01 The Brecon Beacons from Gloucester to Builth Wells
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert Nick Carthew - (MRA Master)
Last edit: 08-07-2021
Route Summary
This route is day 1 of a 6 day tour through the spectacular landscapes and coast of beautiful Wales. A spectacular ride through The Brecon Beacons National Park. Ruggedly beautiful with vast open spaces. Includes a visit to the secret German village!
I have rated this route with 5***** stars because even though the weather was wet and miserable when we rode it in September 2018, we all had smiles on our faces for the entire day, the roads, scenery and attractions are all excellent.
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Animation
Verdict
Duration
6h 2m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
258.59 km
Countries
The Military Road
RouteXpert Review
Wales and The Brecon Beacons day 1.If you plan to visit Wales on a motorcycle, then a trip to the Brecon Beacons National Park is a 'must do' for your itinerary and this route is a perfect way to do that. This route is day 1 of a 6 day tour of Wales that we rode in September 2018. We stayed overnight in Gloucester to start our tour and I have started this route off from our hotel at Gloucester Quay. Top up with fuel at the pink route point (RP) 2 as the Brecon Beacons are quite remote. This route shows you the rugged beauty and vast scale of the open spaces. It follows the River Usk and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, it goes alongside huge reservoirs and over dams and across the military road to the top secret German village of Cilieni, whose hush hush military purpose meant that you could never find it on any map! It was designed as a mock village during the Cold War to enable soldiers to prepare for battle with the Soviets. The route finishes at a good biker friendly B&B in Builth Wells called The Cedars Guesthouse, we had a warm welcome and comfortable night.
We stopped at a small cafe at Talybont on Usk for a coffee at RP 10, it is small, so big groups might want to find somewhere else for a stop. Leave your bikes parked at the cafe and walk (70m) just around the corner to the fascinating lift bridge over the canal. The route goes over this bridge and onto the vast open spaces of the Brecon Beacons. The spectacular A4059 has to be one of the best roads in Wales, it certainly is in my book. We were lucky enough to see several Red Kites majestically flying when we rode along it. The Military Road starts at RP 28, this superb road links the villages of Trecastle and Tirabad, it is 8.4 miles long and the road doesn’t seem to have a name, on a map it crosses Mynydd Eppynt and Mynydd Bwlch-Yr-Groes, a small range of hills to the north of the Brecon Beacons. It is a single track road that runs through the Sennybridge army training area and is open to the public except for days when there are Army exercises (check before leaving). You need to turn off of this road at RP 30 if you are brave enough to visit the mock German village of Cilieni, my advice is to keep your head down and don't get caught! We managed to dodge any bullets that may have strayed our way and came down off of the high ground and onto our bed for the night at Builth Wells.
This really is an incredible ride for those that enjoy big open spaces. There a many places to stop to take photographs of the magnificent views. I have not included green route point markers to indicate great views as there would be too many!
Below this review are links to the Hotel and Guesthouse used, a video of the route from 2018 and a link to the route for day 2 of this 6 day tour.
The mock German village of Cilieni.
The A4059 across the Brecon Beacons
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Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
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Wales
About this region
Wales (Welsh: Cymru [ˈkəm.rɨ] (listen)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of coastline and is largely mountainous with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit. The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate.
Welsh national identity emerged among the Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England's conquest of Wales, though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century. The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by David Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century; a nationalist party, Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament, formerly known as the National Assembly for Wales) is responsible for a range of devolved policy matters.
At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, development of the mining and metallurgical industries transformed the country from an agricultural society into an industrial nation; the South Wales Coalfield's exploitation caused a rapid expansion of Wales' population. Two-thirds of the population live in South Wales, including Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and the nearby valleys. Now that the country's traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in decline, the economy is based on the public sector, light and service industries, and tourism. In livestock farming, including dairy farming, Wales is a net exporter, contributing towards national agricultural self-sufficiency.
Wales closely shares its political and social history with the rest of Great Britain, and a majority of the population in most areas speaks English as a first language, but the country has retained a distinct cultural identity. Both Welsh and English are official languages; over 560,000 Welsh-speakers live in Wales, and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west. From the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the "land of song", in part due to the eisteddfod tradition. At many international sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, Wales has its own national team. At the Olympic Games, Welsh athletes compete for the UK as part of a Great Britain team. Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness.
Read more on Wikipedia
Welsh national identity emerged among the Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England's conquest of Wales, though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century. The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by David Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century; a nationalist party, Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament, formerly known as the National Assembly for Wales) is responsible for a range of devolved policy matters.
At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, development of the mining and metallurgical industries transformed the country from an agricultural society into an industrial nation; the South Wales Coalfield's exploitation caused a rapid expansion of Wales' population. Two-thirds of the population live in South Wales, including Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and the nearby valleys. Now that the country's traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in decline, the economy is based on the public sector, light and service industries, and tourism. In livestock farming, including dairy farming, Wales is a net exporter, contributing towards national agricultural self-sufficiency.
Wales closely shares its political and social history with the rest of Great Britain, and a majority of the population in most areas speaks English as a first language, but the country has retained a distinct cultural identity. Both Welsh and English are official languages; over 560,000 Welsh-speakers live in Wales, and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west. From the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the "land of song", in part due to the eisteddfod tradition. At many international sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, Wales has its own national team. At the Olympic Games, Welsh athletes compete for the UK as part of a Great Britain team. Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness.
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Statistics
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Amount of RX reviews (Wales)
17253
Amount of visitors (Wales)
2181
Amount of downloads (Wales)
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Top 10 Downloaded UK routes by RouteXpert Nick Carthew
Hello and welcome to this collection of the Top 10 MyRoute app downloaded routes in the UK.
There will be a great new event to be announced soon, where all these routes can be ridden.
Download them all now and place them in a new "Top 10" folder, so that you always have them at hand.
If you are going to drive one of these routes in the meantime, track them with the MRA Mobile App or with MRA Navigation. Take some photos (moments) along the way as these will come in handy.
Create a travelstory of your Top 10 driven routes and add the recorded track to it.
There will also be some great prizes on offer, so keep an eye on the MRA-RouteXperts page and your email.
There will be a great new event to be announced soon, where all these routes can be ridden.
Download them all now and place them in a new "Top 10" folder, so that you always have them at hand.
If you are going to drive one of these routes in the meantime, track them with the MRA Mobile App or with MRA Navigation. Take some photos (moments) along the way as these will come in handy.
Create a travelstory of your Top 10 driven routes and add the recorded track to it.
There will also be some great prizes on offer, so keep an eye on the MRA-RouteXperts page and your email.
View Route Collection
10 Routes
2910.58 km
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