Cycling Lon Las Cymru

After years of road running and mountaineering had wreaked havoc with his knees, Richard Barrett returned to long-distance cycling in his fifties when he bought himself a classic British made touring bike. Now in his sixties, he rides a hand-made bike from one of the great British frame makers that have appeared in recent years. Combined with walking, cycling allows him to continue his love affair with the more mountainous parts of the UK which he first visited as a teenager. He spent his career in marketing in a number of multinational organizations in the UK and abroad, but he now lives in West Cheshire and rides two or three times a week with groups on both sides of the border.

Map key

Route summary table

Overview map

Ride planner from Cardiff

Ride planner from Chepstow

Suggested schedule summary from Cardiff

Suggested schedule summary from Chepstow

Introduction

Why Lôn Las Cymru?

How tough is it?

Which direction to ride?

Selecting a schedule

Getting there

First and last nights

When to ride

Accommodation

Baggage transfer

What to take

Preparing your bike

Eating

Phones and Wi-Fi

Emergencies

Waymarking

Maps

Using this guide

Lôn Las Cymru

Stage 1 Cardiff to Glasbury

Stage 1a Chepstow to Glasbury

Stage 2 Glasbury to Llanidloes

Stage 3 Llanidloes to Dolgellau

Stage 4 Dolgellau to Caernarfon

Stage 5 Caernarfon to Holyhead

Appendix A Cycle shops

Appendix B Accommodation

Appendix C Useful contacts

Appendix D What to take

Appendix E Welsh words and pronunciation

Appendix F Selected additional reading