Celtic rugged beauty by trail — Wales North to South

Wales never fails, or so the saying goes. What’s for sure is that this corner of the UK certainly does have some of the best off road riding around, from the dramatic mountains of Snowdonia National Park, the ‘desert of Wales’ in the remote Cambrian Mountains, the picturesque Elan Valley and the wild and windswept Brecon Beacons.

This route takes in the best of it all, scaling this celtic land from North to South, linking the University city of Bangor in the North West to the national capital Cardiff on the South coast. Expect moorland, forestry, slate mines, endless gravel roads, singletrack, mountain passes and sleepy cycleways. This is the ultimate Welsh off-road adventure.

This route was devised by The Racing Collective and is part of their annual race, WalesDURO. During this there are timed segments along the way and riders typically aim to complete the whole 200 mile (320 km) route in just two days. This is pretty extreme and not for the faint-hearted, so here we present the route split over four days, which is much more of a touring pace for most!

Although you certainly can ride the route on a gravel bike, it’s perhaps better suited to a hardtail or rigid mountain bike. You’ll certainly see what I mean when you scale ‘the Gap’ in the Brecon Beacons!

One of the many highlights of this trip is the overnighter at Claerddu Bothy in the heart of the Cambrian Mountains on the second night. It’s one of the best fitted-out and maintained bothies you’ll ever have the pleasure of staying in, and you’ll see why! The other two nights are in pretty major towns where there are plenty of options for accommodation, but it is advisable to book ahead, especially in the summer months.

This route is best attempted during the drier months of the year, typically from May to September. This is simply due to trail condition, which can become poor when very waterlogged. In addition to this, there are two river crossings which are dangerous when levels are high.

You’ll travel to some really wild and remote places on this route, but access to the start and end is easy. Both are accessible by train, although be aware that you may need to book your bike onto services from Cardiff, especially if heading towards London.

Check out more on the WalesDURO route and event at The Racing Collective here: theracingcollective.com/walesduro.html