Is Anglesey good for cycling? We think so! With so many quiet roads, Anglesey is a popular destination for cyclists.
Anglesey has around a thousand miles of roads, the majority being quiet, unclassified roads. This means that, whether you are planning a day’s gentle bike ride, some cycle touring or bike-packing, or road cycling, there are an endless number of possible cycling routes which you could devise!
You can plan longer, faster routes or short, scenic routes, inland or coastal routes. Whether you like speedy road cycling, or just a quiet pootle on your bike, Anglesey’s gentle undulations will give you sufficient challenges to keep you warm and get your lungs working to capacity, as well as hills to catch a cooling breeze.
Unless you are a confident road cyclist, we’d advise people to avoid the A roads as far as possible for a pleasant day’s cycling.
There are also plenty of interesting sites and views along the way, you’re never far from a sea view or a view towards the mountains of Eryri, Snowdonia.
Anglesey has a number of bike routes and trails, some local, such as the 36-mile Copper trail around Mynydd Parys Copper Mine, and some national Sustrans National Bike Routes, all marked on the map available at the foot of this page.
Take a look at our Guided Bike Tours now!
If you want a quiet cycle, then we recommend Lôn Las Cefni cycle paths from Llangefni and the tracks through Newborough forest for a traffic-free cycle experience.
The island supports a keen cycling community, from Cycle Clubs such as that at Holyhead, to volunteer Breeze ‘champions’ who arrange and lead guided bike rides to encourage and support women’s cycling on Anglesey.
There’s an active group on the island. Lon Las Môn, who are campaigning to extend the traffic free routes along an unused portion of old rail track to Amlwch. This would create a traffic free multi leisure route right across the island!
The island also attracts a range of local and visiting cycling competitors from serious racers to people who just want to challenge themselves by competing in one of the four routes of the annual Tour de Môn sportive, organised annually by Always Aim High events. These range from the 3.5 mile family route to the more challenging 106 mile round the island route. Cyclists also visit Anglesey to compete in the Superfeet Sandman triathlon, which organisers Always Aim High describe as ‘the most beautiful triathlon in the calendar’.
Leisurely cycling
But if you’re not looking for a gruelling competitive cycle, then there are many other reasons to bring your bike to Anglesey for a cycle.
We’d list in no particular order:
- Sea and mountain views
- Wildlife:
It could be the red squirrels or the bird life in places such as RSPB Cors Ddyga and South Stack nature reserves. While cycling, we’ve seen stoats, hares, rabbits and voles, and a wealth of bird life. - Hedgerow and verge-side flowers.
These are especially pretty in spring and early summer - Quiet roads:
Need we say more? We can cycle all day and see very few cars, a few tractors and often more bicycles. It is always good to be cautious however, so ride on the left and keep ears open for oncoming vehicles. - Interest:
Anglesey has more standing stones and burial chambers than any other part of the UK, may of which you just come across as you cycle. The island is studded with tiny rural churches and chapels, which, along with the many farms, hamlets and villages, reflect the island’s local history.