Hey! I’m Ali, one half of The MahoJos. Me and my wife Amy live on a farm in South Wales and in March 2017 we went on an epic bike ride through all 22 counties of Wales.
The Route
When planning the route, I wanted to try and achieve the shortest distance possible between all 22 counties. Our journey started in our home town of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf before heading north towards Merthyr Tydfil, then east across the ‘Heads of the Valleys’ route towards Monmouthshire. We then headed south towards Newport before heading west to Pembrokeshire. From there we went north, right up to Anglesey before turning west for the final leg to Wrexham.
Time and Distance
I estimated that the bike ride would be about 450 miles and we had about 9 days to do it in. 50 miles a day was our average target which we felt could be achieved quite easily. The twist in the tale was that we would be taking our dog (Dizzy the 20kg Border Collie) and all our camping gear with us. That was the initial plan, but everything changed after day one.
Pontypridd to Abergavenny
We used National Cycle Route 8 for a steady 1200ft climb out of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf (County number 1) up to Merthyr Tydfil (County number 2).
After slowly making our way up to Dowlaias Top, we had a much needed rest at the Asda superstore. Once refuelled, we joined National Cycle Route 46 to head east, passing through Caerphilly (County number 3) and Blaenau Gwent (County number 4).
Our destination for that night was Pont Kemys Caravan and Camping Park near Abergavenny (County number 5). The campsite owners were bewildered by our cycling adventure but made us feel really welcome. We pitched our tent and ate pasta for dinner whilst we mulled over our route for the next day.
Abergavenny to Newport for a change of plans
We had lots of bike issues on day one so had to change our plans. The weight of my trailer pulled my rear axle off at one point and Amy’s trailer put pressure on her rear disc brake. Plus, one of my gear shifters broke so I only had 7 out of 21 gears. We followed the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal into Torfaen (County number 6), where we stopped off at The Barge Cafe in Pontymoile. We needed to stop and think about our plan.
To find a way to finish what we started, we ended up with Plan B. We decided to tag-team our way around Wales on the bikes, with our campervan as our home/kitchen/sleeping space/support vehicle. This meant we could ditch the trailers and camping gear and just ride free as a relay.
We limped off towards Newport railway station (County number 7) and caught two trains back to Pontypridd. When we finally made it home and loaded the campervan, my bike went off to Halfords for quick repairs. After searching online, we found a campsite in Newport and headed there for the night.
Newport to Swansea
Amy set off in the morning from our camp in Newport and headed into Cardiff (County number 8). Her rear brake was still dodgy so we met up at Halfords in Cardiff for a quick fix. With no trailer in tow and no more brake issues, Amy made her way across Cardiff and we met up again in Bonvilston, Vale of Glamorgan (County number 9).
We swapped over and I jumped on my bike to head towards our next rendezvous. I struggled with headwind down the A48 but passed through the outskirts of Bridgend (County number 10) and met up with Amy again at North Cornelly. Since Newport, we had more or less followed National Cycle Route 4 which runs from London to Fishguard in West Wales.
After another quick swap over, Amy headed into Port Talbot and County number 11 of Neath Port Talbot. Due to a mistake in navigation, she accidentally cycled through the Tata Steelworks but was politely redirected by a security guard. We met up again just on the outskirts of Swansea (County number 12) and I set off in the rain for the last leg of the day. The end point for day two was Gowerton where we got a space at the Gowerton Caravan and Motorhome campsite.
Swansea to Carmarthen
After a restful sleep, we were both ready for day four. There was no intention for large mileage today as it was a Six Nations Rugby weekend, so we had our eye on an early finish and a pub stop over. Amy kicked off the first leg and cycled out to Kidwelly Castle in Carmarthenshire (County number 13). I took over and followed Route 4 into Carmarthen before heading to Bronwydd Arms where we found a pub. The landlord was happy for us to stay overnight in the carpark so we enjoyed the rugby on TV and a large dinner.
Carmarthen to Tregaron
It was my turn to start the day and I was on the road by 8am heading towards Pembrokeshire. My destination to tick off another county was Cwmorgan on the border of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire (County number 14). We were now on single track lanes and found a suitable spot to pull over in our new county so we could swap over again.
Amy set off towards Newcastle Emlyn where she picked up National Cycle Route 82 heading North East. Our next meeting point was the small town of Llandysul in Ceredigion (County number 15). Mobile signal was really limited in these areas but by planning ahead we found each other quite easily. Our next two legs involved getting to Lampeter before a quick swap for Amy to finish the day in Tregaron (still in Ceredigion).
Tregaron to Machynlleth
Our campsite at Tregaron had washing facilities which was fantastic. With the rain still beating down in the morning we decided to pack up and head off to a 400 year old inn for a long, lazy breakfast. What a treat.
At 12 o’clock the rain had eased so we got back on the road. Amy took the first leg with Aberystwyth as the end goal. With a shorter day ahead, the final destination for me was then Machynlleth in Powys (County number 16).
Machynlleth to Bryncir
The next day, I took the first leg out of Machynlleth and quickly rolled into the stunning county of Gwynedd (County number 17). We were back on National Cycle Route 8, heading north into Snowdonia National Park. The first pit stop of the day was in Dolgellau where we changed over and Amy headed out towards Barmouth. We swapped again in Dyffryn Ardudwy and I finished my leg in Porthmadog. The final destination for today was a campsite in Bryncir, still in beautiful Gwynedd.
Bryncir to Llandulas
We woke up on day eight of our epic bike ride adventure with a zip in our step. We knew we weren’t far now from achieving our goal. Amy set off on Route 8 and we met up again in the shadow of Caernarfon Castle. I jumped on my bike and headed on to Anglesey (County number 18) where we paused for some snaps at the town with the very long name. I set off again and met up with Amy on the outskirts of Bangor after jumping on National Cycle Route 5.
From Bangor, Amy headed east along the cost before we met up again at Penmaenmawr in Conwy (County number 19). From there it was a predominantly flat cruise out to Llandulas where we stopped for the night.
Llandulas to Wrexham
We woke up to day nine, our final day of our bike adventure. Whilst it had been brutal and wet in parts, we didn’t want it to end. Amy started the day and our meeting point was Prestatyn in Denbighshire (County number 20). After another slick change over, I sped off towards Flint in Flintshire (County number 21) and got some easy miles under my belt. Amy took over again and went through Northop as we motored towards our final county of Wales. After another quick change, I sped off towards Llay but accidentally took the campervan keys with me. Luckily I heard my phone after a couple of miles and cycled back so that Amy and Dizzy weren’t stranded.
Finally, I reached the little town of Llay which marked County number 22 of Wales and the end of our mammoth bike ride through Wales.
Our bikes
We achieved this bike ride using a 1990 Alpinestars Al-Mega DX mountain bike and a Boardman Hybrid bike from Halfords. They weren’t the best bikes for a trip like this but it just goes to show what you can achieve with what you’ve got! If this ride has inspired you feel free to follow our other adventures on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. And if you’ve enjoyed this blog, we’d love to hear from you!
