A5 / A4086 / A498 : Betws-y-Coed - Beddgelert ( Scenic Snowdonia )

March 14, 2012 - 4.0

Excellent scenery, an enjoyable route with good road surface. The road is a bit more open than some of the other nearby routes - not quite as many drystone walls!
Spotted a group of 3 police motorbikes on the A5 near Capel Curig but they didn't seem to be doing any traffic operations at the time.
The A5 at the moment (March 2012) is full of road works so expect some delays. That said, the road surface on the finished bits is excellent.

May 22, 2009 - 4.0

Start in Betws-y-Coed, which has an abundance of cheap hotels and bunkhouses if you want to spend a few days touring the area. Take the A5 north out of the village towards Capel Curig, the road climbs slightly is wide with a good surface and some nice sweeping bends. At Capel Curig take the left turn A4086 towards Mount Snowdon, after a couple of miles you will reach the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, this is where Edmund Hillarys team based themselves while training on Snowdon prior to his ascent of Everest.At the Pen-y-Gwryd take the left fork, the A498 this will take you past Lake Gwynant, there is a pull in here with terrific views of Snowdon and the surrounding mountains. Continue on this road, quite tight corners, some forest sections and another lake, Llyn Dinas. When you reach Beddgelert there are a couple of nice pubs. So why not stop, Have a beer, turn around and do it all again. This is a lovely scenic route rather than a fast knee down type blast, but pretty dramatic.