Home Forums Bike Forum How grim is the drive from Betws y Coed to Bikeparkwales?

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  • How grim is the drive from Betws y Coed to Bikeparkwales?
  • Northwind
    Full Member

    Never been to the south before, we’re staying in BWC for a few days in April and thinking of adding a trip down to Bikepark Wales- not that it’s exactly close but it’s a lot closer than it is from Edinburgh! But I hear bad things about the north-south drive, I’m thinking how bad can 3 hours be? But maybe it can be?

    BillOddie
    Full Member

    I have driven that route via the A470 a couple of times.

    It’s scenic but can be painfully slow if you get stuck behind stuff.

    AlexSimon
    Full Member

    Wont Antur Stiniog do in its stead?

    wallop
    Full Member

    It’s slow going but it’s not traffic – you are always moving and the views are generally nice.

    Marin
    Free Member

    Not grim at all just slow.

    coatesy
    Free Member

    Not even that slow now they’ve put some by-passes in, but think there are still roadworks just past Coed y Brenin (can’t see them being finished in the last 2 months).

    maxtorque
    Full Member

    What are you driving? In a decent car, in reasonable weather, it’s a fun drive!

    Speshpaul
    Full Member

    there might be some merit in picking up the A5 at Betws and heading east. At Chirk pick up the A483 and head south, oswestry, welshpool newtown, then Builth wells, A470 brecon then merthyr/BPW.
    But you are driving past some great riding.
    why not do BPW and then work your way home, Dovery, Beulah, Rhayader, Nant y Aran, Climachx, penmachno.

    FROGLEEK
    Free Member

    why not do BPW and then work your way home, Dovery, Beulah, Rhayader, Nant y Aran, Climachx, penmachno.

    This

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Nice drive lovely views but you will only do it once as it takes for ever

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    For some ludicrous reason we went to Antur Stiniog and BPW on consecutive days having driven up from Brighton. They’re quite far apart! Found some excellent gammon, egg and chips somewhere in between though I’ve no idea where – that Friday night it felt like the whole of mid-Wales had decided to shut down so we were thankful to find a pub with some lights on. It’s a bit of a killer drive if you don’t take a break somewhere.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    It’s a long way but very beautiful. Make a feature out of it if you can 🙂

    welshfarmer
    Full Member

    We regularly do brecon to Coed y brenin. It is a 2 hour (fast) drive each way. Brecon to Merthyr adds 25-30 minutes this end and Coedybrenin -Betws y coed would add 35-40 minutes that end. Reckon in a fast car you are looking at 3 hours each way minimum, assuming you know the roads, use the short cuts, and are happy to overtake slow traffic when necessary. If you are a follower of traffic happy to go with the flow then add an hour each way at least.
    I would stick to Antur Stiniog!

    Northwind
    Full Member

    All sounds not too daft then. We’re doing Antur on the sunday, this is an (in)convenient addon 😉 It’s planned as a north wales trip but, well, I’d drive 3 hours from here to do BPW so maybe it’s not so daft to do the same from BWC.

    What I’m driving depends a little bit on whether my car ever starts again tbh! Making progress not really a problem in the turbowhale but it made a bit of a return to the water at the weekend and is still a bit wet.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Ah, but it doesn’t work if BPW is booked out for months in advance, which it is. Damn you and your enormous success, Sorrell!

    gogg
    Free Member

    bYc….

    bloody tourists!!

    😉

    lapierrelady
    Full Member

    There’s a way to ride up at BPW, it’s not just uplift

    agentdagnamit
    Free Member

    It’s a great drive

    Northwind
    Full Member

    lapierrelady – Member

    There’s a way to ride up at BPW, it’s not just uplift

    Yeah, but it’s the uplift that’s drawing me- there’s no shortage of great pedal-up riding in north wales after all!

    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    Weekends at BPW the uplift will be busy. Midweek you’ll get on as a pay-as-go. Never had a problem. Plus if you hate yourself you can ride up.

    acehtn
    Free Member

    Another silver lining is not having to drop a load of silver into the coffers of the Toll bridges.

    A joy we get from traveling up from down south……paying to get into Wales…. 🙂

    wiggles
    Free Member

    I have only been in car to north Wales once and I can confirm it took literally 9 years*

    * I was 8 at the time so everything seemed a lot slower

    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    acehtn – Member
    Another silver lining is not having to drop a load of silver into the coffers of the Toll bridges.
    A joy we get from traveling up from down south……paying to get into Wales….

    Ah, but it’s worth it…….

    *Note that you don’t have to pay to get into Englandshire. Value, worth and all that. 😉

    acehtn
    Free Member

    Ah, but it’s worth it…….

    Bet it’s not as exciting as the Dragon races 🙂

    Would like to revist the venue, see what’s been done, but what bike to take…. rigid raider or hardtail, or bouncer, if the tracks are well armoured then must be general purpose or low profile tyres

    (we haven’t done what tyres yet 🙂 )

    FROGLEEK
    Free Member

    You’ll get on the uplift at BPW in the pm even on the ?eekend, they have four buses now
    In the am you can ride and push up (a few cheeky shortcuts too – just ask a local)
    Or you can session the lower trails
    Enjoy

    Ambrose
    Full Member

    I live in Carmarthenshire and often drive up to Snowdonia. The A483 between Llandrindod Wells and Newtown is an absolute blast in a car with even a modicum of speed but is very frustrating if you get stuck behind someone. My advice (Berlingo driver!) is to drive that particular section either early or late. Most lorries seem to avoid it but not all. FWIW the ‘shortcut’ between Newtown and Dolfor isn’t worth the effort. There are very few fixed cameras on the route but LOTS of mobile ones.

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