NCN 47 - Celtic Trail Upland Route

242.5 km 2771 m climbing About 2 days 16% off road Road cycling Mid & South Wales

The route runs east to west, starting in Newport and climbing steadily through Crosskeys, Cwmfelinfach and Wyllie before the line eases into the Rhondda valleys via Quakers Yard and Cilfynydd.

A long high section passes through Llanwonno and Maerdy before the route drops toward the coast at Briton Ferry and swings through Swansea's suburbs, taking in Blackpill and Gowerton. West of Bynea the ground opens out and the route crosses into Carmarthenshire, passing through Carmarthen before the character changes again on the long haul through Tegryn and Rosebush toward Fishguard. About a sixth of the distance is off road.

The figures

Distance	242.5 km
Climbing	2771 m
Off road	39 km, about 16% of the route
Riding time	about 11 hours, roughly 2 days at a moderate pace
Region	Mid & South Wales
Route from	Sustrans

Worth knowing before you go

The stretch between Maerdy and Cimla is a long gap with no settlements on the line, so resupply needs planning before you leave the valleys. Rosebush to Fishguard is similarly thin for services, with only Castlebythe between them. The route is tagged as road but the off-road sections around the upland passages are where navigation requires attention.

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 47 - Celtic Trail Upland Route is an official route from Sustrans (their website).