INTO THE VALLEYS ABOUT ANGLIA
Central Wales is a swathe of forested hills, rivers and reservoirs reaching from the Brecon Beacons, up through the Elan Valley, then into the lower reaches of Eryri (Snowdonia). It’s a magnificent belt of B-road brilliance, with a bit of everything from tight and twisty go-kart track to wide and flowing like a continental mountain road, and every kind of scenery; endless variety to suit all kinds of riders on any type of bike.
Our route starts in Llandovery, heading north towards Llyn Brianne on a capillary threading alongside the reservoir, then across desolate hillsides to Tregaron. If it’s raining, you know about it. Pick up the B4343 twisting across green fields; then, just after Ysbyty Ystwyth, the road funnels between rhododendron thickets as the landscape shifts gear, with deeper woods and higher hills. Suddenly the road is a broad grey ribbon, cutting into a hillside lined with tall conifers. Blink and you’re in the Ardennes in Belgium.
The road compresses, drops into Pontarfynach past the Hafod Hotel and takes the right fork just before Devil’s Bridge onto the B4574. The road opens out with big views across farmland valleys and gentle slopes to the left, then coils into tighter turns with black-and-white-painted Armco. Go past the old arch, down a tree-lined avenue into Cwmystwyth, then back into more hills – rushing alongside the river Ystwyth between slopes slathered in spoil from ancient lead mining. More farms and green fields, then the scenery switches character again, becoming hilly moorland as the entrance to the Elan Valley and Craig Goch reservoir appears to the right. It’s a stunning diversion around a series of reservoirs, each one a postcard. Emerge at Rhayader and have lunch at Ty Morgans café.
North on the B4518, spiralling upcountry towards Llanidloes, over the nascent River Severn, and on into the hills climbing up to the dam at the head of Clywedog Reservoir and its viewpoint. Dodge briefly across the A489 at Talerddig, then scoot along an unclassified road onto the B4395, heading towards Lake Vyrnwy and the ride up the tight path to the dam wall.
Loop around the reservoir if you like, then back on to the B4396 to Pen-y-bont-fawr to pick up the B4391. This is a cracking B-road, climbing up the side of a hill with amazing views down into the valley, then breaking out across hills and down into Bala. Stop for a coffee, then head north for a brief burst of A4212, then peel right onto the B4391 again for a memorable riot of corners heading into Ffestiniog, and into the heart of Eryri.
The ride starts just outside Downham Market, heading east on a narrow strip of unclassified road bounding between hedges and trees, through farmyards and past the barns and houses dressed in characteristic Norfolk flint.
At Whittington roundabout pick up the B1112 Methwold Road and skirt the edges of Thetford Forest, where great Corsican pines stand shoulder to shoulder with broad‑leaved oak, beech and maple trees, surrounded in part by heathland.
There’s the option of some off‑roading at Harling Drove but you can also pick up the B1107 to go deeper into the forest, through broad‑leaved tree tunnels. Hook up with the A11 to bypass Thetford, then on to the B1106 south to pass Bury St Edmunds.
Back out on the B1066, south through classic English B‑road countryside. Dodge through Sudbury and onto the B1508, turn left at Bures and head towards Dedham
Vale – a lovely area, made famous by John Constable’s paintings. Then take a detour to the village of Mistley on the Stour estuary; an odd place with a bohemian vibe.
The B1352 is a classic scratcher’s road; it doesn’t go anywhere. Ramsey, then Harwich, then the North Sea – so ride it one way and ride it back to Mistley again. Then run along the B1080 on the north bank of the Stour takes you to Chelmondiston and the south bank of the Orwell, where the Pin Mill pub and restaurant overlooks the estuary. Then head for the Suffolk Coast and Heaths – an official National Landscape. This is where, in 1980, servicemen at a local air base saw flashing lights and a UFO land in the forest.
Next, a short burst along the pretty B1069 to the A1094, then into Aldeburgh with its long pebble beach and bustling High Street for a well‑earned bag of chips to finish the ride.