To stir up some ideas for a run that I am planning later in the year to Portmeirion, N Wales… what are YOUR favourite N Wales driving roads, pictures and driving stories would be a bonus here.
Let us get a interesting thread goin here …
I just caught this as I’m planning a few days driving round South Wales next month. My eldest son lives in Cardiff and rides a motorbike. He rode these routes recently
- A470 north from Cardiff all the way to Builth Wells, about 65miles. We stopped half-way, just past the Storey Arms (lay-by on the right of the road after the main one for cars) at the foot of Pen-y-fan. More picturesques and bike friendly than the southern one, however no real toilet unless you want to wade down a steep bank to get out of sight.
- Turned right (north/east) on the A481 towards the A44 eastbound. This short stretch of about 10miles was the best bit of road of the whole trip and almost worth a day out on it’s own. I nearly doubled back and did it again when it was over!
- But instead, we turned right on the A44 towards Leomisnster / Worcester. After about 7miles we stopped for lunch at The Harp in Old Radnor, right on the England/Wales border. We found this place in the Sawday’s guide but anywhere out of that book would be bound to be great. All the way to Worcester then on the A44, about 50miles in total since we joined the A44. The whole extent of the A44 is good (some bits excellent, this bit just OK by comparison) but Worcester is a hole and I wish we could have avoided going in and out again to join the A38 south to Gloucester.
- A38 south to Cheltenham about 25miles. Tewkesbury looked very nice but we didn’t stop there. Then the A435 south to Cirencester for about 15miles to our B&B (The Bathurst Arms, North Cerney. Again from the Sawday’s guidebook). As this was the old Cirencester to Cheltenham road it was no longer signposted “to Cirencester”. Coupled with the fact that it was getting dark by then we struggled to find the road for a bit, but we got there in the end for some well deserved beer-food-bed.
- Day 2: Cirencester to Chepstow over the old Severn Bridge, about 45miles before a coffee stop at Chepstow Castle.
- Chepstow to Abergavenny on the B4235 was about 25miles. Just like the A481 from the first day this section was just road-going perfection! We stopped half-way to Abergavenny in Usk at the Nag’s Head for some of their famous rabbit pie (booking advised in peak season)
- We simply took the A465/A470 for about 45miles back to Cardiff as by this point a freezing wife, aching limbs and full bellies meant that we were craving a bath and a lounge about at home. Otherwise the A40 is an option from Abergavenny. The A40 is excellent all the way across its whole length, particularly the Brecon-Llandovery stretch.
I hope helps a bit. In essence the formula we always use is: Sawday’s guide + coloured motorcycle atlas = excellence
Hopefully you’ve still got those photocopied pages that I gave you when you were here. In essence, from Swansea either the A4067 or the A4069 north would be good and would take you straight across the Brecon Beacons. The Dan-yr-Ogof caves on the A4067 might be somewhere you’d want to stop off at. Both of these will bring you out on th fabled A40 which is excellent in any direction from there.
Other roads of note in and around the South West of Wales include:
A482 Llandovery - Aberaeron
A485 Carmarthen - Aberystwyth
A487 All of it around the coast!
B4239 North East out of Haverfordwest
B4330 North West out of Haverfordwest.
Impossible to choose Butt, I loves all of em, innit?
Dr. Eunos
I found a good one over Devils Pass but have forgotten it. errrrrrrrrrr 
will post when senior moment passes OK
(Scenic not fast HeHeee)
as a local… you have to goto llanberis–llanberis pass–capel curig–betws y coed. in that order, then from betws y coed to the EVO Triangle. that’s a really good day out, stopping off in betws y coead for lunce in the royal oak 
also there’s llandudno.
Not sure if it counts as its more mid-Wales but Newtown to Aberystwyth is a good drive. Dinas Mawddwy and over the pass towards Dolgellau is another good one. Spectacular views and a lovely long drive down from the pass towards Cadair Idris.
Mid Wales has some stunning drivers roads. Long sweeping bends with plenty of visibility around them, roads that snake up and down the sides of some huge hills (Or small mountains ! ), Beautiful scenery all around you… It’s just a shame that the Welsh traffic police have such a high proportion of humourless, Driver hating ***’ in it !
Scotty “Better not go into Wales for a few weeks now” B.
My favourite roads in North Wales used to be the A5104 from Pontybodkin to Corwen and the A494 from Bala to Dolgellau. They are very fast biker roads so I’ve never really taken in the scenery! The A4212 from Trawsfynydd to Bala is another one in the same mould. The ‘A’ roads around Bala are particularly quick because you can see around the corners. However I’m now an MX5 owner so scenery is something I’m appreciating for the first time!
(newtown >>> <<< aber is definitely mid… A44(some A470)… nice road but full of other people)
START: St Asaph >>> south on A525 Denbigh >>> Ruthin >>> Llangollen via Ponderosa & Horseshoe Pass
A5 west >>>> Corwen >>> left[south] on to B4401*
@Pale… left on to B4402 >> south >>B4391>> left for Llangynog >> Penybont Fawr - right on to B4396 via Hirnant >>> Abertridwr >> onto B4393 and right for Lake Vyrnwy >>>
Either cross the dam and head up the south western edge or stay on the north eastern arm and continue north on unnumbered road toward Bala…FINISH (maybe)
*not done that road but am guessing from judging the others in the area that’ll be just dandy
Of course, if you require info for further south just sing out