The best cycling routes in Snowdonia

Trails for every ability

Cycle routes in Snowdonia National Park are, frankly, fantastic. With a huge range available, everyone from children to Tour de France champions can find their perfect trails and the views are incredible on clear days. 

If you’re an experienced cyclist used to dealing with hills, you’ll be in your absolute element when cycling in Snowdonia. Discover the many trails, sometimes through dense forests, often traffic-free and know that every challenging ascent will be matched by an exhilarating downhill. Snowdonia extends all the way to the west coast too, so you can be crossing a mountain pass in the morning and leaning your steed against a beachside ice cream shack in the afternoon. 

If you’re in the mood for a gentle route through pretty landscapes, it’s not too hard to find flat bikes rides in Snowdonia. Follow disused railways and circle lakes for wonderful trails with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. 

Planning for Welsh weather

No matter what time of year you’re cycling through Snowdonia, the weather can be changeable. Winter sometimes brings snow to the mountains but par for the course is mild but wet weather. Prepare for being hot, cold and wet when riding in winter and the shoulder seasons, especially if you’ll be doing tough ascents when the downhills can send your temperature plummeting. 

Summers experience varied weather too, with hot, dry days filled with sunshine rubbing shoulders with storm clouds and rain the next. Check the forecast in the morning and pack appropriately, never underestimating the need for suncream. 

Wales’ changeable skies make for phenomenal photographic opportunities. The light in the mountains is often breathtaking, with magnificent clouds, shafts of sunlight and evocative colours. 

Animals to spot 

As one of the largest national parks in the UK and with a wide range of habitats, spotting wildlife on bike rides in Snowdonia is a glorious goal. The sky often holds the magic, with buzzards, merlin, goshawks and peregrine falcons scoping out the land for tasty morsels. 

Red squirrel populations are being supported in Snowdonia and these adorable little creatures are a pleasure to see bounding across tracks and nipping up tree trunks. Deer and Welsh mountain goats can also be spotted, so keep an eye out on mountainsides and in quiet forests.