Coast 2 Coast – The Welsh One – July 2024
Having completed the Coast to Coast cycles, Whitehaven to Tynemouth in 2022 (133 miles), Morecambe to Bridlington in 2023 (191 miles), why stop there the Welsh One was calling?
This year’s event started from Chepstow in South Wales and ended in Caernarfon North Wales a distance of 200 miles.
As in previous years, the group comprised of five couples with an ambition of carrying out a challenging cycle ride whilst making a holiday of the journey, all ten of us completed over 200 miles cycling and ascended over 14,000 ft.
The route took us along Lon Las Cymru, following national cycle routes 42 and 8.
Day one covered 50 miles and ascended 4,300 ft finishing with an overnight stay at The Swan Hotel in Hay on Wye partaking in a well-earned dinner in the Green Room.
Day two, the weather wasn’t good to us with patches of drizzly weather all the way to our next destination at Rhayader, cycling 40 miles and climbing 2,500 ft. The Elan Hotel was our saviour of the day with a pre-booked evening meal at The Triangle Inn our legs only just carrying us short walk from the Inn.
Day three and the England Slovakia game was kicking off at 5.00 pm so not only did we have to cycle 40 miles with an ascent of 3,000 ft to Machynlleth we had to do it in super-fast time to enable us to check in at the Wynnstay Hotel, unpack, organise sustenance in anticipation of an England victory, they didn’t let us down, spirits were high giving the group that extra drive for day four.
Day four and we have reached the half way point and we are all getting extremely tired but we continue towards Caernarfon next stop at Llanbedr 35 miles away with yet more uphill challenges 3,000 ft pain, the beautiful scenery cycling through the Hafren Forest and glimpses of Cader Idris even though it was low lying cloud kept us going through to Dolgellau, Mawddach Estuary and into Barmouth.
Barmouth treated us to lashings of ice cream trying to lift our weary spirits knowing there was still some way to go before we reached our accommodation at the Hafan Artro Hotel in Llanbedr.
Day five 2nd July and our final day, we cycled 44 miles and ascended 3,500 ft, trying not to have any accidents as we travelled down the steep hill towards Porthmadog, the scenery was quite spectacular as we took in sights of Portmerion Village below.
Coming to the end of this cycle ride was the beauty that when we reached Bryncir we picked up the Lon Eifion a traffic free 12-mile path which for the last three miles ran alongside the Welsh Highland Railway.
The End Caernarfon Castle sited alongside the Menai Straits.