so that each leg finishes in a town, village or city where you’ll be able to find options for camping, hotels or guesthouses. There are also lots of train stations along the route, so you don’t have to ride the whole Celtic Trail in one go: take a few sections at a time or even ride it in a number of day trips if you like.

I’d recommend riding the Celtic Trail from west to east, starting in Fishguard, as this way you can make the most of the prevailing winds! Train travel to Fishguard comes highly recommended too, as it’s a gorgeous journey along the South Welsh coast, passing many of the places you’ll then ride through in a few days' time. The route finishes in central Bristol at the Sustrans map of cycle routes, but from here it’s a short cycle to Bristol Temple Meads train station, which offers national train line connections.