Traws Eryri Bikepacking Route: Ride through Wild Wales with the official guidebook writer - Part 1

The new Traws Eryri bike packing route across Snowdonia is a fantastic adventure through stunning scenery and thousands of years of fascinating history. I'm Guy Kesteven, the official guidebook writer for Cycling UK so join me as I ride through the heart of wild Wales from Machynlleth to Trawsfynydd on part one of this wonderful mountain wilderness experience.
Traw Eryri is a joint collaboration between National Resources Wales and Cycling UK. For the GPX files, the guidebook and all sorts of other great stuff head forwww.cyclinguk.org/traws-eryri-0 and please consider joining so they can continue creating amazing routes like this and campaigning for better cyclists rights across Britain.
Cheers
Guy

[@gerardcarton5310]

Watched these on a Miserably wet 2023 Xmas moring in county derry, really brightened my day, and I AM a member of cycling uk

[@GuyKesTV]

Thanks for the support Gerard, hope your weather clears up soon but glad this video cheered up your day anyway.

[@GrahamAtDesk]

Brilliant that Guy, cheers! It's high on the todo list

[@dozzinaxii]

Cracking video and narration. Just watched both parts. Itching to ride now.

[@cyclopath9491]

Great vid, many thanks. I've lived in Northern Snowdonia for 3 decades+ and looking forward to the next bit through the mountains. I knew Sian And Daf when they had the bikeshop in Betws-Y-Coed back in the early 90's :-)

[@taffycymroukmtb9073]

Croeso I Cymru 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Great stuff Guy 🚴👌👌👌

[@CMZPICTURES]

Looks amazing!

[@gmbmedia28]

Thank you for sharing your adventure 🍻🍻🚵🚵

[@jammymark]

Added to the "to do " list! Looks fantastic. Great work Guy.

[@ianfranklin9482]

Looks a fantastic route! I've ridden a lot of those trails over the years, but this looks like a great way to link them together for an epic adventure!

[@thomasrighton7080]

If you turn left before you get to Llyn Cregannan there is a short single track road section then a nice steep bridleway decent though some woods with a couple of nice tight switchbacks that drops you out into Arthog with good access to the Mawddach estuary 🤫

[@lindonandlisa8114]

Thanks, guy, it's so fantastic to see Wales. So different to Australia love to get there one day

[@philkarn0]

Fantastic, great job ! Looking forward to to part 2 👍🏼

[@GuyKesTV]

Should be live now Phil 👍

[@Wildernessoutside]

mint sauce was shifting along that track lol

[@ekrano]

Another great vid. I'm planning on doing this route next year on a Cotic Cascade over two days.

[@jonmytton]

Fantastic vid - thank you! Appreciate the local history research. We're doing the ride this summer!

[@GuyKesTV]

Sorry Jon, just seen this. If you fancy some shorter historical gravel style routes for practice then check out my other channel 'Pedalling Past'. It's very much a side project ATMO but all feedback super welcome. www.youtube.com/@pedallingpast9350

[@andyramsdale6435]

I was camping just outside Barmouth last week. Stunning area, I've now got my eyes on this route.

[@stephenbrown5844]

My friend, what a beautiful ride in snowdonia.. My kind of terrain, living in Northumberland 😊👌❤️🇬🇧stay safe and enjoy your time ❤👍

[@cponeill]

I've been looking forward to this. Got myself a Mason Exposure after watching one of your previous videos. Reckon this could be a good test for it. Thanks GuyKes!

[@GuyKesTV]

That'll be a great bike for it but fit your biggest gears and biggest tyres, it's proper steep in places 🥵

[@davidarthur]

Nice, adding this one to my list. Gonna have to dig out the mountain bike though by the looks of it

[@GuyKesTV]

Let me know if you need a wingman. It's doable on a gravel bike but there's some very long steep sections that will be a grind on big gears even for a fit bugger like you. Chisel with an Eagle block is around 9.5kg anyway so that was pretty much perfect.

[@fatbloaterdave]

@@GuyKesTV I'm just about to buy a gravel bike and do this route later this year. Good thing the new Shimano 12 speed gravel gears come with a 10-51 cassette meaning gearing parity with an MTB. (we did the rebellion way on road race bikes last year, it's fun to be underbiked sometimes).

