Trans Cambrian way… any advice?

I have a window of opportunity in a couple of weeks, so thinking about doing the trans Cambrian way double

Not sure about managing the logistics of doing it one way, so might aswell do the double and end back at my car?!

Has anyone done it?
What is a realistic time for the double?
I will bivvi when I need rest and I’d like to do it in 3 days?

I haven’t ridden any of it before, bar a bit of riding around elan, so not sure of the terrain and likely average speed

Any info/advice welcome
Cheers

Totally depends on how fit you are! And I expect conditions on the day/s will make a big difference. (My opinions are of course subjective)

The middle section took me just over 6 hours back in May, conditions were good.

One way in 3 days is a relatively leisurely pace. (But don’t underestimate how many gates you’ll have to open and close!)

One way in 2 days is good going for a reasonably fit rider. (probably what I’d be aiming for, personally)

One way in 1 day is impressive.

So, both ways in 3 days is certainly doable, but not to be taken lightly. Or if you’re well prepared, it may be a piece of cake for you.

Bikepacking.com classes it as a 3-dayer in one direction. So might be worth looking at how they score other routes that you have done for comparison.

I did it in a day. It was hard, but I wasn’t particularly fit at the time (for me).

Having ridden it one way though I wouldn’t ride back the same way. Bit of a waste of an opportunity to do some other great riding.

Cheers, I’m reasonably endurance fit and also enjoy very long days and a bit of suffering

I was toying with taking it as a tour and enjoying it but limited freedom and an itch to try and go hard, is leading me to try 3 days

I’m guessing it can get very wet? And that could scupper any fast plans?

@molgrips, I thought about that too but not sure about the area, so planning a good return route could be a disaster.

I will have a look and see what else is viable on the return leg though

Any ideas?

I did it in just over a day including a bivy with very wet ground conditions – had to push downhill on occasion. The last 20km or so is a bit complicated nav-wise and I made a mistake or two.

Bikepacking.com set their times for touring rather than racing.

Steve Large has done the double, worth checking on bearbones as he posts on there (username of slarge), he’s the current fastest time.

Here’s a vid of the fastest time for one way:

Alternative route back would be to pick up Dave Buchanan’s WC2C route between Machynlleth and Llanwrtyd (goes through Nant yr Arian and Tywi forest. Then maybe NCR43 and NCR 825 back to Knighton, or plot something more imaginative for the last leg.

I did it in a (long) day in March, camped, then came back to my van over the mountain rd on a much shorter and easier day 2.

I did it a few years back, however, started from home near Kidderminster, followed the Jack Myton way to the start of the TC way, to the Irish Sea and back. Did it over 5 days in total. There is a handy Bothy in the woods near Devils Bridge which is handy but easy to miss. Loved it and would like to do it again at some point. The TC is definitely doable in a day, comfortable in 2. The TC double in 3 would work well if you use the bothy but be warned, the middle day is hard.

I was, loosely, thinking:
Day 1 Knighton to nant Rhys Bothy
Day 2, nant Rhys to dyfi and back to the bothy.
Day 3, nant Rhys to Knighton

I was planning on throwing my bivvi in, in case the bothy is full, or I’m struggling and need extra time, or I’m on fire and moving faster then planned (most unlikely scenario!)

That sounds perfect. The only thing I’d say is, after you’ve ridden out to Dyfi, you may think twice about coming the same way back. Some really tough loose climbs. I rode out to the coast and picked up the road back.

Thanks @monkeyp, I will bare that in mind, if it looks that likely that there will be lots of pushing, I may take that option

Has anyone mentioned the gates yet?

It’s a great ride. I bivied down in the shelter at Dovey Junction and went east which means a nice finish in a town with kebabs. Added bonus is you get a wake up call when the first train turns up at 5am.

I did it last summer. Day one Knighton to the bothy near the lakes. Day 2 to the end and then back part of the way on the road. Day 3 was about 40 miles of road back to the start.

The road riding is actually quite nice, about 50 miles total. Seem to remember it’s one big climb up and over.

It’s a really nice route….have fun!

For information just finished Walesduro 21 this weekend, on passing the bothy by Ponterwyd it has posters nearby saying it was still closed due to covid. Didn’t check if it was locked though so worth checking on the bothy association website before relying on it fella

@whytetrash, just back from WalesDuro myself too. How did you find it? What were you riding?

Having done Trans Cambrian previously, parts of WD felt very familiar.

If you download the gpx’s for the Trans Cambrian & Bearbones200 from Bikepacking.com & overlay them you will have a circular route with shortcut &/or extension options. That’s me next week.

Try and pick some dry weather. I went for a swim with my bike trying to ford the river below the dam after the old sunken road 😉

We did it with MTB Wales over three very wet days a few years ago. It was great fun, good route, superb views, etc. I was glad I wasn’t carrying my kit tho and even three days it felt quite challenging (and I’m reasonably fit).

Still the 50MPH headwinds, hail and rain might have played a part.

@dan66 good call, I have been checking out the barebones route too, that sounds like an excellent plan

Here’s an alternative route from Mach to Rhayader via Nant yr Arian so you don’t have to retrace yourself…

LINK

Any options for using a  B&B doing it over two days? I am becoming softer in my old age and prefer to travel light.

Thanks @samcheese, another good option

@funkybaj first time bikepacking so probably took too much stuff but really enjoyed it despite the weather and midges! On a vitus cross bike so 33tooth sprocket made some of the climbs a bit tough! Would defo do it again… only downside was the late change to the accommodation arrangement but got an ok campsite nearby

@whytetrash, we possibly spoke over the weekend, I was on a Boardman and my mate a Ti Camino. I too only had gear range issues, could definitely have done with bigger than my 34 tooth on the back. I suffered horrendously with the midges, my legs are battered with bites. Some of the hike a bike and bogs were really tough. Think my favourite parts were around Coed-y-Brenin. A great event and challenge though.

Sorry for the off topic chat.

Good to get some insights into this route. We’re booked in to do it with MTB Wales over three days in October. In exchange for what I assume will be terrible weather, they will be transferring our kit and arranging the B&Bs! Look forward to hearing how you get on, OP.