Bike Rides
Reidiau Beic
If you’ve made it this far, my appreciation of the landscape, nature and bike rides in Wales should be as clear as the night sky was when Comet NEOWISE slow-danced past Rhigos Mountain in July.
Wales is blessed with having some amazing outside spaces and has three national parks covering over 4,000 sq km. In fact, the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia and Pembrokeshire Coast National Parks account for 20% of Wales, and much of the area in between them is beautiful countryside and rolling hills. The national parks and the 1,400 km of footpath that make up the Wales Coastal Path, means that there is some truly stunning things to see and do in Wales.
What better way to take in those sights and the seemingly never-ending countryside than on two wheels? My choice of two wheels is a road bike, but all cyclists are catered for in Wales.
Here is a selection of photographs taken on bike rides around Wales. Featuring the Brecon Beacons, Eryri, The Tumble, Gospel Pass and the south Wales valleys.
Operation Snap…
As important as road cycling is for my health and well-being, it has one major drawback: sharing the road with inconsiderate and reckless drivers. I can deal with the crappy weather and mechanical issues, but the seemingly endless close passes and near misses is like flipping a coin with my safety every time I go out on my bike. However, my fate isn’t determined by a simple 50/50 coin flip.
Before I go on, it’s only fair to point out that this drawback only relates to a minority of drivers on the roads. Most drivers share the road safely and show due care and attention around vulnerable road users. Whilst this is an all too frequent event in society where the few ruin things for the masses, the few appears to be gaining more willing participants. This is largely responsible to the UK media, as well as the toxicity of social media platforms.
Road cycling tends to polarise public opinion and even though active travel initiatives and low-traffic neighbourhoods are more vital then ever before, the response from some quarters stinks of privilege. Instead of encouraging people to decrease their carbon footprints, the UK media openly opposes investment into safe cycling infrastructure. This helps to fuel the extreme reactions seen on social media.
More to follow…
