Best Route Bristol to Holyhead

[jamiedgwilson]

After reading a Pistonheads Spotted article (https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-spottedykywt/bmw-m235i-convertible-spotted/44354), I became obsessed and finally bought an M235i convertible.

I'm collecting it in Bristol on Wednesday 22nd, and driving to get the Holyhead ferry to Dublin. I could take the motorway which seems a poor choice. Can anyone recommend any good routes through Wales that wouldn't add too much time to my trip? Google maps has a few suggestions...

[Evil.soup]

The route you have mapped out is one I have done many times from South Wales to work in North Wales, it's a great fast road and takes in some lovely scenery. The journey time will also be a little less than google suggests as you can really carry speed above the average for a 60MPH road along this route, if you want to drive in that way of course.

I am not suggesting you drive like a nutcase of course, it is just that traffic does move fast on the A470 and where people would slow to 40 for a set of S bends, you really can carry on safely at the speed limit if there is no one ahead of you.

There would be a few detours you could do if you were not in much of a rush, some will even make your journey quicker, they are just not normal routes google would plan in.

Brecon to Builth Wells via Upper Chapel B4520 I believe it is. Fantastic road, 60MPH but you will be making good pace if you can even maintain the speed limit across much of it.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Brecon/Builth+Well...

It's this road: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7bNw8l9fQ8

There are a few other great detours further north, but my knowledge isn't the best past mid Wales. I would certainly recommend the above though!

Edited by Evil.soup on Tuesday 21st September 12:08

Edited by Evil.soup on Tuesday 21st September 12:11

[jamiedgwilson]

Thanks, that looks like an easy detour! B4520 planned in

[juice]

Evil.soup said:

Brecon to Builth Wells via Upper Chapel B4520 I believe it is. Fantastic road, 60MPH but you will be making good pace if you can even maintain the speed limit across much of it.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Brecon/Builth+Well...

It's this road: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7bNw8l9fQ8

I drove that a couple of months ago while staying just outside Brecon in Aberyscir. There are LOADS of sheep on that road and they literally give zero fks !! Will just wander out in the road randomly

[Evil.soup]

juice said:

Evil.soup said:

Brecon to Builth Wells via Upper Chapel B4520 I believe it is. Fantastic road, 60MPH but you will be making good pace if you can even maintain the speed limit across much of it.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Brecon/Builth+Well...

It's this road: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7bNw8l9fQ8

I drove that a couple of months ago while staying just outside Brecon in Aberyscir. There are LOADS of sheep on that road and they literally give zero fks !! Will just wander out in the road randomly

Yeah get a lot of that around here, but most should have gone to the slaughter by now so not so many in the road hopefully...not great for the sheep but a bit better for us drivers!!

[Evil.soup]

jamiedgwilson said:

Thanks, that looks like an easy detour! B4520 planned in

Enjoy mate!

It will actually save you time as it is a quicker route than staying on the A470 from Brecon to Builth.

Its hard to tell from your picture, but does the route take the A5 from Betws-Y-Coed to Hollyhead?

[jamiedgwilson]

Not the A5, it takes you up to Bangor then I think the A55 to Holyhead.

[Evil.soup]

jamiedgwilson said:

Not the A5, it takes you up to Bangor then I think the A55 to Holyhead.

Ah right, the A487.

Well depending on how tired you may be at that point, you may want to stay on the A470 via Blaenau Ffestiniog then catch the A5, this will take you through the middle of the Snowdonia National Park rather than around it. Won't add more than 5 miles to your journey and less than 10mins extra. It's seriously stunning to drive.

It's times like this I realise why I love Wales so much, I need another road trip up north myself!

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Trawsfynydd/Blaena...

[jamiedgwilson]

I didn't stick exactly to the route, and to be honest I'm not even sure what some of the roads I was on were called, but it was a brilliant trip! Wales has some great roads.