Travellers’ tales: Cycling the Wild Wales Challenge
The Wild Wales Challenge was named after the book ‘Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery’, by Victorian rambler George Borrow. Each August bank holiday for the last 39 years, riders have followed a choice of hilly routes through Snowdonia: long (95 miles in 2023) or ‘short’ (65). Both have lots of climbing.
I rode the shorter version with my son and daughter in 2023. The start was Bala Rugby Club. We meandered down the east shore of Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid), tracking the narrow-gauge steam railway. Turning left just before Llanuwchllyn, we started the tough climb up Bwlch y Groes.
The descent into Dinas Mawddwy is long and steep, as the 11 arrows on the OS map confirm. It was a lovely late summer day as we descended into Dinas and then climbed over Ochr y Bwlch to arrive at the first feed station at Brithdir. The route then took us via Coed y Brenin forest among a myriad of quiet lanes, eventually following the Afon Wen towards Pont Aber.
Avoiding Llan Ffestiniog, we stopped to admire the Rhaeadr y Cwm waterfall. Shadows lengthened as we neared Llyn Celyn reservoir, and the sudden drop in air temperature reminded us that autumn was approaching. Back at Bala we collected our commemorative Welsh slate plaques.
More information about the Wild Wales Challenge, including how to register for the next one, is available from Merseyside CTC.
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