Description
Traws Eryri
Traws Eryri, Welsh for Trans Snowdonia, is a 196km off-road route running the length of Eryri National Park from Machynlleth in the south to Conwy on the north coast. Developed by Cycling UK with Natural Resources Wales, it links forest fire roads, ancient drovers' tracks and quiet moorland byways into a single point to point journey through some of the wildest upland country in Wales, with around 4,000m of climbing along the way. It is built for mountain bikes and experienced off-road riders, typically completed over three to five days.
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The Route
The route runs south to north, starting in the historic market town of Machynlleth and finishing at the medieval castle town of Conwy on the North Wales coast. Riders climb out of Machynlleth onto old drovers' roads before dropping to the Mawddach Estuary and Dolgellau, one of the few genuinely flat stretches on the whole trail, along the traffic free Mawddach Trail. From here the route climbs back into the forest tracks of Coed y Brenin, one of four mountain bike trail centres it passes through, before following sections of Sarn Helen, an ancient Roman road, north towards Trawsfynydd and Llan Ffestiniog through former slate mining country.
The middle section threads through Penmachno and into Gwydyr Forest, another of the route's trail centres, climbing past Llyn Crafnant before reaching Capel Curig at the foot of the Ogwen Valley. The final stage drops through Ogwen, crosses towards the coast, and climbs Sychnant Pass and Conwy Mountain before descending into Conwy itself, finishing near the town's medieval walls and quayside.
Surfaces vary constantly: forest fire roads and gravel doubletrack, rocky and loose bridleway descents, grassy moorland tracks, stone built drovers' paths, and short stretches of quiet tarmac linking sections together. Very little of the route is flat, and several climbs are long and technical on the way down. A mountain bike is the natural choice, with wide tyres and low gearing earning their keep on the steepest sections. A loaded gravel bike can cover the distance but will struggle for gearing and comfort on the rougher descents.
Most riders tackle Traws Eryri between spring and early autumn. Even in summer the higher moorland and mountain sections are exposed to fast changing weather and Eryri sees high rainfall year round, so plan for the possibility of wind, low cloud and rain regardless of the month. The trail is not waymarked on the ground, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off, and carry a paper map as backup in case of battery failure or poor signal in the more remote upland sections.
Getting Here
The start point is Machynlleth in Powys, a market town on the Cambrian Line with its own mainline rail station, making it easy to reach by train as well as by road via the A487. The route also passes rail stations at Barmouth and Betws-y-Coed, giving riders flexibility to split the trip over several visits or bail out early if needed.
The finish point is Conwy, in Conwy County Borough on the North Wales coast, also served by its own station on the North Wales Coast Line, with fast connections along the coast and inland. Because the route is point to point rather than a loop, most riders plan a train journey back to their start, or arrange a car shuttle between the two towns.
Resupply and Accommodation
Traws Eryri passes through a string of towns and villages where food, water and basic supplies are easy to find, including Machynlleth, Dolgellau, Trawsfynydd, the Betws-y-Coed area, Capel Curig and Conwy. Cafes, pubs and small shops along the way mean riders are rarely more than a day's ride from a hot meal or a resupply stop.
Accommodation options along the route include campsites such as Graig Wen near the Mawddach Estuary, hostels and bunkhouses including The Rocks Hostel at Plas Curig in Capel Curig, and a number of "Cyclists Welcome" accredited guesthouses and bed and breakfasts offering bike storage, a bike wash and basic tools. Combining camping with the odd night in a hostel, bunkhouse or guesthouse is a popular way to break up the route.
Wild camping in Wales works differently to Scotland's right to roam. There is currently no general legal right to wild camp on open land without the landowner's permission, though a Wild Camping (Wales) Bill is progressing through the Senedd. Within Eryri National Park there is de facto tolerance of discreet, one night wild camps above 450m on open mountain, provided riders follow Leave No Trace principles: pitch late, leave early, take everything away and avoid open fires. Riders who prefer certainty should plan around the campsites, hostels and guesthouses along the route, or seek permission directly from landowners for anything lower down or off the open mountain.
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