BIKEPACKING WALES – TRAWS ERYRI – ADVENTURE THROUGH SNOWDONIA

Welcome back to keep smiling adventures and i hope you are ready for another welsh bikepacking adventure, this week we take on cycling uk’s new route the traws eryri this 200km 125 mile route will take us through the remote rugged trails of the snowdonia national park

The Ride – https://www.strava.com/activities/10205002918

The route – https://www.komoot.com/tour/1360315634?ref=wtd&share_token=a10D5CFlIc9Aad2QcH3MzmijDgn32cwILnlnhULCQa1FOJJsrQ

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The gear i am currently using

The tent – https://youtu.be/n9GKHSf805E
Framebag – https://youtu.be/6LM3UJKDOEk
Seatpost bag – https://youtu.be/W1E_iWY6Ajo
Jones Handlebars – https://youtu.be/dhPBSdRros8
Gravel bike – https://youtu.be/Gnd_4LgTyrg
plus bike mtb – https://youtu.be/COTUOzLPbGk
gps device – https://youtu.be/BWeMmx62A9M
mtb shoes – https://youtu.be/OYVEnfXwT0k
All the gear from GNT – https://youtu.be/e5oKSoPoMk0
Vest bag – https://youtu.be/01nzgd-t550
Ortleib bar roll https://youtu.be/Uk9fLgS1ioo
Dynamo setup – https://youtu.be/SL7MhjB6Lp0
Questions answered – https://youtu.be/u1q9AEs9flE
Gb divide bike/gear- https://youtu.be/epcZ81wqFCo