[@GuyKesTV]

@@fatbloaterdave yeah you need some low gears for this one. Not so much Rebellion Way 🤣

[@Shooterthecat1]

Fantastic!

[@soulsnotsmiles336]

Guy, I am a relatively 'old' returner to cycling. I had been road cycling, just for general health and weight maintainence for about 3 years whin I discovered cycling uk initially through your KAW videos and then went on to see the Rebellion way and Cantii way, all of which looked amazing so I bit the bullet and bought a gravel bike, and now your partnership with cycling uk produces this. Looks like another stunning route which I am sure will be very enjoyable. I thank you both for producing these routes and insights into the routes, but I am sorry to say my bank balance doesn't...... I am off to the mountain bike shop 😄

[@GuyKesTV]

So glad I’m part of what got you back into riding. You could do most of this on a gravel bike but the gearing would be against you on some climbs and the tyres against you on some descents. Nothing to stop you pushing a few sections though (you won’t be going much slower on the steep climbs walking anyway 🤣)

[@br5380]

While I’ve a gravel bike which I use a lot, when bikepacking & camping I use a HT MTB. Just so much better when loaded off-road, especially on rough descents.

[@markmccann-wood2225]

Thanks for sharing Guy (just got back from N. Wales) route looks amazing - thinking of doing it as part of prep for Venteto Trail 24 - have you ridden the VT? Torn between gravel or mountain bike due to amount of climbing & difference in bike weight. Cheers

[@ManBikesDog]

@GuyKesTV Guy, I popped over to Cotic yesterday to test ride the Cascade - which was fantastic and I'll definitely be ordering one. The ride really surprised me, particularly on the rougher single track of the test route; do you think it would be capable of handling the Traws Eryri? I'm thinking it might be a good compromise given I'd rather have the multiple hand positions for a multi-day ride, and would be more suitable to bikepacking than my full suspension Swarf Contour.

[@GuyKesTV]

@@ManBikesDog that’d be a great choice for the Traws, esp as they come with MTB style gear ratios as standard which is what you’ll want on those climbs. Did it have the steel fork or the carbon one?

[@biking261]

There is a cafe near to the Power station which is worth visiting as well

[@Andy-co6pn]

Need to get back to Penmachno soon , love it there

[@JeremyLawrence-imajez]

Just watched both vids and 9 out of 10 for the archeology/history and 2 out of 10 for the Welsh place names. 😜 Weirdly, just after you talked about your Mum [sorry to hear about her passing], your accent became more Welsh for a short while and less Yorkshire. 😁

[@jaynolajones]

Wow what a fabulous ride fella, as a lad from south wales this is a must do for me! Could push it and involve the trans Cambrian way, as it pretty much starts where I’m from Pontypridd, ride the Cardiff ridgeway to the Caerphilly hills regular, can also drop over 2 Newport! Never rode eryri valley and mountains but hiked them loads of times! Absolutely stunning part of the world! Must do for me this.. thanks for this video! Would you recommend a full suss trail bike or a hardtail xc/trail bike(them’s the bikes I have!)

[@GuyKesTV]

XC hardtail is perfect. I rode my Spesh chisel with a SID fork and XC tyres and I was really glad of the MTB gears and not having to worry about rocks. There’s nothing that needs a full sus though and if you’re hauling all the way from Ponty then you’ll appreciate having less bike weight to get over the hills

[@mikefidler4421]

Looks amazing, proper weather too. Fancy a crack at it but I have promised myself a bike vacation to the PNW with the wife.

[@jaynolajones]

@@GuyKesTV yeah not sure I’ll do it from home! Think your ride was perfect distance, maybe over 3 days/ 2 nights! Got a cannonade scalpel ht…( not a lefty tho) Sid fork the same as you! Gets me over the beacons 🏔️🏔️… so was thinking that would be the weapon for this ride! Cheers guy 👍

[@ftlikemike]

Thanks for this Guy. Great landscape, views ! The drove roads are the rights-o-way for us in Scotland but Wales looks fab, a must do. Full sus MTB shuld I put gravel tyres on... and can i ask please if I wasn't bike packing the best plan for 3 full days riding say 2 nights over. TIA

[@_BR_Drone]

Great video dude. We’re planning on giving the route a go. Just wondering what the best way to get back to our start point is once we’ve completed the trail? Any advice welcome.

