680km London to Holyhead
Conwy Castle
Ride overview
There’s been a road linking London with Anglesey and onwards to Ireland, for at least two millennia. The Romans built a road from Londonium to Deva (Chester) with another road which followed the North Wales Coast. The Saxon road of Watling Street was largely contiguous with the former Roman Road and linked Dover with Wroxeter via London. The 1800 Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland meant that there needed to be a much better corridor of communication between the two capitals, so following the old Saxon road, the engineer Thomas Telford created the first major civilian state-funded road building project in Britain since Roman times. The new cycle route, shadows rather than slavishly follows the old historical routes. From London, it travels further west to Oxford, rather than St. Albans, travels northwards to Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham, before re-connecting with the historial route at Chester. From there it follows the North Wales Coast, just as the Romans had done before, all the way to Anglesey. Fortunately, all of the cycle route is on traffic-free paths or quiet back roads, rather than the furiously busy, A5, the modern incarnation of Telford’s road.
Whereas the Roman Army, 18th century gentry and traders were more interested in arriving by the quickest means, for cyclist-tourists, the journey is often more important than the actual destination. By some measure, the National Cycle Route 5 is the most interesting of all the long-distance routes in the UK, in terms of places passed through. It’s a route of forests and canals, of the sea and rolling fields. It’s a route lined with great houses, castles, palaces and world famous gardens. It’s a route of industry; of salt, stoneware, porcelain, coal and iron. And it’s a route along which there’s been centuries worth of trade in ideas, words and faith for along the way you’ll meet Shakespeare, Johnson, Wedgewood, Brindley and St Cybi.
Other than the stage connecting London with Oxford, the way to Anglesey follows the National Cycle Network Route 5 to Holyhead with the exception being Cannock Chase, where we have designed as traffic-light route as is possible. It is a ride through a gentle landscape of tidy fields and well-trimmed hedges, of peaceful canals, former railway lines and quiet back roads through both the countryside as well as through the urban former industrial heartlands. From Chester onwards, the way becomes a fabulous ride beside the sea; eye-stretching beaches, wide promenades, Victorian resorts and an ozone-rich air.
Ride practicalities
The route is well signed as NCN 5, other than the section between the north of Birmingham and Stafford. In order to link these two cities, we have mapped a route which uses the quietest roads across the National Landscape of Cannock Chase and we include a short diversion to delightful pocket-sized city of Lichfield. Other than high summer weekends, the connecting route is reasonably quiet and should not pose a problem for experienced cyclists.
START/FINISH: London/Holyhead DISTANCE: 680km TOTAL ASCENT: 5,440m
TERRAIN AND SURFACES: quiet country lanes, quiet urban roads, cycle lanes, former railway tracks, bridleways and by-ways. As with the whole of the National Cycle Network, surfaces are mixed and you should expect from time to time, variable surfaces including loose gravel even mud, especially after rain. That said the whole route is very rideable on any bike with more than 28mm tyre, which means any touring bike is ideal.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ROUTE USING THE WEBSITE?
The whole route has been split into seven sections, each between 60-100km. The shorter cycling days take account of the opportunities to visit some of the key places along the way. Of course, you can decide to increase or decrease the length of each day according to your needs and abilities. Each stage has a free-to-download map which you can put directly onto your navigation device. Each stage has a detailed explanation of what you are likely to see.
RECOMMENDED CAFÈS/PUBS/ACCOMMODATION: Only places which meet our exacting criteria for quality and price are listed. They have each been tried and tested. Where there is no listing, you are free to use your apps and guides to find your own special places. Feel free to add your suggestions to the ‘Ride Review’ section at the foot of each stage’s page. A popular choice of accommodation for cycle tourists in the UK are the Premier Inns. They are well-priced, found in many of the major towns and allow the bike to be taken into your bedroom.
NEARBY MAINLINE TRAIN SERVICES: The route is well served by trains. Advanced reservations are required for cycles on all intercity routes. Stena Line Ferries take you to Dublin
PLACES TO VISIT: Each stage highlights the most significant places to visit along the route.
LINKS TO OTHER ROUTES: NCN 5, The North Wales Coastal Route, NCN 8
REVIEW AND COMMENT ON THE RIDE: If you have ridden a stage, or indeed the whole route please post your review and comments in the Ride Review section at the foot of each page. It is so useful for other cyclists who follow in your tyre tracks. Alternatively email me using the link on the website.
Every route on this website has been carefully researched as well as ridden. However situations on the ground can change quickly. If you know of changes to this route, or cafes, pubs and the like which you think other cyclists need to know about, feel free to share your thoughts below.
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117km