Why this ride
260 km from Llanberis to Llanberis, about 3 h 39 of riding. It goes by way of Conwy Castle and Town Walls, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal and back through Conwy Castle and Town Walls. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 260 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 39
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Snowdonia Llanberis Pass
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 35 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 38 km
- Named road
- Snowdonia Llanberis Pass
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales
Llanberis sits at the foot of Snowdon, Yr Wyddfa in Welsh, beside the lake of Llyn Padarn, and across the water a whole mountainside has been carved into giant terraces. This is the Dinorwic quarry, once one of the largest slate quarries in the world, where thousands of men worked until it closed in 1969, splitting slate for roofs across Britain and beyond. The galleries climb the mountain in steps, with inclines, ruined buildings and waste heaps everywhere, a landscape both scarred and strangely beautiful. In 2021, UNESCO inscribed the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales, recognising the quarries, villages, railways and harbours that made this region the slate capital of the world.
Read the complete The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales is where the day begins. Next is Conwy Castle and Town Walls.
2. Conwy Castle and Town Walls
Edward I built Conwy Castle in just four years, from 1283 to 1287, as part of his campaign to subdue the Welsh, and the result is one of the most impressive medieval fortresses in Europe. Designed by the master mason James of St George, it stands on a rock above the estuary of the Conwy river, with eight massive towers and high curtain walls, and the town below is still enclosed by its original walls, with twenty-one towers and three gateways. Walking along the walls gives superb views of the town, the castle, the estuary and the mountains of Snowdonia. The castles and town walls of King Edward in Gwynedd were inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1986.
Read the complete Conwy Castle and Town Walls write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Conwy Castle and Town Walls comes up about 38 km into the recorded legs. Next is Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal.
3. Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal
You hear it before you understand it: water running in an iron trough thirty-eight metres above the River Dee, on stone piers so slender they look drawn rather than built. Thomas Telford and William Jessop finished the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in 1805 to carry what is now the Llangollen Canal across the valley, and more than two centuries later narrowboats still glide over it, steered by people trying very hard not to look down. There is a towpath on one side with railings; on the other side there is only the edge of the trough and air. Walk across if you have a head for heights. It is one of the strangest and best ten minutes in Wales.
Read the complete Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 132 km into the recorded legs you reach Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal. Next is back through Conwy Castle and Town Walls.
4. back through Conwy Castle and Town Walls
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Conwy Castle and Town Walls write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Conwy Castle and Town Walls, late in the day. Next is The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales.
5. The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales to Conwy Castle and Town Walls
The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales → Conwy Castle and Town Walls is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Conwy Castle and Town Walls to Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal
Conwy Castle and Town Walls → Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal is 94 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal to back through Conwy Castle and Town Walls
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal → back through Conwy Castle and Town Walls is 90 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Conwy Castle and Town Walls to The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales
back through Conwy Castle and Town Walls → The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.