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On your bike
Southern Eryri (Snowdonia) offers a great base for cyclists of all persuasions, whether you like to get muddy in the mountains or prefer to stick to the roads.
Coed y Brenin was Britain's first purpose-built mountain biking centre and is one of the sport’s top destinations. It has eight purpose-built mountain bike trails which start from the visitor centre and range from easy trails for families and beginners to technical routes for expert riders.
In 2024, the centre opened six brand new Gravel/Adventure routes with over 100km of new fully signposted and mapped cycling trails so there is plenty of choice whatever your style of off-road cycling and skill level.
For those looking for the thrill of the downhill, a 30-minute scenic drive over the Berwyn Mountains takes you to the Revolution Bike Park in Llangynog Following an enforced closure due to need to fell the diseased larch forest, the centre has now reopened its trails.
For road junkies, the area provides some classic climbing.
One of the most iconic of these is the climb from Llanuwchllyn to Bwlch y Croes. With a summit altitude of 545m, it is the second highest road pass in Wales. This can be made into a challenging circular route by heading to Lake Vyrnwy from the top of the pass and then back to Bala via Cwm Hirnant at 460m.
Whilst it is hard to avoid hills in Eryri, one of the most scenic bike rides is almost completely flat. The traffic free Mawddach Trail starts from Dolgellau and follows a disused railway line along the Mawddach Estuary. The nine mile trail finishes in Barmouth and offers spectacular views of the estuary heading out to sea, the mountains and the iconic railway bridge that crosses the estuary into the popular seaside town of Barmouth.
The route finishes in Barmouth so you can enjoy an ice cream on the beach before retracing your route back to Dolgellau.
