NCN 88 - South Wales Coast is a 85.2 km road cycling route in Mid & South Wales with 812 m of climbing, about 3% of it off road, and it splits into a single day at a moderate pace.
The route runs west along the South Wales coast from Ultra Pontem through Newport, Cardiff and Barry Island before turning inland briefly and then back to the shore for the final stretch into Bridgend. The terrain is flat to gently rolling for the first half, through Marshfield and into Cardiff, with the more testing kilometres coming after Barry Island as the road climbs and dips between Rhoose, Fonmon and the villages south of Llanmaes. Almost all of it is on road. The line visits Cardiff City Centre and Cardiff Bay before swinging south through Penarth Marina and Cosmeston, so the urban sections are long and sequential rather than brief interruptions.
Cardiff is the obvious resupply point and sits just past the halfway mark at around 29 km; the settlements thin out noticeably west of Barry Island, with Fonmon, Pancross and Llanbethery offering little. Navigation through the Newport and Cardiff conurbations requires attention, as the route threads through a succession of close-set districts. The final section from Monknash through Wick and Ewenny to Bridgend is the most rural and least supported stretch of the day.
Water, food, campsites and stations along this route are shown on the interactive map.
The map on this page carries the surface breakdown, the elevation profile and every point of interest. You can split the route into days against your own pace, see what it will cost to ride, and take it with you. Download the GPX.
Read the NCN 88 - South Wales Coast route guide.
Getting to the start without flying · Browse all routes
Route from Sustrans.
Compiled by Ed Hunton, Cicerone guidebook author, from TourTrax's own route data.