NCN 5 - North Wales Coast avoiding uplands
NCN 5 - North Wales Coast avoiding uplands is a 117.2 km road cycling route in North West England with 735 m of climbing, about 2% of it off road, and it splits into a single day at a moderate pace.
The route follows the North Wales coast from Chester, staying low throughout and avoiding the uplands inland. The surface is almost entirely road. The line threads through a chain of settlements from Chester to Bangor before crossing to Menai Bridge, with the built-up sections giving way to shorter gaps between villages on the coastal stretch west of Colwyn Bay.
Worth knowing before you go
Resupply is straightforward for most of the route; settlements appear at close intervals all the way to Bangor. The route passes through Snowdonia. Navigation through the early kilometres around Chester, Saltney and Queensferry runs through dense urban ground where junctions come quickly.
NCN 5 - North Wales Coast avoiding uplands in numbers
- Distance: 117.2 km
- Climbing: 735 m
- Off road: 3 km, about 2% of the route
- Riding time: about 5 hours, a long day
Water, food, campsites and stations along this route are shown on the interactive map.
Plan it and ride it
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 5 - North Wales Coast avoiding uplands 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.