Cycle Touring in Wales. Richard Barrett

When the Wales Coast Path was created in 2013, Wales became the first country in the world to have a dedicated footpath that follows its entire coastline. When coupled with the already famous Offa’s Dyke National Trail from Chepstow to Prestatyn, it forms a 1030-mile walking route around the whole of the principality. This guidebook is for those who want to experience a similar circumnavigation of Wales by bike, following existing traffic-free paths and the quieter roads nearest the coast.

To make a circuit that can be comfortably ridden over a two-week holiday, the Gower Peninsula, Llyn Peninsula and Anglesey have been omitted, although there are suggestions in the text on how best to incorporate them into a tour. The resulting circuit provides 657 miles (1051km) of wonderful riding that starts on the waterfront in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, and includes mile after mile of stunning coastal landscape before heading back south through the rolling marcher country along the border. You will ride past miles of golden sand along the south coast in Pembrokeshire, Britain’s only coastal National Park; past the historic castles of Cardigan Bay; along the Menai Straight and through the seaside towns on the north coast, visiting some delightful towns and villages that benefit from being off the normal tourist itinerary.

Kidwelly Castle from the bank of Gwendraeth Fach (Stage 2)

Travelling through such wonderful countryside by bike is hugely satisfying for those who want to cover the miles quickly, as well as those preferring a more leisurely pace to watch wildlife and explore attractions along the way. There are plenty of pretty villages and interesting towns where you can top up your energy levels in local cafés and find interesting shops to replenish your supplies. These towns also provide a good choice of overnight accommodation and places for dinner, although you may need to leave the route to find exactly what you’re looking for. Add to that an impressive collection of castles, industrial archaeology, churches, chapels and prehistoric sites along the route and you have a ride that you will remember for a very long time.

The magnificent red kite is now a common sight in many parts of Central Wales (Image authorised for common usage)

Welsh chapels: the other iconic buildings of Wales

Apart from its magnificent castles, Wales’ other iconic buildings are its chapels, and you will see hundreds of examples while cycling through the country. Up until the Toleration Act 1689 was passed, it was illegal for dissenters to meet for worship, so many congregations met secretly in remote houses and barns. But from the end of the 17th century until the early 20th century, congregations built around 10,000 chapels, often financing their construction with loans that took decades to pay off. Initially, the chapels were quite plain but once the congregations started to commission architects, the chapels began to reflect the height of fashion, particularly during the later Victorian era when it became quite common to amalgamate all manner of influences into ornate gable end walls. Many were also rebuilt or remodelled to accommodate a growing congregation, often through the addition of a gallery that had been cleverly allowed for in the original design.

Some still maintain a thriving congregation but many have been converted for residential or commercial use, such as Libanus Chapel in Borth, which has been turned into a cinema and bistro. Others stand empty and strangely silent, waiting for someone to rescue them from creeping dereliction and potential demolition. See www.welshchapels.org for further information and an interactive map that provides more details about each of the chapels along the route.

The page opposite shows six chapels of different styles that you will pass while riding around Wales.

Henllan Baptist Chapel (top left), in the

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