Our All-Time Favourite Places to Cycle in North Wales

Push. Whoosh. Stop. Breathe. Smile … Repeat cycle!

I love cycling! It is tiring I warn you. You sweat, you huff and you puff. I can give you a long list why you should start cycling, but I prefer to concentrate on one part only – the most exciting part: the adventure of seeing different places will make all the muscle aches go away (I hope!).

Steve and I have ventured far and wide, checking out all manner of cycle path and mountain biking course to put together our collection of the best North Wales has to offer. Enjoy…

North Wales, the cycling haven! Cycling around this wonderful place is an unforgettable experience you shouldn’t miss. They offer wonderful and safe places to cycle around with your friends or family. Quiet surroundings and fresh air – all yours for the taking!

You have to see Coed y Brenin if you’re serious about mountain biking. This forest in Snowdonia National Park is a great place for all bicycle enthusiasts. They offer easy trails to more challenging ones. Before I started my adventure, I made sure I was in the right zone. No hospital trips for me please! Coed y Brenin is proud to showcase four different zones in their New Y Ffowndri Skills Area and Bike Park. I started off in their Training zone, moved to the Singletrack zone and then the Freeride zone. The Drop-off Zone is the last and most challenging zone. I made sure I was ready before I started leaping and jumping. And, before leaving the place I made sure to try their MinorTaur trail. I’m glad I did it!

Forty five kilometers away from Coed y Brenin is the Penmachno Trail. This trail offers fast descents, rocky pathway and leg-breaking push. The thirty kilometers of pure challenge around the Snowdonia Mountains took my breath away – literally! I dare you to take it! Thank goodness the trail had some pit stops along the way. The Conwy Falls Café and the Eagles pub gladly filled up my tummy and quenched my thirst so I can finish the journey.

Another great place to cycle your way is the Coed Llandegla. If you are just chilling with your family, then this place is for you. They have four trails you can choose from: The Green Trail, the family friendly trail, is about three miles. Your kids would love the surroundings! The Blue Trail offers 7.5miles of fantastic view worth checking out. Meanwhile, I tried their Red trail and Black trail and they really tested my cycling skills. These trails offer around 11-13 miles of pure challenge.

 

Break Time!

Ahhhhh! Time for a break from all that hard cycling! I decided to take it easy and concentrate more on the view so I took a coastal path. The no-traffic, sea breeze ride from Rhyl to Llandudno was worth it. The NCN route 5 presents an easy ride, passing through quiet towns like Rhos on Sea, Colwyn Bay and Abergele. And, yes I even cheated; I jumped on a train and returned to the hotel! Well, I did say break time, right?

Okay, let’s get back to cycling. (I think!) In Mawddach trail, you can combine two things-cycling and walking. This trail is found on the southern part of the Mawddach estuary and covers around fifteen kilometers of unused railway track. The ride or walk starts in the marketplace of Dolgellau and ends in Barmouth. It is an easy path that everyone can enjoy because of the flat surface of the trail.

Finally, I enjoy both mountaintop and sea view at the Lon Eifion cycleway. This 12.5 cycle path was recently renovated to make the cycling easier and more enjoyable. The path starts near the Caernarfon castle harbor and ends in Bryncir. Aside from enjoying the view of the castle, I also passed by the beautiful villages of Penygroes, Bontnewygg, Groeslon and Dinas. I had a glimpse of the Nantlle ridge and the beautiful seaside punctuated by the Llyen Mountains.

I told you! North Wales offers a lot for everyone. Cycling enthusiasts or not. Do you want an easy path or a more challenging path? Mountains? Sea?  Name it, they have it. All you need to do is get there, warm-up, start pushing and start enjoying the ride!