Tour of Wales

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Tour the land of dragons, male voice choirs, lakes, mountains, rugby and mediaeval castles. Not to mention the countryside that produced Wales' most famous cyclist, Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas!

A moderately challenging but fantastic tour of Wales with all of its wonderful scenery and diversity. Experience the beauty of the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia, the West and Pembrokeshire coastlines, historic castles and unchanged villages. This is a wonderful tour made all the more special by the lovely warm welcome afforded by the inhabitants of Wales as you ride in an anti-clockwise clockwise loop around the country in 7 days.

As with all of our UK tours this holiday is sold on a bed and breakfast basis with accommodation in good quality hotels and inns. This allows you freedom to choose when and what to eat in the evening. We find that riders still tend to eat together but this option gives them greater flexibility.

Highlights include:

The Wye valley and ancient Tintern Abbey
The Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons
Wales' highest road, the Gospel Pass and breathtaking views at the top
The north Welsh castles of Edward I at Conwy, Caenarfon and Harlech, World Heritage Sites.
Majestic views of Snowdonia
Open moorland and lakes
Pretty fishing ports and coastline of the west coast

Your Next Adventure Awaits

What you need to know...

Start Location
Cardiff

Finish Location
Cardiff

Country/Region
United Kingdom

Grading
Difficult

Shortest Day
55

Longest Day
80

Total Days
9 (7 days riding)

Total Miles
519

Departure Dates & Prices

There are no available dates at this moment.
Please choose an alternative Tour or check back soon.

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Cardiff and meet the rest of the riders for our late afternoon pre-ride safety and information briefing.

Day 2

From the vibrant capital city of Cardiff we head west over flat country to Newport and then to Chepstow and you will make good progress to here. Then we turn north and follow the Wye valley to Monmouth, passing the evocative ruins of Tintern Abbey along the way. Monmouth is a lovely market town, worthy of a coffee stop, before heading out into open county on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, to tackle the famous Gospel Pass, Wales’ highest road. Once at the top a magnificent view is laid out before you and it is a long freewheel all the way to the delightful border town of Hay on Wye for the night. About 78 miles.

Day 3

A delightful day through lovely countryside following several river valleys in order to ‘flatten the curve’! This is unspoilt cycling along quiet B and C roads with hardly any traffic; small villages and farms predominate and few, if any built-up areas encountered. The run in to Welshpool passes the impressive Powys Castle (National Trust) – always worth a peek if you are a member and have time to pop in! Welshpool with its wide High Street is a delight and our hotel is right in the heart of the town. About 67 miles.

Day 4

Our route has been pretty much a straight line and today we will hit the north coast at Conwy. First, though, there is more lovely countryside and the pretty reservoirs at Vrynwy and Bala. It is a little more undulating today, but nothing that a sensible pace cannot conquer, and the climbs are not harsh or particularly long. Conwy (Conway) is dominated by its famous castle built by Edward I over 700 years ago and designated a World Heritage Site. About 65 miles

Day 5

With views of the Menai Strait to your right and Snowdonia to your left, the scenery is dramatic as you roll out of Conwy this morning, and remains so all day. Fear not, as we are not taking the most direct route through the mountains but an anti-clockwise loop around them, although the first section is inland to avoid the North Wales expressway. After the castle at Caenarfon, you turn the corner to head south once more, with quiet roads leading to Porthmadog and Portmeiron and thence on to the picturesque seaside town of Barmouth for the night. About 65 miles.

Day 6

We track inland slightly to start with today to cross the estuary and after a series of delightful undulating – but not too difficult – roads, rejoin the coast for the last few miles onto Aberaeron, a delightful small fishing port where out hotel is at the very centre, enjoying a fine vista of both sea and harbour. Magnificent scenery has once again played its part today, as it seems to every day in this land of history and drama. About 64 miles.

Day 7

Leaving then sea behind us we are heading back towards the centre of Wales. Today is a hillier day but after 5 days on the road you will not struggle. There is dramatic moorland, lakes and old Roman roads cutting their way across the open skyline. Wildlife abounds and you will almost certainly see Red Kites and other birds of prey as you ride into the Brecon Beacons once more to stay in the eponymous market town of Brecon itself. About 70 miles.

Day 8

Alas the last day always comes around and our route back to Cardiff follows, for the most part, the Taff Trail south through the valleys to the city, with a few alterations to the route where road bikes are more suited. You will travel through the old mining heartland of the globe, whose exports were sent to the four corners of the earth from Cardiff. This is an interesting landscape and one which completes the picture of your tour, showing you history ancient and modern – some of it tragic like the village of Aberfan. This shorter day allows you plenty of time to explore Wales’ capital city after an early / mid afternoon arrival. About 55 miles.

Day 9

Depart after breakfast