Welsh C2C – Completed!!

Tom Waite, a volunteer at the Mersea Island Festival, and 4 of his mates rode across Wales to raise money for the Mersea Island Festival Trust.

From the 13th to 16th May 2017 the Fearless Five rode from Caernarfon to Cardiff over using a route named the Welsh C2C which is 206 miles long and more than 80% off road. This varies from bike paths through to technical trail sections.

Participants
Tom Waite
Peter Larke
Dave Farrington
Steve Cross
Liam Chamberlain

The Route

Day 1 Caernarfon to Dolgellau
Starting from Caernarfon Castle and riding to Porthmadog along Sustrans Route 8, this is the warm up for the day. From Porthmadog, we rode into the Snowdonia National Park and the foothills of the Moelwynion mountain range. Following this we cycled to Coed y Brenin trail centre and complete the majority of ‘The Beast’ – a highly technical ‘Black’ trail section which was a test of both bike skill and fitness. Once they left the trail it was an easier section to end the day with the ride being mostly downhill to Dolgellau.

Day 2 Dolgellau to Tregaron
Day 2 is the longest distance and has no warm up for the day. Shortly after leaving Dolgellau is the Climach-X trail, another technical section of the ride. Following this we rode into the Cambrian mountains and at approximately half distance we had another technical section to complete at Nant-yr-Arian. Following this we continued south in the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains to Dolgoch bunkhouse near Tregaron.

Day 3 Tregaron to Merthyr Tydfil
Leaving Tregaron we continued through the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains before crossing the range. Following this there was a steep and challenging 2 mile descent. After another series of small hills we reached our overnight halt in Brecon with the highest single climb and the Brecon Beacons mountain range. Crossing this mountain range we descended into Merthyr Tydfil for our final overnight stop.

Day 4 Brecon to Cardiff
Day 4 is mostly along the Taff Trail. This predominately off road cycle route is not the most technical section of the route but still leaves some climbs in excess of 500 feet to be negotiated. Prior to this we had to cross the Brecon Beacons mountain range. Once we reached the outskirts of Cardiff the route is almost entirely on road to the finishing point at the Celtic Ring sculpture in Cardiff Bay

Approximate Distances for each day
Day 1- Caernarfon to Dolgellau – 53.7 miles, Elevation Gain/Loss 5890ft/5790ft Maximum Elevation 990ft
Day 2 Dolgellau to Tregaron – 64.4 miles, Elevation Gain/Loss 6780ft/5680ft Maximum Elevation 1670ft
Day 3 Tregaron to Brecon – 47.1 miles, Elevation Gain/Loss 5780ft/6330ft Maximum Elevation 1700ft
Day 4 Brecon to Cardiff – 52.5 Miles, Elevation Gain/Loss 4370ft/4670ft Maximum Elevation 1570ft