[@russellgeorge5437]

Have done the North to South of road twice cracking route

[@m1les7]

Hey Guy, amazing videos and ride!! How much is gravel bike doable? I’m happy to walk the mtb sections? My partner and I both have Van Nicholas Rowtags, and would love to tackle this. Sorry to hear your mum passed, what a great ride to do for her. ❤️🏁🏁❤️🚴‍♀️

[@Ddraig62SPD]

Great overview Guy. Feel like I've known you for decades after reading so many of your MBR reviews & editorials over the years. Don't listen to the listen to the criticism about your pronunciation of some of the Welsh placenames. The main thing is that you're promoting tourism and the beautiful Welsh landscape. I''m sure Steve Jones could give you some pointers for future reviews ;) Diolch yn fawr 👍

[@GuyKesTV]

Cheers mate, that's appreciated. Asking Jonesey for advice is normally a very dangerous move, but I reckon you're right on this one!

[@stuartjames2568]

Looking at doing this over 3 days next year, going to be staying in hotels or something along them lines, so to split into 3 days with two overnights, which villages/town would you say are best placed? TIA

[@GuyKesTV]

That split probably works best as Mach to Dolgellau area, then Dolgellau up to Betws Y Coed/Capel Curig area, then Betws / Capel to Conwy

[@Norristheforest]

Could link nicely with Trans Cambrian Way for even more of an Epic!

[@GuyKesTV]

Yes that was why Andy moved the start from the original plan of Barmouth to Mach 👍🏻

[@Norristheforest]

@@GuyKesTV Yes, saw that part after I watched the whole video!😊

[@GK1976A]

Hi. Great video guide! I'm doing this ride with some mates in April 2024. Can you let me know what tyres your riding on please? I've got some Conti Race King 2.0's and I'm hoping they'll be good enough. Thanks.

[@GuyKesTV]

They should be fine as long as you keep the pressure up and go steady over the rockier bits. I had no trouble on really lightweight 2.2in

[@GK1976A]

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly@@GuyKesTV

[@GK1976A]

@@GuyKesTVI’ve bought a single Conti Cross King 26x2.3 for my front wheel, for a bit more grip on the gnarly parts. Back wheel is still a 2.0.

[@ioang]

Your love and respect for Wales came through really clear for me, and I can see you ARE trying on the pronunciation. Obviously there are so many places you go through that learning them all exactly would have been really impractical - viewers have to remember this is an off-the-cuff recorded cycle ride, not a scripted, rehearsed video. Really enjoyed the video. I'm thinking of doing the route but only have a gravel bike (45c tyres). Any advice? Is that stupid?

[@Romham222]

Would it be possible to ride this on a drob bar steel bike with 650/2.1 wheels?

[@johnbrown3728]

Where can i get the official guide and route map.

[@altern8tive]

It was Dafydd Roberts who ran the cafe with Sian not Davies :) but a side note it was criminal how Forestry Commission Wales treated them, their cafe was just as much a mecca as the trails

[@GuyKesTV]

Just checked and I said Sian and Dafydd (no mention of surnames) but yes I agree. Used to ride the trails a lot in the early days with John North from Karrimor and their cheese on toast with beans was legendary.

[@GuyKesTV]

@@altern8tive sorry, yes I see now. I’ll see if I can add a caption to make that clear

[@JeremyLawrence-imajez]

@@GuyKesTV Gosh I recall John from racing back in ye olde days. I recall approaching him about Karrimor sponsoring the trails I built at Wharncliffe and sadly, he'd signed with Coed Y Brenin the day before. MTB history could have been significantly altered if I'd asked a bit earlier. 😁About £40 worth of small signs from FC was the total investment on that challenging XC trail. Which later got trashed by illegal trail builders.

[@thetrailwaychildren]

What did you say the name of the off road route from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth was called please

[@GuyKesTV]

There’s no official linking route yet but if you extend the southerly option of the old ‘Mach’ loops that’ll get you close 👍🏻

[@thetrailwaychildren]

Thanks. Loving this film by the way, getting me excited for my first bikepacking trip in June on the trans cambrian way

[@GuyKesTV]

@@thetrailwaychildren glad you’re enjoying it, have a great Trans Cam

[@Grandadgreyhair]

Apart form the rocky climb that all looks like a good gravel bike route what’s your view

[@GuyKesTV]

It’s more a case of gearing than the roughness. I was running 32 x 50 and glad of it on most hills and without wanting to sound a tw@t I’m pretty fit.

