South Wales to North Wales – Coast to coast off road – ride report

I’m home visiting the motherland so thought it only right I ticked off riding coast to coast given I’ve completed the equivalent ride in my adopted home of NZ.  Inspired by this thread on coast to coast off road routes I did a quick google and found the Racing Collective’s XduroWales route online here. 

I whacked the GPX into RideWithGPS, hit reverse route and stuck it on the iPhone. A quick trip to Mountain Warehouse for a 20 quid bivy bag and sleeping bag and we set off from Merthyr to Llanpwll on Anglesey. 3 days later, 330km and 5800m of climbing and we made it. Brought my brother along who isn’t a cyclist and had never cycled 100k before let alone 3 days in a row and despite his bike and panniers weighing 26kg he smashed it!

I can highly recommend the route, only thing I’d change and if I get chance I’ll create a revised GPX file is:

– The hike a bike bog bit near the Epynt was a bit of a mission but worth it given lack of alternatives. Wouldn’t be fun in the rain mind.
– The pedal up the slate mine was worth it to the first section, definitely not for the 2nd (which involved jumping over a fence saying no access despite lots of walkers coming down the path…). Massive hike a bike. If you’re doing it N -> S it’d be much more fun 🙂 If doing S -> N like us, it’d be worth peeling off at the viewing point and taking some back roads above Llanberis down to the coast.
– I rode my CX bike, 1×11, 40/11-36 and with luggage I could’ve maybe done with another gear but I managed all the climbs bar a 50m of mega steep road section.

Route can be found here for those that are interested: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27898273

And a few iphone snaps:

Nice.

I was looking for a N-S Wales route finishing in Cardiff, to do in a day – but this one’s a bit long I reckon!

Yeah, a day would be tough going!

Definitely manageable in two days but not when nursing my brother up Pen Y Pas into a headwind with panniers 🙂

Awesome. Nice work. I fancy that some day.

Cracking ride. I did the trans wales N to S route earlier in the year but added in a load of off road sections. Tough day on the bike.