Lôn Las Cymru South

About the Area

Lôn Las Cymru, Wales’ “green lane,” is the country’s flagship long-distance cycle route, running for some 250 miles the full length of Wales from Holyhead on Anglesey to Cardiff Bay in the south. The southern section covered by this holiday picks up the route at Llanidloes, in the heart of mid Wales, and follows it down through the beautiful upper Wye Valley to the market town of Brecon, gateway to Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, with the option to continue further still along the traffic-free Taff Trail to Cardiff, or via an alternative, more challenging route through Hay-on-Wye and the Black Mountains to Chepstow.

From Llanidloes, the route follows quiet country lanes down through some of the most unspoilt scenery in Wales, tracking the young River Wye through Rhayader, gateway to the dramatic Elan Valley reservoirs, and on to the handsome spa town of Builth Wells. Red kites are a near-constant companion overhead throughout this stretch, a fitting emblem for a part of Wales closely associated with their remarkable conservation recovery, while woodpeckers and a wealth of other wildlife make the most of the quiet, largely traffic-free lanes.

Beyond Builth Wells, the route continues to Glasbury, within easy reach of the book town of Hay-on-Wye, a popular and worthwhile detour for those wanting to explore its famous bookshops before continuing on towards Brecon. From here, riders have a genuine choice of onward routes. The traditional line follows the Wye Valley and quiet lanes into Brecon before picking up the largely traffic-free Taff Trail south to Cardiff, while a more adventurous alternative heads instead towards Hay-on-Wye and Abergavenny, taking in a genuine taste of the Black Mountains before finishing in the historic border town of Chepstow.

Whichever route you choose, the riding throughout is properly varied, mixing quiet tarmac lanes with sections of gravel track, and the occasional testing climb rewarded with some of the finest views in Wales. Confident cyclists on tourers or hybrids will find themselves genuinely well suited to this route, since some of its best stretches wander onto unsurfaced tracks rarely troubled by traffic of any kind, a world away from the more heavily used cycle routes further afield.

Taken as a whole, Lôn Las Cymru South offers a proper mountainous cycling challenge through some of Wales’ quietest and most beautiful countryside, connecting the wild uplands of mid Wales with the gentler valleys and historic towns further south. For those with the time and appetite for more, it links directly with our Taff Trail holiday for the final leg into Cardiff, or with our Hay-on-Wye cycling holidays for those wanting to linger longer in the book town along the way.

Cycling Lôn Las Cymru South with Drover Holidays

Our Lôn Las Cymru South cycling holiday takes you from Llanidloes to Brecon, with the option to extend your trip onward to Cardiff via the Taff Trail, or via the more challenging alternative route through Hay-on-Wye and the Black Mountains to Chepstow. We take care of your accommodation each night, transfer your luggage between stops, and provide detailed route notes and mapping throughout, with quality hybrid bikes available to hire, well suited to the mix of tarmac and gravel found along the way. There are no fixed departure dates, and we are always happy to help plan a longer itinerary for those wanting to combine this route with our Taff Trail or Hay-on-Wye cycling holidays.