[@Grandadgreyhair]

@@GuyKesTV thanks I know you are fit because you talk on trails where I just try to breathe. My gravel bike is 36 oval with 46 cassette so a couple of inch gears higher and my five is a bit lower than your set up but not ideal. Will have to think about buying another mountain bike, now looking at other routes to justify.

[@JeremyLawrence-imajez]

@@GuyKesTV Long been impressed by your ability to proper rabbit on whilst riding up an cliff.

[@GuyKesTV]

@@JeremyLawrence-imajez I don’t go any faster when I stop talking so I may as well carry on 🤷‍♂️

[@harveyjones1]

"...its a bit welsh today" 🤣

[@GuyKesTV]

I actually got really cold again when I was editing that footage 🥶

[@JasonWorswick]

What bike are you riding Guy?

[@GuyKesTV]

Custom spec Specialized Chisel. I’ll be putting a video of it up on here this weekend 👍🏻

[@GuyKesTV]

Hi Jason, this is a link to the Patreon subscriber version of the bike check without ads or captions: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3TSlmWVorJ-f7M

[@JeremyLawrence-imajez]

I ended up buying same bike with similar-ish setup after watching Guy's earlier vids on his custom build. I was actually after a new CX bike but the Crux I fancied was a silly price. So very glad I got the Chisel, it's so very light and capable on technical terrain and descends really well, even when laden with bikepacking kit. A hidden and sensibly priced gem in the Specialized range. Even better the Cruxs are now massively reduced, so that'll be my road bike that can also mountain bike.

[@lemdixon01]

How do we say the new name for Snodonia which isn't the new name.

[@russellgeorge5437]

Nick name in wales for machynlydd is "machine shop" 😅😅

[@br5380]

No dropper Guy?

[@GuyKesTV]

Not needed, plus seat pack is an arse with a dropper

[@br5380]

@@GuyKesTVI use a Wolftooth Valais and with a 200mm dropper I get about 100mm of drop - works perfectly as can be set so seatpack doesn't catch in the back tyre.

[@Sphagnum10]

I respect and enjoy a lot of your output and I don't like to post a negative comment, but this was marred by disappointment over your pronunciation, more so considering you are the 'official guidebook writer'. As a viewer, it came across as 'can't be bothered, it doesn't matter to me'. With a little bit of effort, this would have been an ideal opportunity to show respect for the place, people and language in the area traversed by the route. (PS Trawsfynydd is also misspelled above - if you are able to edit it, replace the second 'n' with 'yd' ). Please take this as constructive and well intentioned. Beyond this your enthusiasm comes across, despite riding it on a chilly couple of days in February. It looks a great route . If there isn't one already, perhaps a pronunciation guide would be a useful addition to the guidebook ;-) Edit: I've just watched part 2 too.. Also inspiring and definitely on my list. Thank you very much/ Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi 🙂

[@GuyKesTV]

Sincere apologies, absolutely no Welsh disrespect meant. My late mum was born in the Welsh borders to Welsh parents and my daughter is living in Wales ATMO. I’ll get the captions changed to the correct 'dd' and you’ll be glad to hear that there is indeed a pronunciation guide in the book. Unfortunately I wrote that after I did the ride.

[@Sphagnum10]

@@GuyKesTV Thanks for your reply Guy - the caption correction is getting closer, just missing the 'y' before the 'dd' (or copy paste this - ' Trawsfynydd ' ). 👍

[@GuyKesTV]

@@Sphagnum10 damn, I’m cursed. Out riding ATMO but hopefully third time lucky on the edit when I’m back.

[@BillEvans1956]

Great vlog, but you need to work on your Welsh place name pronunciation. 😂

[@GuyKesTV]

I know I’m sorry. My grandad was from Llansilin and he’d be horrified 😬🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@kieranbarry8193]

your Machynlleth was pretty good :)@@GuyKesTV

[@MediaRedia]

Phil can't pronounce Welsh names correctly either. 😂