waking up early this morning looking over a town that I cannot pronounce the name of it must mean one thing we are back in Wales for another adventure this time cycling UK’s new route through the snowdonia national park 125 M or 200 km of rugged Welsh adventure to Pedal through to get to the coastal town of Conway North Wales being Wales there there is only one true way to begin an adventure like this in the rain and that’s exactly how I would start my journey through the snowdonia national park the rivers flowing high and fast with all the rain I was sure it was going to add to the challenge of this ride another cycling UK route and what looks like going to be another tough challenge ahead of us good days good days but for now all I could do was pull my hood up and pedal on enjoying the colors of the fallen leaves and enjoy the Welsh landscape that I had decided to Pedal [Music] through [Music] well got to say the uh first 20 miles that I’ve done so far have been fairly easy pretty much all on the road just heading up to the first proper climb of the day though so I won’t get uh too comfortable in the comfort of the start of this ride because it’s whales and I’m sure there’s going to be some testing times but it is it has stopped raining and uh it’s just meant to be a bit windy today but saying that we are in the winter we only have like maybe 8 hours of daylight to ride in nowadays so it’s that time of the year where we have lots of time in the tent to just uh relax and listen to what surrounds me whether that be rain wind who knows but done 20 mil going to keep uh pedaling up this first climb but it is paved so at least for now it’s very ridable nice 20 miles done let’s hope uh we can keep uh cracking out some miles going to try and take two and a bit days I think to do this ride get a couple nights out in the tent in Wales [Music] yeah as I made my way up the first climb of this ride with the rain now gone I couldn’t help but enjoy The View news whales like it was this morning is my favorite time to see whales it’s rugged it’s wet and it’s unpredictable something about being in the unpredictability of nature just makes me feel alive and whales on a gray gloomy day does just that [Music] [Music] can’t bloody believe it there actually some blue sky this morning has actually been really really nice um been all ridable it was good I’m happy I’ve done 30 miles and uh just generally feeling great have some uh giant barbecue corn probably going to try and do another 20 mil today maybe 30 again if I can but technically it’s about midday now so uh we only have about 4 and 1 half hours of daylight but right now where I am I’m coming along this absolutely beautiful Trail and like just riding it’s all flat pretty much and it’s just these are my views how nice absolutely perfect that unpredictability of Wales you never know what’s around the corner but around this corner was a taste of that first time you ever rode a bike splashing through the puddles of not a care in the [Music] world there is one thing in Wales that is very predictable though them steep steep hills and it was time to start spinning them legs and pedling up them very steep Welsh Hills every turn of them pedals gets you that little closer to the top climbing up these Hills isn’t easy going but being surrounded by that beautiful Welsh landscape certainly makes it a little easier and what’s cycling without the pure joy of getting to let yourself fly down them very [Music] [Music] climbs 42 miles done today that is the Sun up there what is going on Wales what is going on so nice going to try and do another 10 15 maybe even 20 but it’s half 2 sunset’s at half 4 and to be honest I have not seen anywhere where I would like to camp on this trip so far so kind of uh a little worried that I’m not going to be able to find anywhere before it gets dark at least but um hopefully I can find somewhere before it gets dark to camp we a nice 42 miles done so far just coming through a place I don’t know what it’s called and uh generally it’s quite easy going ah the sun might even get a sunset tonight how good would that [Music] [Music] be [Music] good morning morning that was a night that was quite loud lots of rain and uh it was very heavy but right now it’s not raining so that’s Happy Days I was just quite lucky to find I was just very lucky to be honest just to find a slightly flat spot to camp last night it was getting dark I’m heading uphill I’m actually heading in about 10 miles I think it is just just under 10 miles to get to like the highest point on this route and uh so I was just happy to find somewhere slightly flat to pitch the tent and I’ve actually got a pretty cool Camp spot although if you look up there you don’t know if you can see it up the them power lines so they’re buzzing all night and then when it rains they Buzz even louder there is a road over there so it’s was quite in the night but it started getting a bit loud and uh there is actually a very nice view over there with the mountains the lake is slightly spoiled by I think a power station just over there though but yesterday I did 55 miles a day I’ve got about 65 to do but I don’t actually want to finish today so I’m going to try and do like 40 45 miles find somewhere to Camp it’s looking like it’s going to be patchy rain all day but oh well I’m going to get packed up before before it starts raining while the tent’s dryish or drying and uh let’s get pedling let’s [Music] go a strange morning eerily calm after a night of Relentless rain and wind keeping me up all night it was time to head to the highest point of this ride not knowing what was up ahead I just took it one pedal at a time but to my surprise the highest point of this ride was a pure pleasure to get to endless winding [Music] roads [Music] [Music] I’m at the highest point now on this ride it was super nice to actually climb it was just a road climb and now we just have these sweeping roads for for our descent and we’ve also got a Tailwind so we’re going to get to absolutely fly down this awesome looking Road let’s descend [Music] super [Music] that calmness would come to an end and the rain would start to soak the trails once again the rain lashing down but the sun trying its best to break through like thick clouds the sky was on [Music] fire [Music] [Music] well just done 20 miles so another 20 to do today if possible it’s very uh Sunny then rain Sunny then rain nice and cold rain too but uh the trails have been good the scents have been fun I’m just uh I just stopped and had a quick bik to eat and some snacks and stuff I’d quite like to find somewhere out of the rain no I just sort of sit down for a bit but I don’t think we’re going to find anywhere in the uh next few miles anyway just uh hopefully hopefully the rain will just uh pass for a bit more and uh I can dry out again and warm up and then get wet again [Music] [Music] oh I’ve done about 35 miles or so I got like I think 10 more miles to go until I’ve got like 20 to go until the finish uh I’m just currently wet I’m currently climbing I think it’s like the penultimate climb really uh so and luckily that actually is about the uh point where I will be looking to stop but just like yesterday I have not um seen anywhere where I would like to Camp so I’m hoping I can find somewhere and uh I can get into Camp a little bit early if possible but uh it’s currently drizzly rain but uh still fairly easy to ride just got a nice long draggy road climbed by the looks of it for a little while just had some food all good really let’s keep climbing and then hopefully I can find somewhere decent and a dryish would be nice to set up the tent but I’m not sure that’s going to happen anytime soon keep going just bloody snapped my chain didn’t I right on the quick link snapped luckily I have another Welsh steepness likes to break chains with that chain now fixed it would be time to pedal on into the evening in the hope of finding somewhere to pitch my tent for the night all that Heavy Rain had really taken its toll on the trails though [Music] as night fell I would still be looking for my bed for the night [Music] hold so that happened last night I literally could not find anywhere to Camp like I was going and going I was like it was getting it was already dark so I was like okay it’s getting really hard to find somewhere haven’t found anywhere all day all the kind of places that would have been okay we just like flooded so they were a noo and then it was pissing down with rain and then my tire was going flat I kept pumping it up and it would kept going down so I ended up having to get a hotel last night um because I really could not be bothered trying and fix this while it was pissing down with rain I’ve actually only got like 10 or 15 miles to go and kind of just come off the route to uh well this place and uh yeah had a nice warm shower and uh all good but I’m just pump the tire up going to wait a little bit see if it stays I think it’s just uh it need some sealant I think if not I just stick a tube in and we’ll be on our way to the finish line today and we’re going to finish the good way with some blue skies with the tire pumped up and seemingly holding the air it was time to finish my ride through the snowdonia national park with the rugged Hills one side of me and the other the north Welsh [Music] coastline with one final climb to make it over today the trails flooded from the previous day of rain I was really looking forward to my final descent once I made it to the top of this epic last climb a descent that never seemed to arrive a last push of the bike through the boggy trails and a river crossing would be my final memories of this ride but with the sun shining I would make it to the end of this W Adventure finishing admiring the awesome Conway [Music] [Music] Castle [Music]