Well what a looooong day that was!! 250miles and 10.5hrs riding ....... and all to end up back where we set off from!! (We've decided to pitch back up at the same campsite in Penrhyndeudraeth after our loop today) It was very much a day of two halves. Let me explain......
We were packed up and ready for the off by 8am (Russ first this time) with the first leg of our journey set to see us skirting around the South West edge of Mount Snowdon then around the North East edge of the mountain.
The first roads of the day through the forests around Rhyd were twisty and winding across the relatively flat valley floor to Beddgelert. We then followed a mountain pass to Llandrug and passed a beautifully still lake - lake Cwellyn. The reflection of the steep mountains to the side of the lake mirrored perfectly by the water, so picturesque.
At Llandrug we were due to hang a right heading towards Llanberis but we saw an old disused filling station so took the opportunity to grab a photo next to the old school petrol pumps - somewhat past their best but still good for a photo!
Onwards to Llanberis and another lovely lake with the steep, slate mining hills rising up from the water's edge.
It was 9am by this point but the train for the summit of Mount Snowdon was already a hive of activity with a very full carpark! As we left Llanberis we headed up the A4086 Mountain pass of Llanberis and WOW!! What A...MAZ....ING scenery. Absolutely superb. At the head of the pass - Pen-Y-pass - there was another busy carpark with lots of walkers starting their walk to the summit. Heading down the other side of the pass we stopped for a photo with Snowdon in the background. A little further along the next lovely A road we stopped again and looked back at Snowdon across another beautifully still lake. This scenery ..... absolutely picture book perfect.
As we continued East along the A4086 we passed the surf school at Dolgarrog then at Betws-Y-Coed we turned left to head north towards Conwy. That road followed the river with the sunlight dappled through the trees, perfect.
A quick pic of the castle at Conwy before heading over the bridge and towards Llandudno where we stopped for a late brekkie in a lovely cafe. The town was a buzz with tourists as theres a lovely beach on the town centre frontage, a Pier and amusements and rides for the kids. Our route had us circumventing the headland which was a one way system which we'd approached the wrong way initially. When we went to the other end there was a £2.50 charge to effectively look out to sea ..... Err, no thanks so that's when we headed for brekkie as the better option.
Leaving Llandudno we headed west towards Anglesey via the A55 which was pretty boring to be honest aside a few long tunnels that provided some entertainment with horns and bike revving (#children, ha ha)
Skirting south of Bangor we headed onto Anglesey via the old bridge which was a lovely old suspension bridge. We followed an anticlockwise round around the periphery of the island and to be honest, half way around, at Amlwch, we stopped for a coffee and I asked Russ, "are you as bored as I am?" which he thankfully replied "YES!" and this was hence the 'day of two halves' comment earlier. The A roads on Anglesey were nice roads but after the amazing scenery of the morning around Snowdon we were feeling rather underwhelmed. We got chatting to another biker who was in his car with his family and their dog. He suggested a few routes with good roads around/ across the island, one of which was the route we were taking - along the southern coast past Anglesey racing circuit so we stuck to the planned route and continued towards Holyhead then briefly on the A55 before dropping south towards Bryn Du and past the racing circuit.
Before leaving Anglesey for the mainland we made a stop at a particularly famous railway station which I'm not even going to try to type let alone pronounce!! Suggest you look at the pics to see why!
At this point it was late into the afternoon, around 4pm and we had another loop to do out to the peninsula at Aberdaron. We made a decision at this point to camp where we'd camped the night before as this was a good end point to the day if we were going to complete this loop which was likely another 1.5hrs ride so we cracked on further west, to the most westerly point of north Wales in fact! These roads were also fast(er) A roads with rather uninspiring scenery but we enjoyed the riding as we headed to what Russ called, "the end of the world" when we got there. A beach-goer with his dog overhead Russ and said, "almost". A quick picture of the bikes by the lovely beach - which was really busy - then we headed for home (well, the campsite). Initially we were on a single track road but fortunately not behind any traffic. We crested the hill to see the beach on the other side of the headland - Hells Mouth, a beautifully long and mainly deserted sandy beach. We then hit another A road past Pwillheli which I remember from my childhood and a summer holiday at the Butlins that to be there (is it still there I wonder?)
A last bit of fast A road to the fuel station to top up ready for tomorrow then to the campsite to set up the tents. A quick shower to freshen up then into town for a very well earned mixed grill and a few pints. Pretty sure I'm gunna sleep well tonight!! Great day and roll on tomorrow for more fun on two wheels
