Travellers’ tales: a Traws Eryri cycling adventure

Wow, wow, wow! Our fourth annual off-road adventure, in 2024 taking us across Snowdonia, was probably our most challenging yet. With the words “this route is best suited to experienced riders” ringing in our ears, three friends and I (combined age 240 years) set off in mid-July.

We divided the 200km trip from Machynlleth to Conwy into four days of riding, stopping at Dolgellau, Trawsfynydd and Betws-y-Coed. While the distance each day was not huge, we wanted to allow plenty of time for the climbs and the weather.

There was certainly some of the latter. We got completely soaked on day one but a well-placed launderette, literally opposite our B&B in Dolgellau, saved the day. To say that the route was stunning is an understatement. Mountains, waterfalls, rivers, lakes – it had it all.

Among the many highlights were: the Snowdonia Slate Trail with its eerily cool slate pyramids; the jaw-dropping glacial valley, Nant Ffrancon; the forest trails around Betws; and the friendly people we met, from the waitress in a pub in Mach giving us a Welsh lesson, to the other riders we leap-frogged on the way.

Yes, on some of the climbs we would have been grateful for a little battery assistance, but the descents more than made up for the pain.

Thank you, Cycling UK, for another spectacular route. Challenging and strenuous, yes, but we did it and absolutely loved it.