WRT Grid Refs

[Pickers]

There's a posh new "foot bridge" in place now

How long's that been there? Need to adjust my route now

[Ian]

Last time I went to where that bridge is, there wasn't one.

Anyhow, I've now plotted my route. As I have special dispensation to do the WRT over the weekend of our wedding anniversary, I thought I better make the most of it - all the WRT and WRT Lite checkpoints covered in a route of 310 km with 10,000m of ascent. Should be ample compensation for not trekking up to Scotland to ride the Cairngorms Loop

It's a largely clockwise route to teh Mawddach, then an anticlockwise inner loop to catch the ones near Coed-y-brenin, then back out to the west and continue the rest of the route clockwise.
I don't think bothies will feature this year, though I get close to Pen Rhos Isaf after 130 km, which may be a bit much for a Saturday afternoon ride, unless I roll in late or things go spectacularly well.

Is anyone on weather watch yet?

[Richard G]

Is there anywhere near the beach you can cycle heading north after Aberdyfi, or am I best sticking to the A493?

[chris n]

Just the Lite for me - have plotted an anti-clockwise route that comes out at about 130km and 3800m climbing but I've also worked out some bail-out options for the Sunday that will cut 10km and 1000m if my legs can't cope. Roughly as follows: start > Mach > Tywyn > Arthog > Dolgellau > Dyfi/ClimachX > Cemmaes Rd > finish.

Going to ride to the start and back from Rhayader too, so that adds 80km and 1500m to the weekend, but apart from crossing Hafren Forest, most of that is on road.

[Ian]

Is there anywhere near the beach you can cycle heading north after Aberdyfi, or am I best sticking to the A493?

Assuming the Aberdovey checkpoint is the cake stop, it would help no end in terms of routing if Matt would shuttle said cake to the top of the hill by Bwlchgwyn
You could then drop down into the Happy Valley ( ) and miss out most of the A-road.

[brotherhuw]

Is anyone on weather watch yet?

Trying not to be but so far so typically Welsh bank holiday...

[Richard G]

Man, I'm really struggling with the east set of waypoints. Sensible me would say "skip some"... but stupid me thinks that's a stupid idea.

[JohnClimber]

Last time I went to where that bridge is, there wasn't one.

it's showing up nicely on Strava Heatmaps

[Ian]

I'm going back a few years now, mind. First time I did the coast to coast with Jack and Kevin. They've had lots of time to build and for me not to notice

[NorwayCalling]

Is there anywhere near the beach you can cycle heading north after Aberdyfi, or am I best sticking to the A493?

Three options:
1. Ride along the beach... as long as its not at anytime between 14:00 and 15:30 as the tides in...

2. Ride alone the "naughty path" - through the golf course, and it really does go through the golf course, not along the side as the maps suggest - and give cyclists a bad reputation at the same time - so not recommended, but many do.

Its a foot path and usually quite busy with walkers on a nice day, walk the section is an option I suppose to keep everyone happy?? Path starts around SN 605 959 and you think, hey this isn't so bad, a nice wide gravel path, but you get around SN 595 963 and the path stops and you on the 12 green, like actually on it... with no easy way to look all sweet and innocent as the golfist's tell you to f'off.

Coastal path walkers tend to keep to the "dune" tops, where there are tracks but not actual footpaths. I suggest a quick look on google earth to see what I am talking about

3. toughen up buttercup and ride the A493

[Matt]

Unless it's a very high tide beach all the was from Aberdyfi to Tywyn

[NorwayCalling]

Unless it's a very high tide beach all the was from Aberdyfi to Tywyn

Nice to know as all the images I have seen (and the OS mean high water mark) suggests you run out of sand and hit boulders for much of the high tide range.

[Richard G]

I did actually follow the path until I got right into the course and thought... yeah, no.

I have no idea what time I'll actually get there, even vaguely, but I'm tempted to try a bit of beach.

[JohnClimber]

If you are riding on sand, remember to use dry lube.
Then apply wet or your normal lube after this.

If it's not dry lube sand sticks to your drive train like sh!t to a blanket.

[Richard G]

I use squirt, which is supposedly dry... tis wax based.

[Richard G]

Hmm... do I have the balls to do beginning of the end at Cody with all my bikepacking stuff still attached to the bike?

Edit - Bit of ClimachX too? Why not.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Hmm... do I have the balls to do beginning of the end at Cody with all my bikepacking stuff still attached to the bike?

It's only a few rocks, what's up with ya. You're likely to come across more challenging stuff before you ever get there

[Richard G]

It's the roots I'm generally more scared of!

Dyfi Forest related... There looks like a vague sort of path that goes from house / farm (Hopley Heights?) - SH 77015 06558, red hashed line on OS Maps. Do people reckon that's going to be OK? Much better for me if I can get to the waypoint near there from the North.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Dyfi Forest related... There looks like a vague sort of path that goes from house / farm (Hopley Heights?) - SH 77015 06558, red hashed line on OS Maps. Do people reckon that's going to be OK? Much better for me if I can get to the waypoint near there from the North.

My map shows a footpath at that GR going to Cae-cwta via Pant-coch. There's also a BW running above it which joins the path just before Cae-cwta and should be good until just after it ... assuming you're travelling east.

Am I in the wrong place?

[chris n]

Dyfi Forest related... There looks like a vague sort of path that goes from house / farm (Hopley Heights?) - SH 77015 06558, red hashed line on OS Maps. Do people reckon that's going to be OK? Much better for me if I can get to the waypoint near there from the North.

I hope so. I'm going that way - though taking the bridleway just to the N then following the dashed track (no ROW) through the woods to the east, then onto Caeadda.

[Richard G]

I can't actually see Cae-cwta... here's what I'm looking at.



Edit - Ha... cool, I went to the centre for alternative technology when I was like, 11years old.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I can't actually see Cae-cwta, Chris is going North East, I'll be going North West.

1:25 and 1:50 look quite different in this instance, hard to tell which one will prove correct. However, the 1:25 does show the BW that runs below your propsed route (and joins onto it at Cae-cwta which your map doesn't show / name). Either way, it appears that there is a way through.

[Richard G]

Cheers. Will give it a crosscheck on the Strava heatmap to see what that says too.

Though other bits of my route only have the faintest of lines in some cases. Like: "Yeah, one other idiot made this mistake... enjoy".

Edit - Yup, seems at least a couple of other idiots have gone down that route.

[Richard G]

All done. 325km, 7750m of climbing.

Learned from last year's screwup and have actually checked that paths exist for most of it (or at least that others have been stupid enough to cycle it). Hoping for ~65km day one, 160km day two, 100km day three. Also a lot more towns visited than last year (when I ran out of food completely because I passed precisely two shops in my entire route).

Little bit gutted that I wont be crossing Barmouth bridge, but it didn't make much sense for my route. Will be crossing the shiny bridge posted on the last page though. Really looking forward to Coed Y Brenin and Dyfi Forest.

[Ian]

Does anyone happen to have GPXs for the Climax and Coed-y-brenin trails?