Five great Welsh bike routes you should ride

The Devil's Staircase, near Abergwesyn (photo: John Spooner)

NOTHING has determined the character and nature of Wales quite as much as her undulant landscape. Settlements clustered on the southern, northern and western edges of the country mean that while few of us live among the mountains, most of us live within cycling distance of them. And the good news is that you don’t need to have either the fitness or the top-end kit of Geraint Thomas to ride them. So here are five of the very best routes to try this summer.

1. Blwch-Rhigos-Maerdy Mountain (75 miles, 6,600ft of climbing). If you live in or near Cardiff there’s nothing better than escaping up the Valleys, and this ride takes in three of the best climbs industrial south Wales has to offer. The route assumes a Cardiff start/finish, but Pontypridd is just as good and will shave off a few miles. Either way, you should head towards Glynneath. Then, once you’ve turned for Price Town it’s time for the first big ascent – the Blwch. This is the easiest of three routes up this mighty peak, but your legs may not agree. In a little over two-and-a-half miles you’ll put on around 700 feet, before instantly scrubbing over 800 en route to Treorchy. And if you don’t whoop out load during this descent you’re probably not alive.

Turn left for Treherbert and as you exit that village get ready for the Rhigos. This feels a good deal gentler, and it’s certainly a less winding and more steady ascent. But at 4 miles along and nearly 1,000 feet up it will still test you. Then it’s another magnificent drop past the old Tower Colliery. Turn right at the bottom and negotiate some busier roads to Aberdare before getting ready for a fairly strenuous release of lactic acid. Maerdy Mountain (also known as Bryn Du) will test you hard and early: before you’ve even passed the last houses the road has ramped to over 15%. It’s short (around two miles) but with four hairpins to provide extra bite. Some 830 vertical feet later and you’ll be at the top, with a very enjoyable descent into Maerdy awaiting. With three peaks collected you can then drop gradually through the Rhondda Fach and into Pontypridd. If it’s back to Cardiff you should follow signs for Treforest, and for some cheeky little sprint-like climbs turn into the back roads for Efail Isaf once you get through Tonteg.

2. The Elan Valley (18 miles, 1,500ft of climbing). This is a delightful ride that a good cyclist can do in an hour, but which provides a huge variety of scenery. At over 1,500 feet of climbing it will tax you, but within four miles, you will have knocked off over 60% of the hard stuff. From Rhayader take signs for the Elan Valley but turn right just after leaving the town. There’s a fairly gentle opening section before it ramps up and stays steep for around 900 feet. Once at the top, however, you’ll feel more than rewarded for your effort. The view is amazing and you get to spend 500 feet of that hard earned altitude on a spectacular descent with swooping, open curves. Keep left at about six miles and you will spend the remainder of this ride skirting the Elan’s lovely reservoirs and doing many more downhills than ups. Then it’s past Elan Village and follow your nose back to base in time for breakfast. What’s not to like?

On one of the easy parts of the Devil Ride

3. Crickhowell loop via Abergwesyn and Llandovery (107 miles, 9,700ft of climbing). This is a tough, long, undulating but remarkably traffic-free route, with two long sections of steady climbing bookending one of the most fearsome ascents anywhere in Wales – the aptly named Devil’s Staircase. A similar route to that described here can be ridden as part of a “cyclosportive”, a kind of non-competitive bike race, with feed stations and signed routes. Be warned, through – the 2010 route is even harder.

From Crickhowell, follow signs for Brecon via Llangorse Lake. You’ll need a map to find the minor roads out toward Abergwesyn, but you’ll know you’re into it as you climb steadily and often steeply through the mountains and over the Eppynt. A massive drop at Garth of over 1,000 feet is more scary than delightful as the narrow, potholed road challenges your reactions. Then you begin to climb once more until you reach the Staircase. It is less than a mile, but twists up to an agonising 25%. Hit the lowest gear and try to keep your cadence up and your breathing steady and you stand a good chance of making it up the 500+ feet of ascent. Then it’s another nerve-wracking drop through gravelled road before you reach the stunning Llyn Brianne reservoir. The good news is you’ve nearly 10 miles near-continuous descending in front of you as you head towards Llandovery. The bad news is that it’s 10 miles of up once through the town. Then it’s into beautiful forest and a nice, comparatively easy mainly downhill ride into Brecon and back to Crickhowell via Talybont-on-Usk.

4. Llangollen and the Horsehoe Pass (28 miles, 2,700ft of climbing). Like all of those featured here, there are many ways to cut these routes depending on how far you want to ride and how much climbing you fancy. This route takes in the famous Horsehoe Pass, but misses a number of other juicy local ascents, such as the formidable “shelf” just outside Ruthin.  But stick to this one and you’ll still see some truly lovely scenery.

Leave Llangollen and start climbing fairly gently straight away. Pentrefelin marks the start of the ascent to the Pass, and it goes on for around three miles during which you’ll bank nearly 1,000 feet. The early bit is the hardest, and by the time you get to the distinctive horseshoe you’ll be wondering what the fuss was all about (well, maybe…). This road can get busy, so take care. The descent is not as much fun as some but it’ll still fill your lungs. After a few more miles, take the right at Pen-y-Stryt and head into the hills towards Coedpoeth. Don’t worry – you’ve done the biggest hill and from here until Llangollen (via Rhosllanerchugog) you’ll enjoy a splendid drift downwards.

5. Llanidloes loop via Dylife (37 miles, 4,500ft of climbing). If there’s a more beautiful part of Wales – no, sod it, Britain – than the Cambrian mountains I’ll be damned if I’ve seen it. This route takes you right over the top of the central range – and gives you a harder or easier route from which to choose. From the small market town of Llanidloes take signs for the delightful Clywedog reservoir. The first few miles are tough, with a series of steep but short uphills, then as you pass the reservoir it all goes a bit crazy, with a mad, plummeting descent and an equally steep climb to the top. Then it’s down again through Staylittle and as you get to about 14 miles you can turn left for Dylife for the slightly easier version or stay on this road for a big, Alpine-like six-mile climb.

Assuming you stay on the road, get ready to put on over 1,300 feet with very few breaks in the gradient. Manage this, however, and you’ll be able to climb pretty much any road in Wales. You’ll give 700 of those feet back straight away, but it’ll be worth it. Keep turning left and before long you’ll be passing through the near deserted Dylife from the other way. Then it’s right at the decision junction and reverse your route back to Llanidloes.

P.S: If, like me, you get lost in your own home, I recommend GPS. And if you want any of these routes for your satnav drop me a line.