Confluence of the Twrch with the Tawe Confluence of the Twrch with the Tawe. Photo: Jonathan Billinger / Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Open the interactive map → Map of NCN 43 - Swansea Valley

Official route · Sustrans

NCN 43 - Swansea Valley

31.1 km 484 m climbing A day 6% off road Road cycling Mid & South Wales

The route runs north from Swansea up the Swansea Valley, following the river corridor through a tight sequence of settlements before the valley narrows beyond Clydach.

The surface is mostly road, with a small off-road fraction that comes in without much warning. Beyond Pontardawe the settlements thin out and the line continues through Ystalyfera and Ystradgynlais to finish at Ynyswen.

The figures

Distance31.1 km
Climbing484 m
Off road2 km, about 6% of the route
Riding timeabout 1 hours, a long day
RegionMid & South Wales
Route fromSustrans

Worth knowing before you go

Swansea has full resupply at the start, and Pontardawe and Ystradgynlais cover the middle and upper valley. The off-road sections are short but check conditions before setting out if the weather has been wet. The upper section beyond Ystradgynlais is quiet and resupply options are limited from Abercraf onward.

Put your own dates on this and TourTrax splits it into days at your pace, finds somewhere to sleep at the end of each one, estimates what it will cost and gets you to the start without flying.

Plan this route → Download the GPX

Other route guides

NCN 43 - Swansea Valley is an official route from Sustrans (their website).